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Disney’s theme parks may be primarily targeted toward children, but there are plenty of grown-up superfans who spare no expense when it comes to getting their fix—including one couple that’s pledged to keep fighting after dropping $400,000 on a lawsuit in a failed bid to rejoin a pricey private club.
It’s hard not to be impressed by the experience Disney offers to visitors who roam the dozen amusement parks the company has constructed around the globe since Disneyland opened in California in 1955—an attraction that welcomed over 18 million people each year prior to the pandemic.
Kids obviously accounted for a sizeable percentage of that number, but if you’ve ever visited any of the massive resorts, you’ve likely crossed paths with plenty of the Disney Adults who are just as enchanted with the magical atmosphere you find yourself immersed in once you make your way through the front gates.
According to The Los Angeles Times, that includes Scott and Diana Anderson, a couple of Disney fanatics who live in Arizona but were obsessed with Disneyland to the point where they once made the trek to Anaheim upwards of 80 times a year while spending around $125,000 for the privilege thanks to travel and lodging.
A solid chunk of that sum was the $31,500 the Andersons spent on yearly dues for Club 33, the private establishment Walt Disney himself decided to open in 1967 in order to accommodate V.I.P. guests near the private apartment he had in the park; it’s home to a ritzy bar and equally fancy restaurant surrounded by a mystique that’s created a years-long waiting list despite its hefty price tag.
The couple joined Club 33 in 2012 before they found themselves enduring a personal nightmare courtesy of “The Happiest Place on Earth” when Scott was accused of being drunk on the Disneyland grounds in 2017 (a violation of Club 33 rules) before their membership was terminated (he claims he was simply dealing with migraines triggered by a glass of red wine).
The Andersons subsequently filed a lawsuit seeking reinstatement in Club 33 on top of $250,000 linked to forfeited dues and the pain of being exiled, but last week, the jury that assembled for a civil trial that unfolded in Orange County ruled Disney was justified in the decision to expel them.
Scott said the lawsuit forced him to delay his retirement by five years thanks to the $400,000 it cost them to fight Disney’s formidable legal team, while Diana (who’d previously been suspended from Club 33 for using profanity) said she would “sell a kidney” if that’s what it takes to keep battling.
Disney Adults are truly built different.