After Having Their Club 33 Membership Revoked, the Andersons Tell Their Story
Last week, we brought you the story of Scott and Diana Anderson, the Disney-obsessed couple who achieved their dream of becoming Club 33 members only for it all to come crashing down.
As a brief recap, after trying to get into the exclusive Disneyland club for over a decade, the Andersons finally became members of Club 33 in 2012. Over the next five years, the couple visited Disneyland 60 to 80 times a year, spending nearly $125,000 annually.
Photo: Diana Anderson via The Hollywood Reporter
On September 3, 2017, however, Scott Anderson was found at Disney California Adventure by Disney Security, who determined that he was intoxicated.
The Incident in Question
Security guards reportedly found the club member near the park’s entrance, where he allegedly had trouble standing. The only thing in Anderson’s pocket was his Club 33 membership card.
Shortly after the incident, Disney revoked the Andersons’ membership.
Photo: Disney
The couple would spend the next seven years attempting to get reinstated into Club 33, even filing a suit against Disney that claimed that Scott was not inebriated but instead suffering from a vestibular migraine that was triggered by red wine that he drank earlier that day.
Sleeping Beauty Castle
In the seven years since the 2017 incident, the Andersons have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars trying to get back into Club 33. Their quest seemingly came to an end last week, however, when a jury ruled against them.
The Andersons Tell Their Story
With their chance at being reinstated seemingly over, the Andersons sat down with The Hollywood Reporter to tell their side of the story and give some insight into Club 33.
Throughout their interview, the Andersons argued that Club 33 had gone downhill in recent years and that the other club members routinely broke the rules but were not reprimanded by Disney.
Photo: Disney
With twists and turns that include Rebel Wilson taking photos in the bathroom, Katy Perry selling club access, and Tom Hanks clearing out Club 33 for Thanksgiving, you should read the whole Hollywood Reporter interview.
I, however, want to focus on Disney’s decision to revoke the Anderson’s Club 33 membership.
Scott Anderson Insists That He Was Not Drunk
According to Scott Anderson, he was not drunk on the day of the incident.
Photo Credit: Tim Rue – TravelandLeisure.com
“We were there for a Fantasy Football draft, and so there’s 15 to 20 people on the tab. It was two bottles of wine, there were beers. So I had two of the beers and I had a glass of wine between 12 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. It was 9:30 p.m. that I was found on the park bench,” he told The Hollywood Reporter.
“I was sitting on a bench and then when [security] were like, “Hey, can you stand up?” I couldn’t really stand up. I stood up and then I kind of sat back down on the bench right away because severe vertigo is part of vestibular migraines. All I had in my pocket was my Club 33 card. So they called the club and reported me based on that.”
According to Scott, the manager at Club 33 told him that he would be forgiven for the incident if he wrote an apology letter. After writing the document, however, Anderson says he still had his membership revoked.
The Andersons Say Club 33 Has Gone Downhill
The main theme running through the Andersons’ story is that Club 33 has gone downhill in recent years. When asked how long the couple had been club members for, Scott had this to say:
“Five years. Four really good years, and then the last year when [a new manager] came in is when everything went south.”
Photo Credit: DisneyNerds.com
In the initial Los Angeles Times story on the Andersons’ lawsuit, it was revealed that Diana Anderson had also previously gotten into trouble with club management.
Diana Anderson Previously Ran Afoul of Club Management
Reflecting on the incident, Diana blamed the club’s manager.
Photo: Disney
“My friend knocked over her drink with her sleeve. And the waiter came up and she’s like, ‘May I get another mimosa?’ He is like, ‘I can give you water or I can give you tea.’ After five minutes I go, ‘Wait a minute, did he just cut us off?’ And I went to talk to the manager, who would not look at me,” she explained. “Finally, I leaned into him, and I said, “What the [heck] is going on?” And he goes, ‘That’s it.'”
Like Scott, Diana insists that she was not inebriated during her Club 33 incident.
“I had two glasses of wine. Everybody there knows I pour water in my wine. I’m not really drinking two glasses of wine. Everybody knows that,” she said. “Believe me, when we’re talking, we know we sound crazy. My friends talk about it. We’re like, ‘I know we all sound insane.’”
Why Try to Get Reinstated?
Despite numerous complaints throughout the interview, the Andersons have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars and seven years trying to get reinstated into Club 33. According to Scott, the couple wants back in the club for two reasons.
Photo: The Andersons via The Hollywood Reporter
“One is my integrity was impugned because now I’m ‘the drunk in the park.’ And it’s all the friendships that we have there. ‘We’re all going to go to Club 33.’ And we’re like, ‘We’ll go do something else for a while.’ They feel guilty. We would feel guilty [if the shoe was on the other foot].”
Photo by Don Bartletti/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Following their interview, it seems even more unlikely than ever that the Andersons will be Club 33 members again. However, as the club continues to be shrouded in secrecy, the Andersons’ story is an interesting peek behind the curtain, even if the couple has a clear agenda.
