What Pleasure Island Meant To Me

080928 - 1645

Last night I went to the final night at Pleasure Island. Disney decided to get out of the night club business for some reason or another and last night was the "farewell" night for the complex. For the 14 years that I've been going to PI, I've spent most of my time at Mannequins Dance Palace. So last night, I decided to celebrate the final night of PI at Mannequins.

Upon arriving, it was like waiting around at a funeral. No one really was talking, and when conversation occurred, it was subdued, rife with sorrow and sadness that our place of fun was going away. Brian didn't much understand why I was so sad to see "just a club" ending its life. But I spent SO much time, and made so many memories in that very building, that it was like burying an old friend. I taught Scott how to dance, right in the middle of the dance floor. I spent so many Thursday nights, making new friends there. I danced on that dance floor during GayDays for YEARS. I witnessed breakups, hookups, laughter, crying, hell I even met a boyfriend there. I shaped part of my life in that building. Being there last night took me back to when I first started going there...being able to have a place that I could go while I was on vacation, way before I moved to Florida. I remembered all the times I went there as a Disney Cast Member as well, seeing coworkers, friends, cast members from other parts of WDW, and meeting new friends. It was a blizzard of memories.

When we got in, I ran over to Dawn's bar and I was the first of the night to get a drink. But it was really odd. When I got there, I asked how she was doing...she didn't really have an answer...but I didn't really have one for her either, when she asked. I just told her I felt like I was at a funeral, and she agreed. It WAS a funeral.

About an hour into the night, the DJ's started playing some of the classic 90's dance music that I loved when I first started going to mannequins. Twilight Zone, R U Ready For This, Hitman, Mr. Vain, Another Night, etc. It was like old times again. This lasted for almost 2 hours. I was drenched, Brian had a blast dancing to it too. Then at the end of the set, they played the "Mannequins Mix"...I knew I'd hear this for the last time, so I filmed it. It was almost surreal knowing I'd never ever hear this music again.

After this, Scott, Corey, and their friends came. Now the circle was complete. To be there with Scott and Corey was like reliving the best years of my Disney life. Although we didn't dance much after that (they DID play Smack My Bitch Up and I was all about dancing to some Prodigy) we had a good time, drinking, laughing, remembering. Took lots of pictures...on the dancefloor, upstairs on the balcony, etc.

Soon though, it was getting time to leave. I had wanted to stay to the closing but it was so late, I'd been up since 0700 and it was now after midnight. I knew getting out of there at closing would mean an hour egress, so we decided to leave, even though it would mean missing the last dance. The last dance at a place I made so many memories. Scott said he'd film it so I could see what it was like. I have yet to see it.

I'm kind of glad that I missed the last part. I know I would have gotten upset. It still has yet to really sink in that I'll never return to Pleasure Island. I'll never go back to Mannequins. I'll never dance on that spinning dance floor ever again. There's a rumor that the wall between Mannequins and 8-Trax will be knocked down and a new huge club will be opened in its place and will be run by a third party company. I can only hope that this happens and that they keep the spinning dance floor. Then maybe, I'll get at least part of the experience back some day. But for now, Mannequins...and Pleasure Island...is dead.