Disney announces repurpose of Pleasure Island; Meet Hyperion Wharf
Soon to be only a memory, the Adventurers Club will disappear, replaced by the new Hyperion Wharf. Photo by Rori Paul.
Hyperion, the Greek god of light and the street on which Walt Disney built his first major animation studio is the backstory name for Walt Disney World’s new Hyperion Wharf. Replacing and re-purposing the Downtown Disney area’s Pleasure Island, Hyperion Wharf construction begins immediately and is set to light the new magic in 2013.
Replacing the famed though “abandoned” Pleasure Island, Hyperion Wharf will feature a relaxing lakeside park and enhanced walkways. It seems as though the actual lay-of-the-land will be altered to allow this now separated area to reach down to the waterfront.
A “nostalgic-yet-modern take on an early 20th century port city and amusement pier,” it will include “stylish boutiques and innovative restaurants that will draw you in.” The new dining will expand the Downtown Disney offerings by 25%.
The changes to the 120 acre complex will go beyond Hyperion Wharf and into the Marketplace and West Side areas.
These LEGO guests will have some new friends as LEGO is inlcuded in the Downtown DIsney changes. Photo by Rori Paul.
Other changes will include extensive renovation to LEGO Imagination Center, increasing it’s size to more than 3,500 square feet of LEGO fun. AMC theaters will include new digital technology and numerous new or refurbished stores will pop up.
Downtown Disney and it’s three areas – Marketplace, Westside and for now, Pleasure Island – have been a popular and fun place for guests to further their Disney experience. A free location, guests can come & go with free parking, busses or boats, and enjoy time with a Disney feel but not pay to get in.
The Marketplace area offers several shops and restaurants including the world’s largest Disney store – World of Disney, pin purchasing, Trend for trendy wear and Disney Christmas all year round. A favorite – Earl of Sandwich – offers up good food at great pricing and more are there for your enjoyment.
Over on the Westside, movies, Cirque, House of Blues and a giant balloon ride anchor the fun.
Harley-Davidson will have some new neighbors with the repurposed and new Hyperion Wharf. Photo by Rori Paul.
Yet in between, Harley-Davidson, Curl and Raglan’s sat like abandoned sisters next to Pleasure Island’s closed and abandoned Adventurers Club among others.
Knowing that nightlife is returning to this center strip, as each night the darkness slips away beneath a new “electric wonderland,” is to know that Disney is ready to take us on another new adventure. Welcome Hyperion Wharf… looking forward to meeting you.
This roofline will soon change and the balloon offering a new view as Hyperion Wharf takes shape. Photo by Rori Paul.
