Author Topic: Pleasure Island Closing  (Read 7200 times)

betamike

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Pleasure Island Closing
« on: June 28, 2008, 10:34:59 PM »
From this week's Orlando Sentinel:

Disney to close Pleasure Island's six nightclubs


"The six nightclubs at Pleasure Island will soon shut down, as Walt Disney World redevelops the adult-focused district at Downtown Disney.

BET SoundStage Club, Mannequins Dance Palace, 8Trax and three other nightclubs that have for years catered largely to young, single adults -- rather than to Disney's bread-and-butter family market -- will close after Sept. 27. Over the next couple of years Disney will reopen the Pleasure Island area with a broader mix of restaurants and shops.

Though Pleasure Island's possible demise has been the subject of rumors for awhile, the announcement surprised many in the Orlando nightclub business. Pleasure Island, now 19 years old, may have seemed an odd venture for Disney but it appeared to thrive -- so much so that some in the industry have blamed it for accelerating the decline of the nightlife district in Downtown Orlando during the 1990s.

In announcing what they called "a bold new vision" for all of Downtown Disney on Friday, Disney officials framed the Pleasure Island nightclub closures as a response to their customers, who say they want more broad-based dining and retail opportunities throughout the 120-acre district.

"Our bold new vision for Downtown Disney reflects the feedback we receive from our guests each and every day and will enable us to continue to offer the high-quality entertainment that is our hallmark," said Downtown Disney Vice President Kevin Lansberry.

Pleasure Island is the middle section of Disney World's 120-acre dining, shopping and entertainment district, called Downtown Disney. While the two flanking areas, MarketPlace and the West Side, also have nightclubs, they are parts of restaurants, appealing to broad crowds. In general, those areas appealed to families. Until recently, Pleasure Island has been mostly about nightclubs, and it created an awkward bridge between MarketPlace and West Side.

Other businesses on Pleasure Island, including a couple of restaurants, a cigar bar and a couple of clothing shops, will remain open. They already offer the broad appeal that Lansberry said Disney's patrons want from the rest of Pleasure Island. He did not offer specifics about what might replace the clubs, but said Disney was looking worldwide for restaurant and shopping concepts.

In addition, Disney is sprucing up the other two areas, adding new restaurants, expanding and updating a band shell, and bringing in a giant, tethered balloon attraction, which visitors can ride in, going up 300 feet above Village Lake."
 
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Re: Pleasure Island Closing
« Reply #1 on: June 28, 2008, 11:44:32 PM »
Hmm sounds cool to me. It was pretty weird to have an adult nightclub in the middle of Downtown Disney. Of course when I was there, there was a lot of construction going on in the area so I didn't really see it to its full potential.
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betamike

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Re: Pleasure Island Closing
« Reply #2 on: June 29, 2008, 09:17:37 AM »
It will be nice.  the odd thing is that the clubs are doing really well right now.  They are just...kind of old.  One more piece of nostalgia should anyone want to hang on to that.

Originally though, Pleasure Island was at the far end of the Marketplace.  It was only since 1997 did it get sandwiched in the middle there, which did cause a bit of a challenge for families wanting to avoid the noisy clubs.
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Re: Pleasure Island Closing
« Reply #3 on: June 29, 2008, 12:06:52 PM »
I won't miss it.  We visited the place when it first opened, but I hate the club scene.  They could have done the same thing with a family atmosphere and a Disney feel.
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Dukefan

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Re: Pleasure Island Closing
« Reply #4 on: June 29, 2008, 03:18:06 PM »
I don't care for the move.  It's just an excuse for Disney to rid itself of operating the remaining clubs and lease the space out to restaurant and retail chains instead, like what they did to the Empress Lilly and most of the other former WDW-owned attractions around there.

betamike

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Re: Pleasure Island Closing
« Reply #5 on: June 29, 2008, 05:35:16 PM »
I liked Pleasure Island back in the day.  It actually had a storyline and makes sense if you look at some of the leftover details.  It also reminds me of the late 80's heyday of the Roger Rabbit/Disney-MGM Studios debuts which happened around the same time.
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Re: Pleasure Island Closing
« Reply #6 on: June 29, 2008, 10:47:49 PM »
We were just there, and they were building some kind of dinosaur theater family attraction - maybe a dinner theater - but I'm not sure if it was part of PI or part of the Marketplace.  It looked like a massive project that would add something special to the area instead of just another night club.
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betamike

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Re: Pleasure Island Closing
« Reply #7 on: June 30, 2008, 06:45:34 PM »
That is the T. Rex Restaurant.  It is part of the Landry's chain and will feature animatronic dinosaurs.  Eat or be eaten kind of thing. 
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sdcforever

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Re: Pleasure Island Closing
« Reply #8 on: June 30, 2008, 09:53:57 PM »
^I would totally go to the T. Rex Restaurant, on one condition.  That the animatronic dinosaurs be based on the Sinclair family from the old Dinosaurs TV series that ran on ABC from 1991-1994.  That would be awesome! ;)

I don't think that's going to happen, though.  So is the whole area being redeveloped?  I doubt a name change is in store, but I've always been slightly uncomfortable with an area called Pleasure Island at a Disney park; this feeling was only heightened by the presence of the night clubs. ::)  Now that they're on the way out maybe it's time for a name change.
« Last Edit: June 30, 2008, 09:54:30 PM by sdcforever »

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Re: Pleasure Island Closing
« Reply #9 on: June 30, 2008, 10:42:54 PM »
Pleasure Island was Pinnochio's place of ill repute - where boys become jackasses - so this was one case of truth in advertising for Disney.  If it's going to be more "family" oriented, maybe a name change is in store.
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betamike

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Re: Pleasure Island Closing
« Reply #10 on: July 01, 2008, 09:07:36 AM »
Here are some of the other additions to the P.I. re-Imagineering.

Over the next year, the 120-acre entertainment-shopping-dining complex will get its own attraction in the form of a giant, tethered balloon that will take Guests 300 feet into the air to view the amazing vistas of Walt Disney World Resort. Other new one-of-a kind, immersive experiences include:

- A dinosaur-themed family eatery called T-Rex: A Prehistoric Family Adventure. Amidst prehistoric life-size animated dinosaurs that dwell among bubbling geysers, waterfalls and a fossil dig site, Guests this fall will dine on pizzas, pastas, seafood and more.

- A design-your-own T-shirt store from Hanes this fall that will add to the growing collection of merchandise Guests can personalize at Downtown Disney.

- E-brands Restaurants, an Orlando-based, multiconcept restaurant group, will premier its newest concept at Downtown Disney in spring 2009. The high-energy, casual eatery will feature authentic Central and South American cuisine, specialty drinks and live music along the waterfront.



To complement these new experiences, many popular Downtown Disney locations also will undergo enhancements:

- Portobello Yacht Club will be transformed this summer into a Tuscan Country Trattoria, featuring family-style dishes and a re-designed interior and exterior, including additional outdoor seating.

- Goofy's Candy Company will add a special new room this fall to enable families to host one-of-a-kind birthday parties.

- The Marketplace Stage will be replaced with a larger, covered stage this fall to welcome more entertainment and serve as a new premier venue for Disney Magic Music Days.

- Fulton's Crab House will update its interior fixtures and furnishings and exterior in spring 2009.

- Wolfgang Puck Café will update its interior fixtures and furnishings and enclose its patio with glass next year to enable Guests to enjoy the outdoors year-round.



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Re: Pleasure Island Closing
« Reply #11 on: July 01, 2008, 12:08:19 PM »
^Wow! That is a big expansion with a lot of upgrades. The balloon ride sounds cool!
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betamike

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Re: Pleasure Island Closing
« Reply #12 on: July 01, 2008, 07:15:14 PM »
^ Yes, Disneyland Paris has it and does a good business, but of course the proximity of it to the Magic Kingdom in Paris allows you to get a birds-eye view into the park.  The one at DTD will still give you a good look at the property but also I-4  :P
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sdcforever

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Re: Pleasure Island Closing
« Reply #13 on: July 01, 2008, 07:15:57 PM »
^^I agree, that's a huge expansion and upgrade.  Looks like Disney is wasting no time in spending all the extra cash the acquisition of Pixar is giving them! ;)

The balloon ride does sound really cool.  I guess I don't feel so bad about the name Pleasure Island now that I know the meaning behind it, and now that the night clubs are on the way out.

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Re: Pleasure Island Closing
« Reply #14 on: July 12, 2008, 10:41:52 PM »
I thought Pleasure Island was pretty cool.  You had different clubs which featured different styles of music, so there was something for everyone. 

But what I enjoyed the most was the Adventurers Club, although that might not be it's actual name.  This place wasn't a nightclub per se, and although alcoholic beverages were offered, there was no dancing.  It was a place themed to represent a kind of English-style Safari Club, for want of a better description.  Hi-brow English type characters roamed around in safari style costumes and mingled with the patrons and then gathered in a library room? for a short show supposedly trying to raise funding for some project.  Every inch of the walls were covered with safari type artifacts. 

The theming and characterizations always made me think of what the Saloon could be if they really sank some money into it.
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