Pleasure Island to operate ungated...

[cityofweasels]

I just read that PI will be ungated from 5/23 - 8/14 as an experiment... admission to the actual clubs will still require a ticket.

This strikes me as a terrible idea...PI is pretty fun as it is, and I suspect this will just lead to a bunch of people loitering around, making things less pleasant and more crowded for paying guests. What does everyone else think? Anybody but me go?

[brunoflipper]

I assume that they will continue to sell booze outside at the various kiosks... Maybe they figure they can make more money off of underage drinking ;)... This sounds like a bad idea driven by the almighty dollar

[Another Voice]

When Pleasure Island first opened the street was open. All the restaurants (and P.I. had several great ones then) and shops were open. You had to buy tickets to enter the clubs and there several different tickets depending on the number you wanted to visit.

It was a complete failure.

The guests hated the complication of the tickets, too many families were showing up than the company wanted (more kids means less drinking and you have you seen the profit margin on booze?) and being free meant the guests left to quickly. If you drop twenty bucks to get in you're more likely to stick around just to "get your money's worth". That means more chances to be sold a beer. And the more clubs you go in, well that's even more chances to sell you a beer.

Another aspect of the pay-for-play was that some clubs were VERY busy, and some were very empty. People generally don't want to pay for what they're not going to like. So The Comedy Warehouse always had a line; the old Zypher Rollerdome (now the beach club) didn't have a single skater. The first year of operation was pretty disastrous actually.

It wasn't until the place was made a better value by introducing an all-you-can-eat ticket, throwing it in as a freebie in a lot of packages, and changing many of the clubs that the place because a modest success. It will be interesting to see if this change back will have the same effect it did back then.

[barreloflaughs]

Pleasure Island to Operate Ungated

Is this designed to make it easier to get in or easier to get out?!:crazy:

carl
barrel
....obviously not big on clubbing.....

[seashoreCM]

For a long time admission to PI itself was free until 7 PM.

YOu needed a wristband to enter clubs, you could come and go as you wished. If you entered before 7 you had to go back to the turnstiles, exit, and re-enter with your admission ticket to get the wristband.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

[tap & dap]

When we were there in April, on certain nights of the week I think M-TH you could walk through PI until I beleive it was 9 or 10 pm, was told it was an experiment, after that it closed and you need a wristband to enter the clubs and the street area, we walked the shops a couple of nights and the streets seemed rather crowded. Some of the clubs had lines as well.

I also have to remark that the parks and DTD all seemed extremely crowded compared to the last few years, we heard alot of people complaining about how many people were actually in the parks.

[Davids-Coco]

There is a huge thread over on the planning boards - theme parks one.

I don't think it is a good idea to have a ton of kids in that type of environment... and I don't want to go into a club with kids running around (that is what the other thread is saying is happening).

[doubletrouble_vb]

Last time I went to PI it was operating ungated...that was Oct 2002. You just needed the wristband to enter the clubs.

I think this is a good approach...although it sort of leaves an open question with regard to street sales of alcohol...at least with the clubs if you need a band to get in you can't have 21 year olds buying alcohol for underage drinkers. On the other hand this same problem exists in Epcot so maybe it isn't so bad.

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Davids-Coco--

OMG--first Phi Sig Alumni I've seen on the boards...

Beta Psi for me...

[DVCtinkerbell]

Maybe we will check it out on our July trip! Haven't been to PI in years.


Theta alum here!

[Halle]

We'll be there in July with two 19 year old girls who are meeting a friend PI. I was upset when I read this thread because I don't think it will be as safe with the open street venue.

[seashoreCM]

Originally posted by Halle
I was upset when I read this thread because I don't think it will be as safe with the open street venue.
It won't be any less safe than West Side and Marketplace in the Downtown Disney area. These areas are open street venues all the time.