So What's Coming to the New Pleasure Island?

[skier_pete]

I'll be leaving for WDW tomorrow for my first post-AC trip. If it weren't for Christmas shopping, I think I would avoid DTD completely in protest.

Where is the best place to lay the memorial wreath?

SkierPete

 

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

Where is the best place to lay the memorial wreath?

You should have got one of those RIP tombstones when the stores had them at Halloween.

BobK/Orlando

 

[zulemara]

those are some interesting new pieces of information. It has been pretty clear something is going on with Mannequins, but the question has been WHAT. I wonder if it's a steakhouse going into mannequins. I guess that would be fitting since it always was a meat market

I just want them to move on. Get rid of the sign, try to make it less painful. I still hold that they should have kept the clubs open longer. Obviously they just wanted out and were going to get out no matter what it took.

 

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

I wonder if it's a steakhouse going into mannequins. I guess that would be fitting since it always was a meat market.

LMFAO.....good one!

BobK/Orlando

 

[Jason71]

LMFAO.....good one!

BobK/Orlando

Ditto...I genuinely just laughed out loud at my desk here.

That still seems an odd building to try to put a restaurant in. And really, I don't know that Raglan and Paradisio are doing so well that I would want to open a third competitor right on top of them.

But once again I'm looking for logic from a management team that seems incapable of using it...

 

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

That still seems an odd building to try to put a restaurant in. And really, I don't know that Raglan and Paradisio are doing so well that I would want to open a third competitor right on top of them.

Not just a third. If you figure something with a lighthouse restaurant and then if all the clubs get turned into restaurant locations, it's going to be Restaurant Island instead of Pleasure Island. And if they're 3rd party operated, no telling if any will be on the Disney dining plan. I just don't think that there are that many mouths to feed. T-Rex continues to put $10 coupons in the Sentinel to try to draw-in locals!

BobK/Orlando

 

[zulemara]

Ditto...I genuinely just laughed out loud at my desk here.

That still seems an odd building to try to put a restaurant in. And really, I don't know that Raglan and Paradisio are doing so well that I would want to open a third competitor right on top of them.

But once again I'm looking for logic from a management team that seems incapable of using it...

I have to give credit on the joke to "WDWPI" who never posts, only lurks. I wil let him know it was well received

I agree...logic from a team that has none. Bob brings a good point, you can't be putting nothing but places to eat on the island. That's not gonna do well.

 

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

...you can't be putting nothing but places to eat on the island. That's not gonna do well.

One of my PI sources actually said that there are not going to be new shops on the island, just restaurants. (I guess some restaurants could have logo shops within them though....source did not say.)

BobK/Orlando

 

[Maistre Gracey]

One of my PI sources actually said that there are not going to be new shops on the island, just restaurants. (I guess some restaurants could have logo shops within them though....source did not say.)

BobK/Orlando

I highly doubt parents will take the kids from the parks, battle the traffic or wait for a bus, just to dine at PI.
It's not like Disneyland where DTD is a short walk from the park. It will be a project packing the strollers and moving the family for dinner.

I'm really failing to see the transition to "family friendly" here.
If I had to bet, I would say adults end up hanging around the restaurant bars... but with no true entertainment.
Yup.. Family friendly.

MG

 

[SurfinTX]

One of my PI sources actually said that there are not going to be new shops on the island, just restaurants. (I guess some restaurants could have logo shops within them though....source did not say.)

BobK/Orlando

I would think that Downtown Disney is really close to saturated when it comes to restaraunts. That place needs more locations to draw people throughout the day and night so that they can get more traffic into the existing establishments.

Maybe another theater that hosts full broadway musicals and plays? There are so many possibilities for adult nightlife but Disney seems to shun them.

 

[AprilLizbeth]

Its such a shame Disney is really giving the cold shoulder to their adult w/ no children crowd. I had hopes for Adventurer's Club re-opening, but those have been dashed. We now have hotel bars, very few of which have any real entertainment (Rix Lounge and River Roost). Truth is we are heading back to the hotel, having a drink and strolling around where in the past, we would go to PI and plop down quite a bit of cash. If Disney goes forward with a restaurant only PI, I'm afraid they are really killing DTD. More restaurants will only decrease patronage to current restaurants, and the place will be dead and earning no money by 10PM.

 

[doconeill]

More restaurants will only decrease patronage to current restaurants...

This crossed my mind earlier...do the current PI restaurants have any sort of exclusivity clauses? Probably not, but they do occur...

I hereby propose that we immediately, and until Disney changes their tune, refer to The Island Formerly Known As Pleasure Island (TIFKAPI) now as Restaurant Island (RI).

 

[anthony2k7]

More restaurants will only decrease patronage to current restaurants, and the place will be dead and earning no money by 10PM.

i think for that to be true would depend on what kind of restaurants they put on PI.

There is obviously need for more restuarants on disney property what with ADRs being locked out so early and with ever increasing number of people locked into the DDP. The majority of restaurants on property if they're on the DDP seem to run near capacity for the majority of time they're open.

But what Disney need to remember is that they cant just be any restaurants, they need to get the mix of types of restaurants right. A signature dining restaurant would be a good start.

 

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

I've posted some Pleasure Island update pictures taken today on my blog at:

www.savepleasureisland.blogspot.com

BobK/Orlando

 

[zulemara]

I don't understand why they took the doors out of Mannequins. That looks horrible. If the building ever gets used again, just lock the doors so ppl can't exit. Not like they know the difference between good and bad show anymore anyway

 

[Luv2Roam]

I can see in BobK's photos he had to fight off the crowds and could hardly take any photo due to so many people in the shot.
Yeah, one bad idea after another.... As someone said, what's to do in the evening? Most people will stop going down there by 9-ish any more. What's the point?

 

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

Hey, to be fair, I took photos when no one was in them. However, there really were few people passing through and having shots with no one in them was not difficult. But, let's be fair again, things will look completely different next week as we move into another tourist season. Celebrate Tonight should be awesome!

BobK/Orlando

 

[zulemara]

reports are that there are new stairs behind mannequins. I will visit tonight and take pictures!

 

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

The new stairs are important for one reason. You don't build new stairs to a building that is going to be demolished. So this this means the Mannequins building isn't coming down. It may not reopen as Mannequins, but something is going in there. And that, per the latest rumors, is a restaurant!

BobK/Orlando

 

[mitros]

Funny, after going to WDW since 1988, we look foward mostly, although not exclusively, to eating at the restaurants on property, and always look forward to new ones opening, regardless of where they are located.
ie: the parks, the resorts, DTD, where ever they are.