Say goodbye to ALL the clubs at PI.

[NX2I85]

Just like the drinkers who seem to think that AC was somehow this transcendent experience?

If the closure of the nightclubs on PI take away the sole reason one had for visiting WDW, as a few people have said here, perhaps WDW wasn't the vacation destination for them in the first place.

I can see people being upset at any removal, and I don't begrudge them that - but some of the posts are taking it a little far. You can still get drunk elsewhere, I am sure...

AEfx

That's one mighty fine post, AEfx. :sohappy:

I sympathize for those who will miss PI, but IMO it's no big deal. People have been staying away in larger and larger numbers for the last few years. I'm sure Disney will put some good dining/entertainment options in that space. Who knows? They may even increase adult-oriented entertainment elsewhere on property.

I figure if I feel like getting schnockered next time I'm at WDW there's always the pool bar. :lol:

 

[coasterphil]

The decision just really upsets me overall on a few levels.

Personally I'm disappointed because I can only watch Illuminations so many times before it gets to be a bore and I want to spend an evening doing something else on property (AC, CW). This is really going to have a negative effect on locals and CM's (particularly CPs). Fireworks are the same most every night, but every show at AC or CW is different so they don't really get old. Also It's nice to have an environment that's free from hordes of kids, where you aren't fighting huge masses to get back to your car at the end of the day, and where the experience is just more relaxed overall. As far as the clubs, I'm not old enough to spend time in them (nor would I care to if I was of age), but I know plenty of CMs that used them as a convenient, safe place to unwind after being worked into the ground. I've also lost out on a great place to take guests from out of town who are either sick of the parks or don't want to spend too much.

As far as the PI doesn't fit into a family friendly resort argument, if Disney was really that worried they'd start cracking down on some of the drinking inside the parks instead of eliminating adult entertainment areas. Maybe I've never stayed late enough (I'm usually done by 11) or been in the right place at PI, but I've had more problems with obnoxious drinkers at EPCOT then DTD. They should take a look at when to stop serving guests at the parks before shutting down a whole area billed for adults to relax in. Plus, families should be prepared to come across someone who has had a bit much when they walk past a nightclub at 11, so what's the big deal. They certainly shouldn't be expected to have to see idiots around the World Showcase at 7, but that happens all the time and I don't see them tearing down any of the booze carts there. Really, what are little kids doing out that late at DTD? Mom and Dad, the kids just want to sleep at that point there isn't anything at DTD that will interest them at that hour. Also, Disney could have just avoided the whole problem by keeping PI gated and finding other ways to increase attendance rather than using it as a walkway.

The direction that the entire resort is taking is frightening as far as I'm concerned. The magic of what Disney originally was is slowly being pushed out by generic offerings. I don't want to eat at another corporate chain or shop at someplace that can be found at malls across the country. I want Disney entertainment, and PI offered that. Getting money from those 3rd party contracts is great short term, but the quality of a WDW trip is going to continue to slip almost every time an outside entity is brought in.

At the very least, why couldn't CW and AC remain to anchor the new area. Both places are relatively family friendly (13+ are definitely fine in either IMO, some may disagree here) and offer something most people aren't going to have back home. I have a hard time believing that those two outlets couldn't be popular and fit into a redesigned DTD. In fact they could be even more successful once the PI title is removed as the normal family won't see them as "nightclubs" but unique entertainment venues. I'm willing to bet a lot of parents really don't know CW and AC exist simply because they write PI off as all dance clubs for younger "kids", so once the clubs are removed they may actually take the time to look into what CW and AC offer.


Also, the whole PI brings in riff raff argument is silly. It's an outdoor mall with a large movie theater. You don't need the clubs at PI to draw the local kids out there.

 

[CaptainMichael]

Then you are part of the reason that the AC will not live on. You spent a total of maybe $6.50 there over many, many visits. It was not constructed to survive on it's share of the "cover-charge" revenues alone.

I was only of legal drinking age the last time I went:shrug: I did have a few virgin drinks, but it wasn't worth the price for something without alcohol.

 

[WDWFigment]

New and better? More themed restaurants and shops like already all over The World and Orlando in general?

Like I said, 2 steps forward and one step back. They had a misguided plan, a knee jerk reaction to bad press (again), and a badly planned and executed quick fix that failed. This is the result.

How can a company that has attractions such as RnRC, M:S and ToT play the 100% family orientated resort? There are needs for everyone, from ToonTown to Pleasure Island, from DiveQuest to Paragliding. This will come back to haunt them for years to come.

Idiots.

Succinct and dead-on accurate. I think about the only more concise statement is the World's old moniker: "The Vacation Kingdom of the World"--no longer. Where is that philosophy in this decision? The whole idea behind that tagline and "Phase One" was to make WDW a destination that could satisfy any traveler.

There is plenty of viable space to build whatever cookie-cutter projects WDW "creative" minds may have up their sleeves, why destroy PI to accomplish those bland plans?

 

[tirian]

Ironically, this picture shows exactly what the problem was at PI. The first logo reeks of the 80s, BUT it hints at a completely themed environment. The second logo looks like any cookie-cutter-variety version of a night club district, complete with clip art and generic typography. Slanted letters in an oval. Big whoop. Like I haven't seen that a million times before. At least the original logo looks like a marquee.

It's funny that just two graphics can illustrate the quality difference between classic and recent PI.

(Though to be fair, the typography isn't wonderful in either logo. )

 

[Legacy]

Kevin Yee was right!

This is all because of gas prices!

 

[tirian]

Succinct and dead-on accurate. I think about the only more concise statement is the World's old moniker: "The Vacation Kingdom of the World"--no longer. Where is that philosophy in this decision? The whole idea behind that tagline and "Phase One" was to make WDW a destination that could satisfy any traveler.

There is plenty of viable space to build whatever cookie-cutter projects WDW "creative" minds may have up their sleeves, why destroy PI to accomplish those bland plans?

PI has been bland for nearly a decade. The club atmosphere in the U.S. is very different from that in Europe; and while Disney wasn't willing to become like everyone else, they also weren't willing to develop a new approach to PI. Returning to its highly themed roots probably would have made it unique enough to attract crowds again.

I hope Disney can be persuaded to keep the AC. Its closure was not part of the original plan a few years ago.

I must admit that Disney needs the extra space. Have you been to the Marketplace on a weekend? You can't even find a parking spot, yet PI is a ghost town. It's true that Disney created this problem by dropping the NYE party theme, but now that Disney has decided to focus on food and retail, they really need the space.

 

[SpongeScott]

I'm going to be a nay-sayer (because this thread needs a couple)...

Disney (WDW especially) is notorious for not giving two shakes about what the cult followings want. That's why Toad is gone. That's why AE is gone. That's why the Yeti is B mode. That's why PI is gone.

At this point, I doubt an online petition (which hasn't done a thing yet) or lots of hate-mail (which will probably be deleted without reading) will change a single thing.

Enjoy the time that's left... and then enjoy the memories forever.

Exactly. No change will be made because a couple hundred or thousand people are angry/upset.

You hit the nail on the head. Once disney has made a bad decision, they will not admit they made a mistake.

Yeah, in your opinion it's a bad one, obviously not to them. We have no idea of the studies or plans that has gone into this. I would take their word and work for it over our collective "this is a bad idea and sucks".

 

[meowmarie]

For anyone that is interested there is an online petition going around to "Save" the Adventurers Club. Sure, it's a futile move, but better than sitting down and doing nothing right? I just can't believe they are closing it

http://www.petitiononline.com/wdwaclub/petition.html

 

[tirian]

Yeah, in your opinion it's a bad one, obviously not to them. We have no idea of the studies or plans that has gone into this. I would take their word and work for it over our collective "this is a bad idea and sucks".

There are a lot of reasons, most of which will never be made public.

It's easier just to say that Disney didn't want to update PI to attract the modern club culture in the U.S.

 

[TimeTrip]

This is probably why they are closing it.They just don't want to announce it publically i bet. PI has been the local hotspot and parents were dropping off their teens to walk around and just cause havoc. Ive been there at night and it can get scary, also people can get very drunk and wander into marketplace etc I think its a good for them to close PI, it was turning into City Walk and thats a road Disney does not want to cross. Disney is a magical place, PI was to party-ish for Disney.

I would tend to agree with this being a huge factor for the decision, especially since they got rid of the turnstyles. Of course they wouldn't outright say so, but this along with better ways to use the space/make money probably sealed PIs fate.

 

[unkadug]

I hate to say it, but Disney dug there own grave with this. There are so many similarities to Alien Encounter here. Number crunchers and skewed exit polls along with listening to the wrong demographics for the intended audience has once again closed a draw for many people.

Everything at WDW doesn't have to be geared to children. There are many single, or married without children, or life partners, et al. vacationers that are being deprived because certain people think that everything should be "Rated G" and accessible to the stroller crowd.

WDW is large enough to accommodate all. Space really isn't an issue here. Poor planning and poor implementation of change is the culprit.

 

[Hakunamatata]

I remember hearing that Disney was developing a newer retail district nearer the new entrance/exit from property. Could Disney be considering moving this type of atmosphere to that newer district to keep what many consider the actual 5th gate (downtown disney) more family oriented?:shrug:

 

[mkt]

Yeah, in your opinion it's a bad one, obviously not to them. We have no idea of the studies or plans that has gone into this. I would take their word and work for it over our collective "this is a bad idea and sucks".

Hey Scott. Why is it that every time you reply to one of my posts its to criticize me?

Just wondering.

 

[SpongeScott]

Hey Scott. Why is it that every time you reply to one of my posts its to criticize me?

Just wondering.

That's not criticism. That's my opinion given after your opinion. Two sides of the coin/story/viewpoint.

 

[wdwfan100]

Kevin Yee was right!

This is all because of gas prices!

Yikes!!!:ROFLOL:

 

[djkidkaz]

Why is noone mentioning the fact that those clubs never have any patrons? The last few times I've visited the world and decided to go to PI, it was a waste of money. We'd walk into Mannequins and it was always completely dead, unless it was gay night, which I had no interest in partaking in. Motion was all the teens and the rest of the clubs were just empty. Once Disney let the teens in, the local adults considered it a "lame" party place. If your 21, you don't want to be hanging out somewhere that 18 yr olds are.

Why don't you guys ever trust Disney? Your all obviously huge fans of their work otherwise you wouldn't be on a message board regarding them, so why not trust them to make the right decisions, rather than jumping to conclusions of how they are going to screw everything up?

The rumor has been that the Adventurers Club is going to be re-made even bigger and better. So why not focus on the positive, rather than assuming Disney is just going to close it down never to re-open it?

I think we'd all agree that Raglan Road is definitely a positive addition to DTD, so if they were to find more entertaining venues like that, with different styles and motifs of course, whats wrong with that?

Lastly, theres also the chance that Disney is going to open up a fresh new club and just have one really nice, large club. Maybe they could do a club with a couple floors and have different styles of music on each floor.

Think positive, it isn't always negative.

 

[WDWFigment]

Yeah, in your opinion it's a bad one, obviously not to them. We have no idea of the studies or plans that has gone into this. I would take their word and work for it over our collective "this is a bad idea and sucks".

Ahh, the irrefutable 'studies and plans' argument made en vogue on WDWMagic by wannabe@dis. I wondered when we'd see that.

While I am a capitalist at heart (to 'bridge the gap' between studies and capitalism--the idea is that increasing profit motivates the studies), I find it hard to believe in contemporary Bear Stearns-Enron-Lockheed-Exxon America that people still believe in the infallibility of profit-seeking corporations, and the decisions thereof. Quite simply, companies make gaffes all the time. Just because they're motivated by profits to ensure that every decision is right, doesn't mean that every decision actually is right (either from a profit standpoint or a "fan" standpoint).

We may not have the benefit of whatever studies they've undertaken, properly conducted or otherwise, but we certainly have the ability to "hypothesize", which accounts for plenty of the rationale behind these decisions, too. Now, their hypothesizing ability might be better than ours (certainly few of us can claim to be executives of Fortune 500 corporations), but history shows that plenty of folks have gotten near the top of mega-companies despite their ineptitude. I'm not one who buys the argument that a majority of executives are incompetent--quite the contrary, I believe CEO salaries are largely justified--but the fact that some executives are incompetent makes for a viable argument that the ones here could be incompetent, and their decisions could be suspect.

In short, I don't think it's fair to preclude arguments against Disney's (or any company's) decisions simply because we aren't privy to their "studies" or "all the information".

 

[yankspy]

Ahh, the irrefutable 'studies and plans' argument made en vogue on WDWMagic by wannabe@dis. I wondered when we'd see that.

While I am a capitalist at heart (to 'bridge the gap' between studies and capitalism--the idea is that increasing profit motivates the studies), I find it hard to believe in contemporary Bear Stearns-Enron-Lockheed-Exxon America that people still believe in the infallibility of profit-seeking corporations, and the decisions thereof. Quite simply, companies make gaffes all the time. Just because they're motivated by profits to ensure that every decision is right, doesn't mean that every decision actually is right (either from a profit standpoint or a "fan" standpoint).

We may not have the benefit of whatever studies they've undertaken, properly conducted or otherwise, but we certainly have the ability to "hypothesize", which accounts for plenty of the rationale behind these decisions, too. Now, their hypothesizing ability might be better than ours (certainly few of us can claim to be executives of Fortune 500 corporations), but history shows that plenty of folks have gotten near the top of mega-companies despite their ineptitude. I'm not one who buys the argument that a majority of executives are incompetent--quite the contrary, I believe CEO salaries are largely justified--but the fact that some executives are incompetent makes for a viable argument that the ones here could be incompetent, and their decisions could be suspect.

In short, I don't think it's fair to preclude arguments against Disney's (or any company's) decisions simply because we aren't privy to their "studies" or "all the information".

I agree. However, it is also unfair to say that this is a bad decision with an authortative tone(I am not saying that you did that but some have). Opinions are fine until one takes them as fact and refuses to see another side.They may decide to re-open AC somewhere else. They may do a good job with whatever they put there. Time will tell.

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

[/B]
They may do a good job with whatever they put there. Time will tell.

Given that Merf is no longer here its fairly safe to assume everone wants Disney to succeed. However there are varying opinions as to what would class as success and theres reasons to be concerned that cheap cheap cheap may be the order of the day.

For me mall style shops and chain bars dont qualify as a missing assett and it would be nice to have some form of non park based entertainment, The Boardwalk should be worried its equally uninspired.