Dissin' Downtown Disney

[AnnetteFan]

If I was a tourist I can't say I'd be too fond of being asked to pay an entry fee just to go to a restaurant or a shop, even if it was an insignificant amount, it doesn't seem like it would send the right message to the public.

[Sinewiz]

If I was a tourist I can't say I'd be too fond of being asked to pay an entry fee just to go to a restaurant or a shop, even if it was an insignificant amount, it doesn't seem like it would send the right message to the public.

Possibly not the perfect scenario I'll grant you. Unfortunately the alternative will be more of what we’ve experienced for the last 10 years or so. The dollar amount is certainly debatable but my point being even if it was a dollar many underage local teens would probably balk at paying it which might help decrease the problem. I currently spend somewhere between $3,000 and $4,000 for a family vacation at Disney World, is isn't going to hurt me to pay a couple dollars more to avoid the nightmare that Pleasure Island had become.

[Seasonscraps]

If I was a tourist I can't say I'd be too fond of being asked to pay an entry fee just to go to a restaurant or a shop, even if it was an insignificant amount, it doesn't seem like it would send the right message to the public.

I always considered it admission to the clubs not to the stores/restaurants. Almost every night club I have been to charges a price at the door (as does Jelly Rolls at the Boardwalk). The original PI had live music & the new year's eve party which was also covered by the admission price.

IMO, it's really not much different then being charged admission to Disney Quest which is a high end arcade.

[AnnetteFan]

Oh I totally agree with paying a cover charge at the door to the clubs and what not, I just don't think there should be a cover charge for Downtown Disney in general, it doesn't make much sense to be asked to pay money just so you can go pay money again at a restaurant or shop.

[Tbelle1976]

I to have seen the changes to DD. I guess coming from someone who travels there with 2 children we enjoy DD for the dining and shopping.
I seem to remember when they had the turnstiles and charged an overall coverage fee, and if I remember right it was on the very high end?
Overall, we go to DD when we want a break from the parks and the crowds (although there was no break from crowds even in DD while we were there this past March). I still enjoyed it this past year, and most of my time is spent in World of Disney anyway, lol. ($$$$$)

[Disneyfan1971]

The one and only time I went to Downtown Disney was Planet Hollywood--we waited outside 80 minutes and then another 25 inside...our experience was, well I won't go there..We ended up eating in the bar area but REALLY wanted in the main dining area.

We headed to Pleasure Island and I went into 8 Trax..wasn't that impressed and then Mannequin's..which the revolving dance floor was pretty cool--other than that, meh!!!

Personally I'd like to see more shopping and restaurants...maybe another interactive place like Disneyquest????!!???

[Laughin' place]

[QUOTE=BigRedDad;1775155] The reason is I thought I was smack dab in the middle of a gang initiation based on the number of people there from one local ethnicity, the gang clothes they wore, the way they looked and approached you inside and outside of PI, and the complete unsafe feeling you had while in there.

Would your message have made the EXACT same point if you had omitted the words "from one local ethnicity" ? I think so. Im sorry you felt the need to make a comment like that here, and that no one else seems to mind. I dislike any teenager making WDW (or anywhere else) intimidating or uncomfortable for anyone. Im not sure its grounds for airing prejudices, tho

[MinnieMommie]

I hear you. I actually loved it even more before Pleasure Island, when it had a quiet sort of Disney magic, just a few shops and restaurants, the Empress Lilly floating at the dock, lights twinkling on myriad trees. It was beautiful, like a fairy tale locale. And then, Pleasure Island...

Yes - those were the days. I remember bringing the whole family and my mom to a breakfast buffet at the Empress Lilly and eating at the original Chef Mickey when it was at DD. I used to love the market where we could get great cold cuts and things to bring back to our room. Memories!!

[locutus]

The biggest problem was when Disney quit charging an entrance fee to enter the Pleasure Island. That when all the local teens began hanging out there. It was just way too convenient to hang around the area and listen to the music when you didn’t have to pay a dime to be there. I say treat the entire Disney Downtown area like it's a theme park, or water park. Charge a small fee for entrance to any part of it, not just pleasure Island. Trust me on this Disney, the people that wouldn’t pay a small entrance fee probably won’t be spending anything once they entered anyway. What would happen is, the paying guests would feel more secure and would increase in numbers which would result in more spending on their part. The security aspect of that area has always baffled me. Not once have I ever seen anyone who looked like law enforcement patrolling the area. I would surmise that that’s because Disney doesn’t want to give the appearance that the area is unsafe. In my mind if you charged even an insignificant amount of say $2.00 you would probably eliminate 90% of the local loitering teen crowd which ruined it for the vacation crowd.
I reiterate, it doesn’t make a difference what type of restaurants, shopping, entertainment, music, etc, etc, you put in, unless there is some type of law enforcement patrolling the area, as well as some type of fee to enter, the loitering by underage kids will continue and the vacation crowd will steer clear of what they perceive as an unsafe area for their families.

I agree...to a point. A 2 dollar fee wouldnt keep the teens out in my opinion. I think keeping it the way they used to would have. Charge a 20 dollar entry fee ( hotel guests say 12 dollars) . Have a couple extra security vehicles go thru the parking areas and that would have solved things--in my opinion. But in the end it comes down to $$$. Disney thinks it can make more by renting out the space to individual stores/franchises, than keeping their own clubs and having to pay their own personal to run them. Alcahol is a big money maker so I know they made money. They just want more. And Disney cries the blues about low attendance. Gee...raise ticket prices..eliminate evening activities for adults..yea--im motivated to go back. Been a couple years since going down there (well was the a couple days in OCT. but I wasnt with my wife and kids and didnt go into parks) and im really not missin it. Keep motivating us to come Disney...how bout closing say the Haunted Mansion next and rent out the space to TARGET...LOL.

[Disney_Barbie]

Maybe we're the minority here, but personally, we LOVED PI. I have not issues w/ seeing AMC & Rainforest Cafe poping up in DIsney property, there is a time & a place for the shops/eateries in DTD.
But that being said, we are a young married couple w/ no kids yet. We love to visit WDW, and although we adore the charm of theme parks/shopping/dinners/upscale, mature entertainment like Jellyrolls & Cirque, we also like to get dressed up & go dancing (yes, I know you can dance @ Atantic Dance Hall & Bongos, but I mean like ... the kind of "club" dancing that Motion, ect used to offer.
We (along with many of our friends amoungst our age/taste) enjoy a WDW vacation because it can offer a spectrum of entertainment choices for all ages.
I feel like removing the PI clubs was an open announcement to my generation to (pretty much) get out WDW, and don't come back until you have a child. We love WDW, and hope this doesn't become a trend. but inall truthfullness, if it does we'll most likely take the $ we used to spend annually at a Disney Delux and bring it off property, so we can more easily get the 'best of both worlds' by enjoying the DIsney Parks, but also haveing the opportunity to "act our age"

[WeLuvBuzz]

Perhaps you could charge a $5.00 entry fee per person and the you receive a $5.00 gift card (that does not expire so you can use it for more than one trip throughout your visit if you wish) to spend in the shop or restaurant of your choice. I like Downtown Disney the way it is, don't miss PI, and don't go to the westside because I am afraid of the element that at least I have the impression that hangs out there at night. I would prefer it remain free, but as I usually buy something when I am there I would not mind paying if I was getting the money back in food or mdse anyway.

[Roo Girl]

PI has evolved for me. When I was in my early 20s, PI was all about fun & dancing to the big screen videos playing in the area by the DJ booth and just having a grand ol' time. I guess that was when it was a real adults-only night spot and I really appreciated it as that. Now that I'm a bit older but don't have children, I still see that PI could have been fun in that regard BUT I'm leaning more toward the restaurants and shops angle of DTD as a whole. I know the place doesn't NEED more shops but how fun is it to wander around the shops while waiting for your ADR or post-dinner just to work off some of the full factor? I LOVE going through the shops to see what they offer (I'd never buy a Harley but hey, its fun to wander in and look at them!) I think DTD is it's own "attraction" in itself. And honestly, if you do there right now or when PI was booming to have dinner without an ADR you were done- hungry and stuck maybe eating at McDonalds. The place, IMHO, is in need of more nice sit-down eateries. I am sad to see AC go...DH and I only just discovered it. I am very curious to see what DTD 2.0 will look like. I trust that Disney knows what it's doing and will present us with something wonderful. I can't wait to see what's new there when we go on Jan 22.

[ASweetLov]

my fiance and i arent "party people", so seeing the clubs in PI go doesn't really affect us. I actually prefer more restaurants and shops. I love exploring stores and window shopping. I can't wait to see what is new next time we visit and we are already planning on going to the T-Rex Cafe when we are there. Anyone know what other restaurants and shops will be new?

[MickeyChick]

I'll just miss The Adventurers' Club on my next visit. Otherwise I don't really care about PI or DTD very much.

[JPL]

A good example was MGM -- when Universal announced, Disney put a big rush to be the first. It was so poorly designed that MGM opened with just two rides and a poorly designed people-flow. [/I]

Actually the design of the way people flow through was intentional and well planned for a working studio. Actually you can still some of the old gates designed to close off areas of the park when production would be taking place in that area.

Isn't it possible that Disney was already having problms, moneywise, in PI which is why they made the open gate policy in the first place?

Actually you still paid the cover to enter the clubs but they opened the gated entrance ways hoping it would create more traffic flow to the Westside. The placement of the Westside was the real design flaw since there was not a good connection with thte Marketplace area. Unfortunately PI was stuck in the middle and closed off. The places that were losing money were the businesses on the Westside but I think what Disney missed and the big mistake they made was thinking that the problems at the Westside were caused by PI blocking the way and not the stores and offering that were there.

[Cinderelley]

I'm rather curious about these comments about the "riff-raff" that was seen at DTD. My friends and I (3 females altogether) were at PI just last September and did not see anything threatening. Yes, we saw teens with their pants hanging off their behinds and other assorted ways of dressing that I would not prefer. This does not make someone bad, just like the way we dress today doesn't make us bad even though our forefathers probably roll over in their graves every time a new style comes along. For those who think PI was unsafe, what will you do when those teenagers grow up and can pay their way into the parks? Are people just judging a book by its cover or were the police getting involved frequently? For those who saw things that shouldn't be done like underage drinking, did you get involved? Are you sure it was underage drinking? I was still being carded when I was 28 years old because I looked younger than 21.