Trip Report: Ocean Cay, Bahamas

This is Ocean Cay, Bahamas, the private island used by MSC Cruises.

Located in the Bimini District of the Bahamas, it's one of many islands owned or leased by cruise lines to use for private beach days. Royal Caribbean has Coco Cay, Norwegian has Great Stirrup Cay, Disney has Castaway Cay, Princess has Princess Cay, Holland America has Half Moon Cay and Virgin Cruises has Beach Club at Bimini.

Crew members lined the entry walkway to greet arriving passengers.

DJ Troy (USA) was on hand blasting-out Top 40 hits.

Of course all these cruise line private islands are all about the beaches & beautiful Bahamian waters.

There are plenty of bars on Ocean Cay plus an included buffet restaurant. They assure that a good time is had by all.

Friday Funny

Trip Report: White Night Party (MSC Seashore)

A feature on MSC Cruises is their "White Night" party and our sister website Orlando Entertainment News has pictures from last night's event here.

This Weekend In Techno Town

Wow, the quality of DJ's playing Orlando continues to amaze!

FRI   29APR    VANGUARD     DJ DUO ABOVE & BEYOND (GB)

FRI   29APR     CELINE     DJ JOEL CORRY (GB)

FRI   29APR     NEON BEACH     DJ ROBB BLAK (USA)

SAT  30APR     ACE CAFE    DJ DEEKLINE (GB) & DJ BABY ANNE (USA)

SAT  30APR      ELIXIR BAR     DJ DIRTY SOUTH (SRB)

SAT   30APR     GILT     DJ SONNY FODORA (AUS)

SAT   30APR     SHADE @ SKYLOUNGE     DJ LAYTON GIORDANI (USA)

Club Report: 70's Night (MSC Seashore)

Last night was 70's Night aboard MSC Seashore but before that, we spent the day in Ocho Rios, Jamaica where we met DJ Wyäh (JA) and MC Ackelia (JA). Check out the entire article on sister Blog Orlando Entertainment News here.

PI Update: What Happened To Our Dance Floor?

One of the great mysteries surrounding the conversion of this Pleasure Island building from being Mannequins Dance Palace to becoming Morimoto Asia restaurant is what became of the massive revolving dance floor that took up nearly all the space in the venue. We were reminded of the large overhead door that existed on The Waterfront side of the building and the UP & DOWN buttons that controlled the door movement.

During early 2010 or more than a year after Mannequins closed, Blog reader PI Fan reported finding that overhead door open during his/her PI visit and provided Save Pleasure Island Blog with these two pictures. Even this soon after the club closed, there were some insisting that the floor had already been removed. These pics proved that as of 2010, the revolving dance floor was still in there. While it's difficult to see the floor specifically, one can see that all the metal barriers that wrapped around the dance floor were all still in place so it would have been impossible for the floor to have been removed.

In 2013 the door was open again as the construction of Disney Springs had commenced. It's a distant view but Mannequins as we knew it with all those girders and trusses and barriers were still in place. So that big old revolving dance floor had to still be in there as well.

The conversion from Mannequins to Morimoto began in 2014 and in this early 2015 photo, we see a backhoe doing some digging in the area where that garage door once stood. The building opening to the outdoors at this point was as large as the opening ever got during construction which of course was too small to have taken the massive revolving dance floor out. Some speculate that the floor was broken into pieces and removed that way but if you recall that floor's composition, there would have been no way to break it up.

So where is the dance floor today? We continue to believe that it's still there but beneath Morimoto where unusual concrete panels make up the restaurant's floor.

Trip Report: MSC Seashore

Time for another cruise, this time on MSC Seashore sailing from Port Miami. The Miami skyline makes a nice backdrop when sailing from this port. During the coming week we will have some trip reports from our destinations as well as from any good parties on board.

 

Ports on this cruise include Ocho Rios, Jamaica, Grand Cayman in the Cayman Islands and Cozumel, Mexico. Day 1 today is a day at sea and we can see the mountainous eastern end of Cuba off the starboard side.

Concert Report: DJ Jody Wisternoff (Skylounge)

DJ Jody Wisternoff (GB) headlined last night's outdoor show atop Amway Center and our sister website Orlando Entertainment News was there for the pics. You can find them here.

Friday Funny

 

PI Update: The Island 10 Years Ago This Month

Ten years ago this month we crossed this bridge one more time to beautiful Pleasure Island to check out the clubs.

Mannequins stood ready for business. We predicted at the time that the place was too massive to find another use besides as a night club.

The bold colors of 8TRAX had been pained over in Disney's attempt to rent the space out to someone else but there apparently were no takers.

Adventurers Club was hidden behind bamboo planters. If a group congregated too long showing interest in what was back there, security moved them along.

Ditto for BET Soundstage. "Move along now, there's nothing to see here."

Nighttime entertainment had been brought back to PI here at West End Plaza to liven-up the place with a stage placed outside the Comedy Warehouse building. Some of the musical acts that played there in 2012 still play on the Island to this day!

We can't show you pictures of Rock'N'Roll Beach Club or Motion in April, 2012 because they had already been demolished!

This Weekend In Techno Town

More great DJ's playing in Orlando this weekend!

THU 21APR     GILT     DJ SODA (ROK) 

FRI   22APR     VANGUARD     DJ DUO TWO FRIENDS (USA)

FRI   22APR     SKYLOUNGE     DJ JODY WISTERNOFF (GB)

SAT   23APR    VANGUARD     DJ STEVE AOKI (USA)

SUN  24APR    THE PATIO     DJ CARLOS MENDOZA (USA) 

SUN  24APR    ELIXIR BAR     DJ OSCAR G (usa)

MON 25APR    HEIST LOUNGE     DJ REDEYES (F)

FRIDAY-SUNDAY     MADDOX RANCH (LAKELAND)  EARTHFEST

Downtown Update: We Peeked Inside

This past weekend our sister website Orlando Entertainment News "peeked" inside several new venues which will be soon opening downtown. Take a look yourself, here.

PI Update: (Insert Story)

Let's not cross this bridge one more time to Pleasure Island because there ain't a damn new thing going on over there! We'll just stay right over here.

Club Report: Barbarella 2.0

The new Barbarella location opened last night and just as it should be, DJ Indie John (USA) was back in the booth. The new venue was very 90's raver warehouse party vibe and our sister website Orlando Entertainment News was there to check it out. The pics are here.

Club Reports: Neon Beach, Hi T, Grumpy's Underground

Dee Jay Shaolin (USA) headlined last night's show at Grumpy's Underground as our sister website Orlando Entertainment News made the rounds. You can find Friday night pics here.

 

Friday Funny

DS Update: Salt & Straw Opens Next Week

Salt & Straw Ice Cream featuring hand-made ice cream treats is scheduled to open next Wednesday, April 20th. It will be located in the spot pictured above where Something Silver previously operated. This is immediately next to the AMC Theater complex in Disney Springs West Side. The brand has a couple other locations in Miami but otherwise it's a U.S. west coast operation.

This Weekend In Techno Town

Weekend activity is beginning to pick up again!

FRI   15APR     NEON BEACH     DJ DUKE (USA), DJ DACK (USA)

FRI   15APR     GRUMPY'S     DEEJAY SHAOLIN (USA)

FRI   15APR     CELINE     DJ SOLARDO (GB)

SAT  16APR     BARBARELLA     DJ INDIE JOHN (USA) NEW LOCATION!

SAT  16APR     VANGUARD     DJ FLOSSTRADAMUS (USA)

SAT  16APR     ELIXIR BAR     DJ SAGE ARMSTRONG (USA)

SAT 16APR     ST MATTHEWS TAVERN     DJ CHESTER ALMN (USA)

SAT  16APR     ORLANDO BREWING     CIRCLE K & COLLABORATOR (USA)

SAT  16APR     GEEK EASY     DJ HEATHER COLLINS (USA)

SAT  16APR     SKYLOUNGE @ AMWAY     DJ CARLOS MENDOZA (USA)

SUN  17APR   SUNDOWN SUNDAYS @ THE PATIO     DJ DOM (USA)

PI Update: Cookes Finally Has Its Own Sign

Cookes of Dublin, the relatively hidden Irish restaurant behind Raglan Road, finally has its own marquee sign advertising their specialty Fish & Chips.

In the past they relied on just the signs on the building itself which no doubt kept them a bit unnoticed as we see in this old Blog file photo. With the flashy new sign, they're likely to draw a bit more foot traffic down in their direction and away from those accustomed to traversing the Island via the so called "Motion Corridor" route.

PI Update: Disco Coming To Orlando!

We haven't had a legitimate 70's Disco in the Orlando area since 8TRAX closed in 2008. But word has it that Go Go's Disco Lounge is coming to downtown Orlando on Church Street later this year and it could be a game-changer to the nightlife scene. We give more information today on Orlando Entertainment News here.

Club Reports: Saturday Night With The Mouse

Last night we spent Saturday night with the Mouse. We found DJ Frankie (USA) in the booth at Atlantic Dance Hall. All the pics are on OEN here.

Club Reports: Chillers, Cahoots, Wicked Whiskeys, Aero Bar, The Patio

Federal blogging regulations require us to verify bold claims such as The Patio's "Always A Party" claim. So our sister website Orlando Entertainment News did just that last night. Check out the OEN article here.

 

Friday Funny

Self-explanatory.

 

The Demise Of Power95.3

This past Friday saw the demise of local radio station WPYO licensed to serve Maitland in the Orlando market. Operating under the Power95.3 banner, it had a Contemporary Hit Radio format but produced small ratings numbers compared to market leader WXXL. The station is pending a sale to Spanish Broadcast System which will presumable switch it to a Spanish-language format of some sort. During the final day of broadcast they spent a lot of time playing an even older format of music dating back to the station's beginning as 95.3Party. Back around the turn of the century the station played a Dance format aka Electronic Dance Music. We really won't miss the station since we are usually listening to Sirius/XM satellite radio but it's still sad for the local market. Some of the DJ's we see in clubs downtown such as DJ Chino, DJ Rincon and DJ Kevin Kon won't be on local radio any longer, for now.

This Weekend In Techno Town

 Activity is finally picking up a bit post Miami Music Week.

FRI 08APR     CELINE     DJ Westend (GB)

FRI 08APR     EMPERORS (Tampa)     Superstar DJ Keoki (USA)

SAT 09APR     HOUSE OF BLUES     Black Tiger Sex Machine (CDN)

SAT 09APR     ELIXIR     DJ Martin Ikin (GB)

SAT 09APR     VANGUARD     LSDream (USA)

SUN 10APR    SUNDOWN SUNDAYS @ THE PATIO     DJ D-Unity (CDN)

DS Update: Pollo Campero Returns To Orlando

Do you all remember back in November of 2010 when a chicken restaurant called Pollo Campero took over the spot where Downtown Disney's McDonald's restaurant operated?

The place did not last long; it closed sometime in 2013 and the building was demolished.

Well apparently they're back in the Orlando market but only with a "ghost kitchen" restaurant west of downtown. Located at 18 N. Dollins Avenue near Camping World Stadium, the place is for pickup or delivery only and not for dining-in. I recall Pollo Campero being all right, but nothing to write home about. They call the new place a digital kitchen.

Downtown Update: What's Happening At Wall Street Plaza?

Half of Wall Street Plaza has been sold to new owners! Today on sister blog Orlando Entertainment News, we share what we know about what's going on over there. LINK

Club Report: The Final Night Of Barbarella

Just as it should be on a Saturday night, DJ Indie John (USA) was in the booth one last time for the final night of Barbarella aka Independent Bar. Not since the closing of Mannequins have I been this sad for a club closing. All the pics are on our sister website Orlando Entertainment News here.

 

Club Reports: Monkey Bar, Elixir Bar, Barbarella

Pleasure Islanders may recognize DJ Eric Dennison (USA) who was playing last night at Barbarella. You can find all our Friday night pics on Orlando Entertainment News here.

 

DS Update: The Homeless Of Disney Springs

Disney Springs is a cheerful town known for it's many shopping and dining options. But like many communities its size, it struggles with a problem that no one wants to talk about....the homeless.

Although they generally stay invisible to the tourists passing by, they can increasingly be found lounging on many of the benches scattered throughout the town.

 

Indeed, during the recent Disney Springs construction project, an entire homeless camp was found living under the No. 5 Bridge which connects the West Side over to Pleasure Island!

Homeless in the town's main square eventually forced the Town to close the entire park and turn it into a food truck parking lot. We hope to see the Town of Disney Springs deal with the situation! Happy April 1st!