Disney Springs and Pleasure Island

Highly successful, Disney's Springs is continuing to lead the transformation of the entire area around it. Change is constant. Bongo's Cuban restaurant is one of the last pieces of what was The West Side. Back in the day, it was Pleasure Island and the Disney Village. Both were both smartly done and hit two very different audiences.

No, it wasn't just the theme parks that were given the Imagineers touch. Bringing some nightlife to Walt Disney World was also one of their tasks. Just think about the amazing, excellent Adventurer's Club! That's got their hand all over it. (Boy, I miss it!)

Do you want to see more Pleasure Island in its heyday? Go to this post for some great vintage photos taken right after the grand opening- including my favorite, a larger than life, leg swinging Jessica Rabbit. 

Look for more Pleasure Island posts on the blog. You'll be surprised what you find around here...

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Friday Night Special: At Pleasure Island

Here's my first offering for something new on the blog. A Friday Night Special. This time it's a piece of concept art for the great adult entertainment area. It's beautiful when enlarged.

The Imagineers did an incredible job bringing some nightlife to Walt Disney World. Now, the Comedy Warehouse only shows up at Disney's Hollywood Studios at Christmas, and the excellent Adventurer's Club is a relic from the past. Boy, it was something back then! 

Want more Pleasure Island? Go to this post for some great vintage photos taken right after the grand opening- including a large, leg swinging Jessica Rabbit. 

Times change, and we all have new places for some fun. Just remember to keep it in check- we don't want to end up like those bad boys in Pinocchio! 

Do search for more Pleasure Island posts on the blog. You'll be surprised what you find around here...

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Pleasure Island's Day in the Sun

Much has already been written about the closing of Pleasure Island, so I offer a photo tribute instead to this once fun and vibrant adult playground. All photos were taken by me in 1989, a couple of weeks after the grand opening.

First some pictures of the area by day:



Pleasure Island's unofficial "mascot" (below).

And now by night:

The Neon Armadillo, Cowboy bar sign.

The Adventurer's Club, above. Two shots left large. Look at all the wonderful detail Imagineer Joe Rohde put into this British Colonial themed take on a tiki bar.

Mannequins dance club.


Lastly, the Comedy Warehouse. Photos also left large to reveal the park icons around the room. A very fun and family friendly show that takes serious pokes at the Disney company, its parks, and its fans.

(Photographs copyright Mark Taft.)