I sent this email last Friday when I found out about the closure.
"To Whom It May Concern:
I am writing this email through a haze of tears after reading of the
impending closure of the clubs of Pleasure Island, and most especially, of the Adventurers' Club. While I understand that you have made this business decision that you feel benefits your company, I feel compelled to share my extreme disappointment and sadness over the loss of this WDW icon.
My husband and I currently have a trip booked to visit the WDW resort in
December of this year. We have planned our entire itinerary around being
able to spend as many nights as possible at the Adventurers' Club, even going so far as to leave parks early, arrive to parks late and have early
meals so that we could maximize our time in our favorite locale. Now,we
find that you will be closing our favorite place on property before our trip.
I feel it is only fair to let you know that we are now considering cancelling our trip. "It's only a bar" you say. "Isn't that a bit drastic?" Well, it is more than that to us. It is the embodiment of the Disney spirit in an adult-friendly format. It is somewhere that couples like us can go after a fun-filled day in the parks to be with other adults while still being immersed in Disney magic.
I'm sure that others won't make such a drastic move as to cancel their trips
after hearing this news. I fully intend to wait a couple of days to see how
I feel before doing so myself. However, should we choose to do so, my
$5,000+ vacation will end up somewhere else. I know that amount is a drop
in the bucket to you, but it constitutes a large amount of vacation dollars
that I will be sure to spend in a place that doesn't make decisions that
reinforce their bottom line without consideration to the loyalty and
feelings of their guests.
As I can only imagine how many emails your office receives on a daily basis,
I don't expect nor anticipate receiving a response from a live body. I have
just never felt more compelled to share my disappointment and sorrow with
your company over any other topic.
Thank you for your time.
Regards,
Mrs. XXX"
I just received this response.
"Dear Mrs. Clark,
Thank you for contacting the Walt Disney World Resort.
We recognize that the closing of the Adventurer's Club will disappoint
Guests who have come to enjoy the unique entertainment that has been
offered over the years. With that in mind, please know a tremendous
amount of thought went into the decision as we bring the new vision for
Downtown Disney to life. As we look to the future, we are excited about
the evolution that will occur over the next two years, introducing a
brand new mix of shopping, dining and other experiences for our Guests'
enjoyment.
Our Guests' feedback, as well as their continued enthusiasm for our
products and services, are very important to us. We genuinely
appreciate the time you took to share your thoughts with us.
Mrs. Clark, we truly hope you and your husband will decide to visit us
in December.
Sincerely,
Walt Disney World Resort"
I'm thinking they have NO PLANS to even think about keeping it. They are too dead set on having more of their precious shops. I don't go to DTD as it is now since we don't really shop on vacation. And now they are alienating me from the one activity I did do there? And I was one of the people who actually DID drink at the AC. More than 2 drinks even. More like 4 a night.
This is my response back.
"Thank you for your response.
I realize that you feel Downtown Disney needs more shopping venues and that the revenue generated from these areas will be greater than that of the Adventurer's Club. However, my husband and I already do not visit Downtown Disney because we can shop at home. We cannot, however, participate in themed activities of the nature provided by Adventurer's Club.
My husband and I do not have children and visit WDW since it is an enjoyable destination for a mix of park time and adult venues like Pleasure Island. With the removal of one of the few adult oriented opportunities, we will be seriously re-evaluating future visits to WDW. It is false advertising for WDW to say they are an adult appropriate destination when there are little to no adult entertainment opportunities on property.
We have not made our final decision regarding cancelling our December trip. If we do decide to come, we will be leaving property at least one evening to enjoy the adult appropriate opportunities available to us at Universal's CityWalk.
Regards,
XXX"
Have they thought about the fact that they are driving people to Universal?