Save the Adventurers Club

[Jerm]

there is a new site called castauction.com that has been auctioning off props from the AC.

Cast auctions is not a new site and is only for CM's and they sell all sorts of things not just AC stuff.

 

[TP2000]

Not very many people would want to pay to park to go to night clubs and restaurants.

Downtown Disney at Disneyland charges parking fees of $6 per hour. They also run an extra-cost valet parking service at Disneyland's Downtown Disney, and the place is always packed on weekends and every night in summer/Christmas/Easter, with parking hard to come by.

Charging for parking, or running an upcharged valet parking service, is something based on good 'ol supply and demand. If there's enough demand for something, Disney can and will charge for it.

 

[KungalooshAL]

Downtown Disney at Disneyland charges parking fees of $6 per hour. They also run an extra-cost valet parking service at Disneyland's Downtown Disney, and the place is always packed on weekends and every night in summer/Christmas/Easter, with parking hard to come by.

Charging for parking, or running an upcharged valet parking service, is something based on good 'ol supply and demand. If there's enough demand for something, Disney can and will charge for it.

I've been out there and both DTD Anaheim and Universal Hollywood draw far more locals than DTD Orlando.

 

[Master Gracey]

It seems like the Pleasure Island buildings are slowly coming back to life! Apparently there have been a lot of lights on inside our beloved Club the past few night. From what I've heard, all the Zebra Mezzanine is lit in addition to the Main Salon lights that have been constantly on since 2008. Also, the color changing lights that were below Mannequins marquee have also been turned back on as well. I wish I knew exactly what is going on and am hoping that Fletcher Hodges need the extra light to put the artifacts back where they belong!

 

[wdw71fan]

Fletcher Hodges is dead, just like your beloved club.



AC won't return, I can promise you that...

 

[asianway]

Excellent news!

 

[Lee]

Fletcher Hodges is dead, just like your beloved club.

Really? Is that necessary?

Anyhow, Fletcher and the Club are alive and well. Just in need of a new home.

 

[G00fyDad]

I just wanted to say that although I am glad that Pleasure Island is gone I do sympathize with those that went there for a good time. And though I have never been to the AC I hear so many good things about it. But I truly do hope that they do not bring back Pleasure Island and the atmosphere it generated. I know many of you say that you have never seen this happen but I personally have seen quite a few drunks staggering down the walkway when the clubs were open. And it was just too rowdy down there. I never really did understand why they slapped PI in the middle of a family oriented district like that. It would have been better if Westside and PI locations were switched. That way the clubs and bars could be kept seperated from the family spots and people wouldn't have to walk through that just to get from Westside to the Marketplace. The whole area there just got to be too hectic and rough for a while in that spot.

All that being said, I do understand the desire to have the AC back and I truly do hope they rebuild it, maybe in Animal Kingdom, and if so then I may decide to try it. But it shouldn't be rebuilt in DTD unless it is to be the only club built. I never really remember hearing about anyone talking about people staggering out of the AC hammered and it has such a huge following. AK seems like a perfect place for the AC. Maybe over in place of Camp Minnie Mickey with its own exit?

 

[Master Gracey]

I just wanted to say that although I am glad that Pleasure Island is gone I do sympathize with those that went there for a good time. And though I have never been to the AC I hear so many good things about it. But I truly do hope that they do not bring back Pleasure Island and the atmosphere it generated. I know many of you say that you have never seen this happen but I personally have seen quite a few drunks staggering down the walkway when the clubs were open. And it was just too rowdy down there. I never really did understand why they slapped PI in the middle of a family oriented district like that. It would have been better if Westside and PI locations were switched. That way the clubs and bars could be kept seperated from the family spots and people wouldn't have to walk through that just to get from Westside to the Marketplace. The whole area there just got to be too hectic and rough for a while in that spot.

All that being said, I do understand the desire to have the AC back and I truly do hope they rebuild it, maybe in Animal Kingdom, and if so then I may decide to try it. But it shouldn't be rebuilt in DTD unless it is to be the only club built. I never really remember hearing about anyone talking about people staggering out of the AC hammered and it has such a huge following. AK seems like a perfect place for the AC. Maybe over in place of Camp Minnie Mickey with its own exit?

I don't think that anyone has ever doubted that drunks staggered down Hill St. on a regular basis. The fact is that when Pleasure Island was built, it was on the very edge of the Disney Village Marketplace and the West Side wasn't even on the drawing boards and therfore was never meant to be an open thoroughfare for families to walk through. There were turnstiles at each enterance to the island and only those who purchased tickets could go in thus keeping the party enclosed and not allowing families see what was going on. Then the West Side was built and a bypass was built for people to walking from Markeplace to the West Side to avoid the Island, but then a short-sited execuive looked at the situation and thought that an extra few bucks could be made if the turnstiles were taken away and anyone could walk throught the world's greatest street party and buy a drink or two on the way.

Also, Pleasure Island was an Imagineering wonder. Not many people know the whole backstory of the island, but it is very intricate and accounts for why Merriweather Adam Pleasure erected each building that stand there and what funcion it had in his canvas/sailmaiking empire (not to mention many
clever tie-ins to the Imagineeres that built it, Walt Disney World landmarks that exist because of Pleasure Island, and even the fact that Walt Disney was Merriweather's Uncle).

Downtown Disney badly needs nightlife back and a return of Pleasure Island (with the turnstiles reinstalled) is just the thing to do it. Of course this must be done with the crowning jewel of Imagineering reinstated on its lofty, but well deserved, perch at the peak of Hill St., Pleasure's earthbound treehouse, The Adventurers Club!

 

[G00fyDad]

You make a fair point but the turnstiles aren't going to stop the people too buzzed to be out running around from meandering through the Marketplace after they leave. Granted, it would help greatly but not illiminate it completely. But I suppose that if they brought back the turnstiles then I could get behind a new Pleasure Island. As long as it is in some way seperated from the other sections. I just have a sense of foreboding about PI due to the crowd that it attracted. I remember it just being too rowdy and rough at times. Not sure if it is a direct result or not but prior to the removal of PI people were getting pickpocketed (more than normal at WDW), theft was rampant, and there was too much violence. Not like some inner city violence but more than you would want to see at WDW. Heck, two people even got abducted, robbed, and dropped off some distance from WDW once time. All of that stuff seemed to have ceased when PI was removed.

Besides, the one spot anyone ever really cared about losing was AC. They could create a whole adventurers club experience in place of Camp Minnie Mickey and put the club down there. That would be far better than having a AC in the middle of a shopping district.

 

[unkadug]

You make a fair point but the turnstiles aren't going to stop the people too buzzed to be out running around from meandering through the Marketplace after they leave. Granted, it would help greatly but not illiminate it completely. But I suppose that if they brought back the turnstiles then I could get behind a new Pleasure Island. As long as it is in some way seperated from the other sections. I just have a sense of foreboding about PI due to the crowd that it attracted. I remember it just being too rowdy and rough at times. Not sure if it is a direct result or not but prior to the removal of PI people were getting pickpocketed (more than normal at WDW), theft was rampant, and there was too much violence. Not like some inner city violence but more than you would want to see at WDW. Heck, two people even got abducted, robbed, and dropped off some distance from WDW once time. All of that stuff seemed to have ceased when PI was removed.

Besides, the one spot anyone ever really cared about losing was AC. They could create a whole adventurers club experience in place of Camp Minnie Mickey and put the club down there. That would be far better than having a AC in the middle of a shopping district.

The abduction was a VERY fishy story. The victims declined a polygraph test and decided NOT to prosecute. You really CANNOT blame that on Pleasure Island.

 

[Mouse Detective]

You make a fair point but the turnstiles aren't going to stop the people too buzzed to be out running around from meandering through the Marketplace after they leave.

Heck, two people even got abducted, robbed, and dropped off some distance from WDW once time.

Marketplace stores generally close by midnight whereas PI was open to 2am. So there really were never any buzzed PI people running through Marketplace.

The abduction never happened. However, since PI clubs closed, there have been a bunch of incidents at DTD and staffing by Disney Security and OCSO remains at pre-closing levels.

Nothing has been accomplished since the closing except the loss of revenue from the wasted space.

 

[71jason]

Heck, two people even got abducted, robbed, and dropped off some distance from WDW once time.

Story was completely discredited, as Unkadog said. In any case, I see just as many drunks walking around World Showcase on a typical weekend--forget about during Food & Wine. And while middle-age convention-goers and the, how shall I say, fabulous Mannequins revelors could get rowdy, I never found them all that threatening. That's the way a lot of grown-ups have fun; I do agree, tho, the turnstiles made it easy to designate the spots where adult fun would be found, making it easier for the people who wanted to drink and those who prefer to avoid them.

Besides, the one spot anyone ever really cared about losing was AC.

Among fanbois who post on message boards, yeah. But Mannequins had a HUGE following--rightfully so, was the #1 club in the southeast for years--and there is an 8-Traxx reunion next month with more people going than last year's Congaloosh. Even the CW reunion got some love this past December.

Also, and I know you said you never went there so I understand you might not get this, but a stand-alone AdvClub divorced from PI would never work. I don't feel like getting into that debate again, tho.

 

[msk0879]

first off if the abduction was real (which i doubt) it happened after most of the clubs where closed thefact is and it remains that there is gonna be a cheap excuse as to why we cant have PI back and when i say cheap we dont buy enough mickey mouse hats or whatever other cheap merchendise to make themthe money to keep it open

 

[unkadug]

Story was completely discredited, as Unkadog said. In any case, I see just as many drunks walking around World Showcase on a typical weekend--forget about during Food & Wine. And while middle-age convention-goers and the, how shall I say, fabulous Mannequins revelors could get rowdy, I never found them all that threatening. That's the way a lot of grown-ups have fun; I do agree, tho, the turnstiles made it easy to designate the spots where adult fun would be found, making it easier for the people who wanted to drink and those who prefer to avoid them.

Thanks for the backup...BTW it's dug - short for Doug...not dog!:wave:

Among fanbois who post on message boards, yeah. But Mannequins had a HUGE following--rightfully so, was the #1 club in the southeast for years--and there is an 8-Traxx reunion next month with more people going than last year's Congaloosh. Even the CW reunion got some love this past December.

Also, and I know you said you never went there so I understand you might not get this, but a stand-alone AdvClub divorced from PI would never work. I don't feel like getting into that debate again, tho.

I will agree that Mannequins did have some of the Souths BEST DJ's playing the most up-to-date, cutting edge music along with the current top dance songs. I personally knew several of them back in the day. Unfortunately at the time I was a full time working DJ myself so I only got to experience Mannequins a total of twice in it's heyday. People can bad mouth it all they want, but when it was built, it was cutting edge and unparallelled.

 

[G00fyDad]

Marketplace stores generally close by midnight whereas PI was open to 2am. So there really were never any buzzed PI people running through Marketplace.

The abduction never happened. However, since PI clubs closed, there have been a bunch of incidents at DTD and staffing by Disney Security and OCSO remains at pre-closing levels.

Nothing has been accomplished since the closing except the loss of revenue from the wasted space.

I disagree. I have seen plenty.

Story was completely discredited, as Unkadog said. In any case, I see just as many drunks walking around World Showcase on a typical weekend--forget about during Food & Wine. And while middle-age convention-goers and the, how shall I say, fabulous Mannequins revelors could get rowdy, I never found them all that threatening. That's the way a lot of grown-ups have fun; I do agree, tho, the turnstiles made it easy to designate the spots where adult fun would be found, making it easier for the people who wanted to drink and those who prefer to avoid them.



Among fanbois who post on message boards, yeah. But Mannequins had a HUGE following--rightfully so, was the #1 club in the southeast for years--and there is an 8-Traxx reunion next month with more people going than last year's Congaloosh. Even the CW reunion got some love this past December.

Also, and I know you said you never went there so I understand you might not get this, but a stand-alone AdvClub divorced from PI would never work. I don't feel like getting into that debate again, tho.

Sorry about that. I can't see what Unkadug submits. I never saw the retraction, just the original abduction story in the Sentinel. And I have seen drunk people around World Showcase as well but it has always been during the F&WF since that is when we always go. And I don't find them threatening either. It just ruins the trip, for the moment, to have my children seeing some drunk a**hat making a fool of himself or herself down the street. And honestly, I have never really heard that much about Mannequins.

And no debate here, but why would it not work having it in AK? Was it specifically supposed to "take place" in DTD? Keep in mind, I am completely ignorant of the whole AC thing.

 

[unkadug]

I disagree. I have seen plenty.



Sorry about that. I can't see what Unkadug submits. I never saw the retraction, just the original abduction story in the Sentinel. And I have seen drunk people around World Showcase as well but it has always been during the F&WF since that is when we always go. And I don't find them threatening either. It just ruins the trip, for the moment, to have my children seeing some drunk a**hat making a fool of himself or herself down the street. And honestly, I have never really heard that much about Mannequins.

And no debate here, but why would it not work having it in AK? Was it specifically supposed to "take place" in DTD? Keep in mind, I am completely ignorant of the whole AC thing.

Sure you can...just unblock me or hit view post.

It's kind of petty to ignore someone because of one stupid thread. :wave:

 

[Buried20KLeague]

Sure you can...just unblock me or hit view post.

It's kind of petty to ignore someone because of one stupid thread. :wave:

Wow! You got put on ignore??? You BAAAAAD boy. :drevil:

Apparently it doesn't take much for some, eh?

You probably were one of those PI drunkards that ruined vacations for families.

Or....

Maybe YOU were the one that abducted that couple!!!!! Now it's all making sense!!

 

[71jason]

Thanks for the backup...BTW it's dug - short for Doug...not dog!:wave:

Sorry, Doug, just figured you were a GA Bulldog fan.

And no debate here, but why would it not work having it in AK? Was it specifically supposed to "take place" in DTD? Keep in mind, I am completely ignorant of the whole AC thing.

In a nutshell, a lot of the humor was very dependent on people wandering in who didn't have a clue what was going on. Many of the shows depended on unsuspecting guests being pulled "onstage" (not necessarily onto a physical stage tho) and being confronted with the Club's off-beat humor. Humor at odds with the seemingly stuffy nature of the Club's decor, and generally more adult than you'd find elsewhere at WDW. Guests would wander in from a dance club, sit down with a drink, wondering just what the place was, when a mask on the wall would start talking to them, or one of the characters would walk up and start a conversation, making sure to point them out the entire bar.

If everyone knows the jokes and what to expect going in, it just turns into "Rocky Horror," with guests sitting there practically doing the jokes along with the cast--which is basically what happened in the Club's last month or so.

Also, the Club was never intended to be a 7 hour marathon. It was divided into bite-sized chunks, see a show, have a drink, move onto another bar. Outside hardcore fans, I don't think many quests would be up for an entire night there.

If you check out some of the YouTube videos, you may get a feel for what I am talking about, but those tend to focus on the main Library shows. Those aren't really what made the Club successful.

 

[G00fyDad]

Sorry, Doug, just figured you were a GA Bulldog fan.



In a nutshell, a lot of the humor was very dependent on people wandering in who didn't have a clue what was going on. Many of the shows depended on unsuspecting guests being pulled "onstage" (not necessarily onto a physical stage tho) and being confronted with the Club's off-beat humor. Humor at odds with the seemingly stuffy nature of the Club's decor, and generally more adult than you'd find elsewhere at WDW. Guests would wander in from a dance club, sit down with a drink, wondering just what the place was, when a mask on the wall would start talking to them, or one of the characters would walk up and start a conversation, making sure to point them out the entire bar.

If everyone knows the jokes and what to expect going in, it just turns into "Rocky Horror," with guests sitting there practically doing the jokes along with the cast--which is basically what happened in the Club's last month or so.

Also, the Club was never intended to be a 7 hour marathon. It was divided into bite-sized chunks, see a show, have a drink, move onto another bar. Outside hardcore fans, I don't think many quests would be up for an entire night there.

If you check out some of the YouTube videos, you may get a feel for what I am talking about, but those tend to focus on the main Library shows. Those aren't really what made the Club successful.

Ahhh. Got it. Thanks. :wave: It does sound like fun.