Disney Quest to close in July 2017

Master Yoda

Pro Star Wars geek.
Premium Member
That is my problem with it. They are going to cater to just one demographic. Makes no sense.
It will still be a restaurant that serves a fairly decent variety of food. While the theme might not attract the widest variety of people, decent food will help bridge the gap. Worst case is it should free up some room at the other eateries in Disney Springs.
 

Bocabear

Well-Known Member
Makes sense for disney... They are only using outside vendors as they move forward... Disney Quest was a Disney Owned business... Makes more sense for them to just lease out the space, bring in profit and not worry about running the thing....bottom line-bottom line-bottom line.
and it will be completely un-unique..boo.
Maybe they can move the ESPN restaurant off thew boardwalk and move it over there too....and then put in something related to the theme of the boardwalk in that space...
 

wogwog

Well-Known Member
NNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! screw the NBA its not worth an entire building like whats in Disney Quest. its a crap sport in my opinion anyways. When I went to Disney thats the one thing I did after doing a half day at the water park, change clothes then hit Disney Quest till it closed. besides whats gonna happen to ALL the classic arcade games thats in there?
The games will probably go to auction as excess property. Disney has sold numerous arcade games that way in the past several years from other locations on property.
 

71jason

Well-Known Member
That is my problem with it. They are going to cater to just one demographic. Makes no sense.

I can all but guarantee that--decor aside--this place will show NFL, NCAA and probably even NHL and MLS games, in addition to NBA. Both NBA City and NASCAR Cafe at CityWalk did. This will be a giant sports bar first and foremost.

Which is still a limited market--roughly 70 nights a year (plus Christmas week, because this is Disney). But it will be packed those 70 nights.
 

vyst

Member
Well because it will cater to a global market and if it's a true sports bar you can bet that they'll have Premiere League soccer and whatever the other leagues are, and probably MLB as well.
 

TRONorail12

Active Member
Makes sense for disney... They are only using outside vendors as they move forward... Disney Quest was a Disney Owned business... Makes more sense for them to just lease out the space, bring in profit and not worry about running the thing....bottom line-bottom line-bottom line.
and it will be completely un-unique..boo.
Maybe they can move the ESPN restaurant off thew boardwalk and move it over there too....and then put in something related to the theme of the boardwalk in that space...

I've mentioned to friends for years that I thought the ESPN Club would be better off in Downtown Disney. You are completely right in that it doesn't fit the theme of the Boardwalk. I feel if Disney Quest was turned into something more of the "ESPN Experience" showcasing all kinds of sports, then it will be a lot more appealing. While the NBA is popular, it still is a limited market segment. Not everyone cares about basketball even though it's continuously played up in the media along with football. There is a reason why the NBA restaurant is FAILING at CityWalk. Not enough people care solely about basketball for it to make record profits.
 

rucifee

Well-Known Member
I've mentioned to friends for years that I thought the ESPN Club would be better off in Downtown Disney. You are completely right in that it doesn't fit the theme of the Boardwalk. I feel if Disney Quest was turned into something more of the "ESPN Experience" showcasing all kinds of sports, then it will be a lot more appealing. While the NBA is popular, it still is a limited market segment. Not everyone cares about basketball even though it's continuously played up in the media along with football. There is a reason why the NBA restaurant is FAILING at CityWalk. Not enough people care solely about basketball for it to make record profits.

This is a case of OMG Universal has something we don't, quick react and then act like it's a big deal and you're doing it first!
 

BrerJon

Well-Known Member
I wonder if there will be anything there for people like myself who dislike watching sports and have no interest in the NBA? I've yet to see anything that sounds the slightest bit appealing.

Mind you, I guess DisneyQuest had nothing to interest those who don't like video games, so I can't complain too much!
 

Jon81uk

Well-Known Member
I wonder if there will be anything there for people like myself who dislike watching sports and have no interest in the NBA? I've yet to see anything that sounds the slightest bit appealing.

Mind you, I guess DisneyQuest had nothing to interest those who don't like video games, so I can't complain too much!

DisneyQuest also had a rollercoaster simulator ride, a bumper car type experiance, skeeball, air hockey and a few others. It wasn't all video games, just "interactive experiances"
 

Zummi Gummi

Pioneering the Universe Within!
I wonder if there will be anything there for people like myself who dislike watching sports and have no interest in the NBA? I've yet to see anything that sounds the slightest bit appealing.

Mind you, I guess DisneyQuest had nothing to interest those who don't like video games, so I can't complain too much!

If you want a drink but don't care for a sports bar, there are at least 6-8 other places there you'll soon be able to visit.
 

JWG

Well-Known Member
It's unfortunate Disney doesn't want to invest in its own IP at Disney Springs in any significant manner. DQ turned to ESPN Zone would be a hit, I have to believe. The ESPN Club at the Boardwalk is always (usually always) busy, especially during any sporting event. Some of the "reservation" deals they now offer have some ridiculous minimum spend requirements. I firmly believe they could kill with a larger more accessible (i.e. bus) location. Heck, each major sport could have a floor dedicated to it (thematically) and there'd be room for a couple of bars, a couple of restaurants / eating areas, broadcast booths, etc. But they don't want to do it and they obviously won't let a competitive property do it (Fox Sports 1 Zone anyone...)
 

BrerJon

Well-Known Member
It's unfortunate Disney doesn't want to invest in its own IP at Disney Springs in any significant manner. DQ turned to ESPN Zone would be a hit, I have to believe.

Yeah it could work really well if DQ turned into the definitive place on-property to watch the big game. Whether it's Brazilians or Brits wanting soccer, or Canadians wanting hockey, or the Super Bowl... whatever your sporting needs, there should be a place where you know you won't miss out.
 

flynnibus

Premium Member
AFAIK, DisneyQuest was never 'owned' by Disney - and please, someone correct me if Im wrong. It is my understanding that it was licensed to and run by a third-party entity based in either Chicago or Philly. So laying blame on WDW/TDO for what this place was, is or never was -- is a little misplaced. From what I understand, it took a very long time to break even and once it did -- it bobbed up and down between black and red for years.

DQ was Disney. Disney created 'Disney Regional Entertainment' (DRE) in '96 to come up with these kinds of concepts and DQ was their big splash/flop.

DQ was launched in Orlando in 1998, and was scheduled to open site #2 in Chicago.. with philly next. Chicago opened in 1999.

There was no 'very long time' in any of DQ's timescales. Chicago opened in 1999, and they announced they were closing it in July 2001 - and they closed it in Sept 2001. It didn't even last three years before Disney punted on the whole concept.

Many people have written about why the DQ formula failed.. but in the end it probably was just too expensive to operate for its own good. Orlando bundles admissions into the MYW tickets which helps boost things.

DRE was also behind ESPNZone... which has also failed as a national project. I believe @WDW1974 has mentioned before some exec names that have been involved with DRE that still have a stink associated with them not many realize.

It's my guess that yesterday's announcement merely points to a day in 2016 when the license agreement and/or lease runs out. Given that we're talking about a 3rd party

Disneyquest was operated by WDW after DRE punted on the concept (DRE is also part of the Parks&Resorts Division.. so its not like they are remote anyways..). It's not third party operated or leased.
 

Jon81uk

Well-Known Member
I sure hope Disney does not just destroy some of these attractions. Some would have a perfect fit in Epcot's Innoventions.

Which ones? None of them are futuristic anymore as the tech is 15-20 years old so don't fit in Future World. Nothing was educational, it was all designed to be fun. Sum of All Thrills in Innoventions combine Maths and rollercoasters so that is a perfect fit there but I can't see what value anything at DQ would add to futureworld other than entertainment.
 

MiddKid

Well-Known Member
DQ was Disney. Disney created 'Disney Regional Entertainment' (DRE) in '96 to come up with these kinds of concepts and DQ was their big splash/flop.

DQ was launched in Orlando in 1998, and was scheduled to open site #2 in Chicago.. with philly next. Chicago opened in 1999.
...
DRE was also behind ESPNZone... which has also failed as a national project. I believe @WDW1974 has mentioned before some exec names that have been involved with DRE that still have a stink associated with them not many realize.

The "third" arm of DRE (besides DQ and ESPNZone) was Club Disney...5 of those opened and all closed by 1999. Think Disney's Chuck E Cheese.

Fun side note for DQ, the piece of land between House of Blues and Tortilla Jo's at DLR's Downtown Disney was the "Quest Pad." By opening in 2001 it was already decided that DQ wasn't going to be a viable go-forward business.
 

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