EpcotServo
Well-Known Member
I will be supremely ticked off if ANYTHING sports related goes in there.
:fork:
:fork:
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Virgin Megastore
- Thread starter uklad79
- Start date
CaptainMichael
Well-Known Member
Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ZOMG, more space for shopping and dining and bold new visions!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Kevin Lansberry and Jay Rasulo must be wetting their pants in excitement!!!!!!!!!!!
EpcotServo
Well-Known Member
CaptainMichael
Well-Known Member
In all serious though, another part of my Downtown Disney/Pleasure Island experience is going away. I would go to Virgin when the Adventurers Club had a late opening and just walk around or pick up a book. It was a great time waster.
What's next? Earl of Sandwich???
DTM93
Member
I hope not. :lol:
jt04
Well-Known Member
Yeah I know what you mean, DTD is being totally overrun by sports related venues
......:lookaroun
RonAnnArbor
Well-Known Member
Hmm...not sure they need another Earl of Sandwich considering they already have one there...
The fact of the matter is, with the economy the way it is, Downtown Disney is NOT geared for only resort guests anymore -- they have to include more townie-related stores and attractions, because they DO need to draw in more people from the neighborhood. Disney has recreated their entire draw to be around the parks with EMH and keeping resort guests spending money there, not DD.
I am sure DD was thrilled with Virgin, but Virgin has its own problems, and they are closing the store, not Disney...I am sure they are scrambling to find another tenant like Borders or Barnes and Noble for that space -- but those chains are also struggling.
To those who "hope there are no more sports related things" opening down there, you can kiss your hope goodbye. ESPN is definately moving into one of the spaces down in DD, although nothing is confirmed yet as far as which space, and of they are reusing space, or opening something new. There was already a press release about that when they were originally discussing the changes at DD. They are already building the loading platform for the hotair balloon on Village Lake, and redesigning the other buildings in that space.
I doubt anything Apple is going to open in DD -- that is not the type of retail space that Apple Stores look at. They go into high end shopping malls, not outdoor retail spaces.
But yes, I am going to guess that space will remain vacant for months until something new might move in, or until it is torn down and purpose rebuilt. That space was purpose built for Virgin when they originally moved in. It can be torn down and rebuilt by someone else down the road. In the meantime, it's going to be another reflection of the bad US economy in retail.
As to those wishing Adventurers Club reopens, its time to put that to rest. Disney has already stated that no more clubs or similar attractions will be opening in DD.
Times have changed. Once upon a time, the parks closed earlier and opened later. Adults had nothing to do -- they headed down to DD where they were a captive audience. That is no longer the case. With EMH hours, parks closing at 10 or 11 and reopening at 8 am, people return to their resorts and go to bed - they don't go down to DD looking for amusement -- they look at their alarm clocks and figure out which park they are heading to on the 7:30 bus the next morning. Those with cars head into downtown Orlando for real clubs and bars, not Disney clubs.
It's just a major shift in the way DD has to accommodate everyone these days -- and resort guests are NOT the primary concern at this point down at DD.
What DD looks like will be very different two years from now.
The fact of the matter is, with the economy the way it is, Downtown Disney is NOT geared for only resort guests anymore -- they have to include more townie-related stores and attractions, because they DO need to draw in more people from the neighborhood. Disney has recreated their entire draw to be around the parks with EMH and keeping resort guests spending money there, not DD.
I am sure DD was thrilled with Virgin, but Virgin has its own problems, and they are closing the store, not Disney...I am sure they are scrambling to find another tenant like Borders or Barnes and Noble for that space -- but those chains are also struggling.
To those who "hope there are no more sports related things" opening down there, you can kiss your hope goodbye. ESPN is definately moving into one of the spaces down in DD, although nothing is confirmed yet as far as which space, and of they are reusing space, or opening something new. There was already a press release about that when they were originally discussing the changes at DD. They are already building the loading platform for the hotair balloon on Village Lake, and redesigning the other buildings in that space.
I doubt anything Apple is going to open in DD -- that is not the type of retail space that Apple Stores look at. They go into high end shopping malls, not outdoor retail spaces.
But yes, I am going to guess that space will remain vacant for months until something new might move in, or until it is torn down and purpose rebuilt. That space was purpose built for Virgin when they originally moved in. It can be torn down and rebuilt by someone else down the road. In the meantime, it's going to be another reflection of the bad US economy in retail.
As to those wishing Adventurers Club reopens, its time to put that to rest. Disney has already stated that no more clubs or similar attractions will be opening in DD.
Times have changed. Once upon a time, the parks closed earlier and opened later. Adults had nothing to do -- they headed down to DD where they were a captive audience. That is no longer the case. With EMH hours, parks closing at 10 or 11 and reopening at 8 am, people return to their resorts and go to bed - they don't go down to DD looking for amusement -- they look at their alarm clocks and figure out which park they are heading to on the 7:30 bus the next morning. Those with cars head into downtown Orlando for real clubs and bars, not Disney clubs.
It's just a major shift in the way DD has to accommodate everyone these days -- and resort guests are NOT the primary concern at this point down at DD.
What DD looks like will be very different two years from now.
jt04
Well-Known Member
I think the poster was worried they might close EoS not open a new one.
I hope you are right about ESPNZone.
I know you are right about how different it will be two years from now and I applaud the changes.
scpergj
Well-Known Member
Fallacy.
Here in Jacksonville, our Apple store is in a large, upscale (yes, upscale, just like you did say above...), OUTDOOR shopping mall. They have pretty much every upscale shop there is - and the place is HUGE, easily as large as DD, if not larger. I'd say that DD is upscale, to a point. I think it could be an interesting fit.
jt04
Well-Known Member
I'll be stunned if Apple does not move into one of the empty locations at DTD. Old 8trax or BET possibly would be my guess.
CaptainMichael
Well-Known Member
I shall never, ever put that to rest.
Also, why does it have to be in DTD? I'd actually prefer it somewhere else. I dislike DTD with a passion.
EpcotServo
Well-Known Member
I know. I don't eat at Earl of Sandwich, so I'll be down to AMC Pleasure Island and Once upon a Toy...
:lol:
PaisleyMF
Active Member
There are 2 versions the regular Mall stores (like in Millenia Mall, Florida Mall and Altamote Springs Mall) and this are driving distance from Disney. And then there is the Flagship stores. Bigger and more awesome.
These stores have theaters and in house training for almost every thing you can do with the Apple brand. This is the Ideal place for an Apple Store.
These stores have theaters and in house training for almost every thing you can do with the Apple brand. This is the Ideal place for an Apple Store.
PeterPan1985
Member
You and I are in agreement there, EpcotServo...
Mr.EPCOT
Active Member
What? Why?
To be honest, I'd rather West Side had never been built at all. To me, there's nothing there that really justifies that much of an expansion and the loss of Pleasure Island.
I find that hard to believe. If that was the case, they wouldn't have closed the nightclubs.
I'd love to have a nice bookstore at Downtown Disney like Disneyland's does! I'd also love to see a version of Vault 28 open up here, too.
Personally, I think ESPN Zone would be awesome. I'm always having Guests asking for somewhere to go to watch the Big Game, and ESPN Club is a poor option, in terms of transportation and offerings. And I'd love to have somewhere nice to go myself to watch my D'backs games!
NEVER!!!
Besides, Disney changes their mind(s) all the time, and this particular statement certainly doesn't preclude rebuilding the club somewhere else. The fanboy in me drools at the thought of building it in Adventureland with entrances from inside and outside the park. (Totally impractical, I know...)
Well, these are completely contradictory points as far as I'm concerned. As a local, I'm going to Downtown Disney much less now that the clubs are closed, and certainly won't be going more due to what little Disney has announced is going in there. And you can tout downtown Orlandos clubs all you want, most people I know (myself included) don't want to drive that far for medicore nightclubs. This isn't twenty, fifteen, even ten years ago that the area population is shifted down towards Orlando proper, it's slowly moving out past Walt Disney World towards Tampa.
You know, the first thing I thought when I saw that picture was original Journey Into Imagination!
PaisleyMF
Active Member
Maybe this is the way to go, use Apple to sponsor JiI instead of Kodak!!!
And on that like can you imagine Imageworks by Apple what it would look like... :ROFLOL:
EpcotServo
Well-Known Member
Do you really have to ask? I thought it was pretty easy to tell I'm not a sports person.
:lol:
And I'd be furious if the giant geek-CD-DVD-Movie-Action Figure-T Shirt store is replaced with a giant sports fan-beer-hot wings-football-and-commercials restaurant.
:dazzle:
Mr.EPCOT
Active Member
I have to admit, they do have awesome shirts and stuff (I just bought myself this rockin' U.S.S. Enterprise shirt!), even if everything else is overpriced. They're really good about having out-of-stock and hard to get items. Especially those goodies from Tokyo Disney!
GENIUS!