Thursday, September 4, 2014

PI Update: Views From The Air

What is this circular item being constructed on the top deck of West End Plaza on beautiful Pleasure Island?
We previously indicated that it was beginning to look like a railroad roundhouse turntable, used to turn locomotives around.  Now there can be no further doubt.  The rail ties have been added and this is definitely a railroad turntable.  Maybe they're moving the revolving dance floor from inside Mannequins to here on the Plaza for outdoor dancing!  Or maybe not!
So Save Pleasure Island Blog takes the skies with our exclusive SkyCam coverage, here giving you an overview of the entire Island!  No changes yet at BET Soundstage, Adventurers Club or Paradiso 37.
Located roughly where Laffers Cantina used to stand, we were told previously that this would be the new steak house restaurant. It sits right on the edge of the drop-off such that one venue can be here upstairs as pictured while another venue could be located at the Island's lower level, facing the other direction.
Moving further east along Hill Street from the steak house, we have another new two-level building where the criss-crossing sidewalks of Lombard Promenade used to stand.  8TRAX is next but with its front area demolished and replaced with new construction.  Then comes the large new building that abuts Mannequins.  These look to be all-new shops.
Looking further east beyond The Hub, the temporary Pleasure Island bypass causeway connects back to the Island at the bottom of the picture.  The Island's Downtown Disney water taxi stop will eventually return to this spot.
Zooming-in, the base of where The Hangar Restaurant is being built out over the water of Village Lake.
That is immediately followed by the outdoor entertainment amphitheater.  Current concept art shows large palm trees installed in those circular areas although the previous Hyperion Wharf concept art had large cylinder-like kiosks in the area that had impressive light-displays in them.
And construction continues on the pretty amazing looking Boathouse Restaurant.
And the new main pathway will take pedestrians into this turn through what was the Raglan Road service court and towards the Lily Pad area. We see two or more new venues are being built in this new area.
This is the second of the two new construction projects going in here.
Back to the West End, new construction of what we think is a ramp from the Island's upper level to the lower level.  If they want customers visiting the Springs themselves and the shops on the lower level, they have to make it easy to get to.
Finally, a look back behind everything at The Waterfront where the Springs of Disney Springs fame will be built.  Lots of action continues at Pleasure Island!  Come out and see this for yourself!

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Why are the "Train tracks" going into the building, from the top of the hill? Where does the other end of those train tracks point? Makes no sense from a realistic point of view that you'd even have a train track left over in this area. Unless they are going to suggest that the train used to travel all the way thru the building complex... but I don't think so, random trains, for the sake of it I guess!

Anonymous said...

Now if only they could have random nightclubs for the sake of it...

Unknown said...

Hey King Bob. I think those train tracks are for an actual train that supposed to pick people up there & take them to the Village Market place. I read something like that months ago on Mickey's News.

KingBob said...

Richard Soto, there has been no actual train announced for Disney Springs. I think the Springs will have an old-time railroad theme to parts of it; such as the High Line on the West Side and a railroad theme to the restaurant going into the Adventurers Club space. This turntable is just theming and nothing more, but I don't know.

Anon at 1:33pm, presumably trains could have run through the Disney Springs village back in history and all that is left are parts of the abandoned High Line and this turntable.

Jeff - Gainesville said...

New train at Universal, new remnants of trains at Disney Springs... Certainly flows with the natural course of things. I get the - let's regale the old days idea but I have to agree with Anon 1:33, make little sense. I'll withhold judgement until it's done, though.

Ace said...

I'm still amazed that so little of the details has leaked out of Disney. Will the Boat House really be called that? What are the new shops which are going next to the steak house going to be called? They are doing a great job of keeping things under wraps. That will help build excitement when they start making announcements.

Oh, and while I'm at it, for such a large development, I wonder if they will open it all at once or in phases as they get things completed? Time will tell.

Anonymous said...

Ace, you know how it's all kept under wraps? Disney building the shells but doesn't have the "tenets to fill those shells yet... there for, nothing to announce.

71 said...

Hey King Bob, WDWMagic is saying The Hanger will be a bar. Limited food, but primarily a bar. You heard any rumors to that effect? Any more on theme?

KingBob said...

71, no rumors whatsoever. Yeah, mostly a bar, with some bar food. Might be one of the places offering evening musical entertainment.

All: There are tenants. They just need to sign a couple more that they're working on (supposedly) and then they'll announce everything.

The Landing officially opens early next year. They're working OT to get that first parking garage open for the upcoming "holiday" season.