Linda Mac's Orlando Adventures

Construction on Curl by Sammy Duvall, a new retail shop that will open in the former Superstar Studios at Pleasure Island, is well under way. Curl will feature high-end surf and swimwear. An opening date has not officially been announced but from what I could see, it won't be long.

For those of you not familiar with Sammy Duvall, here's some information from his website: Sammy Duvall is one of the most accomplished water skiers in the world. He was a child prodigy and won more than 80 professional championships throughout his career. Sammy was ranked #1 in the world for either ski jump or overall competition for 17 straight seasons. He was inducted into the International water ski hall of fame and the prestigious USA water ski hall of fame. Today, Sammy’s legacy continues with his multi-faceted Watersports Centre at WALT DISNEY WORLD® Resort and his pro shop “In the Wake” located in Windermere, Florida.

While wandering around Pleasure Island, I also noticed there still does not seem to be any hint of work going on in the building between the Rock 'n' Roll Beach Club and the Adventurers Club. It's too bad that Disney was in such a hurry to close these shops without plans for something new.

And while I am on the subject, Pleasure Island just isn't the same to me without my favorite late night snack spot, The Missing Link. They had some of the best Cheese Steaks on the property!

The last photos I posted of the T-Rex Cafe's construction site were basically fences and signs.

There is now a temporary walkway between Pleasure Island's Raglan Road and McDonald's on the parking lot side of the site.

Here are a few photos that will make you wonder if I was wearing a hard hat at the time I took them. (For the record, I was only in areas I was allowed to be in - cameras do magic these days, don't they?)

The T-Rex Cafe - A Prehistoric Family Restaurant is finally getting started at Downtown Disney. The Cafe was announced way back in February of 2006. To be honest, I had forgotten about it till I recently noticed a fence had been erected in the parking area near the Portobello Yacht Club and Fulton's Crab House. The T-Rex Cafe is owned and will be operated by Landry's Restaurants, Inc. Landry's also owns and runs the Rainforest Cafes at Animal Kingdom and Downtown Disney's Marketplace. The new restaurant will be home to life-sized animatronic dinosaurs, a dig site and much more. The table service restaurant will feature waterfalls and geysers, and, as the name indicates, there will also be a retail shop.

The sidewalk along the parking lot between McDonald's and the Pleasure Island ticket booths is currently close. You can easily travel from the Marketplace by crossing the bridge near Fulton's and using the boardwalk along side of Cookes of Dublin and Raglan Road.