First time back in a couple months last night. Some random thoughts:
Garage has done nothing to help parking--exiting and entering traffic cross, which creates a mess. I get why--the current garage was designed to cater to I-4 traffic, with the assumption that most surface traffic from 535/Buena Vista will instead turn into the second, as yet unbuilt, garage. So weren't counting on so many first floor entries (I-4 traffic will come in on like the 3d flooe). But until all that construction is done, the smart move is still to park behind HoB/Cirque--still dozens of free spaces even on Friday night.
I'm probably biased because they are a more nautical version of my college colors, but really liking the blue and green color scheme on the Boathouse. Its lighthouse should pair nicely with the Hanger once it's done. Also a fan of the sunken theater--gives the artists more of a performance space without having guests clog up walkways like, say, "the lilypad stage" in front of Fultons.
If anyone got the smelly end of the plunger in the reworking, it's Raglan Road. It looks like the vast majority of guests will walk by its backside. It's a testament to the restaurant's sterling reputation that it had anyone in it at all--have to walk down a dead-end path to get in.
Which brings me to ...
Three Main Concerns for The Landing
1) Granted it's the off-season, but last night, 6:30-7:00ish, despite walkways being so full as to be barely passable, Raglan, Paradiso and Splitsville all had plenty of open tables. Couldn't see into Fultons or Portabello, but no lines outside, so I imagine much the same. That is not a market crying out for four new restaurants, two of them huge. If there were open tables at 7 pm Friday, imagine 9:30 pm Tuesday. Disney Springs needs another T Rex and Earl of Sandwich--the only places I saw lines--more than high end "adult" eateries.
2) Parking. As I said, it should get better with the second garage. But that's years off. And right now the meme is growing among locals that the garage just made a horrible situation worse. Once that idea becomes accepted, hard to dislodge it. Look at Universal--they haven't charged locals to park at CityWalk in years, but I've had to correct plenty of Orlandoites who still think they'll have to pay to eat there.
3) The 10 pm - 2 am market. As King Bob said on the Save PI Blog, this seems to be a major part of keeping the lights on. However the problems that kept PI from being as profitable as it could and should have been are still in place. Namely, the presence of strollers and kids. Unless the Landing adopts an adults only after a certain hour policy (btw, supposedly coming to our Trader Sams, will believe it when I see it), I don't know how successful it will be in drawing the late night drinking crowd.
Garage has done nothing to help parking--exiting and entering traffic cross, which creates a mess. I get why--the current garage was designed to cater to I-4 traffic, with the assumption that most surface traffic from 535/Buena Vista will instead turn into the second, as yet unbuilt, garage. So weren't counting on so many first floor entries (I-4 traffic will come in on like the 3d flooe). But until all that construction is done, the smart move is still to park behind HoB/Cirque--still dozens of free spaces even on Friday night.
I'm probably biased because they are a more nautical version of my college colors, but really liking the blue and green color scheme on the Boathouse. Its lighthouse should pair nicely with the Hanger once it's done. Also a fan of the sunken theater--gives the artists more of a performance space without having guests clog up walkways like, say, "the lilypad stage" in front of Fultons.
If anyone got the smelly end of the plunger in the reworking, it's Raglan Road. It looks like the vast majority of guests will walk by its backside. It's a testament to the restaurant's sterling reputation that it had anyone in it at all--have to walk down a dead-end path to get in.
Which brings me to ...
Three Main Concerns for The Landing
1) Granted it's the off-season, but last night, 6:30-7:00ish, despite walkways being so full as to be barely passable, Raglan, Paradiso and Splitsville all had plenty of open tables. Couldn't see into Fultons or Portabello, but no lines outside, so I imagine much the same. That is not a market crying out for four new restaurants, two of them huge. If there were open tables at 7 pm Friday, imagine 9:30 pm Tuesday. Disney Springs needs another T Rex and Earl of Sandwich--the only places I saw lines--more than high end "adult" eateries.
2) Parking. As I said, it should get better with the second garage. But that's years off. And right now the meme is growing among locals that the garage just made a horrible situation worse. Once that idea becomes accepted, hard to dislodge it. Look at Universal--they haven't charged locals to park at CityWalk in years, but I've had to correct plenty of Orlandoites who still think they'll have to pay to eat there.
3) The 10 pm - 2 am market. As King Bob said on the Save PI Blog, this seems to be a major part of keeping the lights on. However the problems that kept PI from being as profitable as it could and should have been are still in place. Namely, the presence of strollers and kids. Unless the Landing adopts an adults only after a certain hour policy (btw, supposedly coming to our Trader Sams, will believe it when I see it), I don't know how successful it will be in drawing the late night drinking crowd.
