No More "Clubbing" at Pleasure Island

Walt Disney World made the somewhat shocking decision last week to close all of the clubs at Pleasure Island, the nightclub area of Downtown Disney.

Through an announcement on their website, they announced that "by September 28, 2008, all of the nightclubs on Pleasure Island will close. It will be last call for the last time at 8 Trax, The Adventurer's Club, Mannequins Dance Palace, BET Sound-Stage Club, Motion and The Comedy Warehouse."

In addition they state that "Downtown Disney will feature an entirely re-imagined Pleasure Island. Based on Guest feedback, the nightclubs will be replaced by an extraordinary mix of dining and shopping - to be announced in the future - that will entertain Guests of all ages."

I for one never visited any of the nightclubs at Pleasure Island.  For some reason, I never felt the need to go clubbing while on vacation at Walt Disney World.

If I want to get in on the club scene, there are much more entertaining clubs in Washington, DC.  Although I must admit, they aren't as clean and I never feel as safe as I do at Walt Disney World.  Mickey Mouse never offered to sell me Ecstasy while at Mannequins!  I can't say the same thing for DC clubs.

Most of the people who read this blog probably aren't disappointed by the closing of the nightclubs.   So, our thoughts have to turn to what they are going to do with the large amount of real estate in this area.

I hope Disney doesn't just simply turn all of the clubs into themed restaurants like the "Rainforest Cafe."  Sure, those places are fun, but I'd like to have more entertainment choices at Downtown Disney. 

With the rumors of DisneyQuest being shut down, what will there be for those of us who don't want to shop and eat?

I guess we'll start to find out in October!

Talk more about this in the CoasterRadio.com Forums.

Trip Report - Hard Rock Park

Coaster Radio.com listener Zero-G recently had a chance to visit the brand new Hard Rock Park in Myrtle Beach, SC.

He filed a detailed trip report, complete with rankings of the roller coasters...including Led Zepplin: The Ride.

You can read the entire thing HERE, in the CoasterRadio.com New Forum Forums.

MINI-GOLF Week - Weekend Theater

To close out MINI-GOLF week here at CoasterRadio.com, we present the Coolest Mini-Golf Hole EVER!

MINI-GOLF Week - Pirates Cove

It takes a lot to get me away from the theme parks when I'm in Orlando.  But I always make sure to visit Pirates Cove Mini Golf, which is located at the Crossroads which is close to Downtown Disney.

Pirates Cove isn't a Disney-owned attraction, but the themeing is right on-par with what The Mouse would do. 

As you play the game, you do into dark caves with buried treasure, you climb mountains with beautiful waterfalls and you learn about the real Pirates of the Caribbean.

I love to play Mini-Golf at night, under the lights.  After a long, hot day at the theme parks, it's good to come to a place like Pirates Cove and cool-off with a fun round of mini-golf.

MINI-GOLF Week - Dragon's Lair

Any Mini-Golf course that features a gigantic dragon breathing fire is sure to get our attention.

Yesterday we told you about Mt. Atlanticus in Myrtle Beach, SC.  Well, here's a second course in that town that merits a visit.

Dragon's Lair Fantasy Golf (located near the boardwalk) gives putters a chance to move through caves and castles before finally coming face to face with the 30 foot dragon.

MINI-GOLF Week - Mt. Atlanticus

The new "Hard Rock Park" isn't the only reason to visit Myrtle Beach, SC.  From what our readers have told us, there is a fantastic mini-golf course there called Mt. Atlanticus that is also worth a visit.

It even has a unique storyline:

"At 2:37 pm, March 29, 1998, a land mass suddenly appeared some two miles out to sea from Myrtle Beach Pavilion. Two days later, the mass had settled itself atop the old Chapin Company department store, two blocks from the ocean… The Mass was a miniature golf resort, some 50,000 years old, which had broken away from the sunken continent of Atlantis and inched its way to the United States over thousands of years."

This course has a lot to offer, including  giant Venus flytraps, ostriches, a fountain of youth, an ice cave and a flesh-eating minotaur.  This course also has players putting on three levels, with sections both indoors and outdoors.

So, when I take a trip to Myrtle Beach to see Hard Rock Park, I'm also adding this unique course to my list!

MINI-GOLF Week - Incredible Hulk Golf

Forget seeing the movie! You can live it with a putter in your hand!

It's MINI GOLF Week here at CR.com!

If you're a longtime listener of Coaster Radio.com, you know that we're all suckers for good theming.

When a park goes out of their way to add theme to a certain ride or attraction, you know that they really care a lot about their product and their guests.

Over the weekend, I found an excellent example of world class theming in a really unexpected place.

Molly and I took a ride out to Herndon, VA to a place called Woody's Golf Range.  I went there because I had heard that they had a really great Mini-Golf  course called "Perils of the Lost Jungle."

The word on the street was that this golf course was inspired by the "Jungle Cruise" at the Disney theme parks.  So once I heard that, I had to give it a shot.

Honestly, I wasn't expecting much.  Outside of Orlando or a beach boardwalk, you don't find many Mini-Golf courses that are worth the price of admission. 

But once we entered the "jungle,"  I was absolutely blown away by the experience.   As we played the 18-hole course, we encountered swinging monkeys, shrunken heads, spitting lizards, hissing gators, dense foliage, foggy caves and a custom made soundtrack for each hole. 

The humor and imagination that went into the design of this course remind me of something that would come out of Disney Imagineering.

I was amazed to find animatronic figures along the way that actually interacted with the putters.

For instance, at the 2nd hole, we encountered Charlie's Trading Post, complete with a proprietor who looked and sounded like Humphrey Bogart.

Later on, we were told to avoid disturbing an alligator's nest.  Of course, once we did, we got attacked by an animatronic alligator who charged at us with ferocious speed and and then spit water at us.

I was floored to learn that most of the animatronic props came from the same company that designed props for Revenge of the Mummy at Universal Studios.

To make things even better, we played the course at night.  The designers had a lighting scheme that made each hole look like a unique Hollywood set.  At once point, we putted and walked through an Aztec temple that even had a trap door that you had to "activate" yourself.

This made me realize that there are probably other great Mini-Golf courses all across America.  So, I'd like to make this week "Mini-Golf Week" here on the blog.

Do you know of a great, highly themed Mini-Golf course that deserves to be praised?  Head to our forum and let us know!

Former CR.com Guest on Fox News Channel

During the first season of Coaster Radio.com, I received an e-mail from a hardworking father of two who had a dream of building his own theme park.

Of course, we all have had this dream before, but Bryan Temmer assured me that he was serious about taking his dream to the next level. He asked if we'd be willing to have him on the show.

All of the guys were very skeptical. EB even thought it was a prank from the original "CoasterBoy" who used to post a lot on CoasterBuzz and the RRC Newsgroup.

But for some reason, I was intrigued by the passion in Bryan's e-mails and decided that he would make a great guest on our podcast.

I was correct! For the first time anywhere, Bryan unveiled his plan to create an Alien Theme Park called the Alien Apex Resort. At the time, he had to be somewhat secretive.... but as time has gone on, he has appeared on several national television and radio programs to promote his vision.

Most recently, he appeared on Fox News Channel and matched wits with a fairly annoying host named Greg Gutfield.

Bryan gets off a few good one-liners, but really sticks it to the host when he gets asked about "anal probes." The video is worth a watch just to see Bryan knock this dude down to size!

Way to go Bryan! Don't give up on the dream! If this park gets built, you're friends from CR.com will be there!

Talk about this in the CoasterRadio.com forums!