The reason for PI was also the change in thought that WDW should be a vacation destination, not just theme parks. Part of that is nightlife and they wanted to capitalize on guests' desire for night life. They made this even more clear when they started Magical Express....except now they stick people on property with nothing to do at night.
-
Welcome to the WDWMAGIC.COM Forums!
Please take a look around, and feel free to sign up and join the community.
New Rumor Says Further Demolitions Cancelled & Clubs Could Reopen!
- Thread starter lebeau
- Start date
Exactly. I typically visit in the fall when most parks close early. We always either end up spending the night at Epcot (at least until 9) and then wonder what to do. Typically we go to Raglan Road but 4-5 nights in a row in the same place gets a little old. I know the PI that was will never be again but it would be great to see a little more variety of nightlife. Boardwalk is too much of a pain to get to so we only occasionally go to Jellyrolls. Just my 2 cents.
KanineKrunchies
Member
When PI first opened I was just getting into my 20's so for 10 years I really enjoyed going to PI after the parks closed. Now that I just entered my 40's the idea of PI no longer is really appealing.
That said I wouldn't mind if they opened a couple clubs back up, especially Adventure's Club.
That said I wouldn't mind if they opened a couple clubs back up, especially Adventure's Club.
Mouse Detective
Well-Known Member
Disney's original idea for EPCOT was to build a city where people lived and worked. Had that happened, there indeed would have been all sorts of shopping, dining and night life. But Disney died and so did the vision. Remaining management realized that if people lived on Disney property, they could vote on Disney property. And control of the Reedy Creek Improvement District was not something they were about to give up. So the idea for a working city died and it was replaced with.....a theme park.
xdan0920
Think for yourselfer
This is true for many many people. So you can almost see why Disney would close the clubs and try and move away from the night life business.
However, Disney should not be trying to change to satisfy one generation of guests. So you enjoyed PI in your 20's, now you are entering your 40's and your done with it. There is plenty to do at Disney for your age set already. And now with the closing of PI, there is a new generations of 20 somethings with 1 less major reason to head to WDW. It is not a good long term plan. Disney should be for everyone.
The latest from the Save PI blog:
http://savepleasureisland.blogspot.com/2011/05/pi-update-plans-developed-for-comedy.html
http://savepleasureisland.blogspot.com/2011/05/pi-update-plans-developed-for-comedy.html
lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
Which just means you have bought into Disney's recent emphasis on the parks. Disney is capable of creating compelling non-park experiences, but why should they when so many have bought into the concept of nothingness after the parks close?
Scooter
Well-Known Member
I SLEEP at night :snore::lol:
Slowjack
Well-Known Member
That was the idea from the beginning, but it's still an interesting observation, because it seems to come and go in cycles. If you check out promotional materials from the early days, they talk up the golf, horseback riding, boating, etc. It was the "Vacation Kingdom," where you could do all the typical family vacation things, plus have the Magic Kingdom to visit. Somewhere along the way this became muted--maybe it was the opening of Epcot Center, so now they could sell a 3-4 day visit on parks alone. Then the "more than just ridin' stuff" idea came back with Pleasure Island, and again later with the Disney Institute.
KanineKrunchies
Member
I never said I would be done with it and even said I wouldn't mind them reopening a couple clubs. Even though I would no longer make PI a priority on future trips I would certainly still visit from time to time. I agree Disney needs some nightlife since they are losing a nice source of revenue here.
Pioneer Hall
Well-Known Member
This was the case for me. I have only had a couple of trips to PI before they announced the closing because I had finally reached my 20's and was able to enjoy it. For me it was incredibly disappointing to hear that it was going to get shut down. While I understand that some people are solely there to hit the parks, I like to take a bit of everything in on my Disney vacations after having been so many times. So for me this involved lounging by the pool, recreation options, exploring resorts, and yes the occasional bar visit in the evenings after the parks are closed. Now to compensate for the adventurer's club (in terms of bar only) I find myself hopping around World Showcase more, going to the resort lounges, and visiting Raglan Road.
I understand what Disney did here, but I will always feel that an all out closure wasn't the best idea here. Keeping two or three clubs open, and possibly just changing them around but still offering a little bit of an adult offering might have been nice.
Brian Noble
Well-Known Member
Two thoughts.
One: that some particular demographic really loves something isn't a reason to keep it per se if there are competing uses for the space that return more on the investment. (I'm not saying that shops/restaurants will return more than the clubs did, but *if* they return more, that's a fine reason to switch.)
Two: the single/young-couple 20-somethings just aren't WDW's core market. Anecdotally, when I was in my 20s, I was going to places like Dewey Beach and Vegas. For the "average" 20-something, I'm guessing PI's presence or absence is probably not the tipping point between WDW and Vegas or a lets-relive-college-now-that-we-are-legal-and-have-money beach town.
The latest (which isn't much) from the Save PI blog:
http://savepleasureisland.blogspot.com/2011/05/pi-update-no-signs-of-demolitionor.html
http://savepleasureisland.blogspot.com/2011/05/pi-update-no-signs-of-demolitionor.html
xdan0920
Think for yourselfer
Taking it one at a time...
First, Your argument doesn't even have a chance to be born out. They did not replace the clubs with shops and restaurants. They have sat empty for going on 3 years, with the only changes coming being "Seed & Mulch".
Second, young 20 something couples are a major market for WDW. WDW happens to be one of the top honeymoon destinations in this country. And 20 somethings are the ones doing the marrying and honeymooning. Having an option for nightlife can most certainly be a tipping point.
NoChesterHester
Well-Known Member
30 somethings like night spots too... Come to think of it 40 somethings like night time spots.
I spent a lot of time at PI in its heyday. There was plenty of variety for all kinds of different tastes.
Silly argument by some. Those that don't believe it belongs or that it doesn't have an audience have a narrow view of the varied cross section of people that visit WDW on vacation. I don't collect things, but I don't believe that pin trading or vinylmation should be removed from the shops so I have more selection of t-shirts...
I spent a lot of time at PI in its heyday. There was plenty of variety for all kinds of different tastes.
Silly argument by some. Those that don't believe it belongs or that it doesn't have an audience have a narrow view of the varied cross section of people that visit WDW on vacation. I don't collect things, but I don't believe that pin trading or vinylmation should be removed from the shops so I have more selection of t-shirts...
Brian Noble
Well-Known Member
Yes, I understand that. But, let's assume for the moment that some of the other plans we've seen floating around were actually in the hopper pre-collapse. I suppose it's possible that mulch was the plan all along, but that means either (a) TDO is criminally stupid, (b) Mickey is allergic to money, or (c) the clubs were not that profitable at the end.
Do you have numbers? Because a quick survey of the googlescape doesn't necessary agree with you.
Here's a top-50 list from a travel agent survey. Florida is 28th. (Not "Disney". Florida). http://honeymoons.about.com/od/toprankedplaces/a/best_honeymoon.htm
It's not in this list: http://travel.usnews.com/Rankings/Best_Honeymoon_Destinations/
"Florida" is in this one, but Orlando is only one choice: http://honeymoons.about.com/od/classichoneymoons/a/destinationsusa.htm
Not on the spa list: http://weddings.weddingchannel.com/...-states-top-10-spa-relaxation-honeymoons.aspx
Or the adventure list: http://weddings.weddingchannel.com/...united-states-top-adventurous-honeymoons.aspx
Or this top-five list: http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/family/5-honeymoon-spots.htm
This one lists Florida as the most popular, but (again) Disney is only part of florida: http://weddings.weddingchannel.com/...ns/articles/best-domestic-u-s-honeymoons.aspx
It's on none of these lists: http://www.honeymoonersreviewguide.com/destinations/top-10-lists.html
Finally, most people in their 20s get married only once. They go on several other vacations during the same period.
Don't get me wrong. I too enjoyed my time at PI. I appreciated the option of a little nightlife, and it is sorely missed. I certainly thought it belonged. But to suggest that closing the clubs is somehow disastrous for the business is just not borne out by the numbers since then. Simply put, PI was not the reason that most people went to WDW.
Edited to add:
Neither do I. But, if an extra rack of t-shirts earned more money than the vinylmation or pin displays, the latter would be gone in a heartbeat.
71jason
Well-Known Member
^This. Convention-goers, in particular, seemed to love the nightlife at PI, and they are most definitely a prime WDW target. Throw in honeymooners, Spring breakers, parents with a sitter...there will always be a market for nightlife.
71jason
Well-Known Member
Since we know (b) and (c) not to be true, logic tells us the answer must be (a).
Hysterical. I did a 1-click Google search and came up with this article from today's Wall Street Journal:
http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2011...aches-for-disney-cities/?mod=google_news_blog
Honeymooners Eschew Beaches for Disney, Cities.
Exerpt:
"The top honeymoon destinations in the U.S. are Walt Disney World, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Miami and the Florida Keys."
I'd say the Wall Street Journal agrees. :drevil:
If anyone's interested, here's a link to the statistical results:
http://www.4-traders.com/KNOT-THE-9...oon-Statistics-Released-by-The-Knot-13637251/
http://www.4-traders.com/KNOT-THE-9...oon-Statistics-Released-by-The-Knot-13637251/