Disney World SLASHED This Popular Perk Years Ago… and Disney Adults Still Aren’t Over It

Walt Disney World has changed a lot over the 5+ decades it’s existed. Ticket types, transportation, and skip-the-line systems have come and gone. Perks that were once commonplace have disappeared, sometimes replaced by something better, sometimes not. Today, we’re looking at one of the latter. Nighttime entertainment that, while still mostly child-friendly, was geared principally towards adults.

Adult-oriented nighttime entertainment was once a staple of the Vacation Kingdom, which over the years has boasted well-known performers in an upscale supper club and even a full nightclub district, all of which younger visitors to the resort through the 2000s dreamed of doing when they got older. Only problem? Nearly all of these offers have disappeared, leaving these now Disney adults yearning for their return.

The concept of adult-focused nighttime entertainment was baked into the Vacation Kingdom right from the start. One of the resort’s opening-day attractions was the Top of the World restaurant/lounge/supper club located at the top of the Contemporary Resort (in the space currently known as the California Grill). During the restaurant’s early years, it hosted popular musicians, perfumers, and comedians of the day including Carol Lawrence, Jack Jones and Phyllis Diller.

In addition, from 1981 through 1993, the lounge hosted the Broadway at the Top show, which featured a “medley of show tunes from some of the greatest Broadway shows of all time sung by a quartet of talented performers.”

The Contemporary Resort’s fellow opening day resort also hosted an adult-aimed nighttime show. From the day it opened in 1971, the Polynesian Village hosted a Luau show that fit with the hotel’s tropical adventure themes. Over the years the show had several names including the Polynesian Revue, the Kaui-Pono Polynesian Revue and Polynesian Luau, and the Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show. The show’s run finally ended in February of 2023, much to the chagrin of many.

Speaking of nighttime shows, in 1998 the world-famous Cirque du Soleil opened a show in a custom-built theater at Walt Disney World. The show, La Nouba, featured 60 artists blending “circus art and theatrics with a dazzling array of exotic costumes, magical lighting, and original sets and music.” The show ran until December of 2017. A new Cirque show, Drawn to Life, did open at the same Disney Springs venue in 2021. While well-received, this show is heavily themed to Disney animation, which changed the vibe to something considerably more in-line with the modern Disney “brand.”

Finally, we can’t talk about adult-oriented nighttime entertainment at Walt Disney World without talking about Pleasure Island. The heavily themed – – seriously, the Merriweather Pleasure backstory might be one of the most in-depth and at times bizarre Disney Imagineering has ever cooked up – – island featured several dance clubs and night clubs geared specifically to keep adults on Disney property after nightfall (and to keep them from visiting the competing Church Street Station in Orlando).

Establishments like Mannequins, the Adventurer’s Club, and the Comedy Warehouse became longtime favorites among visitors, and dream destinations for children who visited Disney World before they were old enough to visit Pleasure Island.

However, after years of declining attendance and crowd issues, Disney closed Pleasure Island in 2008. The area was eventually redeveloped into part of Disney Springs. While that current shopping district does have some adult-geared establishments, arguably, none have the same energy as Pleasure Island.

Adult-oriented nighttime entertainment used to be a key part of Disney World’s entertainment portfolio, however the vast majority of these offerings have disappeared, much to the chagrin of Disney adults who dreamed of experiencing them as children. Stay tuned to AllEars for more on Disney World history!

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What former Disney World perks do you miss the most? Let us know in the comments below.

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