Before I continue any further with this exploration of Disney’s Society of Explorer’s and Adventurer’s it seems necessary to take a minute to discuss an important location in the story, even though it no longer exists today.
That is the Adventurers Club from the former Pleasure Island of Downtown Disney, Walt Disney World (WDW). The reason I want to discuss this now is that one of the Society’s key members, Merriweather Pleasure has his origins in the tales of this place.
It is also one of those places that I WISH still existed! The Adventurer’s Club received a cult following and if you ask anyone who used to frequent it they simply say “You should have seen it”….. I have to admit I have serious envy and would love to be able to time travel to see it! Unfortunately when it closed I had just turned 20 and hadn’t yet extended my travels to the USA, at the time travelling much more in Europe and the South Pacific. I guess you can say I did enjoy my own adventurers so I shouldn’t be that upset but it still would be great if the club is revised or something similar is created that links in with S.E.A.
The story of the club goes that towards the end of the nineteenth century and into the start of the twentieth century the industrialist Merriweather Pleasure, owner of “Pleasure’s Canvas and Sail Making” moved his family to Florida where he set up Pleasure Island as an industrial hub. In 1932 the Adventurer’s Club was founded as a place for all of Meriwether’s S.E.A friends to visit. It also became the headquarters of the Adventurer’s Club which is likely a sub-branch of S.E.A.
In the 1940s Meriwether was lost at sea whilst on an expedition and after he failed to return home his lazy sons let Pleasure Island fall into ruins. The island became abandoned and overgrown until the Disney Company discovered it and the Imagineers breathed new light into the area opening Pleasure Island in 1989.
The Pleasure Island Historical Society erected various plaques around the island which conveyed the story of the island’s history to guests. It is through these plaques that Imagineers were able to tell the story succinctly for guests but also keep it subtle for those who had no interest in knowing this story.
So that is the story behind Pleasure Island and the Adventurer’s Club in a nut shell!
Following the development of the S.E.A story around the world the tale of Pleasure Island and the Adventurer’s Club was re-imagined to fit into the S.E.A plotline. Many props from the Club were relocated around the world after the club was closed in 2008 so this was only fitting.
Today known as Disney Springs, Pleasure Island back when the area was known as Downtown Disney, had a very different feel. Pleasure Island was a nightclub district and it operated from 1989-2008. The Adventurer’s Club was one of the most popular locations with New Year’s Eve celebrated each and every night. Actors inside the club portrayed different characters as guests were immersed into the story.
Of these characters a few are also contenders as members of S.E.A such as Pamelia Perkins (Club President), Hathaway Browne (aviator), Otis T. Wren (club treasurer and ichthyologist), Fletcher Hodges (club curator) and Samantha Sterling (explorer).
So what do we know about Merriweather Pleasure as a man and a member of S.E.A?
Merriweather Pleasure was born in 1873 in Pennsylvania to a millionaire father and stage-actress. Rejecting the assistance of his wealthy father Pleasure set out to make his own fortune and he did just that establishing the most advanced steel foundry in the world.
In 1898, after just three weeks since meeting, he married Isabella Domenico and they had two sons Stewart (born 1901) and Henry (born 1905). Around 1911-1912, after arriving in Florida, the couple had a third child Merriam Pleasure. According to the tales the boys were both born on the 4th July while Merriam was born on the 3rd July so Pleasure had her birthdate officially changed! Now that sounds nutty!
There seems to be a few stories about Pleasure’s demise floating around but the important factor in all the tales is that he was lost at sea with at least his daughter. In one tale the whole family was lost in a major hurricane while the more common story goes that his sons ran the business into the ground and a hurricane finished off the island. Notably this hurricane played a role in the creation of Typhoon Lagoon, the water park at WDW.
When it comes to S.E.A, Pleasure is probably the most well known character of the society due to the story of Pleasure Island which means that we have a lot of information about him and his family.
Interestingly whilst researching Merriweather Pleasure I discovered that he is linked to the story of the Grand Floridan Hotel! Apparently it was a home created for his family and a gift to his wife in 1937. It was only years later that it was transformed into a spa and hotel.
Today Pleasure’s references to S.E.A can be found in the Skipper’s Canteen at WDW as he is the author of a number of books located there plus he is confirmed as a member here with a Fez on display stating he is a member.
He also has a paddle in the Tropical Hideaway at Disneyland which states he completed an expedition down the Kissimmee River, Florida. This reference provides a bit more context for the Pleasure story as it was obviously at this time he landed in Florida and shows he was definitely a member at this time.
Pleasure made his “first” modern debut into the S.E.A story when the Explorer’s Club Restaurant was added to Mystic Point at Hong Kong Disneyland in 2013. A number of items from the old Adventurer’s Club made their way into this new dinning experience which helped to link Pleasure into the S.E.A story.
We don’t really know what he looked like. The picture above I found on Pinterest but given he was such a key figure in Pleasure Island it is interesting that we don’t have much imagery of him. Remember that group photo from 1899 though that keeps cropping up? What if he is one of the unknown men? The fourth from the left looks like he could be Merriweather Pleasure. Given he has the 1900 paddle at the Tropical Hideaway it stands to reason that he would have been a member in 1899. Maybe I’m onto something here?!
Ironically the Adventurer’s Club is chronologically one of the last places that S.E.A is present, even though it is physically the first place the story can be tied to.
If the story is to be re-interpreted correctly perhaps S.E.A had ceased to exist which is why Merriweather created the Adventurer’s Club in its place? To date we have no S.E.A references that exist post-World War Two so maybe the war brought about the demise of the society?
There are so many questions but this is what makes this story so great as the more the Imagineers explain the more questions are raised so it is a great story to get engrossed in!
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