It's just the "kewl" thing to do, I suppose, to use the terminology of an early practioner of incessant complaining....
And I saw that thread too. I would say unbelievable, but....
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Waterfront District "Hyperion Wharf" Set to be added to Pleasure Island
- Thread starter WDWFigment
- Start date
It's just the "kewl" thing to do, I suppose, to use the terminology of an early practioner of incessant complaining....
And I saw that thread too. I would say unbelievable, but....
thelookingglass
Well-Known Member
I'm not entirely thrilled with the name, but on the other hand, I'm glad they didn't just go with something more generic like Downtown Disney: Waterfront. With this name, its clear that they're going to attempt to give it its own distinct feel from Marketplace and West Side, despite having basically the same type of offerings.
Wilt Dasney
Well-Known Member
I agree; she's posted nothing but praise or appreciation in her posts. Unlike too many others...
Mammymouse
Well-Known Member
I know it sounds discouraging to hear negative posters, 
but for every one bad one there are probably 50 readers that are excited to hear the news, but for whatever reason -no time, want anonnimity, not real passionate or expressive, can't spell (see anonnimity) - just doesn't write anything. I'm not always the "glass half full girl" but I try.:wave:
but for every one bad one there are probably 50 readers that are excited to hear the news, but for whatever reason -no time, want anonnimity, not real passionate or expressive, can't spell (see anonnimity) - just doesn't write anything. I'm not always the "glass half full girl" but I try.:wave:
imagineer boy
Well-Known Member
Just think of all the endless info that has been thanked for. :lol:
Agree with your comments 100%. The only thing I can figure is Pleasure Island must've been completely hemmorhaging money. Either that or Disney was concerned about the safety of guests with the type of crowd PI was bringing and its proximity to the shopping and family areas. I still think an adults-only area has a place at Disney World but this certainly wasn't it.
It's a shame though that all they'd really need to do would be to add the AC and a dance club back and they'd have almost everyone in line with these new plans. There must be pretty substantial business reasons for them to not do so. Remember, their whole existence is to make money. They wouldn't get rid of something just to disappoint the fan base.
ttalovebug
Active Member
It's pretty art, but what goes in the buildings will determine whether this is exciting or not. I wouldn't exactly call it a bold new vision yet. If it's simply more restaurants and shops, I don't see what's so unique and remarkable about it.
raven
Well-Known Member
I know it sounds discouraging to hear negative posters,
Here is my philosophy on the glass: I look at the glass in it's original form. If it was empty, as the Pooh queue used to be, and it was plussed then it is going to fill up. If it was full, like the original JII and was dumbed down, then it's going to be more empty. But I'm not going to judge a new glass until I get a drink from it myself.
Victoria
Not old, just vintage.
This is an excellent articulation of exactly how I try to be as well. I feel like it is hard to compare or judge this new concept against PI since it very different. Sure, PI had some stores and food outlets, but that was never the main focus of the area. This new concept is very clearly about the retail and food experience. I keep having to force myself to not try to evaluate the situation as upgrade vs. downgrade. It's neither. It's something new. I think it is just best to take it for what it is, wait until its done, and then evaluate it. The old PI closing wounds are deep but I don't think it is fair for me to expect this to make everything better again. Nothing short of a miracle will do that. Instead I will just watch this area's transformation and hope that it is successful and will thrive for years to come.
Lee
Adventurer
Nope. At least not for it's entire existence. When they opened the gates and started changing the admission policy/prices, etc, the island became less profitable. Over it's lifespan, it did quite well, some clubs more than others.
Nope again.
The only location issue they had was that it was seen as a blockage between Marketplace and Westside for families with little kids. That demo doesn't want to walk past bars and clubs, and would avoid making the trek through PI. A nice walkway around the area would have solved that problem nicely.
The business reason you speak of is their desire to sit back and collect rent from third-party restaurant/shop operators without having to run any themselves. Disney is getting into the landlord business.
That's the sad thing. Money has become more important than show and guest satisfaction to management, not only with PI but elsewhere. (Fantasmic, closed food locations, etc.)
Lee
Adventurer
The only way around the island that I know of was a dimly-lit sidewalk next to the street between PH and where McD's was. Not an easy walk.
djkidkaz
Well-Known Member
I could say the exact opposite when I see things like Magic Kingdom being repainted almost in its entirety, the Fantasyland Expansion and Winnie the Pooh queue which they didn't have to update. Whats the purpose of repainting all the buildings if not for guest satisfaction? Same thing for the Haunted Mansion queue thats being redone. Thats not even in FL, so they didn't have to touch that at all. The reason food carts aren't open as often around the parks is due to less traffic coming to WDW. And it has nothing to do with show standards, it has to do with a large majority of America being out of work.
Lee
Adventurer
To your points:
-MK being repainted - Basic manitainence. Should be expected, not praised.
-FL expansion - Had to happen. MK was reaching a critical point with it's capacity. Pooh is part of that.
-Mansion queue - Nice to see it plussed, but likely is just part of the massive RFID project that is coming down the pike.
-Food locations - Even when the park is packed, how often do you see Tomorrowland Terrace open? Adventureland Veranda? Pirate and Parrot?
I stand by my statement. They could easily be running Fantasmic every night, displaying the Lights of Winter and other guest friendly things if they chose to. They opt to go the money-saving route.
71jason
Well-Known Member
Or fixing the Yeti. Or fixing the falling rock scene in BTMRR. Or inserting anything to the JIYI post-show area. But I digress.
As someone who actually frequents DTD on a regular basis, who does TDO expect to fill these 1,500 new dining seats? Outside maybe 8 weeks of the year, the existing eateries just aren't that busy--even with the free dining that was supposedly to be phased out this year. You can walk up and get a table at any time outside Christmas week, Spring Break and the heaviest parts of the Summer. Unless they start closing all the parks at 5 in the off-season, I don't see the rationale behind such a huge increase.
rsoxguy
Well-Known Member
I must agree. I once questioned all of the "lower quality" talk on this Forum until a few years back. My father visited EPCOT for the first time since the late 80's, and he spent an hour telling me that the quality of the park had declined miserably. I just hadn't noticed because of the frequency of my trips. I think it's similar to the way that you don't notice your daily weight gain until someone who hasn't seen you in a while looks at you and says, "man, you look like a cow".
SMRT-1
Active Member
Thanks!
I'm not sure they really care. That's the whole point of farming this out to 3rd party vendors; there's no risk to Disney as long as the lease is signed.