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| 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! |
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| 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. |
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| 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!!! |
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| 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. |
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| 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! |
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| 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! |
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| Speaking of Harley-Davidson, apparently their retail clothing store is going to be staying put awhile longer. |
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| 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. |
14 comments:
This leads us to the conclusion that Disney has no ----ing idea what they are doing with Hyperbole Wharf.
Thanks for the update, though.
I agree. It very much appears that while they have a "concept" they want to execute, they don't have anyone willing to pay the rent to be a part of it.
look at the magic kingdom they have plans for that right now and still they have put in newer plans ans still say they are not sure what it will look like till it's done!!!
this doesn't surprise one little bit!!!! the new PI area might not look anything like what you saw in there drawings
have anyone looked up what PI was going to be from the original drawings? there where thing that never came true! just the same old disney!
KingBob, If you could guess a percentage. What % chance do you think that there will be at least one dance club on Hyperion Wharf??
Step 1 - Tear Down Island.
Step 2 - ????
Step 3 - Profit!
Anon11:34, at least we know more or less exactly is going into Fantasyland. The big rides, the little snack shops, etc.
We know of nothing officially confirmed for HW except the ampitheater. Not even "Mahogany Bay" has been confirmed by Disney, it's only been hinted at by the parent company. (Who also said on their site Hot Dog Hall of Fame was coming to an Orlando park a few years ago...so their record is spotty.)
SoCalGal, at the risk of outing myself as a source, Disney management has announced internally there will be no "clubs," and I get the impression they have actually turned a couple potential club tenants down. That's the whole idiocy of the Harley/Mannequins story--Disney won't let a club or restaurant go in there, but it's impossible to conceive of a retail store that could work in that large/unusual a space.
The whole destruction of PI was rushed through without the basic due diligence to make sure its pie-in-the-sky planned replacement was feasible.
71 my POINT is that Disney changes there minds as much as anyone changes there pants! so nothing NOTHING is set in stone! until it is done!
if you wold to research the Florida Disney project it looks nothing like the first plans EPCOT same! Disney has a History of this!
And that's the thing, 71. It's like Disney KNOWS they made a mistake but they refuse to acknowledge it and change their mind. They move forward with stupider and stupider decisions when they KNOW they should just reopen a couple things!
Well, I trust your judgement KingBob, if you think there is a < 1% chance of reopening at least 1 club, then the point of me following this blog is pointless. Will check back bimonthly to get my fix, but as far as I'm concerned, the possibility of nightlife at Hyperion Wharf has no pulse. Sadder than sad!
just rip the whole place down and pave a new parking lot that can sit empty.
SoCalGal, the official line is that there will be no clubs at Hyperion Wharf. So you may as well quit reading the Blog but I'll miss you!
There remains some unofficial chatter that one or two former venues could reopen if some people out west get their way over local management. You would think that at some point someone higher up out there would put a stop to this nonsense. We're still awaiting someone with some balls to say they had good plans, they didn't work out so we're going to reopen a few fan favorites!
But if that does not happen, even hope of some evening lounge type entertainment within a new restaurant venue (think Margaritaville, think Bongos) appears pretty bleak at this point.
It's good that they're finally doing something! Not sure why people on these boards are so upset. Not like any of you troglodytes actually go to any nightclubs in the first place.
I don't allow hate speech on this website but since none of us know what "troglodytes" are, you're excused. :-)
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