Last Call for PI?

Wilt Dasney

Well-Known Member
Does anyone know how this will affect Adventurer's Club and Comedy Warehouse?

Even though I enjoyed PI during my College Program, I wouldn't miss any of the other places. They're just run-of-the-mill drinking and dancing spots. Those two would be a real loss, though.
 

yankspy

Well-Known Member
Hi there :wave:

I can understand Virgin, its not really Unique but I always thought that a single concession from Disney. Resort guests cant really leave the world so Virgin kinda makes it up for those who might want to shop for stuff other than Disney merch. Virgins special to my family though, its usually where we'd find our tune/album of the holiday. But the Lego store and even the McDonalds in Downtown is pretty themed up. Downtown Disney was the first place we hit in 98 for out first Holiday and I felt the magic even from the giant lego structures and the McDonalds with its funny noises around the drinks section.

Of the only place I've seen recently come into PI's area, Raligan Road doesnt seem that corporate a takeover of the space. It looks like an English Pub of sorts so I'ld say that has its Disney touch. It's more Disney than the boarded up bar that was there before it anyways.

Hello back.:wave:I agree that Lego and Mcdonald's are done well and I suppose the concession to virgin is just my own personal thing. There just seems to be something missing in DTD for me that used to be there. I realize that this is an odd statement that I, unfortunately can not articulate better. The more I think about it the more I think I am longing for the days when DTD was a nice quiet relaxing place. However, I may be imagining this time or it is also possible that DTD was not turning much of a profit when it was quieter. Things have to change though, so I guess will adapt.:)
 

ASilmser

Active Member
What a shame... it began to go down hill when the admission policy was scrapped (and backfired big time)

I won`t be going back as either a geek or a tourist. Apart from bag check in when we leave.

I think it probably went downhill (or at least became a problem) when the West Side was built and completed. To have PI sandwiched into the middle of the marketplace and west side was sort of a problem--add the House of Blues, Bongo's, the Theater, and Cirque--and you have ala carte entertainment without charging people to poke around. The food, booze, retail, and entertainment are scattered rather than isolated. Today's consumer/tourist seems to like that more. I don't think they had a choice but to open up the "Island" to the public. After that, the handwriting was on the wall.

I don't think they will get rid of AC. If anything, it will become MORE popular as PI adds attractions and shops. I see PI as just becoming an extension of marketplace and West Side. A Nightclub, a themed restaurant, some shops, or some other entertainment offerings will be scattered all throughout the property. Perhaps they will have another stage for free live entertainment like in marketplace. It will be sad to see PI go, but it would seem that it is a concept that has lost its spark.
 

JeffC

New Member
Does anyone know how this will affect Adventurer's Club and Comedy Warehouse?

Even though I enjoyed PI during my College Program, I wouldn't miss any of the other places. They're just run-of-the-mill drinking and dancing spots. Those two would be a real loss, though.

Well, I would imagine things (jokes, skits, etc) would be a little less risque.
And I'm really gonna miss the maids little dustings...:cry:
 

mickeysaver

Well-Known Member
Well, if this is true, at least I can say goodbye to it Saturday night. I turned my itinerary upsidedown to work in some time there. I love the Adventurers Club and the Comedy Warehouse. Just in case some fool decides to shut them down, I want to have one last good night enjoying them.
 

fyn

Member
Well, if this is true, at least I can say goodbye to it Saturday night. I turned my itinerary upsidedown to work in some time there. I love the Adventurers Club and the Comedy Warehouse. Just in case some fool decides to shut them down, I want to have one last good night enjoying them.

Getting rid of The Adventurers' Club and Comedy Warehouse would be the equivalent of throwing the baby out with the bathwater. I'd like to give Disney more credit than that.

Edit: But I don't know if I can give them that much credit. They've done many wonderful things, and many jaw-droppingly stupid things (like replacing Alien Encounter, one of their most innovative rides IMO, with Stitch.
 

Greg34

New Member
I wonder if the might keep the Adventurers club the comedy Wharehouse and BET. They could Make BET a different type of club every night of the week, and then keep everything confined to one area.
 
Hah, I would hardly call Alien Encounter one of Disney's most innovative rides.

Anyway, I think the Pleasure Island concept would return to being a successful and profitable one if a few tweaks were made. I'm not sure if scrapping the idea entirely is neccesary.
 

slappy magoo

Well-Known Member
Pleasure Island has, to me, become one of Disney's more bizarre failures, probably because they didn't stick to their original mission statement of providing a fun-but-secure onsite venue for just grownups, plus an attractive locale for locals to come and get their drink on. When it was opened in 1989, Disney as a movie studio was starting to invest more heavily in creating some adult-themed entertainment, and PI was a reflection of that. Now, nearly 20 years later, the social landscape has changed, the new generations of clubbers are perhaps not represented by what PI is, and Disney has muted its presence in producing entertainment that's not family-friendly. So aside from us diehard AC fans who'll also venture off into CW once in a while, there's not too many people for whom PI will represent a fun night out. Parents who wouldn't leave their children behind certainly make me uncomfortable, when I see little ones in clubs like 8-Trax or the now defunct R&RBC, just as I'm uncomfortable seeing them in any resort bar/lounge area. If you're going to WDW and your children aren't old enough to venture off alone, then don't go to bars or lounges or PI with them.

I never went to WDW as a child, but in the family trips to SIx Flags Great Adventure, simpler less child-abductier times, it was common for an older brother or sister to take command of me and/or my slightly-older sister (we being the babies of the 5), and it was "OK, we meet back at the fountain at 6 o'clock, don't be late and don't get in trouble."

But as far as PI goes, this is like a chicken-or-egg type thing. Did childless adults stop going to PI because kids were there making it weird to party like grownups do? Or did WDW start allowing parents with kids in tow to go into some of the PI clubs because adults stopped going?

If WDW were to provide adults-only lounges in most or all of the resorts, I'd suspect that might go over better with the mentality of today's modern family. Parents might feel more comfortable having a drink or two knowing the kids are nearby in the room sleeping, or, if they can be trusted, in the pool or arcade areas. It might also inspire some people to resort-hop and see what each lounge has to offer. Someone who's usually stayed in values or mods might decide to "bump up" to a deluxe on the next trip if they had a nice enough evening in one of their lounges. If this were the plan, I'd humbly suggest (at the risk of taking even more money out of the local economy), the time might be right for WDW to develop it's own intra-resort taxi service. This way, adults who want to go from resort to resort can do so without waiting for a bus to take them to a hub and then another bus to take them home. If, instead of a central location, cabs are dispersed throughout the resort area, so there are always cabs coming and going and nearby if not actually where you are (with a dispatch moving cabs around if there are too many at any one resort), it could really become a cash cow for WDW, plus provide the guests more opportunities to do more at WDW without paying for a rental car (and also, not risk DWI).

I'll miss PI much the same way I miss many things I enjoyed from my past. It's not what it used to be, but then again, neither am I.
 

Red devil

Member
I cant say that Im suprised by this. PI has always seemed to me like it was a bit un-Disney, and in recent years it has really begun to show its age. I have never been to the Adventure club which everyone speaks of so highly but I think I will check it out when I go in Sept. Whatever the case I am sure that what Disney has planned for the space after PI will be welcome improvements.
 

rdour@techminds

New Member
I really like the dance club with the rotating dance floor. Does anyone know of a place like that outside of WDW with as much unique lighting and number of sets? The DJs seemed to be fairly talented too, not a lot of people getting off the beat. That to me, as a DJ, is like nails on a chalk board. I can't imagine it being acceptable for those who really like to dance though either.

Now, I also liked the fact that the seating was around the outside of the dance floor, and you could just sit with a drink and enjoy the music and atmosphere. It also was a very diverse crowd. People from just about every background can enjoy some good dance music, but those who are not used to a very diverse crowd may feel extremely uncomfortable there. Unlike the rest of Disney, anything goes.

Now, I like the idea also of the resort clubs. Makes it easy to get home if you've overdone it.

Ryan
 

uklad79

Member
I really like the dance club with the rotating dance floor. Does anyone know of a place like that outside of WDW with as much unique lighting and number of sets? The DJs seemed to be fairly talented too, not a lot of people getting off the beat. That to me, as a DJ, is like nails on a chalk board. I can't imagine it being acceptable for those who really like to dance though either.

Now, I also liked the fact that the seating was around the outside of the dance floor, and you could just sit with a drink and enjoy the music and atmosphere. It also was a very diverse crowd. People from just about every background can enjoy some good dance music, but those who are not used to a very diverse crowd may feel extremely uncomfortable there. Unlike the rest of Disney, anything goes.

Now, I like the idea also of the resort clubs. Makes it easy to get home if you've overdone it.

Ryan

I think Mannequins will disappear in the changes due to the fact everyone knows it's like an unofficial gay club something Disney has most likely had a few complaints about. I have seen some people come in and seen the crowd and walk back out. Mostly stuffy couples who have never seen someone gay in their life.
 

danpam1024

Well-Known Member
Guess I will be spending more time at Jelly Rolls!

To anyone that hasn't been there before, it is amazing. It a piano-sing-along bar. The musicians are absolutely amazing. Drop a napkin with the name of a song and a few dollars...and they will play it.

Went there for my 21st birthday it was so fun. Tried to go in Dec 2006, but the smell of smoke made me gag :hurl:. I thought it was due for a little refurb, anyone hear?:shrug:

I agree w/ putting some dancing spots closer to "home". Sometimes you just don't make it to PI because it's too far after a day in the parks :lol:. And they have the Kids clubs at the resorts as well. Now, if they would just add a hangout for the teens, they'd be all set :D
 
I have to say that PI is a waste of time for someone like me. I have to agree with the un-Disney statement because I just couldn't find the "Magic" there. Don't get me wrong, I like to dance, grab a beer and have fun,and am not a fuddy-duddy at all.


But after a long day at the parks, I just can't find it in me to go see some punks running around drunk, fighting, being annoying and throwing up all over creation. Not my thing.

I cannot speak for Walt but I am wondering what he would think of the whole PI thing, at this day and time.

I hope this rumor is true. Nightclubs can (and will) make money somewhere else in Orlando.

A
 

hemloc

Member
I've been there dozens of times and have never seen anyone getting really out of hand(Unlike other parks, ahem...). But, PI was definitely doomed the day they decided to open it up to everyone of all ages... If I had a dollar for every eye that rolls when someone brings their kids to the Adventurer's Club, I would be a rich man by now. A rich, frustrated man:brick:. Although, it is kinda funny when the cast tries to explain in a subtle way that they have to tone down the show because there are young un's in the audience, and they gently prod the parents to please, oh please, dear god, leave(Yet they are dumb enough to endure it and stay, ugh!!):hammer:. Then again, I have been in there when they kept up the raunch factor in a concentrated effort to get them to leave(And matter of factly stated that the show will go on, so it's on the 'rents if they stay!):sohappy:.
 

Pumbas Nakasak

Heading for the great escape.
I've been there dozens of times and have never seen anyone getting really out of hand(Unlike other parks, ahem...). But, PI was definitely doomed the day they decided to open it up to everyone of all ages... If I had a dollar for every eye that rolls when someone brings their kids to the Adventurer's Club, I would be a rich man by now. A rich, frustrated man:brick:. Although, it is kinda funny when the cast tries to explain in a subtle way that they have to tone down the show because there are young un's in the audience, and they gently prod the parents to please, oh please, dear god, leave(Yet they are dumb enough to endure it and stay, ugh!!):hammer:. Then again, I have been in there when they kept up the raunch factor in a concentrated effort to get them to leave(And matter of factly stated that the show will go on, so it's on the 'rents if they stay!):sohappy:.

What do you constitute being a kid?
 

Wilt Dasney

Well-Known Member
Although, it is kinda funny when the cast tries to explain in a subtle way that they have to tone down the show because there are young un's in the audience, and they gently prod the parents to please, oh please, dear god, leave(Yet they are dumb enough to endure it and stay, ugh!!).

I can understand why the cast members might feel less comfortable with kids in the room, but isn't that more Disney's fault for not putting an age restriction at the door? Parents shouldn't be made to feel guilty or pushed out (subtly or otherwise) for bringing their kids to a place that allows them.

Either kids are welcome or they aren't, and if they're not, just set an age limit and be done with it. 21 is probably too high, since a lot of younger CPs who can't drink go there and even younger teenagers go with their parents, so maybe 13 would be reasonable.
 

goofyfan13

Well-Known Member
I'm upgrading to a PAP in the fall to enjoy the water parks, but primarily AC for my last year of school. If they close it, I too will join the riots! I just once want to be able to yell....

KUNGALOOSH!!! :D
 

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