There are a lot of rumours going around at the moment about a revamp of The Pleasure Island section of Downtown Disney.
Whether or not this is just hopeful speculation, we are not 100% sure yet. You obviously can’t assume until the official press release, but bare in mind the Hyperion Wharf project that seemed to disappear without a trace. The only aspect of that project that was fulfilled was the Splitsville bowling complex.
Disney Springs would consist of 6 new areas
- The Gateway – Main entrance into ‘Disney Springs’. Will also feature a 5 story parking garage.
- The Town Center – This area will feature many new and unique shops.
- The Springs – This will be a tranquil area along the water near where Pleasure Island currently resides.
- The Landing – This would be where Pleasure Island is now. The area would feature lots of new restaurants, bars, retail shops, and an amphitheater on the water next to Paradiso 37.
- The Westside – Most of the area would remain the same. Planet Hollywood would be changed into a place called ‘The Observatory’ and Starbucks will replace the Wetzel’s Pretzels.
- The Market Place – The only real change here would be the bus pick up and drop off area being turned into 2 new retail buildings and a bridge connecting to Saratoga Springs.
We all know that Disney were never really happy with this middle section of the the district. Anyone could easily set up some plans like this over a google maps image. True! But combine this with a permit that was issued to improve the stormwater drainage / major ground works.
Then on top of this a further rumour of Disney chefs testing out recipes for a new Tex Mex style restaurant to apparently replace Pollo Campero!! Yikes. This is either the biggest most elaborate hoax or could all these pieces of the puzzle be coming together. The new overlaid plan does remove the Pollo Campero building. The concept of a 5 storey parking garage does solve a major issue at peak times (even though it will be unsightly and the only multi story Disney have on Walt Disney World Resort.)
At the moment we can’t speculate any further, but we do agree on one thing. Something needs to be resolved quickly. Pleasure Island is just a gap in a shopping district that could and should be so much more.