Mouse Extra

“Throwing it out in the trash” is an old news expression for releasing information late on Friday afternoon when no one is paying attention and no one reads the Saturday papers.  It is almost always information you know people are not going to be happy about and you want to minimize the impact.  That is exactly what Disney did last week when it tossed the Pleasure Island closing story into the trash.  They knew there would be a backlash, but I think they may have been a little overly cautious.

You see, on the whole I think this is a very good idea.  Sure, I don’t want to see the Adventurer’s Club close either, and hopefully Disney will figure a way to rework it into its future plans.  But the concept is a good one and a needed one.  Jim Hill was correct earlier this week when he talked about how Pleasure Island stands like a big wall between the Marketplace and the West Side.  A more seamless experience would be a big plus.

I also can not tolerate the idea of paying to get into a bar.  Call me old-fashioned, but plugging down money for a “cover” is just not in my plans.  I think the incredibly inflated drink prices are enough payment from me.  For this reason I almost never go into the clubs at Pleasure Island anymore.  I want places where I can go at night, and have a drink with my friends without having to pay a fortune.  Is that so much to ask?

And I also think the survey information we have heard so much about is also correct.  We do need some more and some new places where everyone can go to eat.  Personally, I don’t like the current crop of restaurants at Downtown Disney and I haven’t made a point to eat there in a long time.  Some new places, with great themes and atmosphere, would bring the masses back to Pleasure Island.

Why can’t we have more places that during the day and evening hours are magnificently themed family restaurants, but by night become fun hangouts for the over 21’s?  Raglan Road is a terrific example.  During the day, anyone can come in and enjoy good food in an Irish pub.  But when the night falls, it turns into a raucous drink-fest.  The best of both worlds can be achieved, but the current Pleasure Island clubs are just not set up for that.  (However, the Adventurer’s Club could be with a little retooling.)

So let’s not all fall into deep depression or start to panic here.  Disney already replaced a Pleasure Island club, the Jazz club, with the extremely popular Raglan Road.  There is no reason to believe the rest of what is coming won’t be equally as positive.