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Adventurers Club
[Disney Vacation Planner]
At A Glance |
Very popular Pleasure Island
Club, based on a 1930's style gentleman adenturer clubs. |
The Adventurers Club (AC) is one of the clubs at Pleasure Island
(PI), Walt Disney World's night-time entertainment complex. Although
PI is generally thought of as a music venue--all but two of the
clubs do, in fact, feature music--there are some other types of
entertainment as well, and the AC is without a doubt the most
unusual. In fact, you will not find anything quite like it anywhere
else. The AC presents an interactive entertainment experience
in a setting reminiscent of the fictional 1930's gentleman adventurer
clubs, as depicted in Hollywood films of that era.
The AC presents themed interactive entertainment. Think of the
AC as a theater that is presenting a play. In ordinary theaters,
the audience is seated while the action continuously unfolds on
the stage in front of them over a fixed, limited period of time.
The AC, however, is a bit like going to a theater at no special
time, sitting right on the stage--one that encompasses the entire
theater--and having the action sporadically occur all around you,
even to the extent of your functioning as an extra in the play.
At the AC you are a visitor to the Adventurers Club, circa 1935,
and are treated as such by the resident cast of characters. You
will be invited to become initiated as a member of the Club and
participate in the various club activities that are being held
that evening.
The AC is perhaps a little like the Enchanted Tiki Birds at the
Magic Kingdom in this respect: You'll either love it or dislike
it--not much middle ground here. Because of its unusual nature,
it is hard to predict which camp a specific individual will fall
within. It is fair to say, though, that many of those who--at
least initially--dislike the AC have never really experienced
what its all about. Using the theater analogy, a brief visit to
the AC is like arriving at the theater a half-hour before the
show starts and leaving after only 15 minutes because nothing
has happened yet. This does happen to many people due to the way
the AC is physically laid out as well as the way the action unfolds.
Just as entry to the Magic Kingdom was designed to be a gradual
process (to allow you to put the "real" world well behind
you before you walk down Main Street), you are drawn into the
world of the AC slowly.
As you enter the AC, you pass into a moderately large, somewhat
darkened room known as the Zebra Mezzanine. The center of this
room is completely open to the floor below (protected by a railing
all around). There is a small maitre d's podium to the left of
the doorway, but there is usually no one there. As you walk around
to the back, you notice numerous old captioned photos hanging
on the walls--photos that document the lives and travels of the
fictional AC members. Along the way, you may come across Graves
the Butler (one of the resident characters), all decked-out in
formal attire.
Peering downstairs over the railing, you notice people milling
about in the Main Salon on the lower level. It is a circular room
centered about a life-size bronze statue of a mythical god that
is completely encircled with comfortable seating. On one side
is a small bar, and doorways into the other rooms can be seen
at various points around the outer periphery. Antique-looking
chairs are scattered about. There are all manner of artifacts
mounted on the walls and even hanging from the ceiling--the combined
treasures and momentos of the Club's most daring and adventurous
members!
As you reach the back of the Zebra Mezzanine, you take the staircase
that leads you down to the Main Salon. You enter, locate suitable
seating, settle in and relax, perhaps ordering a drink. Before
long, one or another of the club members may pass through. Perhaps
it will be the frumpy Pamelia Perkins, the Club President, or
the Club Maid (whose uniform the gentlemen are sure to notice).
Every ten to twenty minutes or so an announcement is made in
the Main Salon that the next club activity is about to commence.
You will then be directed to the correct location. Some activities,
such as the Club initiation, occur right in the Main Salon. Others
occur in the Mask Room, the Treasure Room or the Library, all
of which are just off the Main Salon. Each of these four rooms
have their own special Disney magic. From walls that come alive
in the Mask Room to Fingers, the haunted organ, in the Library,
myriad strange occurrences punctuate the coming and goings of
the slightly daffy Club members.
The AC's doors open at 7PM. (Occasionally, the opening may be
delayed a little due to a private party.) The first activity is
usually scheduled for 7:20 and last starts about 12:50. You can
arrive at any time and stay for as long as you like, but experienced
AC visitors will stay most of the evening, perhaps ducking out
to take in a Comedy Warehouse show or the New Years celebration,
both of which are just outside the AC's front door. Although it
can get a bit crowded inside at times, you should have no trouble
getting in to the AC, even during the peak seasons.
Upon arrival, simply proceed to the Main Salon and wait for the
next activity to begin. After each event, return to the Main Salon
and wait for next one to be announced. After Library events, guests
exit through a back door which opens onto a corridor and a door
that exits outside. When the AC is busy, the staff will open the
exterior door. Most guests assume that the show is all over and
take the hint, thinking that they have to leave (ala the Comedy
Warehouse next door). This is not the case--simple turn left into
the corridor upon exiting the Library and return to the Main Salon.
A printed schedule of activities and locations is usually available.
Check the podium by the entrance. If there are none there, ask
one of the cocktail waitresses in the Main Salon for one.
There a number of "permanent" members that seem to
show up each night at the AC to mingle with other Club members
and visitors, as well as to participate in Club events:
- Pamelia Perkins - The fastidious Miss P., Club President,
is usually available to greet visitors, to initiate new Club
members and to try to keep things at the Club under control.
- Otis T. Wren - Club Treasurer and ichthyologist of
sorts, Otis is perhaps not really the adventurer he would like
us to believe he is.
- Graves - Loyal Club Butler, the formally attired Graves
is ususally around and about tending to the needs of the members.
- The Maid - She often passes through the Main Salon
with her feather duster, ready to keep all those old artifacts
clean as a whistle.
- Hathaway Browne - The aviator of the Club and unabashed
ladies man, Hathaway cuts a striking figure as he dashes hither
and yon.
- Fletcher Hodges - The slightly off-center Club Curator,
Fletcher is the voice of authority regarding the Clubs eclectic
artifact collection.
- Samantha Sterling - This daring adventuress seems to
have just returned from safari, judging by her attire, and is
always willing to share her stories of adventure with other
Club members.
- Madame Zarkov - The newest permanent member of the
AC often puts on a gypsy show in the library on the nights that
she visits.
There are also two characters to be found in the Main Salon who
are permanent club fixtures as it were--Babylonia and the Colonel.
If you linger in the Main Salon for a while, one or the other
is bound to animate the proceedings before very long.
Major Club events occur in the Library throughout the evening
at intervals of approximately 45 minutes. Seating is primarily
at small tables with comfortable padded chairs. There is additional
seating at the bar at the back of the room, as well as on stools
that have been placed along the two-story high bookcase side walls.
The action occurs on the small stage at the front of the library.
The stage is dominated by the now-haunted pipe organ console,
known as Fingers, that has fallen through the second story balcony
above.
If you want to be right in the thick of things, there is a bench
on each side of the stage that seats three to four people. Many
people do not know that they can sit here, so you may be able
to get them even if you are not first in line when entering. The
row of tables just in front of the stage offers an excellent view,
but beware--this is interactive entertainment and much of the
interacting is with the front row dwellers!
Although the specific events and scheduled times may vary, the
following list will give you a feel for the kinds of things to
expect:
- Serial Radio Thriller Broadcast - The AC is the site
of this regular radio broadcast put on by various Club members.
- Balderdash Cup Competition - This competition is for
the Club member with the best adventure story of the year, which,
as we all know is just balderdash.
- Curator's New Discovery - The bespectacled curator
of the AC announces a curious discovery.
- Second Annual Radiothon Talent Show - The AC has to
pay the rent and this annual tradition is designed to raise
money by showcasing the inimitable talents of the Club members.
- Adventurers Cabaret - Some Club members actually can
sing up a storm, most notably Samantha Sterling, daring adventuress.
- Maid's Sing-A-Long - Join in with the Club Maid for
a song-fest.
- Bon Voyage Party - The night is nearly over and this
is a fitting send-off for adventurers 'till next time.
The Mask Room is a cozy alcove just off the Main Salon which
serves as the repository for the Club's extensive collection of
rare and unusual native masks collected from around the world.
And, in the best Disney tradition, these masks have an attitude!
At four different times throughout the evening, you will be invited
in to mingle with the masks.
A second alcove off the Main Salon houses the Treasure Room,
which displays many of the Club's rarest and most interesting
artifacts. At four different times throughout the evening, you
will be invited into the Treasure Room. Keep an eye on the back
wall and you will soon encounter the Club's resident disembodied
spirit.
The AC serves the standard range of mixed drinks and bottled
beer, as well as several special Adventurers Club mixed drinks
which are available with or without alcohol. Soft drinks and munchies
can also be purchased. Recently, more substantial food items have
been offered.
Children are most welcome and should enjoy much of the AC entertainment.
Teenagers and, to some extent, young adults are perhaps the groups
least likely to fully appreciate the AC. Be advised that the entertainment
at the AC is often spontaneous and therefore can sometimes be
rather adult in nature, or PG-14 in movie terms. (As a general
note, children under the age of 18 are required to be accompanied
by an adult at all times when at PI after 7:00 PM. The only place
in PI that does not permit children at all is the Mannequins Dance
Palace, which has a minimum age requirement of 21.)
The AC is located at Pleasure Island, just to the right of the
Neon Armadillo and right across the West End Stage plaza from
the Comedy Warehouse.
The Adventurers Club is one of the two non-smoking clubs at Pleasure
Island (the other being the Comedy Club).
- Many of the photos and artifacts displayed at the AC have
been contributed by Disney employees who have collected them
from around world.
- The stools at the Main Salon bar can be made to slowly rise
or fall at the whim of the bartender.
- The illuminated ship-in-the-bottle that is displayed on the
wall behind the Library bar doesn't always just sit there looking
pretty. Keep an eye on it after the storm.
- If you just can't get enough of the AC in one night and decide
to return a few nights later, don't be surprised if Otis T.
Wren has become Fletcher Hodges, or the Maid has become Samantha
Sterling: Cast members sometimes take different roles on different
nights. Also, there are at least two different cast members
available to take on each role.
- Private parties can be booked into the AC during the day or
early evening. These sometimes delay the opening of the club
to the general public.
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