We are off to a good start. The Facebook Group is blossoming, there are two petitions out there and the number of signatures is growing every hour, and Brandon De Hoyos’ first radio show was magnificent (Internet Radio, Citizen Broadcasting, Social Media Podcasts - Blog Talk Radio ), and hopefully executives were listening. Now we must focus on physical letter writing. Remember, that while a stack of letters can be thrown away, it can not be as easily dismissed by the pressing a delete button. Please, begin to flood the Executives mailboxes, with multiple copies of letters if need be. Remember, we are writing to the top Walt Disney Company Executives, so please be professional about what you write. Emotional and Entertaining stories about experiences at the club are a good topics, as well as presenting your reason as to why The Adventurers Club must remain open. However, I can not stress strongly enough, please refrain from using obscenities of any kind, and downplay the fact that it is a good place to get drunk.!
That
kind of language will only be detrimental to our cause, and (as unfortunate as it is) Disney is currently EXTREMELY CHILD CONTIOUS as opposed to it old family friendly ways, so please try to avoid mentioning alcohol. Once again Adventurers this is an excellent start, so do not let anyone (Jim Hill for example) tell us that we are wasting our time. This is a cause we all believe in, and we shall fight it to the very end. If you begin to lose hope, just remember our Club Motto:
Some days you eat the bear.
Some days the bear eats you.
But always dress for the hunt!
Kungaloosh!
Also, if anyone cares to write a letter to Mr. Iger:
Mr. Robert Iger
Chief Executive Officer
The Walt Disney Company
500 South Buena Vista Street
Burbank, CA 91521-4873
Walt Disney World Guest Communications
PO Box 10040
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830-0040
Mr. James A. Rasulo
Chairman
Walt Disney Parks & Resorts
500 South Buena Vista Street
Burbank, CA 91521-4873
Meg Crofton
President
The Walt Disney World Resort
PO Box 10040
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830
Al Weiss
President
Worldwide Operations
Walt Disney Parks and Resorts
PO Box 10000
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830
"Around here, however, we don't look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things... and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths." - Walt Disney
I wonder if this will work. It didn't seem to help VMK.
The petitions to save VMK were created by a bunch of kids who wanted to save a computer game.
Pleasure Island is very different. I can actually see this petition somehow working.
I guess their reasoning was that there's Toad at DLR and they could get rid of him here? Whatever the lame reasoning (Toad not popular, ride outdated, whatever,) I bet if they really wanted to keep this classic attraction, they would have done everything they could have to make Toad and Moley popular, even if that means we'll be watching different remakes of a Toad cartoon series. I don't think the petitions would do much, but it's at least better to try rather than watch your favorite attractions go away like that.
Ive signed the petition and deep down I know it may not save The Adventures Club in its present format, but with enough names it may make Disney make it a part of Night Kingdom (if it goes ahead) or some part of another park or resort.
Hmm....maybe there's a chance that we can make a difference!
Here's a post from someone I chatted with earlier on another forum.....
I just got a call from the "Disney Executive Offices" regarding the AC
I just got a call from someone within the "Disney Executive Offices". I sent a couple e-mails regarding the AC, and being unhappy with its closure. I tried to be constructive and overall positive, and at the end I put my phone number and told them to feel free to call should they feel the need.
ANYWAY... He started with the canned response. "This came after much research... Customer surveys... Shopping and dining... Blah blah blah."
So then I kinda interrupted him, and said something about how the AC was a concept unique to Disney, and something that you don't see anywhere else, and that I couldn't be one of only a few to complain... There had to be many more like me. Then he seemed to break from the script a bit. He said that I wasn't alone at all, and that they've gotten "many many more letters and e-mails than they had anticipated" regarding the AC closure. I told him that I didn't really care about the rest of PI, my concern was for the AC alone, and asked him if that was the consensus of the other letters as well, and he said it was. He said there were few complaints about removal of PI as a whole.
Then he said that the "executives" were well aware of the response this decision about the AC has brought. Then he said something at least a LITTLE interesting... He said that "at this time, this is the decision that has been made", and that "should there be any changes to the closure, it will be announced in the future".
Then at the end of the conversation I said that if the AC did have to close, I would hope that they could impliment a similar idea somewhere on property and he said he would note that.
So there you have it. There was more to the conversation than that, but I won't bore you with all the details. I've listed the juicy bits.
I really still don't believe that anything will change... But it's obvious that the letters and e-mails are at LEAST causing them more work, which is a good thing... And it's obvious it's at least on their radar.
That's good to hear that they're getting a lot more letters than they expected, which should tell them they'd better think twice before removing Adventurer's Club. As for the 'little' hope he said about any future changes in the plans, sounds like he's going back to his usual spiel. At least this is good news that they know the AC will be dearly missed by a lot of unhappy adventurers. Looking forward to more great updates!
2012 - Disney’s Night Kingdom - In Development - (7/3/08) While there still isn’t a lot known for sure about Disney’s Night Kingdom project, we have heard a rumor that some early site clearing for the project may have already started not too far from Animal Kingdom, so keep your eyes peeled. Also, unless the plan changes they concept of incorporating an Adventure’s Club into this project is still alive, so perhaps many features of the original club will live on here.
Admittedly, as a journalist, I should be more aware of the messages I broadcast, but I must address a very important issue this evening so that everyone is on the same page.
Tonight, I received a letter for one of the callers who announced on our show that she received a phone call in response to her wish that Disney would keep the AC doors open. Needless to say, she was upset with me and a few misstatements I made regarding these phone calls since she called:
I have on at least one occasion referred to the return caller as being Mr. Kevin Lansberry's secretary; the truth is, we are not aware if this was in fact his secretary OR another member of Disney staff. It may even be an employee of an outsourced PR firm that could have been hired to handle the calls. All we know is she was returning calls from Mr. Lansberry's office.
During the call, this representative told our caller that she personally was upset about the AC's calling in an off the kuff remark. We did however hear a rumor that some of the Disney execs were also upset, but this remains unconfirmed at this time.
While we fight the good fight, we must be aware **myself especially** that every rumor must be faced with scrutiny but must also be reported responsibly.
In my enthusiasm to Save the Adventurers Club, I unfortunately did make some misstatements, while unintentional, that could change the context of the intended statements.
I sincerely apologize for this miscommunication and do promise to adhere to highest ethical standards in the future.
If you have any questions or concerns, I will be happy to discuss them with you individually.
Just received this e-mail from Ryan at Save the Adventurers Club group....
Kungaloosh all!
Things are still a little crazy after the news of the AC's closer. We have been hard at work on the T-Shirt design and now have a finished product. We have attatched a sample of the design to this e-mail. The sample is watermaked just to ensure that no one posts it anywhere else.
We are still trying to get estimates for the t-shirts and should have a price for you guys soon.
Also, we want to make this a special final night package. Many items we want to include as part of the package is still being deabted but some of the items that we have decided on are:
*Final Night T-Shirt
*Adventurers Club Picture CD
*Adventurers Club DVD with video from 1991 and 1993
The package will include more items and details will avalible soon. Along with that, we will also be announcing plans and events for the final night.
Peter David isn't exactly sure when he first discovered the Adventurers Club.
"It had to be sometime in 1989 or 1990," this award-winning author remembers. "I was exploring the then-newly-opened Pleasure Island. I'd already been to a number of the other clubs on the Island. And I must have wandered into the Adventurers Club around 10:30 or so."
Initially, David was confused ("I had no freakin' clue what was going on. It was like entering a madhouse"). But after catching a show in the Mask Room, he quickly became charmed by the place. So much so that Peter returned to Pleasure Island the very next evening. He was there as the doors for the Adventurers Club opened. And he stayed for every show.
And -- with that -- a love affair was launched. Over the next 19 years, Peter would return to the Adventurers Club time & time again. Dragging friends and family along so that they too could experience this one-of-a-kind entertainment. This truly unique experience.
David thought so highly of the Adventurers Club that -- when it came time to propose to his wife, Kathleen ... Well, there was only one spot on the planet where Peter wanted to pop the question.
"The people at Disney Weddings kept offering me Cinderella Castle," he explained. "But I kept telling than that 'Marriage isn't a fantasy. It's an adventure.' Which is why I wanted to propose at the Adventurers Club."
And with the help of the Colonel, David did just that. And I'm told that there wasn't a dry eye in the Main Salon when Kathleen accepted Peter's proposal.
Copyright Disney. All Rights Reserved
Given the number of times that David has visited the Adventurers Club ("At least 60 times. I've literally lost count") as well as his obvious emotional attachment to the place ... You can bet that Peter wasn't pleased when he learned about the Walt Disney World's plans to close this club.
"My wife actually told me," he continued. "She'd read about it on the Web. And when she told me, my immediate thought was that Disney couldn't be serious about closing such a unique entertainment.
I mean, no disrespect to those Disneyana fans who tried to save Mr. Toad back in 1998. But there are lots of rides out there that are similar to that attraction. Where you get in, you spin and then get out. But there is only one Adventurers Club in the world."
Which is why David decided that he had to persuade Disney Company executives to reverse this unfortunate decision. But first he needed a symbol. Something that the tens of thousands of Adventurers Club fans that are scattered around the globe could then rally around.
"I was brainstorming with friends," Peter remembered. "And the first thing that came to mind was compasses. That we'd send Disney Company executives this huge pile of compasses. Which would hopefully get across the whole 'North, South, East or West. An Adventurer's Life is Best' credo of the Club."
Copyright Disney. All Rights Reserved
But -- on second thought -- compasses are clunky. Not to mention being expensive to purchase and difficult to mail. So as David cast about for a new symbol and mapped out his campaign to save the Adventurers Club ... That's when it came to him: Maps !
"Maps are perfect. Everyone's got one or two old ones lying around their house," he explained. "So all it would cost for a person to take part in this particular 'Save the Adventurers Club' campaign is postage."
So if you'd like to take part in Peter David's campaign... Here's what he needs you to do:
"First open the map and circle where you live. Then draw arrows from your location to where the Adventurers Club is located. Because -- to be honest -- I'm not sure that Disney's current management team actually knows where the Club is. I mean, they can't seriously have visited this place if they've now planning on closing the Adventurers Club down. No one who's ever been in that Club, seen those shows and interacted with that cast could ever bring themselves to shut such a unique entertainment down.
Now take that map and stuff it in an envelope, which you'll then address to:
Why send these maps to Bob Iger? Because he's the one guy at Disney who's shown that he's not afraid to reverse course. Back away from a bad decision. I mean, look how close the company came to letting Pixar slip away? Bob was the only executive who could see that Disney was making a tremendous mistake there. Which is why he did everything he could to repair the company's relationship with John Lasseter and Steve Jobs.
So I'm hoping that -- if we all send Iger maps -- he'll then see the error of his ways. Bob will realize what a tremendous, under-exploited asset the Adventurers Club is. After all, it's the only part of Pleasure Island that literally has fans all over the planet. People who have great affection for, real dedication to that particular club. And they'll happily continue to spend their money there if Disney just smartens up, reverses this unfortunate decision and keeps the Adventurers Club open."
So if you want to help save this much beloved piece of Pleasure Island, Peter David says: "Put Bob Iger on the right path. Point this man in the right direction. Send Disney's CEO a map and let Bob know that you want him to keep the Adventurers Club open."
So do yourself -- and Peter David -- a favor and start mailing those maps.
"Around here, however, we don't look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things... and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths." - Walt Disney
I just got an email from one of the groups saying they're wondering if they should call it quits? Um, excuse me? It's not too late to start thinking about quitting, and I hope they'll realize that they should continue sending in letters and calling numbers as much as they can up 'til the day it closes, and after it closes, send TWICE as much calls and letters showing your support and disgust with their choice of closing down the AC. I'm sorry, but I hate to be a stick in the mud about this, but I think that we still have a chance in saving this one of a kind experience if we don't give up. Hang in there guys, Kungaloosh!