Yes you are reading that correctly. On September 27, 2008, Disney will shut their doors to the popular night clubs that line Downtown Disney’s Pleasure Island. Over the course of the next year Disney will be turning what is Pleasure Island into a mix of dining and shopping - to be announced in the future - that will entertain Guests of all ages.
Why is Disney doing this? Well based on guest feedback, it was determined that Disney should be more family friendly everywhere. While I will admit I have been to the clubs on Pleasure Island before and have been less than impressed. Actually, sad that I paid for admission to go. But at the same time I understand and appreciate that there is (now was) a place adults could go without being in a family environment. It seems based on many message boards I go to that there is a large majority of Disney fans that believe all of Disney should cater to those with kids only and Disney is listening. I guess if I want to enjoy a nightclub scene while on vacation I’ll just venture over to CityWalk at Universal.
Maybe Pleasure Island wouldn’t have been doomed had it been built on one side of Downtown Disney rather than between the West End and the Marketplace. Maybe it wouldn’t have been doomed had Disney patrolled the area better and kept out the bad element. But then again maybe falling attendance was to blame. One will never know the real answer.
Currently there is a petition going around online to keep the Adventurer’s Club open (comedy club). If you are a fan and want your voice heard make sure to click the link and sign the petition. Disney is known for reading message boards and keeping up with things that are said online so you never know. Your signature could make a difference.
Adventurer’s Club Petition
Posted under
General,
Travel by The Blonde Diaries on June 27th, 2008 2:43 pm
Grrr. I just got home from work and checked my mailbox. What do I find? A letter from the Harris County Toll Road Authority. Great, just great. You see last weekend when my mom came to visit she wanted to venture out to Richmond, TX (suburb of Houston) to see the house her friend is building. So not really knowing how to get there but slightly knowing we jumped on Beltway 8 in Houston and went south until we hit the Westpark Tollway. Following me. Both were toll roads. Now the entire time we were on both the Beltway and the Westpark Tollway we saw all of 1 yes 1 toll booth to pay. We both thought it was odd but figured there would just be booths every so often or when we got off like most toll roads do.
Well apparently there were 3 yes 3 booths that I did not see and passed thru without paying. I have no earthly idea how this happened or where they were. I found it odd at the time that I wasn’t having to pay but figured it was their problem not mine. Guess not. I now have a $35 bill to pay or I can never get on the toll roads again. $2 for the tolls and $33 for the “administrative fees”. Give me a break. I think they do this to charge the $33. So I will begrudgingly pay this bill but I will never get on Beltway 8 or the Westpark tollway again. After we were lost for 30 minutes we learned the non-toll way and we will take that from here on out.
So if you are in Houston, Texas anytime soon be warned of the tolls. They are not clearly labeled or easy to find. Don’t get surprised like I did!!
Posted under
Travel by The Blonde Diaries on June 27th, 2008 8:30 am
A few months ago I was planning a trip over to the United Kingdom and thought I had all of the major planning items done - obtained my passport, flagged my travel books, ensured medicines were ok. One thing I failed to even thing about was my credit cards. It wasn’t until my dad returned from Belgium and complained about the lack of places (mainly mom and pop shops) that accepted credit cards but the ones that did accept them did not accept anything other than European credit cards or Visa/Mastercard. Well that took me by surprise. I only have a Discover card and an American Express. I mean the American Express is taken all over the US with minor places here or there. I thought I was all set.
Well Mike and I had to quickly scramble because the only Visa we had were our debit cards and we prefer not to use them. Our goal was to find a no annual fee credit card since I am tired of paying my annual fees and linking fees to AmEx. I ended up using CreditCardsClub.com to find cards that would fit our needs and was very impressed at the ease of use. I decided on a Disney Visa Card by Chase because I could earn Disney Reward Dollars for our trip this September and there was no annual fee or cost to obtain my rewards. So far I have been pleased.
I highly encourage everyone to review their credit cards and travel plans. You will want to have enough time to apply for a credit card if you do not already have one or have an unpopular one like my dad and myself had in the Discover and AmEx for overseas travel. If you aren’t sure where to start try visiting CreditCardsClub.com as you can search by card type, reward type, fees/no fees, cash back, and obtain ratings on your cards and card companies before applying.
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Beauty by The Blonde Diaries on June 27th, 2008 8:02 am
I love my daily emails from Daily Candy and HungryGirl. Between the two of these I learn something new almost everyday that can be useful or applied to my life. Today the HungryGirl newsletter happened to be the source of my gained knowledge. By the way, if you are not already a subscriber, you should go sign up. Both are free!
Today HungryGirl was talking about foods that are good for your body. I was unaware of one tidbit and pretty familiar with the other but wanted to share nonetheless.
Help prevent Sunburn:
How? Try eating these foods: blueberries, almonds, spinach, or papaya.
Why? Because these foods are jam packed with Vitamin E which can stop skin cells from becoming sunburn cells. Now that is something cool to know
Go for the Glow:
How? Guzzle your daily recommended glasses of water each day
Why: Because who doesn’t want glowy, beautiful skin. Water flushes out toxins and keeps you hydrated, so it really does keep skin looking healthy and beautiful.
Posted under
fashion by The Blonde Diaries on June 26th, 2008 11:06 pm
I need a baby gift. Well actually a gift for a baby that is 7 months old! Mike and I are purchasing Christopher’s christening gown but since you only wear that once I wanted to get him something else as well for his christening. I think Mike’s sisters and parents are going to have all of the religious items covered so I wanted to get something fun for him to enjoy now. I figure that is one of the perks for being a godmother - getting to spoil a little one. 
So once again I ran across a unique new site called Tie Dye Baby Clothes. They are a sister site of Tinytinyclothing.com and have some really cute baby clothes. Growing up I remember how much fun it was making tie dye t-shirts and just saw thing and became nostalgic.
Christopher’s mom is a pretty cool mom and I think she might go for something this fun but if she doesn’t like the heart I found some that were a tad plainer and in navy blue instead. They even make matching socks, hats, and blankets. Christopher can be an adorable bundle of tie dye! Tie dye baby clothes carries a wide range of sizes and has excellent prices that should fit everyone’s budget. If you are looking for a unique gift I would check this site out. If tie dye is not your thing, there were equally as cute and as budget priced clothing on Tinytinyclothing.com’s site. You can even personalize/customize your baby clothes over there. You can definitely find some unique and quality clothing on these two sites.
