Hyperion Wharf is... CANCELLED!!!

[DizneyFreak2002]

Save Pleasure island blog has an article up yesterday saying Disney has cancelled Hyperion Wharf, or as I liked to called it, Hyperion Whiff...

I, for one, am glad it is cancelled as this was a giant whiff... But then again, I expect nothing less from this management team... Only question is, will they actually plan for something better in Pleasure Island???

[DizneyRox]

Kind of explains the lack of activity happening over there.

[BrerGnat]

Not surprising.

Maybe they listen to the WDW fan community after all.

I don't recall many of us jumping for joy over this project.

[DizneyFreak2002]

Not surprising.

Maybe they listen to the WDW fan community after all.

I don't recall many of us jumping for joy over this project.

Funny thing is, their excuse: too much like BoardWalk and the vendors and restaurants were complaining...

The only ones who cheered Hyperion Wharf were, well, read my posts in the xPass thread and you'll see who I mean... :)

[Mfarquar]

This is great news! They definitely need more nighttime entertainment down there. Something for the adults, even if it's self-contained, IMO. Raglan Road is cool, but not super unique to what is available at home on the weekends. Would LOVE something new and innovative.

[ronandjulie]

This is great news! They definitely need more nighttime entertainment down there. Something for the adults, even if it's self-contained, IMO. Raglan Road is cool, but not super unique to what is available at home on the weekends. Would LOVE something new and innovative.

They already had a self-contained place with nighttime entertainment. It was called Pleasure Island. It worked, then it failed. I highly doubt they will do it again.

[Polynesian Dweller]

Not exactly official announcement on that site just 'sources tell us'. Given the bias of that site and the number of times they've reported the AC returning I'll wait for an official announcement. Read the statement on that site and you can see its still just speculation right now.

[DizneyFreak2002]

They already had a self-contained place with nighttime entertainment. It was called Pleasure Island. It worked, then it failed. I highly doubt they will do it again.

it failed because TDO wanted it to fail... They wanted out of the night life entertainment business... They also thought they would do better charging triple the rent prices and getting 3rd party vendors.. Talk about fail.. LOL...

[DizneyFreak2002]

Not exactly official announcement on that site just 'sources tell us'. Given the bias of that site and the number of times they've reported the AC returning I'll wait for an official announcement. Read the statement on that site and you can see its still just speculation right now.

All construction/demolition planned for Hyperion Whiff has been stopped... Tom Staggs himself has even said they are working on new plans for Pleasure Island, and not once did he refer to it as Hyperion Wharf... I think it is safe to assume it is DOA...

[Mfarquar]

They already had a self-contained place with nighttime entertainment. It was called Pleasure Island. It worked, then it failed. I highly doubt they will do it again.

Perhaps I should have used a term clearer or more specific than "self-contained". By "self-contained" I meant another nightime entertainment venue. Not necessarily an entire complex comprised of multiple attractions only for adults.

Disney has other self-contained venues onsite, such as the Atlantic Dance Hall, Jelly Rolls, singular bars at every one of their hotels (some more elaborate than others) and the aforementioned Raglan Road.

As an adult couple under 35 without kids, the Disney offerings are less than appealing. If the parks close early during the off-season when we frequently busy, there's little for us to do. Now we go to City Walk.

Also, totally agree with DisneyFreak2002 - they wanted it to fail. They wanted to reduce overhead and any PR issues. They thought stores will be a safe bed with a maximum return. Their self-owned/run clubs included expensive talent. It was the cheaper way to go, assuming the stores brought in could stay in business. We all saw how that worked out..

[DizneyFreak2002]

Perhaps I should have used a term clearer or more specific than "self-contained". By "self-contained" I meant another nightime entertainment venue. Not necessarily an entire complex comprised of multiple attractions only for adults.

Disney has other self-contained venues onsite, such as the Atlantic Dance Hall, Jelly Rolls, singular bars at every one of their hotels (some more elaborate than others) and the aforementioned Raglan Road.

As an adult couple under 35 without kids, the Disney offerings are less than appealing. If the parks close early during the off-season when we frequently busy, there's little for us to do. Now we go to City Walk.

Also, totally agree with DisneyFreak2002 - they wanted it to fail. They wanted to reduce overhead and any PR issues. They thought stores will be a safe bed with a maximum return. Their self-owned/run clubs included expensive talent. It was the cheaper way to go, assuming the stores brought in could stay in business. We all saw how that worked out..

I believe that was what they wanted Flamingo Crossing (I think that was the name of it) to be... That waste of cleared out space over by Coronado that is another major failure on Disney's part... again, relying on third parties and it tanked... Now, there is nothing... And no plans....

[Polynesian Dweller]

All construction/demolition planned for Hyperion Whiff has been stopped... Tom Staggs himself has even said they are working on new plans for Pleasure Island, and not once did he refer to it as Hyperion Wharf... I think it is safe to assume it is DOA...

Yeah, I know that. It's just I don't take that Saving... site and it's comments as proof positive.I too think its dead as initially described but Staggs comments made me think that the area is going to be redeveloped not returned to anything like its previous statu.

[minnie-mouse]

That' s a bummer. I was looking forward to something new over there.

[goofygirl67]

As long as they don't keep trying to make it a strip mall. I now just walk around PI, there is nothing for me to go to anymore.

[Fastpasssteve]

I remember when all the clubs were going at full tilt. Fun energy and lots of music.

I guess it's just a little sad now. Perhaps it might have been more successful and less frightening for Disney if Pleasure Island hadn't been in between the shopping district and the end where Cirque de Soleil is. Parents with kids had to pass through PI to get to the other side.

[SurferStitch]

I remember when all the clubs were going at full tilt. Fun energy and lots of music.

I guess it's just a little sad now. Perhaps it might have been more successful and less frightening for Disney if Pleasure Island hadn't been in between the shopping district and the end where Cirque de Soleil is. Parents with kids had to pass through PI to get to the other side.

Just bring back the Adventurer's Club and be done with it!!!

Actually, when PI was in its hayday, you couldn't just pass through to get from Marketplace to West Side. You had to pay to just get in the gate to PI. That's when PI was at its best. It was very simple to just take the walkway along the outside of PI to get across.

[Poohluv85]

Just bring back the Adventurer's Club and be done with it!!!


Ditto!!!! Kungaloosh!!

[sagitarius]

Just bring back the Adventurer's Club and be done with it!!!


Agreed!!
Kungaloosh!!!!!

[MrPeetrie]

I'm sorry to sound ignorant, but we haven't been there since 2001. Is Pleasure Island closed? What is Hyperion Wharf? Was that going to be the new name of Pleasure Island?

When we were last there, they had a dance club (with a rotating floor) that was one of the nation's best-rated dance clubs. Is that gone? Is the comedy club gone?

Wow! You have kids and you miss everything!

[Scar]

Is Pleasure Island closed? What is Hyperion Wharf? Was that going to be the new name of Pleasure Island?Pleasure Island is, for all intents and purposes, closed. there are still some stores, but no clubs. Hyperion Wharf was supposed to be the new Pleasure Island, with just more stores and restaurants. Hopefully the lack of activity will convince Disney to do something great with this real estate, but I'm not holding my breath.

[MrPeetrie]

Ok. Thanks.

[BrerSchultzy]

Honestly, my hunch is that they won't be doing anything. I don't think they've "gone back to the drawing board"... I think they just don't care enough.
I'm a little surprised they haven't crammed a medieval times or something there...that seems more like what this group of management types want.

[LudwigVonDrake]

They should go back to the way it was but that's not happening. It's a ghost town when you walk through there. Hopefully someday soon Disney will come up with a feasible plan and put the area to good use.

[snowdog63]

We were there in November of 2010,and it didn't do anything for me. One cast member told me it was to be more "family friendly". I sent a nasty gram to someone at Disney about this and told them they made a mistake. They just sent all their business down the road to City Walk. Everything at Disney is family friendly,most of us adults liked it the way it was. My wife and I celebrated our honeymoon there in '05,got to set off the fireworks,went to the Adventurerers Club,hung out at 8 trax. Maybe they woke up and smelled the coffee. I won't hold my breath.

[DisneyOtaku]

Now that I'm older, I'm very sad that the clubs are gone :( I had heard that they wanted to make the area more kid friendly and kick out some of the trouble makers that hung out there (how much trouble, or if there was any, I don't know). Couldn't they keep the comedy clubs and open up some dance clubs that were....I don't know? Less "troublesome?" Though I never thought the other ones were troublesome in the first place...

[BrerSchultzy]

Now that I'm older, I'm very sad that the clubs are gone :( I had heard that they wanted to make the area more kid friendly and kick out some of the trouble makers that hung out there (how much trouble, or if there was any, I don't know). Couldn't they keep the comedy clubs and open up some dance clubs that were....I don't know? Less "troublesome?" Though I never thought the other ones were troublesome in the first place...

Back to the OPs point of TDO wanting it to fail....I always found it suspicious that if something criminal happened in the parks or resorts, it would be hushed up. But if something happened at PI, it always seemed to make the news. I was in WDW when someone tried to rob one of the All-Star resorts, and there was nothing on the news. But some kid mugs somebody on PI, and it's national news. I never felt comfortable about that, and thinking that TDO wanted PI to fail just helps all that make sense.

[MyPastelHeart]

Well that's disappointing news for some of us :(

[sportsguy2315]

Now that I'm older, I'm very sad that the clubs are gone :( I had heard that they wanted to make the area more kid friendly and kick out some of the trouble makers that hung out there (how much trouble, or if there was any, I don't know). Couldn't they keep the comedy clubs and open up some dance clubs that were....I don't know? Less "troublesome?" Though I never thought the other ones were troublesome in the first place...

Or just have an improv place that's family friendly. I'd go to that. I think the challenge (bad economy aside) is that TDO wants to make DTD as family friendly as possible. I'd suggest maybe a family friendly improv club, but a step up from Monsters Inc.?

[valjane]

Or just have an improv place that's family friendly. I'd go to that. I think the challenge (bad economy aside) is that TDO wants to make DTD as family friendly as possible. I'd suggest maybe a family friendly improv club, but a step up from Monsters Inc.?

I think finding a market for something like that would be difficult. If it's too kid-friendly, then 1) people without kids won't go, and 2) people with kids won't drink. I'm not sure that it would be a big money-maker for Disney.

[Crow]

well they messed up here obviously.
ill be there next wk, but PI is just something to walk thru on the way to the other side.

[DizneyFreak2002]

Back to the OPs point of TDO wanting it to fail....I always found it suspicious that if something criminal happened in the parks or resorts, it would be hushed up. But if something happened at PI, it always seemed to make the news. I was in WDW when someone tried to rob one of the All-Star resorts, and there was nothing on the news. But some kid mugs somebody on PI, and it's national news. I never felt comfortable about that, and thinking that TDO wanted PI to fail just helps all that make sense.

Any kind of criminal activity isn't why they wanted it to fail though... There is more criminal activity elsewhere on property... TDO only saw dollar signs... They figured they can get out of the club/restaurant business at DTD and rent out to 3rd party businesses... Then the economy tanked... If the economy didn't tank, who knows how PI would look today... But, the economy did tank and TDO was left holding their brains, er, backsides (which is where their brains are I think)... Management should NEVER be caught off guard by a down economy... One rule of management: PLAN FOR ECONOMIC CYCLES CAUSE THEY HAPPEN LIKE DEATH AND TAXES (unless you are co-founder of Facebook then flee the U.S. and never pay a dime in taxes)... They had no plan... Now, they have a falilure on their hands while CityWalk thrives...

[Crow]

yes poor planning there and no plan B...plan B go back to how it was...

[kageese]

Maybe if the focus is more on the actual MUSIC and ENTERTAINMENT. Maybe a concept very similar to the Pleasure Island theme, but updated for today.

First thing I think of is Nashville and all the bars they have for performers and starting out performers. New performers (low-key) performing in some of the venues during the day--while also offering lunch and early dinner while you watch. So you can have some activity during the day.

You could have themes for different genres of music and maybe contests similar to The Voice and those types of shows. Also add Comedy, Improv, Magic & Dance ("Shake It Up")?

OR maybe pick an entertainment/music favorite from different cities. Like a Music "Epcot". Also try to get in a big headliner here and there.

I think the "flow" of Pleasure Island was bad--they'd have to improve on that. I also remember liking the headline stage and having New Year's Eve celebration at night.

I'm not a drinker, so my focus is never really on the alcohol -- sorry! Maybe split up the week and have certain nights more family oriented--all the Disney show kids sing and perform now--you could highlight their talent and bring in crowds and cross-promote like Disney loves to do.