PI was "forced" on WDW by previous management...
An interesting way of putting it to say the least!
If I may, my observations as a guest and then a more in-the-know person
1990 - My family take me to PI. Island admission is included on our 5 day hopper. I`m old enough for TAC, but not Mannaquins. I don`t want to go clubbing. I`m on holiday and want a fun night out in Disney. We look inside TAC for 10 minutes (I know, I know...) and then browse the island, soak up the atmosphere, enjoy live bands on the original West End Stage and experience the great New Years party.
1993 - I take my GF at the time to PI. Admission is included in our package. We get wristbands on production of passposrts for all the clubs. We spend 2 great nights in the clubs, and soak up the atmosphere outside, and experience some great New Years Eves partys.
2001 - I take Michelle for her first time. Admission is included again. We do the clubs on production of our passports. We see some great live bands on the last West End Stage and experience some great New Years Eve parties. We also spend a few hours `doing` TAC as tourists. Fantastic.
During the above 3 trips we of course bought drinks, food and souvineers from PI.
2007 - knowing what I knew, with bated breath we go to PI to get a Harley T Shirt. My god. The place is a ghost town. No stage. No atmosphere. After a half hour we leave and pass more of the same in West Side to get back to the car.
Disneys plan of un-gating the island worked. It was as generic as the rest of Downtown. No magic. No atmosphere. We won`t go back.
As discussed elsewhere, the alternative plan was to extend downtown around and to the south of PI, and keep PI gated as a separate entertainment district. They took the cheap option. The ungating was the first stage in lowering its appeal, and it worked. Now they have the excuse they wanted. It`s far cheaper to have 3rd parties pay for the facillities than the company. Tourists will still come. Why should Disney pay for something - in their eyes - they don`t have to? Damn the experience and damn the provision of a service. Let someone else pay for it, even if it isn`t like the original.
Cynical? Maybe. True? Absolutely. Recall the 20K debacle. There are ways and means to do what they want for the bottom line. At the end of the day PI is soon to be another extinct attraction. Nothing I can do about it. A drop in the ocean I know, but I`ll never go back to Downtown Central or whatever name marketing comes up with.