Disney to close Pleasure Island's six nightclubs

[DVC Mike]

According to the Orlando Sentinel:

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.

Click here to read the article

[Andrew]

From the Pleasure Island page on the Walt Disney World Web site:

By September 28, 2008, all of the nightclubs on Pleasure Island will close. It will be last call for the last time at 8 Trax, The Adventurer's Club, Mannequins™ Dance Palace, BET Sound-Stage™ Club, Motion and The Comedy Warehouse. For more information, please visit our Pleasure Island FAQ page.

From the Pleasure Island FAQ page:

Q.What are the changes on Pleasure Island?

A. By September 28, 2008, all of the nightclubs on Pleasure Island will close. It will be last call for the last time at 8 Trax, The Adventurer's Club, Mannequins™ Dance Palace, BET Sound-Stage™ Club, Motion and The Comedy Warehouse.

Q. What will replace the nightclubs on Pleasure Island?

A. Downtown Disney will feature an entirely re-imagined Pleasure Island. Based on Guest feedback, the nightclubs will be replaced by an extraordinary mix of dining and shopping - to be announced in the future - that will entertain Guests of all ages.

"Based on Guest feedback"... right. Disney, if you're going to break my heart, at least have the courtesy not to lie to me.

[adriennek]

OK, so.

I need someone, ANYONE, to give me some frequent flier miles and DVC points, please. I'm thinking last week of August.

Thanks. I appreciate it.

Adrienne

[Mark Goldhaber]

See blog

[TinaMouse]

Hey, nice blog! I agree with you 100%. I am, however, looking forward to the change. Ever since they opened it up to the kidlets, I didn't like it anymore.

[Niwel]

I'm so angry at that. Mr. Niwel had never been to the Adventurer's Club and we were going to go on Oct. 24 after having dinner at DTD.
GRRRRRRR!!!!

Makes no sense to me.

I hope DTD on its own is enough of a diversion -- is Disney Quest still open?

[steamboatpookster]

Although we always visit DTD, we stayed clear of Pleasure Island. WAY too many thuggy teens and young adults there for our liking. I'm not sad to see it go, to be honest. Clubbing is for the younger generation.

[RocketTom]

I agree about not liking the club scene, but The Adventurer's Club was a different animal all together. I really can't see how they can bundle that with Manequinns or 8-Trax. It's a completely different genre!

If they moved The Adventurer's Club out to California, it would pay for EVERYTHING in 6 months. It would be a slam dunk. I don't think the ties that made this decision realize the storm that's coming their way.

[scoobydooby]

I never went on our 2 trips - we planned to on our honeymoon in the days I think you still had to pay to get in the area but were too tired every night. So, given I have no memories, I'm quite excited about the planned family friendly changes given I'm in the parenting stage of my life. I would have liked to have seen the Comedy Club though...

[carolinakid]

Ok, guest feedback indicates people want to eat & shop? Right!!! Can't they do that at a thousand other places? What about the people that want to dance and party? I HATE this... There's got to be SOMETHING else to do besides eat & shop at WDW especially when the parks close early or you just wanna do something else in the late night hours... I really don't get this....of course, the bottom line has to be $$$$$

jon

[meowmarie]

Some of us on another board have started an online petition to help save the Adventurers Club. It is probably futile but couldn't hurt. Feel free to sign and cross post if you agree


http://www.petitiononline.com/wdwaclub

[imagineer1985]

another Petition to save all clubs on Pleasure Island!

http://www.petitiononline.com/SAVEPI/petition.html

[Jodi]

O.K, now I am truly depressed.

I had finally come to terms with the fact that we had to cancel our August WDW trip, because I convinced myself we would go next year and not miss anything.

Now I find out that I am never going to get to go to the Adventurer's Club again! I went for the first time last year and I LOVED it. I was really looking forward to going back.

I don't know if the petition will be successful, but I signed it.

IMHO, the dance clubs can go, but SAVE THE AC!

[bqool]

I am bumming! Pleasure Island and especially the Adv. Club are such a great night time diversion while staying at WDW. To read that it will soon disappeer into memory with the likes of River Country and Horizons is just, well, SAD. I'll have to rent a car on our visit and leave The World and drive all the way to Universal Citywalk to have some fun. In actuality, I will most likely cut our trip in half and move to some other Florida option outside of Disney for the remainder of our trip with the loss of PI and Adv. club. Currently, it is part of the ticketing add-on "Waterparks and MORE" what will the "More" part of that ticket become now? It was always such a big part of our vacation. Say bye bye to my $$$$$$$$ Disney.
The fun Disneylike effects, puppets and animatronics,(which are not the standard Disney Characters,which is also a nice diversion) in use throughout the Adv. Club creates such a special place. Plus, the fact those said effects interact with the club members whom entertain us and audience is so freakin' cool and one of a kind! I mean Kungaloosh, already!
Shopping and dining, shopping and dining... we do not need any more shopping and dining options at WDW. There are plenty in the theme parks and resorts to choose from along with those already on PI and in DTD.
I understand the teens and young adults are into the "Thug" scene, not only that frequent PI but Nationwide. It is just a marketing ploy by the music and fashion industry that the teens had their parents buy for them and young adults have bought into as well and it is harmless. They are just people/kids, much like those that have bought into the Disney marketing ploy. Sigh Don't we all just want to have some fun in our lives?
The decision has been made and announced by Disney, there is no saving PI and ADV Club now..it is going away forever. Hold on to those memories or quick! go make some before September's closing date!

WELCOME TO THE ADVENTURERS CLUB!

YOU WHO CRAVE DANGER AND SNICKER AT FEAR

WILL FIND MOST AGREEABLE COMPANY HERE

THRILL SEEKERS, NOMADS, HIGH - FLYERS AND LOW

ROVERS, EXPLORERS AND GETTERS OF GO

FROM EVERY FAR CORNER, YOU'LL MEET AT THIS HUB

THE WORLD IS YOUR OYSTER THE PEARL IS OUR CLUB

[Velsignet]

Friday night, Disney announced its plan to close Pleasure Island, effective September 27th, 2008. Their "new vision" for Downtown Disney includes more shops and restaurants. I can understand a desire to revamp that area, especially as it has noticeably gone downhill, maintenance-wise, the past few years. My opinion (coming from someone with no business training whatsoever) has long been that the entire Island screams mismanagement. However, instead of investing in the goldmine that is already there, Disney seems to be interested in turning the property into yet another dime-a-dozen shopping/dining area.

For the past eight years, my best friend and I have visited Downtown Disney whenever she's been in town... The Adventurer's Club became our "place." It offered what most theme parks in the area fail to give - a place where adults can go, unwind and relax with friends. Visitors to the Club have the option of attending shows, or simply lounging in the main salon and interacting (or not) with the mingling cast. It's a quirky, fun, entertaining place where visitors can take a trip back to 1937 and meet some very interesting characters (and I mean that in every sense of the word).

I find it telling that, as a lifetime local, I've not seen ANY marketing for Pleasure Island - certainly not for individual clubs - in recent memory. The fact that some of the clubs are doing as well as they are, without the benefit of marketing OR merchandising, is a testament to the public's desire for their existence. Yes, Disney is family entertainment. For the past two decades, they've managed to deliver a nightlife for adults in a tasteful "Disney" way.

The club I will miss the most is the Adventurer's Club. The other PI clubs will be missed, but there are other nightclubs (albeit, off property) to fill the void. The Adventurer's Club is another story. It is incredibly unique - almost beyond description - and there's absolutely nothing that comes close to being comparable, anywhere around. Literally or figuratively. The Club is what's drawn me to Disney "after hours" for the past ten years, causing me to drive past Downtown Orlando and CityWalk along the way. The Adventurer's Club is the single thing that makes Downtown Disney uniquely different from other area attractions.

The press release in the Orlando Sentinel stated that these changes are "due to thousands of customer suggestions." I ask that you please contact Disney for the thousands of other customers whose voices were not heard, as we didn't realize voicing support for such a special and popular place was necessary.


I've been asked to encourage those who wish to speak up to write a paper letter to Disney, as they carry more weight than email.



Walt Disney World Guest Communications
PO Box 10040
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830-0040

or

Robert Iger
The Walt Disney Company
500 South Buena Vista Street
Burbank, CA 91521-0001


However, if you prefer to email...


Bob Iger, Vice President of Operations, Walt Disney World
Robert.A.Iger@email.disney.com

Kevin Lansberry, Vice President of Operations Downtown Disney
kevin.lansberry@email.disney.com

Barry Carlson, GM of Operations
barry.r.carlson@email.disney.com

Patsy Pederson, GM Guest Show
patsy.pederson@email.disney.com

Kris Piser, DTD Finance Manager
Kristine.piser@email.disney.com

Eric Johnason, Downtown Disney Business Relations
Eric.Johanson@disney.com

Christina Simeonides, Guest Service Manager, Downtown Disney
Business Relations
Christina.M.Simeonides@disney.com


I can only hope with enough "encouragement" from the public, Disney will reconsider its decision and find a way to include the Club in their future plans for Downtown Disney.

Kungaloosh.

[Fantasmicgal]

This is so sad, I'm really going to miss Comedy Warehouse as it has been a must do for us on every trip & there's nothing like walking thru Pleasure Island at night while listening to the music. Oh well, at least we will be visiting for the last week in Sept.

[monoman]

so, from what i gathered, the Disney Company is trying to make Downtown Disney in Florida more like Downtown in Disney in California?

Of, course, I am sad to see the Adventure Club go. But I'm glad I'm going soon, so I can take it all in for one last time.

[MrsGrumpy]

Great Blog, Mark.

What a huge bummer. My DH and I had such a wonderful time at PI on our honeymoon in 1994. We were hoping to spend an evening there again on our next trip. That isn't going to happen.

[EAWildman]

My biggest question was what this does to the "Water Park & More" option on Magic Your Way park tickets. We have several "no-expire" tickets with Water Park and More on them. Here is the official word from Disney from the FAQ page concerning the Pleasure Island closing:

"Q.How do the changes on Pleasure Island affect my Water Park Fun & More ticket option at Walt Disney World Resort?

A. As a Water Park Fun & More ticket option holder, you receive a certain number of visits to your choice of Disney's Typhoon Lagoon Water Park, Disney's Blizzard Beach Water Park, DisneyQuest Indoor Interactive Theme Park, Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex or the Pleasure Island nightclubs.

Beginning June 28, 2008, you can also choose to use a visit to play a round of golf at Disney's Oak Trail Golf Course, a relaxed, nine-hole walking course designed for the entire family. Tee times are required and subject to availability. For tee times, call (407) WDW-GOLF (407-939-4653) or visit disneyworldgolf.com.

By September 28, 2008, all the Pleasure Island nightclubs will close. So beginning September 28, 2008 the Water Park Fun & More ticket option will no longer include admission to the Pleasure Island nightclubs."

So, you still can go to both Water Parks and Disney Quest (assuming they keep that open) and Wide World of Sports (what the heck can you *do* there though?). And now you can get 9 holes of golf.

I am not sure that's a fair trade off. I don't golf...except for mini-golf. I didn't really go to the clubs either though. We only went to the 80's bar and the comedy club. We really liked the comedy club alot. We went multiple times a night. So, we will miss that I guess. But, you get a better bang for your Water Park and More ticket at Disney Quest or a Water Park which we both like the best anyway.

I hope they don't just add more "dining and shopping." I live close to the Mall of America in Minnesota. I can get all the dining and shopping there I need. Of course, interesting to note...all of the bars and dance clubs at the Mall of America closed several years ago too.

I'll be interested in this extra theming from the imagineers on PI. I hope it all turns out nice.

Eric

[stan4d_steph]

This seems like a really bad decision. I don't understand why they'd close Adventurer's Club. It's so much more than just a nightclub.

[danyoung]

What's the crowd like there on any given night? The last couple times I've been there, it's been pretty sparse.

[Niwel]

I was reading a comment on another site -- and someone mentioned maybe they would put Adventurer's Club into Animal Kingdom .... hmmm....

[danyoung]

Niwel, I think this referred to the unsubstantiated "Night Kingdom", the mythical 4th theme park which might or might not have been planned for a section of DAK. Nothing even remotely official has been announced, so I don't think you can expect the AC to move to DAK. Sorry.

[Niwel]

Niwel, I think this referred to the unsubstantiated "Night Kingdom", the mythical 4th theme park which might or might not have been planned for a section of DAK. Nothing even remotely official has been announced, so I don't think you can expect the AC to move to DAK. Sorry.

I can still dream can't I?

That and AC was one of the only clubs that young people could enter, thus working with the whole "family" thing.

[Disneyphile]

Disney is being absolute idiots for doing this.

My husband and I were considering a few days at WDW next year just for the sole purpose of visiting PI (especially AC), since he's never been. If this happens, we're not going to waste our time and money, and use it elsewhere instead. The last thing we go on vacation for is to go to yet another "mall".

Did the Gap fire Pressler and he's been hired at WDW or something?