On a recent visit to the World of Disney store at Downtown Disney, a little magic went a long way for my daughter.

The store is home to Walt Disney World's original Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, a place where little girls are transformed into the princesses of their dreams. For a price, fairy-godmothers-in-training will do the hair, makeup and nails of aspiring royalty. My daughter practically swoons every time we pass by the entrance, wondering if she will ever get the opportunity to play the most elaborate game of dress-up she has ever seen.

Looking for another way to vent displeasure over the closing of Pleasure Island nightclubs? How about a petition to save the Adventurers Club?

Word is spreading that it's official: Disney closing the nightclubs at Pleasure Island. And in its place? More shopping and eating, they say, but not very specifically.

"We are currently considering a number of unique concepts from around the globe as we re-imagine Pleasure Island and look forward to sharing our progress over the coming months," said Downtown Disney Vice President Kevin Lansberry in a press release.

Expect a two-year transformation and those pixie-dust construction walls. The six clubs -- Mannequins, 8 Trax, BET, Adventurers Club, Motion and Comedy Warehouse -- will close on Saturday, Sept. 27. Ragland Road, Fuego by Sosa Cigars, Curl and Harley-Davidson will remain open.

Burning question(s): What will become of the rotating dance floor at Mannequins? Might John Stamos buy it?

The press release was much more eager to talk about new stuff coming to Downtown Disney, including a tethered balloon that will take guests up 300 feet to enjoy the vistas of Lake Buena Vista. (Can you see the proposed Great Orlando Wheel from there?)

Other DD changes/additions/enhancements after the jump.

This just in: Disney pulling plug on Pleasure Island's six nightclubs. They'll close after Sept. 27.

Man, whoda guessed Mannequins would close its doors before DisneyQuest did?

It's official from the folks at Disney -- there will be a new fireworks show in the Magic Kingdom for July 4th. "Disney's Celebrate America!-A Fourth of July Concert in the Sky" is scheduled for 9 p.m.

Other parks will offer:

A holiday-inspired finale added to Epcot's nightly fireworks extravaganza, "Illuminations: Reflections of Earth." The park's American Adventure pavilion also will have extra entertainment throughout the day.

A special July 4th fireworks show at 9 p.m. at Disney's Hollywood Studios. "Fantasmic!" will be presented at 10:30 p.m. that night.

Downtown Disney will present patriotic fireworks at 10:30 p.m.

Has anyone seen Cinderella? She is missing from her post in front of the World of Disney's princess room (left).

Today's construction picture is the T-Rex restaurant going up at Downtown Disney. If you haven't been to DD in a while, you might be surprised by the restaurant's location -- in the parking lot. It's definitely interrupted the previous flow of the lot.

The photo was taken from near Mannequins bridge, which connects Pleasure Island with the parking lot.  The bridge in the distance is the one that connects to McDonald's and the rest of Marketplace. The eatery, from this perspective at least, would seem to face Portobello Yacht Club and Fulton's Crab House (the big boat one).

The signage says it will open in Fall 2008. The construction wall on the other side -- facing McDonald's -- is accessible to the public and has pics of dinosaurs on it. Instant photo op!

St. Patrick's Day draws nearer, and there are a couple of theme-park shopping options to get your green on: Rosie's Irish Shop at Universal Studios and the Ragland Road gift shop at Downtown Disney/Pleasure Island. They are similar in tone and size, but with different lines of merchandise. Here are a few of my favorite Irish-ish items from each store.

Rosie's Irish Shop:

Green tuxedo T-shirt with "Kiss Me I'm Irish" button printed on ($19.98).

Kennedy for president poster ($9.98).

"I survived Catholic school" pub sign ($34.98).

Green sequined vest  with bow tie ($79.00).

Guinness flipflops ($19.98).

Stained-glass shamrocks ($29.98)

Irish leprechaun costume -- extra-large! ($94.98).

And of course, Mardi Gras-style St. Patrick's beads ($5).

Also Irish nearby: Finnigan's Bar & Grill. Raise a pint and also double-secret spot to check basketball scores.

After all my years in Florida, one thing I had never done was experience DisneyQuest, the big "interactive play area" at Downtown Disney's West Side, between Virgin Megastore and Cirque du Soleil. You know -- the one that is always rumored to be closing, but at least as of this writing, is still open for business.

I went with a group of friends, and I can speak for us all when I say we were a bit surprised at how much fun we had in the 4-5 hours we were there. Unlike the current generation, we didn't grow up with digital gaming everywhere, so maybe the novelty factor wowed us a bit more than a jaded 14-year-old. But even teens and kids should find something to enjoy in this creative place.

Details on our adventures after the jump.

If you're a Walt Disney World passholder, don't forget to collect your four complimentary lithographs by March 14. The series, pictured here, depicts the icon from each theme park with characters in the Year of a Million Dreams garb.

Dear Ranger husband:

I'm going to make this easy for you. For Valentine's Day, I do not expect jewelry, flowers or even a child-free dinner.

What I long for can be found at one of my favorite stores, World of Disney at Downtown Disney. Bypass the Valentine's display of plush animals and treats and head toward the middle of the store, where you can find the Disney Crocs section.

Want to let the kids get a jump on trick-or-treating? Sure you do. The more sugar for 'em the better, right?

From 5 to 9 tonight (and tomorrow, too, of course), you can take the kids to Downtown Disney for some (free) holiday fun. There will be trick-or-treat locations throughout the shopping area, such as at Disney Quest, Pin Traders, Pooh Corner and World of Disney, plus a whole lot of other sites.

It’s August, and parents’ thoughts turn to … Halloween costumes?

Walt Disney World sells dress-up outfits all year. You’d have to be blinded by the glitz to miss the fancy displays of princess dresses with matching shoes, tiaras and wands in just about every store.

As fellow ranger Dewayne noted, there is such demand that Disney is opening a second Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, where girls can have complete princess makeovers. It’s understandable, though, because parents on vacation here want to make their little girls’ dreams come true. And for many, that means being dressed like royalty when meeting their counterparts in the parks.

What you might not know is that there are plenty of boys costumes at Disney, as well.

There's a new theme-park publication in the works, and you could be a writer for it, too. Well, provided you know how to write well. And, of course, that you love the theme parks here and attend them often.

Former newspaper editor and publisher Matt Roseboom and Disney blogger Ricky Brigante are teaming up to publish, "Orlando Attractions Magazine," an every-other month publication (in the beginning, anyway) devoted to themed attractions here in the theme-park capital of the world.

I could go off on a why-in-the-HalloweenHorrorNights-didn't-anybody-think-of-this-before tangent. But, given my contractual obligations to a certain old-media publication at 633 N. Orange, I'll just whistle, scratch my head and offer up a Goofy-worthy "gwash!" instead.

Today's Photo Treasure Hunt takes us back to the dats of Pleasure Island under construction. It's a little difficult to get your head around as the waterway/retention ponds aren't exactly in the same place as today.

In a happy coincidence, I had been skimming The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World With Kids, when I saw that the authors will be answering questions about Orlando vacations at BudgetTravel.com. Anyone can post questions for Liliane Opsomer and Bob Sehlinger through 1 p.m. Tuesday at the Web site.

George Washington. Thomas Jefferson. Mickey Mouse.

Few names conjure up “America” more than those, right? Well, OK, John Wayne. But anyway, there’s no denying that Walt Disney and all he and his company created over the years became one of the strongest embodiments of American ideals and symbolism the world would know. So, as you might imagine, the Disney theme parks will be filled with red, white and blue patriotism on our nation’s birthday, and next week will be a pride-filled experience for patriotic park-goers.

Among some of the highlights:

Stepped into the latest addition at Pleasure Island, Fuego by Sosa Cigars, and took a deep breath. It's not exactly fresh air in a cigar bar, but in this case it's rare air: a place you can smoke and drink "on property." Vices reunited!

Before I could catch that breath, I was greeted by the front man who reeled off their offerings: cigars, cigarettes, liquor, coffee. The place looks slick, especially the bar proper, which resembles a melting-ice slab. It's realistic enough force me want to touch it. (It wasn't cold.) Also eye-catching are the fiery back-lit tobacco leaves up and behind the bar.

It seats about 30, but with the high ceilings, it didn't feel claustrophobic.

The bar is located in what I could call the Pleasure Island DJ booth, facing the Mannequins/Ragland Road side. (Photo from Walt Disney World)

On Friday, the Sentinel reported that Disney is cracking down on teens that are using Downtown Disney for gang and other illegal activities. Those kids must be hanging out on the West Side or in Pleasure Island because I never suspected there was a problem, and I visit the Marketplace section at least once or twice a month.

I have found the Marketplace to be a fun and relatively inexpensive place to spend a day with my two preschoolers. We have a regular routine that allows me to shop and them to play, and all of us to go home happy.

What's up with those new light-up signs at Disney World's Downtown Disney? Someone has assigned numbers to the different entrances to the sprawling parking lot. Did they think we couldn't read letters?

You’d think that it would be easy to get a few words from a man who regularly communicates to perhaps thousands each weekend by leaving air-borne messages in the sky above Orlando-area theme parks.

But pilot Jerry Stevens didn’t want to say much recently when contacted by the Theme Park Rangers. He said he didn’t want to distract attention from the skywriting messages about Christianity that he routinely delivers high overhead.

“It's not about me or the skywriting,” he said. “It's about the message.  The message is this: GOD LOVES YOU!  He wants you to know it.  He is writing His love letter to you on the sky.”

So I broke down and tried the current Pleasure Island special drink on Thursday  night. (Can you hear my arm being twisted?) It was light and refreshing and fruity ... and not cheap.