Magical Kingdoms Disney Blog

Daily Disney Newsbites From the House of the Mouse

July 07 2008

[WDW] Good news! No longer will the masses be caffeine deprived before entering the Magic Kingdom. A new snack kiosk has appeared at the Transportation and Ticket Centre which sells coffee, and various coffee variations, as well as a selection of pastries and other items. Its located between the ferry boat launch and the monorail station, so the weary early riser can now get a pick-me-up before making it to the park gates.

[WDW – DHS] Sounds Dangerous with Drew Carey adds new sounds by popular artists, Black and Decker today, as it closes for its routine rehab. Those hoping to grab a little shuteye here this month will unfortunately need to make alternative arrangements until the attraction reopens on August 5^th.   

[DL] Monorail Red has finally been let loose on the public…well kinda. Soft openings began at the tail end of last week, with some lucky guests making the 2.5 mile journey around the Disneyland resort. As with many new rides, there have been a number of bugs discovered and as such, ‘red’ has spent much of the weekend in shelter, allowing mechanics to test and fix anything problematic. Its hoped monorail red will continue its public operation over the coming days and weeks, whilst its sister train (or is that brother?), monorail blue shouldn’t be too far behind.

[DLP] Guests at the Walt Disney Studio’s “Rendez-Vous of the Stars Restaurant” could have an unexpected visit from a life-size Remy, the culinary obsessed rat of Ratatouillie fame. A ‘living character’ version has been spotted outside the restaurant in an interactive (well, as interactive as a human can be with a mouse) set-up mimicking that of the teaser trailer, in which Linguini the chef opens the lid of a cheese platter only to find Remy there, munching away at a chunk of Emmenthal. Remy moves and squeaks, as he and the accompanying chef entertain those fortunate enough to be around when the pair make an appearance.

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It’s just a week since Disney announced that the clubs at Pleasure Island are to shut down permanently. Whilst some of the clubs may have been more popular with locals rather than vacation-goers, there are many fans mourning the loss of the Adventurers Club. So strong is the feeling that an online petition against the closure has been launched that currently has around 4300 signatures.

Disney blame the decision on the need for more dining and shopping locations in that area. The fact that there isn’t much open in Pleasure Island during the day puts people off from walking through that area, thereby creating a barrier between Marketplace and West Side which both have numerous options for daytime shopping and dining. The current offering of Pleasure Island shops which includes Fuego by Sosa Cigars, Curl by Sammy Duval, and Orlando Harley-Davidson, are hardly a draw for most visitors. Add that to the reality of the clubs being very quiet during the week, and you can see why Disney have chosen to do this. It comes down to money, and making the most of the space available to bring in more $$$.

So, what’s to become of Pleasure Island in the future?

A new themed restaurant, T-Rex: A Prehistoric Family Adventure is already being built, with a slated opening date of November. Featuring table service dining in an interactive prehistoric environment built around water, fire and ice, this new restaurant operated by Landry’s Restaurants will also house a retail shop.

In spring 2009 another new restaurant is set to open. Operated by E-brands Restaurants the casual eatery will not only serve authentic Central and South American cuisine, along with specialty drinks, but will also host live music.

Disney certainly seem to be moving away from managing restaurants themselves. Even in the parks the latest restaurants to open, including Yak and Yeti Restaurant & Tutto Italia Ristorante, are run by outside companies. Raglan Road, which is to remain open, is part of this trend at Downtown Disney.And looking at the latest offerings for Pleasure Island announced so far that does seem to be the way of the future.

A number of one-of-a-kind, immersive experiences are promised. These include a giant, tethered balloon that will take guests 300 feet into the air to view the amazing vistas of Walt Disney World Resort, much the same as the PanoraMagique Balloon at Disneyland Resort Paris.
As the Paris balloon has to close during inclement weather, this could potentially prove to be a bit of a dead duck, much like SeaWorld’s Sky Tower which is frequently shut.

Is it possible that the Adventurers Club will find a new home? In his blog, Jim Hill says that reports of the AC finding a new home at Disney’s proposed 5th gate adult theme park “Night Kingdom” may not come to much, as it’s now up in the air whether the park will go ahead at all.  Downtown Disney Vice President Kevin Lansberry stated that they’ll be “looking at some specialized entertainment options” for the newly revitalised PI, so could any of those options include a new Adventurers Club? If Disney have any sense they’ll hopefully listen to their customer base and go with that option.

So while we’re promised a wonderful new shopping and dining experience, there are many left reeling by Disney’s recent decision and wondering whether the future will indeed be pleasurable.

© 2008 Magicalkingdoms.com

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