When news hit the forums this summer that Disney had, in its not-so infinite wisdom, decided to close all the Pleasure Island nightclubs we both swore we’d visit our favorite one more time. Fortunately our travel plans called for us to be in town that last week. It was only a question of which night do we tempt the crowds.

We settled on Thursday. That’s why we made an early day of the parks, came home to decompress a few hours and then dress to go clubbing.

Now I often wonder what strange reality has me going clubbing with my 76 year old dad. After all, loud music, dark lighting and an abundance of alcohol is not really his thing. But then he gets this sparkling purple mohawk haircut and starts exploring his collection of muscle sleeve shirts and leather pants.Introduce him to a wacky scene like the Adventurer’s Club and you have just the right night out for the man.

Not to be outdone I don a little velvet and a schnazzy Renaissance-style hat (complete with floppy feather), make sure my camera is loaded and off we go to Pleasure Island.

The parking lots are full which means a good size crowd about. There are lines spilling out from the entrances to both comedy clubs, If Disney thought closing them down because they weren’t busy, I think this last week has been an eye-opener for them.

We get inside after a few minutes wait and head straight down to the lounge. Yvette the French Canadian maid entertains the crowd with song requests that become a montage of greatest hits from 1937 Germany. She wonders all along how she ended up being in Disney singing “Springtime for Hitler” and not get fired. But the crowd is filled with regulars who are on the rebellious side this week. A little irreverence is called for amidst the tearful hugs and many questions of where the staff are ending up after Saturday. (Most are being reassigned elsewhere on property.)

GM and I get a couple drinks and just settle in to watch the rolling shows. It is beyond crowded and I can barely fit in a corner by the door. But Kirk, one of the maitre’d’s takes pity on me and ushers us to a back entrance to the library for the next show.

Since they are closing down before the Holiday season, the Adventurer’s Club players have decided to cram as much tradition into their last week. The library stage is decorated with jack-o-lanterns and skeletons sporting santa hats, Christmas lights line the balcony and a one-armed/one-legged skeleton hangs from the giant Christmas wreath over the piano.

The first show we see of the night is a Holiday Show which ends in a bit of a tearful goodbye as the players sing “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas”. Everyone realizes that for many this is the last time they’ll be able to share such sentiment with their favorite characters and the characters with their favorite audience.

Next comes the Maid Sing-A-Long where Grandpa Mohawk (nicknamed “Leather Daddy” for the night) gets recruited for an onstage dance number.

And as twilight dims, the cast put on the last Hoopla of the night.

I wish I could recite to you all the lines of the night, but in truth I’ve had my last gungaloosh of the night and I’m a little fuzzy. Probably the best moment of all was when the cast took their final bows and the applause lasted almost forever.

We had left the club in the wee hour of 2am, just as all the PI clubs were closing. We took one last stroll through the crowd just to soak up this festive atmosphere. Security is about but I have to say the crowd is all very pleasant. I’ve never experienced a bad side to the Pleasure Island atmosphere despite the rumors of what has gone on before. Everyone just seems to be having a good time and wishing it wasn’t going to end.

I don’t know what Disney plans to do with the area, but I hope it’s worth all this heartache.