Pleasure Island (Walt Disney World)


Pleasure Island was an area of the Downtown Disney shopping, dining and entertainment district at Walt Disney World Resort. It officially opened on May 1, 1989. In September 2008, all of its clubs were closed, but its retail stores and restaurants remained open. The area is now called The Landing and is the central part of Disney Springs.

History

Pleasure Island opened emulating Church Street Station in Downtown Orlando, Florida. At that time, this was a highly successful gated attraction which offered admission to multiple clubs for one price.
The legend the Disney Company created is that Pleasure Island was based on the fictitious owner, Merriweather Adam Pleasure, and was carried on into one of its clubs, The Adventurers Club. Merriweather Pleasure was an industrialist and explorer that decided to move his family to Florida and start a new sailmaking and yacht construction business on the island during the 1920s through early 1940s. He enjoyed throwing parties for his employees and friends after hours, but eventually, he was lost at sea, his sons failed at running the company without him and the island was mostly destroyed in a storm. As the story goes, Disney would rediscover the ruins of the Pleasure complex and establish a nightclub district to carry on Pleasure's merrymaking spirit.
Every night at midnight, "New Year's Eve" was celebrated at Pleasure Island with a fireworks show. This tradition lasted from 1990 through New Year's Eve 2005.

Changes in 2006

Major renovations to Pleasure Island were made in March 2006 in an attempt to reverse declining attendance. These changes included the closing and dismantling of the West End Stage and the Hub Stage. Since there was no longer an entry fee, the free entertainment provided by these stages was attracting large groups of local teens which was considered undesirable. The area formerly occupied by the West End Stage is the location of the new pedestrian bridge to Downtown Disney West Side and provides visitors a greater line-of-sight view from Pleasure Island to the West Side. The removal of the Hub Stage opened a small area to a view of the lagoon located behind Pleasure Island, including a dock. In late June 2006, a life-size Jessica Rabbit sign above the facility of "Pleasure Island Tonight!" was removed.
The construction of new docks allow boat transportation links between West Side, Pleasure Island, Marketplace, and Disney resorts across the lagoon and up the Sassagoula River.

Changes from 2007 to 2009

Effective January 1, 2007, the dance clubs reverted to a policy which required guests to be age 21 or older. Minors could still visit the Comedy Warehouse and Adventurers Club, as well as the shops and restaurants on the island.
In late June 2008, Disney announced that the six remaining night clubs at Pleasure Island would close by September 28, 2008, to make room for additional family-oriented entertainment. Effective June 27, 2008, customers who purchased annual passes to Pleasure Island could receive a pro-rated refund for that purchase, due to the September 2008 scheduled closure of all of its nightclubs.
Disney officials stated that the Pleasure Island nightclub closures are in response to customers who desire more broad-based dining and retail opportunities.
September 27, 2008 was Pleasure Island's last night. Among the capacity crowd were many of its past actors and cast members, some of whom started to line up at 9am to ensure entrance to what would be a very emotional and busy night. Highlights included Frankie and the West End Boys playing on the waterfront stage. At midnight, "New Year's Eve" was celebrated one last time. A fireworks show was complemented by popular songs heard on the island over the years. The final song played in Mannequins was "Everybody’s Free " by Rozalla. With that, Pleasure Island was officially shut down. By the next day, many of the clubs' signs and logos were being removed or painted over.
In February 2009, amid rumors of a partial reopening of Pleasure Island, Disney announced that three former clubs would become available for private party rentals. Motion, Soundstage Club, and Adventurers Club were available for rental through the end of March 2010.
In 2009, a building that previously housed stores and a fast food restaurant was completely renovated by E-Brands, the operator of the Samba Room restaurant in Orlando, into Paradiso 37, a Central/South American-themed restaurant.

Hyperion Wharf

On November 10, 2010 Disney announced Hyperion Wharf would be the new name for Pleasure Island. The new theme of the island would be an early 20th-century nautical warehouse district. $3.2 million in new lighting features were to be added, in addition to a waterfront entertainment area and a lighthouse structure. No names for shops, restaurants or entertainment venues were announced. There was no indication that any of the former clubs would reopen.
Permits and plans showed the buildings which formerly housed the Motion and Rock 'n' Roll Beach Club, Adventurers Club and BET Soundstage Club would be demolished. The buildings which formerly housed the Comedy Warehouse, 8TRAX and Mannequins clubs would remain. Demolition of Motion and Rock 'n' Roll Beach Club took place between December 2010 and February 2011. Earlier in 2010, the bridge from the Downtown Disney Marketplace to Pleasure Island was widened to accommodate a new, wider pedestrian pathway across the island.
On December 3, 2012, Disney allowed the trademark for Hyperion Wharf to expire. Renovation plans for the area were announced as part of the Downtown Disney redevelopment in 2013.
During 2014, Disney closed access to the Pleasure Island portion of Downtown Disney, as additional retailers and theme restaurants were brought into the mix. Disney ultimately decided against using the name "Hyperion Wharf".

The Landing

Instead, in April 2015, Disney reopened Pleasure Island as the middle link of the Downtown Disney shopping area. This section of the complex is now called "The Landing." The former dance clubs, jazz club and Adventurer's Club are no longer part of the concept. Instead, the area focuses on retail and restaurants, though one restaurant circuitously links the new area to its predecessor: Jock Lindsey's Hangar Bar was ostensibly opened by pilot Jock Lindsey, who is a member of the Society of Explorers and Adventurers. A fez housed in the Skipper Canteen in Magic Kingdom's Adventureland establishes that Pleasure Island founder Merriweather Adam Pleasure was also a member of the S.E.A., with his Adventurers club retroactively serving as his own private chapter of the Society.

Operating attractions

Restaurants

For many years, a number of small shops and boutiques were located between the Adventurers Club and Rock 'n' Roll Beach Club. Many of these shops closed in March 2006 as part of the renovation of the island. However, Disney has begun to reintroduce selected stores on the island.

Shopping

In 1989, New Kids on the Block performed at Pleasure Island. In '92, Marky Mark & the Funky Bunch performed there. In '93, Blind Melon played the West End Stage. In 1995, Johnny Cash played there. In '95, Boy George performed there. In '95, Orlando's own *NSYNC filmed a demo at Rock 'n' Roll Beach Club. In '97, Savage Garden played there. In '99, Christina Aguilera performed on the West End Stage. On New Year's Eve in 1999, Hootie & the Blowfish performed there with The B-52's from Georgia and Styx. In 2000, Duran Duran performed at Pleasure Island.

Gallery

In popular culture