Return of Adventurer's Club?

[Luv2Roam]

If guests were nursing their drinks, it's Disney's darn fault for offering little choices. AC had no marketing support for years, and it showed.
I am not a drinker, and watered down Cokes only go so far. As does pineapple juice and any other highly sugary foo-foo virgin drink.
Even the specific cups for the beverages did not come along until the final days.
Then no food or merchandise offerings. dumb, dumb, dumb
The clubs seemed to be a victim of intentional sabotage, or extremely poor management, or both.

 

[Jason71]

I love how the locals are always painted as the ones who nursed one drink all night.

In fairness, I think a lot of that rap came in the last 2 years or so of operation when they opened up the clubs to CMs 7 nights a week--and soon after turned all the dance clubs into 21+, making the AC a College Program hang-out. CPs have no money, and a lot of them weren't even old enough to drink.

But no question for every teetotaler regular (and I knew a few) there were at least 3 or 4 who drank like fish.

Also, even without the overinflated drink sales, the place still collected a $25 cover, which has to add up quickly. This discussion always seems to devolve into "the clubs must not have been profitable." They were. Disney simply wants out of the theme park business. They just laid off a bunch of people from theme park development, I don't think that is a coincidence.

 

[rpmdfw]

In fairness, I think a lot of that rap came in the last 2 years or so of operation when they opened up the clubs to CMs 7 nights a week--and soon after turned all the dance clubs into 21+, making the AC a College Program hang-out. CPs have no money, and a lot of them weren't even old enough to drink.

But no question for every teetotaler regular (and I knew a few) there were at least 3 or 4 who drank like fish.

Also, even without the overinflated drink sales, the place still collected a $25 cover, which has to add up quickly. This discussion always seems to devolve into "the clubs must not have been profitable." They were. Disney simply wants out of the theme park business. They just laid off a bunch of people from theme park development, I don't think that is a coincidence.

You're absolutely right.

And from everything we heard from people in the know when the clubs were closing, they were still turning a profit, a signifigant one, in the last couple of years before they announced the closure. But Disney looked at it and thought they could get MORE PROFIT per square foot by leasing space to third parties. (as you mentioned, getting out of the operations end of it).

Personally, I hope their third party plan fails miserably.

 

[Master_Gracey]

Kungaloosh Adventurers,

I just had my annual visit with Santa Claus and asked of him for only one thing: the Adventurers Club to re-open in 2011! Needless to say, Santa was perplexed, but he assured me he would look into it. You may think I'm crazy (and you'd be right), but believe it or not, my mother (who taught 3rd Grade for 32 years) wrote to her schoolboard for years to get exrtra power outlets installed in her classroom, and after years of being denied she wrote them a letter addressed to Santa Claus asking for the outlets. By gum, the next year she had new outlets! Never doubt the power of Santa (maybe we should send the Disney Execs our letters to Santa, just a thought). Anyhow, I leave you a gift of the Traditional Christmas Eve Midnight Retelling of "'Twas The Night Before Christmas"! For full effect, prepair a glass of Egg Nog, Wassail or Kungaloosh and press play at midnight tonight! I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and an Adventurous New Year!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_P29yPKFCA

Some days you eat the mouse.
Some days the mouse eats you.
But never give into the mouse without a fight!

KUNGALOOSH!​

 

[AgentGabs]

In fairness, I think a lot of that rap came in the last 2 years or so of operation when they opened up the clubs to CMs 7 nights a week--and soon after turned all the dance clubs into 21+, making the AC a College Program hang-out. CPs have no money, and a lot of them weren't even old enough to drink.

A lot of people like to knock the CPs for not spending enough money, but when I was there (Jan-Aug '08) I spent every free night I had at the club with my roommates and other friends spending away our paychecks. (talk about putting our money back into work! I'm surprised we had enough money to eat!) But then again we must have been the exception...

We'd be there from opening to close, ordering Kungalooshes and Whiskey Sours until we couldn't walk straight.
Some of us even would end up doing our Homework on the bar (which was always a hilarious sight)

I do wish the club to come back, now when I return to the parks there's really nothing to do at night. We'll see what happens when these plans finally come into fruition.

 

[yitbos96bb]

1) It would be nice.
2) But, I think it is wishful thinking.
3) The bar (AC) did not make that much money.
4) And, certainly not the $/sqft that Disney wants.
5) Even with a cover charge, it is a poor performer.
6) People need to drink 3-4 cocktails per hour to pay for a bar.
7) The minimum budgeted is 2-3 per hour to properly absorb overhead.
8) People at AC get a drink or two, then spend their time listening.
9) Not drinking.

NOTE: I know the budgetary amount for drinks seems high, but look at Jellyrolls (even with cover charge) or any other entertainment bar at WDW. Patrons drink 2-4 per hour, easily. Now look at your favorite neighborhood sports bar, where they push beers and drinks about every 10-12 minutes.

Maybe it will come back as a dining option like the hoop de doo or luau.

 

[ilovemickeymost]

Rusty could also have added a number 10. The cast were Equity union actors and Equity pay rates are much higher than the non-equity characters. It means that there needs to be more sales to make a profit. Unfortunately people sat there all night nursing one drink.

What if they turned it into a dinner experience? The jokes were tame enough that it could easily be a family event. They would make the money they needed to vcover their cost & everyone could enjoy it once again. They could have the bar section open just for drinks & bar food, but have the enteraction over on that side be mainly animatronic. No actors fees there.

 

[Jason71]

What if they turned it into a dinner experience? The jokes were tame enough that it could easily be a family event. They would make the money they needed to vcover their cost & everyone could enjoy it once again. They could have the bar section open just for drinks & bar food, but have the enteraction over on that side be mainly animatronic. No actors fees there.

A few reasons. First, Disney doesn't want to run anything--bar, restaurant, show, what-have-you. AdvClub covered its costs as it was. For the record, some of the other clubs made HUGE profits. But Disney would rather be a landlord than an operator.

Second, the humor of the Club was not in the painfully corny scripted shows. It depended on two things. New people, preferably a little tipsy, who had no idea what they were getting into--"Oh wow, that mask on the wall talks...wait, she's not a robot, she can actually see me?!?...She wants me to do a love dance?!?!?" And, closely related, interaction/improv with random guests out on the floor. Both of those would be lacking in any sort of dinner show environment.

For that matter, part of the fun of the Club was the ability to just walk around and take in all the detail even when nothing else was going on. A lot of it was also camaraderie with fellow Disney geeks, who gravitated to the place. Again, both those would be lost in a Hoop or Luau clone.

Finally, as for the jokes being "tame"--and I apologize for singling you out because I've heard this before--but maybe you never stayed past 9? Because off the top of my head I can think of at least half a dozen scripted jokes that would not pass the "family-friendly" test. And the improved stuff was generally even worse.

 

[Peter Pirate 2]

Finally, as for the jokes being "tame"--and I apologize for singling you out because I've heard this before--but maybe you never stayed past 9? Because off the top of my head I can think of at least half a dozen scripted jokes that would not pass the "family-friendly" test. And the improved stuff was generally even worse.

I would have thought "better" might have been a better description, but that's just me...

 

[Cobra B.]

Motion Dance came down today... more to follow??

 

[Micca]

I always wanted to go to AC, but anytime we were in the vicinity we were too beat from touring parks all day to go in. I think it'd be great for it to come back, but this question occurs to me: How many things (restaurants, attractions, entertainment, etc) have EVER been restored once it has been closed? Off the top of my head MSEP is the only thing that comes to mind.

 

[skier_pete]

I always wanted to go to AC, but anytime we were in the vicinity we were too beat from touring parks all day to go in. I think it'd be great for it to come back, but this question occurs to me: How many things (restaurants, attractions, entertainment, etc) have EVER been restored once it has been closed? Off the top of my head MSEP is the only thing that comes to mind.

MSEP only moved to California...it never really *closed*. I think your exactly right - nothing has ever come back. It's why though I am an ardent AC fan, and continue to read these threads, I have no hope to it ever coming back in a recognizable form. And if it DID come back, it would be in a way that most fans would likely hate. (I'm sorry, dinner theatre would likely stink compared to the original format.)

 

[pilferk]

MSEP only moved to California...it never really *closed*. I think your exactly right - nothing has ever come back. It's why though I am an ardent AC fan, and continue to read these threads, I have no hope to it ever coming back in a recognizable form. And if it DID come back, it would be in a way that most fans would likely hate. (I'm sorry, dinner theatre would likely stink compared to the original format.)

One of the things I really liked about the original format was the "discovery" aspect. You could stumble into the bar, have a drink or two, and not even KNOW what was going on in the ancillary rooms. Likely, though, that may have been one of the things Disney DIDN'T like....though I thought the "show" announcements were well done. To me, though, it was like stumbling into (as in REALLY into...not into a screening of) a PG (and semi-occasionally PG-13) version of Rocky Horror. It was HILARIOUS, and fun, and engaging.

If it came back, I suspect there would have to be a value add component. It would either need to be "dinner theater-y" (Apps in one room, Entrees in another, dessert in another, maybe?), be a ticketed event, have a cover/minimum (or both), or some combination of all of those. And I would be shocked if the format remained exactly the same...which is too bad.

I think the one thing that we can be sure of is that, even if it comes back it will probably NOT be in the form, or format, that we all came to love. My only hope (again, assuming it someday returns) is that it's "close enough".

 

[physicalt104]

I passed the shuttered AC yesterday, and it was soooooo sad. That stretch of the Downtown area is just so depressing...

 

[doconeill]

Carousel Of Progress, at least to fans, was considered "closed" for quite a while. Disney called it "Seasonal". Same for Wonders Of Life. One came back full time - the other not so much.

But AC didn't get marked as Seasonal.

 

[anthony2k7]

Are you all forgetting captain eo? or excluding it for some reason that im missing?

 

[SouthernExplorer]

Disney brought back Captain EO only to profit off of Michael Jackson's death.

 

[skier_pete]

Are you all forgetting captain eo? or excluding it for some reason that im missing?

I did forget Captain EO! That is a good point, but not exactly the same as their was an existing theater to re-install the movie into. Once they stripped out the AC, it becomes a lot harder to go back.

 

[Jason71]

I always wanted to go to AC, but anytime we were in the vicinity we were too beat from touring parks all day to go in. I think it'd be great for it to come back, but this question occurs to me: How many things (restaurants, attractions, entertainment, etc) have EVER been restored once it has been closed? Off the top of my head MSEP is the only thing that comes to mind.

Just to play devil's advocate, most attractions don't generate revenue specific to them, unlike the AdvClub. It had a de facto admission charge, and sold drinks. A different animal than your typical theme park ride/show.

Also, I'd be hard pressed to think of any other closed attraction that had hundreds standing outside during its entire final day of operation, knowing full well they'd never get on to ride, but still wanting to be there. In other words, the Club's fanbase was and is in a whole other league than even Mr. Toad or Horizons.

 

[Pumbaa7287]

Figment was gone for awhile, then he came back...

I hope someday we can say the same about the Colonel. This was truly my favorite place at Walt Disney World. If I was there for a week, I was usually in there at least 5 times.