Thursday, April 6, 2017

CW Update: Never Did Capture The PI Crowd

As we just passed 8.5 years since the Pleasure Island clubs closed, I wanted to reflect back on the efforts CityWalk originally made to capture the abandoned PI crowd.  Offering multiple night clubs for the price of one inclusive ticket, CityWalk offered the closest experience to what Pleasure Island offered. And if Disney was going to abandon their local regulars, Universal was going to be more than happy to have them!
As Pleasure Island's number of remaining days moved into single digits in September of 2008, this bold ad in the Orlando Sentinel offered PI Annual Passholders free admission to CityWalk clubs through the end up March, 2009 which was up to 6 months free!  And according to Blog archives, even prior to this occurring, CityWalk had placed stickers on the front page of the Sentinel, each valid for a free CityWalk Party Pass for 1 night.  So they definitely wanted the PI crowd!
By January, 2009, 8TRAX DJ Doc Wells was on the roster doing an 80's Night every Thursday night.

In the end though the efforts were largely abandoned. CityWalk was very different from the Island left behind and the PI crowd scattered to parts unknown. Likewise, CityWalk thrived on its own and found out they didn't even need Pleasure Islanders. And so it is.
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6 comments:

  1. AnonymousApril 6, 2017 at 10:16 AM

    The question is: Did Disney find out they don't need Pleasure Islanders either? It appears they are rolling in the dough with the rental restaurant and retail tenants. I don’t think Disney misses us at all.

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  2. KingBobApril 6, 2017 at 7:14 PM

    I don't know that they're rolling in dough. Rent checks may be coming in but the part of the contract that pays them a percentage of sales has got to be rather paltry. And there was also 8 years of next to no revenue from the Island. But yeah, in the end, Disney doesn't miss us.

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  3. AnonymousApril 6, 2017 at 10:13 PM

    city walk did with PI people SURE but PI people didnt like City walk anyway! it is HALF *ss anyway! but in a way THe groove did change the way they do the music! HMMMM???

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  4. R FlowersApril 6, 2017 at 11:44 PM

    I said many years before PI closed,Disney could bulldoze the island and they would not miss anything or money from it..I think if best PI was a brake even commodity for them but later in its' life it was losing money,, from all the changes that people did not like and started to stop coming then they made more cuts in the shows and entertainment,so they cut so much to show profit ,it was like watching a bleeding pig just before they cook it.. Just my thoughts..and also after talking to a manger out there one night saying what i just said he was like yup yup it will gone soon..

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  5. AnonymousApril 7, 2017 at 4:40 PM

    For what they spent to build "The Springs" and the 8 years of lost revenue.
    Disney is far from getting out of the black on this one.

    10 to 20 years out, different story, maybe.

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  6. KingBobApril 9, 2017 at 9:52 PM

    I don't know about that but I agree it will take awhile.

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