PI Update: Rumor Update

There has been a dearth of Pleasure Island related rumors since Hyperion Wharf was first announced a few months ago but as demolition has finally begun, the mill is beginning to churn again. And what better place to hear the mill churn than beautiful Pleasure Island!

This is a venue previously known as Rock'n'Roll Beach Club. As you know, it has now been demolished along with club Motion. The space formerly occupied by RRBC will be home to the new waterfront Amphitheater and whatever entertainment Disney plans to put there. I have published numerous times that a lighthouse-design restaurant/bar would be constructed in the area where RRBC and Motion met. New rumors have this greatly downsized with this now being just a gazebo fast food restaurant serving hamburgers, hot dogs and turkey legs. The outdoor-seating lounge/full bar is eliminated but the restaurant serves beer. The demolished area will be cleaned-up and the plans are to go full speed to get the Amphitheater area open by this summer.

We have competing rumors with the earlier one having Adventurers Club and Soundstage remaining idle for another year. But the newer rumor is much more specific; both clubs are coming down in May! Another rumor says it will take 4 more years before Hyperion Wharf is completed!!!

Laffers Cantina is getting a new theme. It's going to be a pool bar. The specialty drinks are getting new tropical swimming pool-theme names. And the Kungaloosh drink is going away with rumrunners replacing them. Few people traversing the Island knew what a Kungaloosh was; who would have guessed? No word on whether Laffers, named for the adjacent Comedy Warehouse, is getting a new name along with the drinks.

More bleak is the future of PI Live Bar which is located next to the Hub. It's going to remain open for the time-being but rumor has it being demolished about the time the Amphitheater opens. Sorry but no Jägerbombs with those turkey legs!

 And what about Mannequins? I long-ago published the rumor about a Harley-Davidson Cafe going in there, joking that they were going to bolt motorcycles onto the dance floor and you could ride them as the floor spun around. The newest rumor says that apparently this was true at one time; not the choppers on the dance floor part but allegedly Harley's interest in putting a cafe there. But Disney would not approve it because they did not want another restaurant so close to Raglan Road. Well if they won't allow a restaurant to go in there and they won't allow a club, what else is there? Retail. But that ain't gonna happen because the space is huge and it was designed to be a...........night club!

Speaking of Harley-Davidson, apparently their retail clothing store is going to be staying put awhile longer.

Finally, sources are reporting that since Pleasure Island closed, banquet activity at Disney World is allegedly down -25%! Certainly some of this is due to the economy but it's not surprising that with no adult-oriented evening activities for conventioneers, many planners would ask, why go to Disney? Motion used to host the bulk of banquets on Pleasure Island but all the clubs had activity. I personally rented 8TRAX for a party one year. If the sources are true, another example of the millions of dollars lost by DTD management since they closed PI. And the bleeding continues.