By Jackie and Matt Roseboom

A brand new Holiday Inn recently opened on Disney property. The 14-story, 323-room hotel, located near Downtown Disney on Hotel Plaza Boulevard, opened in the spot formerly occupied by a Marriott Courtyard.

The Courtyard closed about five years ago after it sustained damage during a bad hurricane season. The hurricanes virtually demolished everything. Just about everything except the basic structure is new. The new hotel has a posh new look sure to please seasoned travelers. Fun design elements provide a warm and inviting feel.

“There is no more exhilarating feeling than opening a family-friendly Holiday Inn resort, on Disney property and hiring more than 100 employees to welcome our community and guests,” said Tony Johnson, regional vice president of operations and general manager of the 323-room hotel.

Disney Advantage
Because of its location on Disney property, the hotel is able to offer a host of privileges, such as complimentary transportation to all the Disney parks, guaranteed access and preferred tee times at Disney golf courses, advance reservations at Disney restaurants and free delivery of Disney attraction purchases to the hotel. An on-site Disney retail store will be opening this summer.

Rooms
Relaxing and contemporary, the guest rooms were designed with a soft color palette and outfitted with a 32-inch HD television, white bedding with pillows that come in two comfort levels: “soft” and “firm,” complimentary wired Internet access, a coffeemaker and an electronic safe that accommodates laptops up to 17 inches. Every double room features two queen beds, rather than two double beds. The double queen rooms come with a bath/shower combo. Each king room includes a sleeper oversized chair and a walk-in shower or bath/shower combo. Many of the rooms have balconies – some with a pool view, some overlooking I-4 and some with a view of Downtown Disney.

Dining
The new modern feel of the hotel extends to the dining as well. Fusion cuisine is a nice change from the old greasy spoons from Holiday Inns of the past. The Palm Breezes Restaurant offers all three meals. Kids 12 and younger eat free at all Holiday Inns when ordering from the kids’ menu in the hotel restaurant and accompanied by a dining adult. There’s also a “grab and go” location for quick snacks. A pool-side restaurant is also in the works. There are a lot of nice small touches in the hotel, such as purse/bag hooks under the hotel bar.

Amenities
Along with the Disney advantages, the hotel features a state-of-the-art fitness room, a jogging and exercise path, a zero-entry heated swimming and connected lap pool, a hot tub and sun deck and a game room. There’s no kids room, but an off-property company can come to the hotel to provide babysitting if needed. The front desk can help make the arrangements. The business center and lobby areas provide free wi-fi. There are also party and meeting rooms for wedding receptions, business meetings and the like.

The average price for a night’s stay is around $120, but can go up or down depending on the season. One nice perk is there are no “resort fees” added onto the room price. But they do plan on adding a $10 per day parking fee in the near future. Valet parking is also available.

The Holiday Inn is located at 1805 Hotel Plaza Blvd. For more information, or reservations, visit hiorlando.com or call 407-828-8888.

Downtown Disney will welcome several additions in the coming months. Look for two new stores, a quick-service restaurant and 3D technology at the AMC Pleasure Island 24 movie theater.

“We’re excited to build upon our existing portfolio of unique offerings and are committed to bringing guests even more interactive experiences,” said Downtown Disney Vice President Keith Bradford. “These new diverse venues are perfectly in sync with Downtown Disney and reflect the feedback we have received from our guests.”

After its success at the Downtown Disney at Disneyland in California, RIDEMAKERZ will open on the West Side for a limited engagement. The store will integrate full-sized cars and a supercharged interactive experience that lets guests build, customize and trick out their very own radio-controlled vehicles. Kids of all ages will be able to satisfy their need for speed with more than 649 million ways to create a mean machine. RIDEMAKERZ will open March 25 through fall 2010.

D Street, a new apparel store where urban inspired product “intersects” with a Disney creative edge will also open on the West Side in the former Planet Hollywood On Location space. The store will showcase a mix of products for both men and women. Building on the existing popularity of Trend-D at the Marketplace, D-Street will include edgy apparel, pop culture novelties, Vinylmation figures and collectibles, artwork, handbags, accessories, jewelry and more. Opening in April, the store will feature a raw, unfinished industrial look and provide a great venue to showcase Disney art created by local artists.

AMC Entertainment is currently upgrading an auditorium one to be the first Enhanced Theater Experience (ETX) in the United States. The ETX auditorium will include a 20 percent larger, floor-to-ceiling screen, 3D technology, 12 channel audio and digital projection that delivers higher resolution that HD. AMC will debut the ETX auditorium in time for the premier of Alice in Wonderland in 3D on March 5.

Opening this fall at Downtown Disney’s Marketplace, will be an international Latin chicken quick-service restaurant – Pollo Campero. This new restaurant concept will offer Disney guests savory combinations of freshly prepared Campero Latin chicken, flavorful side dishes such as yuca fries and sweet plantains, and Latin drinks including horchata and tamarindo. For the more nutritious minded, they will offer chef-prepared salads, sandwiches and wraps, as well as sugar-free, gluten-free, low sodium, and organic offerings.

Pollo Campero will replace the Downtown Disney McDonald’s restaurant. It is set to close on April 30.

Editor’s Note: We print Letters to the Editor in our print version, but that allows us only limited space. So from time to time, when we receive letters that are too long and have too much information to edit down, we’ll be posting them here as guest editorials. These letters are the opinions of the authors. We always welcome your photos and letters, short and long. Submit yours Here.

By Chris J. Beale

I recently found myself at Downtown Disney’s West Side for a concert at House of Blues. At the end of the night I decided to take a walk down memory lane. When I was 17 to 18 years old I worked for Pleasure Island Outdoor Foods. It’s been some time since I’ve returned to the island where I spent so much time as a youth making a small living, learning about alcohol and trying to sneak into Mannequins, so I thought a stroll through the (now closed) island would be fun.

Pleasure Island in its heyday consisted of seven nightclubs on a massive island. You would pay an admission price (often near $20) and gain access to all of the clubs, the party atmosphere of the island itself and an “every night is New Years Eve” show on the West End Stage.

When you approached Pleasure Island from the Marketplace side of Downtown Disney you would purchase a ticket at one of the two train car ticket booths (renovated from the former Fort Wilderness railroad) and proceed across the bridge to the turnstiles where you would find yourself in the shadow of the behemoth Mannequins Dance Palace.

Mannequins was a gigantic state of the art nightclub complete with a round spinning dance floor and multiple levels of tables, sofas and various places to congregate with friends, or look for love on a night out. The building now sits empty with its marquee still towering over the street.

Walk straight ahead and you would pass the P.I. Live “radio station” where DJs hosted a nightly street party in front of the Hub Stage. Several times a night the Pleasure Island dancers would hit the stage and perform to high energy dance and pop music. The stage is now a gaping hole complete with boat dock. The dock lies at the end of a sidewalk that separates the new Paradiso 37 restaurant, and the former Rock n’ Roll Beach Club.

Rock n’ Roll Beach Club was a favorite among locals. You could catch a live band playing covers practically every night and goofy DJs playing rock n’ roll hits in between sets. Right next door was Motion (its final of many identities), a club that catered to a younger crowd and played primarily top 40 hits. It’s now completely inaccessible thanks to a “wall” of bushes placed in front of the entrance.

Walking up the crowded street you would begin to hear songs you remembered from the ’70s and ’80s pumping out the painted double doors that lead to 8Trax. Like an escape into an Austin Powers movie, this club did the disco era right all the way down to the mirror balls, fog machines and lighted block flooring. The building is still painted in bright disco hues but the trademark “8Trax” sign is now painted over and the club sits vacant.

Across the street is a curious looking building that almost dared you to come in and check it out. The Adventurers Club was themed to resemble a 1930s style British explorers club complete with talking artifacts on the walls and a cast of improv actors portraying a wild group of characters that seemed to get more hilarious every night. The building is still standing with its Adventurers Club flag flying high. The arched stone sign still marks the entrance of another one-of a-kind Disney experience reduced to a festering empty building.

On a busy night you would often find yourself at The West End Stage (topped by a giant neon Jessica Rabbit) at midnight for the New Year’s Eve countdown show and fireworks, or catching Frankie and the West End Boys blasting some of your favorite songs in full concert sound. However, the West End Stage is no more. Instead, all that remains is a pedestrian bridge to Downtown Disney’s West Side.

After that you might be off for a night of dancing in the hottest in hip-hop and R&B at the BET Soundstage Club. Originally the Neon Armadillo (1989-1998), catering to a country crowd, the BET Soundstage Club became a staple in the local hip-hop community. The building still says “Soundstage Club” but obvious scars remain from where BET removed their logos from the signs. No doubt in hopes that their name would not sit on the outside of a dilapidated building for years to come.

I’ve saved my personal favorite club for last because it was often my last stop after a night of partying with friends at Pleasure Island. Comedy Warehouse was the best improv comedy club in Orlando. A troupe of very talented improv comedians hosted the show several times nightly and you never got the same show twice. It was the Orlando equivalent of having “Whose line is it anyway?” every night at Pleasure Island, and the 12:05 a.m. show was always (in my opinion) the most entertaining. The building now sits empty with cafe tables and another “wall” of bushes completely obstructing the view of the door to one of the coolest places on Disney property.

Several of the cast of the Comedy Warehouse are still working at Walt Disney World. The pianist from the show is working at the Rose & Crown at Epcot’s UK pavilion, and several of the actors and actresses perform daily in Epcot’s Innoventions West at SlapStick Studios, or as one cast member refers to it, “The Velcro Show.”

The Walt Disney Company announced in June of 2008, that it would close the doors of the beloved nightspots for the last time on Sept. 27, 2008, to make room for more “family friendly experiences” in the form of more shops and restaurants.

As a child I remember Disney being the masters of closing an attraction and making it completely disappear so that it all looked like a purposeful “part of the show.” In my walk through Pleasure Island, I saw a place that has become nothing more than a waste of acreage and a very visible example of a poor decision to close an iconic part of Walt Disney World.

Pleasure Island was one of, if not the most popular nightspot in Central Florida from 1989 to 2008. It showed that Disney had a side that didn’t take itself too seriously to have a good time. It’s almost haunting to remember the complex that is now a hollow shell of its former glory. The nights of dancing until 2 a.m. with friends and family, “cast member night” on Thursdays and knowing that you could go to Pleasure Island any night of the year, wipe the slate clean, and countdown to a new year all over again.

As I exited a nearly empty Pleasure Island at 11:30 p.m. I saw a sign that proclaimed, “It just gets better!” I found myself thinking, “Really? When?” The closure of Pleasure Island to make room for more “family friendly” money making opportunities marked the end of an era at Walt Disney World; an era where the adults were part of the “family” too.

Video from June 2008:

The Orlando Sentinel is reporting that the McDonald’s at Downtown Disney will be closing on April 30.

From the Orlando Sentinel:

Representatives for Disney World and McDonald’s said the exit stems from a 2004 decision to end a 10-year exclusive sponsorship agreement between McDonald’s Corp. and Walt Disney Co. The Downtown Disney restaurant was included in that agreement.

“Our alliance partners are ever-changing and this shift in our relationship with McDonald’s reflects the dynamic nature of the sponsorship business,” Disney spokeswoman Zoraya Suarez said.

McDonald’s said all of its employees at the Downtown Disney were offered transfers to other McDonald’s locations and that no one would lose their job as a result of the closure.

McDonald’s will continue to operate its restaurant near the entrance to the Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park.

A restaurant called Pollo Campero will be opening in its place.

From the Orlando Sentinel:

Pollo Campero, an international Latin chicken quick-service restaurant chain, has partnered with Levy Campero to deliver a new restaurant concept in Downtown Disney Marketplace at Walt Disney World Resort. The restaurant, which is scheduled to open in late 2010, will feature Pollo Campero’s signature Latin cusine, as well as fresh, and healthful foods. Menu items will include Latin chicken, yuca fries, sweet plantains, and Latin drinks including horchata and tamarindo.

Planet Hollywood has closed one of their retail stores at Downtown Disney. The Planet Hollywood On Location store in Downtown Disney’s West Side is closed as of today.

The store was located next to the recently opened LittleMissmatched store. Even though it was their largest store in Disney World, they’re still selling Planet Hollywood merchandise at their store inside their restaurant and just outside of the restaurant at Downtown Disney. They also have a store on Sunset Boulevard in Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

There’s no word yet on what will open in the now empty storefront.

Anthony Gatto comes to La Nouba from the tour of KOOZA by Cirque du Soleil and holds 11 world records in juggling. In the nine-minute act Gatto will juggle balls, hoops and clubs in unprecedented numbers at amazing speed.

Gatto joins the ranks of professional athletes, dancers, vocalists, musicians and comedic performers in the cast of 67 artists in La Nouba.

“Anthony is a true showman and we are pleased to have him join the dedicated and talented cast of La Nouba. The juggling act is fast-paced and will add to the energy on stage,” said Company Manager Neil Boyd. “This act is an amazing new addition for our fans that come to see the show year after year.”

The new act is entitled “cinq-a-sept” which means “five-to-seven,” generally known as “happy hour.” This fits well with the meaning of La Nouba – “to party” or “live it up.”

This new act replaces the chair balancing act in the show.

Last week we told you about a new hand art vendor that opened in one of the stands at the Downtown Disney Marketplace. We also mentioned that a wood carving store had closed down, with its stand remaining empty. Well it’s no longer empty.

Lefty’s has opened in a stand near the lake, just down from Pooh Corner. They sell items made specifically for left-handed people – things such as scissors, notebooks and other items.

The store is owned by the same company that owns Magnetron (magnet store) in Downtown Disney West Side. Before they moved into their new stand, they had a wall of left-handed merchandise in Magnetron. Those of you who have visited San Francisco may have visited their other store on Pier 39.

A new vendor has opened up in the Downtown Disney Marketplace. Located near Disney’s Pin Traders, Hand Art Memories lets customers place their handprint on paper, then an artist transforms the handprint into a picture. For example, your fingers may turn into a pirate’s beard or a princess dress, but they don’t offer official Disney characters.

They have set designs to choose from but the artist can also customize your picture. They offer holiday designs such as Santa Claus and reindeer. They’ll have special designs for other holidays as well. The new business is run by Enjoy Your Face, the same company that runs the face painting booths in most of the Orlando area theme parks.

Hand Art Memories replaces a vendor that was selling angel art. Another long-time Marketplace business that offered wood carvings has also closed down. No other vendor has replaced their location yet.

The NFFC (National Fantasy Fan Club) is holding their All Disneyana Show and Sale from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. this Saturday, Dec. 12, 2009. The Regal Sun Resort will become the place to be for Disneyana collectors, autograph seekers, and the just plain Disney crazed, as Disneyana memorabilia vendors and dealers from all over the country exhibit their wares along with several well known authors signing their Disney related books.

We’ll be manning a table and should have the newest issue (Winter 2010), as well as back issues for sale. Come by and be one of the first to read the newest issue. We’ll also be giving away some free postcards featuring stylized versions of our covers. Stop by and say hello. We hope to see you there.

Entry costs $5, but if you have a copy of our Fall 2009 issue, you’ll find a $1 off coupon on page 7.

The Regal Sun Resort (formerly the Grovenor Resort) is at 1850 Hotel Plaza Boulevard, beside Downtown Disney. Those attending the NFFC Holiday Extravaganza can get in early at 9 a.m. NFFC members can get in at 9:30. The general public will be allowed in at 10 a.m.

The 34th annual Festival of the Masters was held this past weekend at Downtown Disney. The West Side featured more than 150 award-winning artists – jewelry artists, painters, photographers, sculptors and more. The Marketplace featured the Central Florida Chalk Artists Association, and family fun could be found all around. Thanks to Bret Roseboom for providing the pictures. Here are a few highlights with the full gallery below.