As you drove west on I-4 at night, they were one of the main signs that you had finally arrived at the edge of Walt Disney World property. Those spotlights that swirled in the skies over Pleasure Island.
Photo by Jeff Lange
Well, late last week, PI’s signature light system went dark. Why For? Because WDW Property Control put this nighttime entertainment district’s eight Sky Trackers up for bid. According to documents that JHM received this past weekend, Disney was hoping to get a minimum of $16,500 for the Island’s four 4,000 watt units & the four 2,000 watt units.
With Disney suddenly selling off Pleasure Island’s Sky Trackers … Well, this made the Island’s staff (Who were already spooked in the wake of the abrupt closing of Rock ‘N’ Roll Beach Club back in February) even more nervous. Which is why — when WDW Property Control began stripping speakers & stage lights out of “Motions” — rumors began to fly that this PI dance club would be the next to close.
Well, in this particular instance, that wasn’t actually the case. The real reason that all this older audio & lighting equipment was being removed from “Motions” was so that it could then be replaced by newer speakers & stage lights that Pleasure Island’s tech department had just harvested out of the now-empty Rock ‘n’ Roll Beach Club. So — truth be told — this is actually a cost-effective effort at upgrading “Motions” ‘s facilities. Rather than a deliberate attempt by Disney to undermine the popularity of this PI dance club.
That said, the people who work on Pleasure Island are still extremely nervous these days. They seem to see signs of gloom & doom wherever they look. Take — for instance — this week’s contract renewal talks with all of the DJs that work on the Island. If those talks don’t go well … Well, what does that mean for the future of PI’s dance clubs?
Photo by Jeff Lange
Speaking of the future of PI’s dance clubs … One of the more intriguing rumors currently making the rounds on the Island suggests that “Mannequins Dance Palace” & “8 Trax” could soon be closing.
“And why would Disney do something like that?,” you ask. So that the Mouse can then knock down the walls that currently separate “Mannequins” & “8 Trax.” Thus creating a single super-sized club which could then be used to service all of the Pleasure Island visitors who were looking for a place on property to go dancing.
And since operating one large dance club would obviously be a whole lot cheaper to do than having to staff two smaller venues … Well, that just plugs into with PI’s new contain-costs-at-all-costs operating philosophy.
But this continual cost cutting does have a pretty hefty price tag. At least when it comes to the people who actually work on Pleasure Island. From what I hear, morale at PI is now at an all-time low. Which is why many of the cast members who staff the Comedy Warehouse, the BET Soundstage Club and the Adventurers Club are wondering aloud if they should start looking for new gigs elsewhere.
After all, if Disney’s just unplugged Pleasure Island’s signature outdoor spotlight system (Which used to help Orlando visitors find Downtown Disney’s nighttime entertainment district) … How long can it be ’til the rest of the Island go dark?
Your thoughts?