Pleasure Island - Here Today - GONE Soon?

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

Disney, after all, isn't in it for the ultimate happiness of their guests. They're much more interested in satisfying the stockholders.

I think that's wrong. Sure, every business must satisfy the stockholders. But EVERY business must satisfy their customers first or they won't have any. There are a lot of obsolete brand names out there that did a poor job satisfying their customers and those companies are now history.

BobK/Orlando

 

[Haley Whippet]

I agree,
Without the customers putting out the money there would not be Disney..

 

[NMW]

That sort of post is generally made by those who have never been inside any PI club, much less AC.

The clubs are age restricted. The dance clubs are 21 and up. People under 18 are not permitted in the comedy clubs without an accompanying adult. Wherever this "atmosphere" is coming from, it isn't the nightclubs.

And now that all of Downtown Disney will be a mall, I can't see why anyone is anticipating that there will be fewer teenagers.

I have been inside the clubs at PI. I know only adults can get in the nightclubs. However, anyone can walk through PI. People keep saying that it was the only only adults-only place, but that's only true INSIDE the clubs. For the record, it was other families we know (mostly just one family) that thought the teenagers at PI were scary and gang-like. Also, I have never seen scary teens hanging out on the West Side and we have gone there every trip, except the one this past May.

I also realize, as I'm sure our friends did too, that you can get to the West Side by walking outside and around PI. However, I'm fairly certain that would take quite a bit longer and not be worth it for some families.

I really don't understand why people are opposed to more themed restaurants. The restaurants at DTD are pretty packed. You can't even get into Rainforest with out a pretty big wait. Raglan Road is a really fun place. I'd love more restaurants like it. My family thinks the T-Rex place looks fun. I'm also excited about the changes to PYC-that was our 1st dinner on our honeymoon in 1995. But again, that's just me. Maybe at my age (36) I'm just no longer a dance club kind of girl. Maybe if I was 26, I'd understand more...

 

[sassytink03]

I also realize, as I'm sure our friends did too, that you can get to the West Side by walking outside and around PI. However, I'm fairly certain that would take quite a bit longer and not be worth it for some families.

It doesn't take that much longer to walk around it. I have done it numerous times with my children when they were younger. I don't understand why it may not be worth it for some families. If you are that concerned about PI, you could definitely walk it.

I really don't understand why people are opposed to more themed restaurants. The restaurants at DTD are pretty packed. You can't even get into Rainforest with out a pretty big wait. Raglan Road is a really fun place. I'd love more restaurants like it. My family thinks the T-Rex place looks fun. I'm also excited about the changes to PYC-that was our 1st dinner on our honeymoon in 1995. But again, that's just me. Maybe at my age (36) I'm just no longer a dance club kind of girl. Maybe if I was 26, I'd understand more...

[/QUOTE]

I am not opposed to more restaurants, however, I am opposed to more shopping. DTD just doesn't need it. And they are taking away a place that a LOT of tourists and regulars call home. I am in my 30's and I am not a huge dance club person either. But there are plenty of people that are. Not to mention, the AC and the CW...you don't have to dance to have fun there. They are taking away memories from these people. People who celebrate every Christmas there, every anniversary, every birthday...etc. They are going to destroy the places where so many people have been engaged. It just isn't about an adult place to hang out...it's about the friends and family that we hang out with there on a normal basis. And to replace that with shopping hurts a lot.

 

[NMW]

It doesn't take that much longer to walk around it. I have done it numerous times with my children when they were younger. I don't understand why it may not be worth it for some families. If you are that concerned about PI, you could definitely walk it.

[/QUOTE]


You may be right. Just the "idea" of walking outside and then passing PI to get to the West Side seems like it would be longer to me, but I may be wrong. I have never timed the two.

 

[NMW]

That's just it. Those of us without kids don't utilize or like things like the Winnie the Pooh playground or the Dumbo ride, but we're not lobbying for them to be closed.

We understand that those attractions are there for other people. We're happy that there is something for everyone.

But the folks with families (except those that bring their families to the Adventurers Club) are all shouting "HOORAY!" at our loss.

Remember this when YOUR favorite attraction gets closed so they can put up a pin cart.

At that point, I'll be the one saying "I'm sorry, I know how you feel" not "Good, I didn't like it anyway"

Sorry I didn't reply to this sooner, I missed it the last time I checked.

Please understand I am in no way shouting "hooray" at your loss. Do I think PI will be better when the dance clubs close and more themed restaurants come in-yes I really do. However, I do feel sorry for the people that like PI the way it is. I just think it has the potential to be much better and I'm looking forward to Disney's changes. And YES, I would like more restaurants at DTD to choose from. So, kill me. I really don't understand how more themed dining is a bad thing. I'm looking forward to the changes at PYC, even though I like it the way it is...why is everyone so opposed the change? You may be really happy with the changes when they come and build all new memories (as a PP mentioned).

 

[mattsdragon]

You may be right. Just the "idea" of walking outside and then passing PI to get to the West Side seems like it would be longer to me, but I may be wrong. I have never timed the two.[/QUOTE]

Actually, you are wrong. There was a time when you couldn't walk through PI at all, and plenty of people walked around it daily. In fact, PI really started going downhill when they opened it up for access from Westside.

If you want more themed dining, that's fine, but I think that Disney could to that without upsetting the existing clubs. Bongos and Wolfgang Puck's are the places they could start. Neither of them are worth the money the food costs IMHO (and my wife's).

If they are going to bring back more stores, maybe they can bring the pet store back. Tails used to be all about stuff for the pets, now it's got a wall of pet stuff and the rest is the same stuff that can be found in WOD. If they are going to have more shopping, it would be nice if it wasn't the same stuff that can be found elsewhere.

 

[TDC Nala]

I am not opposed to more themed restaurants. I am opposed to removing the Adventurers Club to put in more themed restaurants.

You may be really happy with the changes when they come and build all new memories (as a PP mentioned).

I think not.

 

[rpmdfw]

Sorry I didn't reply to this sooner, I missed it the last time I checked.

Please understand I am in no way shouting "hooray" at your loss. Do I think PI will be better when the dance clubs close and more themed restaurants come in-yes I really do. However, I do feel sorry for the people that like PI the way it is. I just think it has the potential to be much better and I'm looking forward to Disney's changes. And YES, I would like more restaurants at DTD to choose from. So, kill me. I really don't understand how more themed dining is a bad thing. I'm looking forward to the changes at PYC, even though I like it the way it is...why is everyone so opposed the change? You may be really happy with the changes when they come and build all new memories (as a PP mentioned).

Personally I'd like more restaurants at DTD to choose from as well. But I don't see why it has to be restaurants OR clubs. They've got room for both.

As for themed restaurants like Rainforest Cafe, Planet Hollywood, etc. Eh. I'd rather not see them. Overcrowding, too much noise, silly stuff on the walls, and food that is mediocre at best aren't my idea of a good dining experience.

As for telling me that I may be happy with the changes? Unless the changes include bringing back the Adventurers Club, I seriously doubt it. The Adventurers Club is the pinnacle of Disney Imagineering in my book. It's perfect. It's not broken and doesn't need fixing. I can't even imagine any way to make it better. It's exactly the guest experience I think Disney should be trying to keep, and striving to create more of.

 

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

All indications are that we've LOST. PI is closing and we're all losing our favorite dance and comedy clubs. I have not heard anything thing in the past few weeks that brings me hope; no fresh rumors, nothing.

The end is near.

BobK/Orlando

 

[Scurvy]

All indications are that we've LOST. PI is closing and we're all losing our favorite dance and comedy clubs. I have not heard anything thing in the past few weeks that brings me hope; no fresh rumors, nothing.

The end is near.

BobK/Orlando

I think that you are right, but I am continuing to fight because I have heard the rumors that some of the clubs may return later (in other locations) in some form. I want to make sure that Disney knows there is still demand for that sort of entertainment. Not everyone wants the same homogenized shopping and dining that you can get in any Mills Mall in the country. DTD may not want to supply unique Disney entertainment any longer (and I think that's been obvious as Lansberry has been running PI into the ground for the last few years) but Disney could open new venues at a resort or elsewhere on property if there was enough demand for it.

 

[zulemara]

I really don't understand why people are opposed to more themed restaurants. The restaurants at DTD are pretty packed. You can't even get into Rainforest with out a pretty big wait. Raglan Road is a really fun place. I'd love more restaurants like it. My family thinks the T-Rex place looks fun. I'm also excited about the changes to PYC-that was our 1st dinner on our honeymoon in 1995. But again, that's just me. Maybe at my age (36) I'm just no longer a dance club kind of girl. Maybe if I was 26, I'd understand more...

Correction, more OUTSOURCED restaurants. Rain Forest Cafe?? woop de doo, they have those all over the place. Raglan Road..outsourced, T-rex place...outsourced. Stop supporting their business decisions to play landlord. I've posted this in every other thread and I'll proclaim it again - I will be surprised if the people in MK are even Disney CMs in 10 years...if MK is even Disney at all anymore. It's pathetic, it needs to stop, and quite frankly, we need people to STOP supporting it!

 

[Luv2Roam]

I agree that what few things I have heard do nothing but point to the end as we know it.

 

[jfinke]

The sad thing about it, is that I still believe that PI was a victim of its own success. Some historian may correct me, but I believe it was the anchor point for DTD while MP floundered for years. Then it ended up squeezed between MP and WS with no good plan to get between the two. If only they had put it on the other side before they built out SSR. Then they would only have needed the one bus stop for both MP and WS (or ES as the case may be).

Again, DTD without PI is a common mall. I struggle to think of anything that is truly unique.

Maybe the lego store? I don't recall seeing anything like that though you can certainly buy any of their products from your neighborhood walmart.

La Nouba? Certainly a unique show, but you can find Cirque du Soleil shows in a variety of places.

Disney Quest is unique, I believe. They closed down the one in Chicago, correct? Though with the advancements in home video games / computers, I think that it struggles a bit to keep up. And it was the subject of a huge rumor of closing.

House of Blues is a chain, though somewhat small, I believe.

Anything Wolfgang Puck is overdone at this point. Hopefully, this whole celebrity chef thing has run its course.

Bongos? It is probably backed by some restaurant conglomerate.

Planet Hollywood is the king of failed "themed" restaurants.

Disney Stores are all over the country and you can purchase customized items from disneyshopping.com.

Anything else that could possibly be unique?

Don't get me wrong, I certainly would welcome high quality dining opportunities. But, my idea of a nice restaurant is probably different than a mass produced homogeneous restaurant that is the DDP serving the same food they serve all over the property. However, as a previous poster stated, it is not a zero sum game. They could put the restaurants somewhere else. Heck, rip out the rest of the parking lots to make it more on property friendly.

Being able to build a stuff dinosaur at 1000% markup is not my idea of quality dining. Man, I wish I had come up with a couple of these ideas. Its build a bear with food. Sell a $10 dress to a little girl for $80 so she can play princess? I hope that guy/girl got a huge promotion out of that idea.

Anyways, I hope that Disney realizes that they still need an adult activity area. DCL does a very very good job of this. I watch CMs chase kids and parents out of the adult only areas on the ship within 30 seconds of entering.

 

[NMW]

The sad thing about it, is that I still believe that PI was a victim of its own success. Some historian may correct me, but I believe it was the anchor point for DTD while MP floundered for years. Then it ended up squeezed between MP and WS with no good plan to get between the two. If only they had put it on the other side before they built out SSR. Then they would only have needed the one bus stop for both MP and WS (or ES as the case may be).

Again, DTD without PI is a common mall. I struggle to think of anything that is truly unique.

Maybe the lego store? I don't recall seeing anything like that though you can certainly buy any of their products from your neighborhood walmart.

La Nouba? Certainly a unique show, but you can find Cirque du Soleil shows in a variety of places.

Disney Quest is unique, I believe. They closed down the one in Chicago, correct? Though with the advancements in home video games / computers, I think that it struggles a bit to keep up. And it was the subject of a huge rumor of closing.

House of Blues is a chain, though somewhat small, I believe.

Anything Wolfgang Puck is overdone at this point. Hopefully, this whole celebrity chef thing has run its course.

Bongos? It is probably backed by some restaurant conglomerate.

Planet Hollywood is the king of failed "themed" restaurants.

Disney Stores are all over the country and you can purchase customized items from disneyshopping.com.

Anything else that could possibly be unique?

Don't get me wrong, I certainly would welcome high quality dining opportunities. But, my idea of a nice restaurant is probably different than a mass produced homogeneous restaurant that is the DDP serving the same food they serve all over the property. However, as a previous poster stated, it is not a zero sum game. They could put the restaurants somewhere else. Heck, rip out the rest of the parking lots to make it more on property friendly.

Being able to build a stuff dinosaur at 1000% markup is not my idea of quality dining. Man, I wish I had come up with a couple of these ideas. Its build a bear with food. Sell a $10 dress to a little girl for $80 so she can play princess? I hope that guy/girl got a huge promotion out of that idea.

Anyways, I hope that Disney realizes that they still need an adult activity area. DCL does a very very good job of this. I watch CMs chase kids and parents out of the adult only areas on the ship within 30 seconds of entering.

I think Cirque du Soleil at DTD is pretty unique. I mean unless you go to Las Vegas or Montreal, Quebec Canada it's pretty hard to see a show. I know they had one for I think 10 weeks in NYC last winter (or the year before-I can't remember), but that's not the same thing as a show that runs year round.

I believe they do have Lego stores elsewhere, but I don't think they are common. Certainly most cities don't have them.

We go to Myrtle Beach every summer and just about every night we go to Barefoot Landing or Broadway at the Beach. Both of these venues offer tons of shopping and have tons of restaurants. Exactly what Disney says it wants to do. Both places are packed in the summer. You can easliy wait 1 1/2 to 2 hours for a dinner reservation-and it's not like there is a shortage of restaurants to choose from.

Yes, they have chains like House of Blues, Hard Rock Cafe, Joe's Crab Shack, etc. They also have some really cool places like Greg Normans Austrailian Grille, Liberty Steakhouse, Yamatos Steakhouse, Fat Tuesday, the Bill Murray owned place who's name I can not remember-it's a fun place though. My family loves Jimmy Buffets Margaritaville and Senor Frogs-both places are a ton of fun.

The crowds are a mixture of college kids, families, and adults. There are hundreds of stores and distractions (including Build a Bear as another poster mentioned ). There are some really neat stores and some avergae ones, but you can spend hours and hours looking in all them. When you are waiting for a table at Margaritaville, you can wait outside in a sandy area near the water and get drinks from an outside bar. The food may not be 5 star dining, but the place is fun!

My hope is that Disney makes DTD more like these places with the restaurants and shopping they add. I'm not opposed to keeping the AC at all-HONEST, but I really believe that bringing in more places like Raglan Road is a good idea. Right now, most families I know that vacation yearly in WDW spend 1 or 2 nights at DTD tops. There just isn't enough shopping or restaurants for them to spend more time there. We've never gone there in the day time.

I agree with what this poster said about the location of PI being it's downfall. It's smack in the middle of MP and WS and I don't care what people say about walking outside and around to get from one to the other-it is NOT convienent. Back when they had the turnstiles my family usually just stayed on the MP side. We had a stroller then, our other two weren't that old. Taking them out of MP, just to walk past crowds of people at bus stops, cabs, people streaming in from the parking lots, etc. made it not worth it for us. Once you could walk through, we started doing it every trip. I bet a lot of families did.

 

[DC7800]

The sad thing about it, is that I still believe that PI was a victim of its own success. Some historian may correct me, but I believe it was the anchor point for DTD while MP floundered for years. Then it ended up squeezed between MP and WS with no good plan to get between the two. If only they had put it on the other side before they built out SSR. Then they would only have needed the one bus stop for both MP and WS (or ES as the case may be).

Again, DTD without PI is a common mall. I struggle to think of anything that is truly unique.

Long before Pleasure Island was built, the land to the east of the Marketplace (originally the Walt Disney World Village) was occupied by the Vacation Villas. So new construction in that direction was not an option. Nor did the West Side exist for some years, so at the time of PI's construction there was no need to consider pedestrian traffic through/around Pleasure Island, though this probably should have been better considered in the design and location of the West Side addition.

Still, Pleasure Island successfully operated as a gated attraction between the Marketplace and West Side for many years as the whole of Downtown Disney became an ever more crowded destination. Far from floundering, the Disney Village (Marketplace) was once so much more than "a common mall", with Disney-operated shops featuring merchandise you couldn't find in nearly every other gift shop on property. The mall concept is Disney's current 'vision' for the place (I use the term 'vision' loosely), with the shops and restaurants rented to outside operators just like - indeed - a common mall.

While there are some geographic issues with the layout of Downtown Disney, they are not the root cause of Pleasure Island's demise.

 

[rutgers1]

How about moving the Adventurers Club to a hotel, such as the Wilderness Lodge or Animal Kingdom Lodge? Wouldn't it be an ideal fit for one of those?

 

[Scurvy]

How about moving the Adventurers Club to a hotel, such as the Wilderness Lodge or Animal Kingdom Lodge? Wouldn't it be an ideal fit for one of those?

Theme-wise it might fit at Animal Kingdom Lodge but it might not work with the quiet and relaxing atmosphere there. The only resort I could see it really thriving at would be the Boardwalk. I could actually see it being a perfect fit there, especially since I think the Boardwalk is also set in the 1930's.

And to the posters who wonder why some of us obeject to the outsourced shopping and dining (and new theme restaurants). . . I don't, entirely. I enjoyed Raglan Road quite a bit before the recent menu change. I think La Nouba fits well in DTD. If my son was still small I might be interested in T-Rex. I object to the idea that unique entertainment options are being eliminated to make way for shopping and dining that are available elsewhere. I can go to my local Mills Mall and eat at Rainforest Cafe, as can many other people across the country. I can buy Legos at Walmart. While I don't object to those places being at DTD I don't want that type of thing to be the only sort of thing at DTD. I enjoy the mix of unique Disney entertainment and other shopping and dining. If I just wanted to go to a nice outdoor shopping and dining facility I could go to any large (or not so large) city in the US. When I am at Disney World, I want to do things that aren't available anywhere else. The Adventurers Club is completely unique and it's being closed so shopping and dining venues that are not particularly unique can be added. While I don't enjoy the dance clubs, they are entertainment options (and apparently are fairly unique when it comes to dance clubs) and those are being taken away in favor of yet more outsourced places to shop and dine. I can certainly see why the dance club fans aren't happy about that, even if it doesn't directly affect me.

A mix of unique Disney entertainment options with outsourced shopping and dining can be good. Just outsourced shopping and dining isn't "Disney" - it's no better than any other shopping/dining center anywhere else.

And for those of you who still don't understand how we feel . . . Imagine that your favorite ride in one of the parks was closed only to be replaced by a character meal and shop - for example, what if they removed "Pirates of the Caribbean" and replaced it with a Pirate themed restaurant. Wouldn't you be unhappy about that? You might not mind the addition of a themed restaurant to the park, but you might object to losing a ride to make room for it. In the case of Pleasure Island, they are completely getting rid of the attractions and replacing them with only dining and shopping. Imagine if they did the same with the Magic Kingdom - the outcry from fans would be deafening!

 

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

How about moving the Adventurers Club to a hotel, such as the Wilderness Lodge or Animal Kingdom Lodge? Wouldn't it be an ideal fit for one of those?

Last weekend when I went to check out Rix Lounge at the Coronado Springs Resort, I had to stop at the security booth upon entering the parking lot. I had to tell the guard where I was going and show my ID. It took all of 30 seconds but I'm telling you that type of thing puts a "chilling effect" on going there very often. I was the only vehicle entering at that moment but if there were 10 cars entering, there's a back up and a delay. So IMO, the problem with putting AC or any other popular venue in a Disney hotel is the hassle involved in getting to it.

BobK/Orlando

 

[jfinke]

Long before Pleasure Island was built, the land to the east of the Marketplace (originally the Walt Disney World Village) was occupied by the Vacation Villas. So new construction in that direction was not an option. Nor did the West Side exist for some years, so at the time of PI's construction there was no need to consider pedestrian traffic through/around Pleasure Island, though this probably should have been better considered in the design and location of the West Side addition.

Still, Pleasure Island successfully operated as a gated attraction between the Marketplace and West Side for many years as the whole of Downtown Disney became an ever more crowded destination. Far from floundering, the Disney Village (Marketplace) was once so much more than "a common mall", with Disney-operated shops featuring merchandise you couldn't find in nearly every other gift shop on property. The mall concept is Disney's current 'vision' for the place (I use the term 'vision' loosely), with the shops and restaurants rented to outside operators just like - indeed - a common mall.

While there are some geographic issues with the layout of Downtown Disney, they are not the root cause of Pleasure Island's demise.

Thanks for the clarification. Most of my memories of DTD comes from 2000+. It was my impression that in the 1990s it was kind of an unknown shopping area that PI anchored.