Originally Posted By Kennesaw Tom I agree! OK, I just read about Disney's Night Kingdom. Sounds like Disney is asking people to pay a hefty price for things you can do in other Disney parks or for little or nothing elsewhere. I can watch shows in DHS or EPCOT.. why would I want to pay to watch a show at DNK? I can feed animals at most local zoos and ride on over head rides at several zoos including the Granby zoo in Granby Quebec Canada or the Richmond zoo outside of Richmond, Virginia. Sorry, I have no intrest in rock climbing at night! And I can rock climb for free at Pergatory Chasm in Uxbridge, MA.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 Just want to add to what Darkbeer said ... when a company releases a major story like this late on Friday, the goal is for it to receive as little attention by the media (and anyone) as possible. Then you have a press release that says absolutely NOTHING. This is a very weak effort, even by Disney PR hack standards. Naturally, it does what is known in media circles as 'burying the lead' in that you don't hear anything about all the PI clubs closing until very near the end. And it offers ZERO examples of what will replace them, which may mean Disney has no deals secured for those locales as of yet. Instead it talks about the balloon, which they have at DLP, and I'm sure will be a huge hit in the lightning capital of the world, along with stories about fixtures in resturants. What a freaking joke. It would have been better to just anounce they were closing PI for future redevelopment than to put out something so embarrassing. Really ... even by WDW standards this is just sad.
Originally Posted By NikkiLOVESMickey My greatest fear is that the Disney execs will pull a 20,000 Leagues with the PI clubs: they'll close them for "future development" and they'll sit there and rot for years and years until they become a playground or something worse.
Originally Posted By X-san ***Just want to add to what Darkbeer said ... when a company releases a major story like this late on Friday, the goal is for it to receive as little attention by the media (and anyone) as possible.*** Known to traders as "the subprime shuffle". Got bad news? Release it on Friday or Saturday at midnight. It'll all be forgotten by Monday (they wish). What was that quote about "experiences only to be found at WDW"? This sounds like the exact opposite of that. The stuff they are CLOSING was all unique to WDW, but bringing in all these outside vendors pretty much guarantees that we'll see "nothing new or different". Nice.
Originally Posted By X-san ***My greatest fear is that the Disney execs will pull a 20,000 Leagues with the PI clubs: they'll close them for "future development" and they'll sit there and rot for years and years until they become a playground or something worse.*** I don't think that'll happen, Nikki, just because it's an outside vendors deal (if it were a "new Disney project", I'd share your concern)...those companies will be scrambling to get "on property" as fast as they can, I think.
Originally Posted By X-san ***And it offers ZERO examples of what will replace them, which may mean Disney has no deals secured for those locales as of yet.*** Or, maybe Nikki's Nightmare will come true. :O
Originally Posted By dshyates "Yet this was the very question that started the process that developed PI to begin with." I thought the question that spurred PI's development was. Look at all our young adults leaving property to go to Church Street Station, We need our own Church Street Station. The interesting thing is after PI opened Church Street Station closed. Recently Church Street Station has been resurected and the Cheyenne Saloon and Opera house has reopened, and PI is dead. We have come full circle.
Originally Posted By SuperDry <<< What was that quote about "experiences only to be found at WDW"? This sounds like the exact opposite of that. >>> What are you talking about? The "make your own T-Shirt" experience by Haines sounds incredibly unique! Maybe they'll have an AA of Inspector 12.
Originally Posted By NikkiLOVESMickey <<The "make your own T-Shirt" experience by Haines sounds incredibly unique!>> It's not something I'd go running to DTD for, though. Besides, Disney did something similar years ago in DTD. In one of the shops you could create your own airbrushed shirt with your name and the character of your choice. It was done by robots and you could watch your shirt being made. I had a Mickey one made myself.
Originally Posted By dshyates "The "make your own T-Shirt" experience by Haines " A "Build-T-Shirt" Workshop. maybe it will be a cool unique interactive experience. They can have tons of graphic choices displayed on the walls, and just imagine, getting to pick you design. And then you get to pick a shirt from the many Hanes lines of Ts like a Soft-Comfort T or a Beefy T. And the colors. The choices of colors will be magical. Why didn't anyone think of this before. Oh wait, I think I saw one of the unique "Build-A-T-Shirt" workshops at Gatlinburg. Or was it Myrtle Beach? To be serious though, I always felt the clubs at PI were lame. I liked the AC, but the rest were pretty lame. Disney doesn't do Hip well. I'm actually OK with them offering up more shopping and dining at DtD. The last time I was in DtD, it was so crowded it wasn't enjoyable. And it was all families in line for ice cream and going to RFC and Cirque. Almost no one was there for the clubs. and the way PI divides the Eastside and Westside made it awfully inconvenient to navigate around. I'm really OK with it being restaurants with attached lounges. There is the HoB, and the new S. Am. restaurant that will have live music along with the new stage in the Marketplace. For me alone or with my family this is more what I'm looking for. But I don't go to dance clubs, so I'm probably not a good person to ask. Don't tell anyone they will revoke my "gay guy" license
Originally Posted By Inspector 57 So WDW is going to better serve me by removing all its Disney-quality nightspots? No more after-hours watering holes? No more gay-friendly dance clubs? And I'm supposed to be PLEASED that I now have to drive off-property for that? Further, I'm supposed to be thrilled that WDW is replacing the on-site clubs with a stupid balloon ride, a t-shirt shop, and a Joe's Crab Shack (which I have in my own town)? No thanks. Much to my sadness, the appeal of a vacation to WDW has just sank WAY low in comparison to its competitors for my money: a cruise or a trip to Las Vegas. I love Disney. I love the parks. But I'm an adult. I want adult time on my vacation. If WDW is making a statement that they only want family business, then so be it. I'll take the hint. Screw you, WDW. MGM Grand will be happy to take my money.
Originally Posted By nbodyhome It sounds like the wonderful Portobello Yacht Club will be getting more expensive. Denise
Originally Posted By mousermerf Irony: Disney doesn't realize the people who want "diverse dining at WDW" are cranky because there is no Dennys. I travel, a lot. Hello from Colorado today. That said, does anyone in WDW's executive ranks ever leave central Florida? All the things they plan on installing can be found all over the US in various malls, plazas, and promenades. My hotel is directly across from one such district which has about 5-6 themed restaurants with a tiny improv theater, a movie theater, and some water features. People goto Disney because it's unique. Idiots *sigh* The one hope i have for all of this is that the displaced people will start filling Epcot's littl bars and pubs extensively, forcing them to extend the park hours.
Originally Posted By mousermerf Also, i have no hope for new growth in that area - there are shops and spaces in PI that have been closed and empty for a year or so now since they renovated the main pathway.
Originally Posted By danyoung While I don't feel strongly about PI getting a much needed rearranging (although I will miss the Adventurers Club!), this thread is fast becoming another one of those threads that Disney must by now come to expect every time change is announced. Woe to all of us, the new plans are awful, I hate what they're doing, they're ruining something we've all loved, how dare they make these kind of changes, ad nauseum. And this is the time when I jump in like always and say, hey, how bout we wait and see what they do with the property? Most people agree that PI is a sad shadow of its former self. Where's the enthusiasm that Disney is making some changes? And does it really matter that Restaurants X Y and Z are run by chains as opposed to being run by Disney? I'm just taking a deep breath, watching the news, and waiting to see what comes.
Originally Posted By trekkeruss There isn't much enthusiasm probably because Disney is removing stuff and not saying much about what is taking its place. From the press releases, it rather sounds like even Disney doesn't know what it is doing. What I take away from this is that I guess we'll never see any late-night offerings at DtD at DLR.
Originally Posted By dshyates I think this is a smart move that will take care of a few of the problems they have been having for the past couple of years. For the most part PI was a hang out for locals from the soutside of town. With it they were bringing a lot of crime and violence issues. I think the majo reasonthey are closing the night clubs is to get rid of the non-Disney guests. It also sounds like they are trying to kick it up a notch to exclude even more people. Replacig dance clubs with offerings like Smith & Wollensky and Grand Lux Cafe will definitely change the demo.
Originally Posted By NYDsnyfrk I don't know whether I'm surprised or not about the closing of the clubs at PI. I don't usually visit PI on my Disney vacations now because of my kids, but it doesn't bother me that the teens and 20-somethings have a place to party, I was that age once too and have many memories at PI. It's a shame. I don't get this obsession with restaurants and shopping. I spend enough money as it is in Disney, I don't need any more shops to spend time in. As far as the Night Kingdom idea goes, it doesn't sound like something I would go back to. I might try it once, but for the money, once would be enough.
Originally Posted By danyoung >From the press releases, it rather sounds like even Disney doesn't know what it is doing.< This seems to indicate that you expect Disney to have a master plan that covers all contingencies for the far distant future. I don't see any problem with Disney pulling the plug, starting over, and slowly bringing in vendors who can provide a product that will fit with the new area. Look, I'm not in any way an apologist - I think Disney does a lot of dumb things. But these kind of threads have a way of feeding on themselves and growing in strength and violence. I just wanted to get on the record with a wait and see comment.
Originally Posted By SuperDry There seems to be a disconnect in what they are saying. On the one hand, <<< Disney was looking worldwide for restaurant and shopping concepts. >>> This, combined with: <<< Replacig dance clubs with offerings like Smith & Wollensky and Grand Lux Cafe will definitely change the demo. >>> ... gives me a better idea of what they have in mind. When they say "looking worldwide for concepts" what they really mean is "looking elsewhere for money." Is there any doubt that these outside companies will be expected to put up the money to build out their spaces and then operate the restaurants? But then they go on to say: <<< “We are committed to offering guests new and exciting experiences they can only have at Walt Disney World Resort,†said Downtown Disney Vice President Kevin Lansberry. >>> Really? Removing AC and the rest and replacing it Smith & Wollensky and Grand Luxe Cafe constitutes "new and exciting experiences [guests] can only have at Walt Disney World Resort?" I can only hope that that person knows that's not true, and doesn't actually believe it himself, otherwise we're really in trouble. As far as lack of dining capacity, I do actually agree with Disney there. That's been one of my complaints. If you arrive at the dinnertime without reservation, there are long waits at every nice restaurant at DtD, with few other options.
