Pleasure Island
In the mid 1980’s, Disney welcomed a new CEO into the company. Michael Eisner jumped right into his new position and started strategizing ways to make Disney more money. He noticed that guests were leaving the Walt Disney World property and different points in the day for shopping and other experiences.
How could they get the guests to stay on property and spend their money with Disney instead? Eisner’s efforts included lots of new resorts, a new theme park, and added nightlife at the then Walt Disney World Village.
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The new nightlife would take place on Pleasure Island, which opened on May 1, 1989. (The same day as Disney MGM Studios!) In normal Disney fashion, Pleasure Island and its nightclubs and shops were more than just businesses. “Adaptive Reuse” was a trend that was sweeping the nation at the time, so Disney followed suit! Instead of just building new nightclubs, Imagineers created an exciting backstory to go along with each building and how it was “repurposed” this exciting new nightlife! The island and its properties all had their own part in a greater story.
Pleasure Island was named after its (fictional) founder, Merriweather Adam Pleasure. Founded in 1911, Pleasure Island was rooted deep with a pretty interesting backstory! You can read the full story of Pleasure Island and Merriweather Adam Pleasure here.
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Pleasure Island was a man-made island near the Walt Disney World Village Marketplace. Each night at 7 PM guests could pay one fee to come onto the island and they were given access to all 6 nightclubs along with other shops and restaurants. Guests could celebrate New Year’s Eve every night, complete with fireworks!
Image: Disney Parks Blog
Here’s an idea of the nightlife offered on Pleasure Island:
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Videopolis East – Pleasure Island legend has it that this building was originally the Artificial Intelligence Lab of Pleasure Island, used by Merriweather’s son Henry! (“The Mad Scientist of Lake Buena Vista”)
Similar to its Disneyland counterpart, Videopolis East was geared toward teens and young adults. This club was for guests 21 and younger! Although it was an original club on the island, a year later in 1990 it was replaced by Cage. Even with the new name, the club decor really didn’t change. Cage was known for playing music videos on 170 monitors throughout the club! Only lasting about 2 years, Cage would finally be replaced by 8TRAX. 8TRAX was a 70’s/80’s themed club that would remain open until Pleasure Island’s closing day in 2008.
Neon Armadillo – According to it’s Pleasure Island plaque, this building was originally Merriweather’s greenhouse filled with desert plants he collected. And when the building was rediscovered, it had been taken over by armadillos! (Hence, Neon Armadillo)
The Neon Armadillo allowed guests of all ages, but guests under 17 had to be accompanied by an adult. Advertised as “a hot little cool down saloon”, the Neon Armadillo featured young rising talent in country music! The club was eventually replaced in 1998 with the BET Soundstage Club. Previously featuring a country feel with the Neon Armadillo, the BET Soundstage Club focused on R&B, hiphop, and rap music also offering drinks and Caribbean food! The BET Soundstage Club lasted until Pleasure Island’s closure in 2008.
Comedy Warehouse – Island legend claims this building was originally the Power House. Later becoming a storage facility when Pleasure Island electrified! Six years later becoming home to the Pleasure Island Thespian Players, which was founded by Merriweather’s wife Isabella.
In a similar way to the island legend, Comedy Warehouse turned this storage building once again into a place of theatrical performances! Originally featuring a parody show called “Forbidden Disney”, Comedy Warehouse eventually switched to an improv-style club to keep things fresh due to a large return audience. Comedy Warehouse was a hit with the island guests! This was one of only three original Pleasure Island nightclubs that lasted all the way through the island’s closing day in 2008! Eventually STK Orlando was built on this site.
Image: startourists.com
Mannequins Dance Palace – According to its Pleasure Island plaque, this was the second building errected on the island in 1912. Originally housing Merriweather Pleasure’s famous canvas fabrication works, in the 1930’s this building was converted into a soundstage for Invincible Pictures and eventually into a design studio for various Pleasure projects.
Mannequins was a techno-trance multistory dance club that featured a show-stopping revolving lighted dance floor! Human “mannequins” were arranged around the club and performed live nightly to synchronized music. This club remained a hit up until it’s closure along with Pleasure Island in 2008. Mannequins was another original nightclub that lasted almost 20 years along with the island! This building is now home to the Morimoto Asia restaurant in Disney Springs.
XZRF Rockin’ Rollerdome – Pleasure Island’s legend states this was originally known as Building X. Merriweather was a UFO enthusiast and this building held his experimental “X-Thing”. The “X-Thing” was a super-ambitious aricraft that could harness the power of wind. Designed by Merriweather himself and flown only once, the test flight of the “X-Thing” is cloaked in mystery!
The XZRD Rockin’ Rollerdome was a two story club that featured a dance club on the first floor and a roller rink directly above on the second floor! The club’s DJ was suspended from the ceiling and cast members were also on skates serving drinks to guest. As you can probably imagine, the rollerskating didn’t last long — it was a HUGE liability issue for Disney, I’m sure! In less than a year, XZRD Rockin’ Rollerdome was reincarnated into the Rock N Roll Beach Club. Rock N Roll Beach Club featured live local cover bands until it eventually closed on February 2, 2008, about 7 months before Pleasure Island’s closure. It was replaced by Paridiso 37, a restaurant that is still open in Disney Springs.
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Adventurer’s Club – Island legend states that this building was designed to house the huge personal library and trophy collection of island founder and avid explorer, Merriweather Pleasure. Eventually becoming headquarters of Pleasure’s Adventurer’s Club, his zany band of globe trotting friends! When he vanished at sea in 1941, Pleasure’s club was sealed until it opened again for the first time in 1989.
Adventurer’s Club was not like the others on the island. The Opening Day club featured curios from Merriweather’s world travels. The 1930’s style British-explorers’ club featured a staff of memorable characters that were portrayed by improv actors. No theming touch was spared in this club, which is what made it so iconic to the Pleasure Island guests! There was the Zebra Mezzanine that overlooked the Main Salon. The Main Salon is where, three times a night, the Adventurers Club would induct new members into the club! In the ceremony, members would learn the Club Salute which ended with the official greeting “KUNGALOOSH”! In addition to the Zebra Mezzanine and Main Salon, the Adventurer’s Club also had a Mask Room, a Treasure Room, and the library. The Mask Room and Treasure Room featured curated artifacts from around the globe! The largest room in the club was the Library. In addition to featuring books galore, the Library was also featured the main stage of the club that offered scripted shows and musicals that kept the venue alive! The Adventurer’s Club closed along with Pleasure Island in 2008, despite its continuous popularity among guests.
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Pleasure Island was a star in its own right for almost 20 years. Initially created to keep guests on Disney property, Pleasure Island became a nightlife hotspot for guests and Orlando locals alike! Between the nightly New Years Eve parties and iconic nightclub offerings, Pleasure Island was the place to be for a party any night of the week.
Image: Flickr
So what happened?
Like most things at Disney, as the times change needs change. Walt Disney World Village (an area that went through many name changes such as Downtown Disney and eventually named Disney Springs) went through its changes over the years, eventually adding a West Side to the other side of Pleasure Island offering more experiences for guests. Downtown Disney claimed that their guests were asking for more dining and shopping options, so in 2008 the announcement was made that Pleasure Island and its nightclubs would be closing on September 27, 2008.
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On closing night, Pleasure Island was packed. Some guests even arrived that morning to ensure that they would be granted a spot as a part of this iconic final night on the island! Pleasure Island’s closing night was one to remember, complete with New Year’s Eve fireworks! (This tradition had ended in 2005, but was brought back for this one night.) Despite the successful night, Disney began demolishing buildings and breaking ground on construction the very next day.
Pleasure Island is proof that no matter what the project, Disney puts theming and quality first. Creating a fictional backstory to add another layer of storytelling and quality to an already iconic nightlife scene? How cool is that?!
Since its recent renovations, the all new Disney Springs has been a huge hit! The area that was once known as Pleasure Island is now The Landings. While no one likes change, it was always a part of the plan. Walt Disney promised change in his properties to keep them moving forward and providing new experiences for the guests. While the all new Disney Springs is a great success, it can be fun to look back on where things started on that iconic island.
Looking to learn even more about Pleasure Island? Check out Part 1 and Part 2 of this Pleasure Island History by Defunctland! You can also read all of the Pleasure Island plaque descriptions here!
Which Pleasure Island nightclub would have been your favorite?