I personally am quite torn on this whole issuse.
As an adult, and PI fan, I sometimes do wish the Island was still completely closed off to outsiders. Much more of an adult/party atmosphere---especially with the live bands and nightly NYE extravaganza. Those things I definitely do miss, because they added a lot to the atmosphere. The thing I hate more than anything is seeing families with small children hanging out in PI at all hours of the night. On vacation or not, not only do I think it is crazy to have children that are still in strollers up that late, but to be bringing young ones like that to an adult nightclub strip where there is tons of drinking, smoking, etc... Sorry, but in my opinion, that is just bad parenting.
We have to be realistic though and can't live in the past. Like it or not, PI is now open to anyone who feels like walking through it, so all oldschool PI fans can do at this point is hope for the best from these new changes.
From what I have seen so far (whether from fan site photo updates or articles like the ones posted in this thread) I am very optimistic about where these changes are going.
1.) While I said I don't like seeing small children walking around PI at 2:00 in the morning, as I also said earlier I think that is poor parenting, not Disney's fault. As a whole, I think opening up the Island is a good idea...
Especially the new bridge that is to be built. The old one made a somewhat awkward transition from PI to Westside, just like the "bypass bridge" that allowed you to go from Westside to the parking lot did. I'm glad this is being totally redone, it will be wonderful to walk straight-through from one end of DTD to another. There are also plans for a ferry dock, I think this is another great idea. Boat transportation will definitely add some nice atmosphere to the area.
2.) TLC. As part of this project, it sounds like much of the island is getting some general upkeep---That is ALWAYS a good thing. Hopefully we get some nice new lighting, landscaping, views of the water, and maybe even some updates to the club facades out of this.
3.) No announcements of any of the clubs going anywhere---yet. This pleases me a lot. I think each one of the current clubs adds something unique to PI. The comedy clubs are great, and each one of the dance clubs offer a different genre of music... there really is just about something for everyone at the current PI. I think as long as the clubs stay as they are on the interior, and this current beautification process of the exteriors continues, this is win-win for everybody. Not only will PI be more family friendly and accessible for DTD guests as a whole for the early evening hours, but current PI lovers will still be able to have a great time inside the clubs and out on the streets late at night as they always have.---This is what I think Disney is going for with the PI renovation project.
While we might be losing a few things here and there... as a whole, I think this is a great idea. We still have our great clubs plus we may be getting some new venues out of this, accessibility will be better than ever (whether by foot or by boat) and not to mention---from the looks of the concept art and amount of work being done it seems as though PI is getting a lot of TLC and will be looking better than ever.
