 |
| Construction continues inside the former Virgin Megastore building as it is converted into a Splitsville luxury bowling alley and entertainment center in Downtown Disney West Side. Scheduled to open this Fall, keep in mind that "Fall" runs into mid-December. The inside is very-much gutted at this juncture but from what I can see, they have a long way to go! To be located on two floors including an upstairs patio dining balcony, there will be 31 bowling lanes! |
 |
| Most intriguing to Pleasure Island fans though is the DINE DANCE DRINK angle. I recently wrote to Splitsville management asking whether their music will be live band-generated or DJ-generated but they've yet to respond. Most of us are hoping for the latter because it would bring back a Top 40/Dance option to DTD, a real win for PI fans! But anyway you look at it, Splitsville will be a welcome addition to DTD. |
I looked inside the gutted building on Saturday, 2/11/2012, and was surprised to see work lights but *no* construction activity of any sort. No tools. No materials. Just lots of hoopla on the construction fencing around the building. So while "late 2012" does potentially extend into December 2012, why would there be a delay in construction for so long on a venue that could be generating revenue much sooner? Why would they skip over an entire tourist season? It's even more intriguing given the fact that Splitsville is a proven successful concept in other cities. This makes me wonder if someone has cold feet, or if construction financing is an issue. Or -- what if Splitsville has also backed out of the deal but Disney hasn't yet been able to muster up the courage to come up with a good cover story for such an eventual announcement? I have an idea to get the ball rolling: "We found the building was full of an unexpectedly large amount of Mousebestos, and the remediation costs were just too high." This would be followed by a huge announcement of more "shopping and dining," or demolition and more lovely "seed and mulch." Bwahahahaha!
ReplyDeleteWhen I looked in it was at night so I didn't expect to see anything going on and there wasn't. If you were there on a Saturday, that's not a typical work time either. Please be aware that the Splitsville website still lists the Lake Buena Vista location as a future location, opening FALL 2012. IMO, there is no way it will open this fall. There's just way too much work still to be done. And they're apparently not working at night or on the weekends.
ReplyDeleteKing Bob, I agree with your points, but even outside of normal working hours I would have expected to see some evidence of activities. Materials, locked tool boxes, scissor lifts, a little trash, even minor construction debris, etc. So to me the space is in a holding pattern until construction loans kick in, or until something else happens. My curiosity is related to the fact that something is delaying the construction, and time is money, especially if they're going to miss a tourist season. But maybe they're waiting for Disney to release an exciting new bowling movie later in the year, and the construction and opening will coincide with that excitement? hahahaha...
ReplyDeleteThe next Pixar movie...PINS!
ReplyDeleteFN, interesting observation. Now that you mention it, the area inside did seem really "really clean". Not like an active construction area.
ReplyDeleteHow long did Apricot Lane stay vacant before there was any action? Sounds like cold feet to me......
ReplyDeleteI just wonder what the heck is really going on there!?
As always, thanks for the updates and great photos! Can't wait for my trip there in a few weeks!
Cheers, Peace and Love P.I. Fans
You're welcome, Jeff. The Apricot Lane spot did not stay empty at all. Harley moved out to their new space and (minimal) renovations began right away on the space and then Apricot Lane opened quickly thereafter.
ReplyDelete