Put DisneyQuest out of it's misery?

[menamechris]

I went to DisneyQuest last weekend, and I have to say, it was sad. On a rainy day, it was not that busy, half of the machines didn't work, and for me personally, the technology is now dated and boring. I really wanted to have fun - I really did - but as it turned out, I ended up in the "rewind" zone, playing the classic arcade games trying to pass the time (this is one shining point of DisneyQuest - where else can you play arcade games from the 80's?) I spent the better part of three hours hearing kids complain about how lame it was, and watching people wander around trying to find something to do.

So is DisneyQuest THAT profitable? I don't think virtual reality took off the way Disney expected when they built DisneyQuest, and the other locations have closed. I know it is used as an "add-on" to tickets and as an added benefit for premium passholders, but it really is just disappointing...

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Your description was pretty much my feelings about DisneyQuest the one and only time we went in January '06. So many of the games weren't working and the place was filthy with trash everywhere. I was so eager to go to the Cheesecake Factory they had in there at that time for a snack but one look at the garbage all over & nasty tables was all I needed to turn around & move on. The kids liked the virtual coaster thing. The virtual pirates game was fun. Other than that, not worthwhile. I think DisneyQuest was maybe doomed to obsolete-land from the start. Video gaming & technology in general progress so fast. They should either take it out completely or do s total revamp (ie. The teen club facilities on the new Dream cruise ship + Sum of All Thrills then blown up onto a much larger scale.

 

[loveofamouse]

to me, it's just a giant arcade. I wouldn't do it alone. It gets included with the water parks and more option. We go when we need to pass time. Like last trip, we wanted to catch a movie but had 1.5hr before it started. we killed it at the arcade

 

[mickeysshoes]

Do dont even add water and more on to our passes any more. When it was new and games worked it would be ME time shop while the rest of the family was there. Now they go see a moive instead. Waste of time and money.

 

[sublimesting]

Yeah, we went once in '05 and it was lame and outdadted. Alot of the attractions were broken or filthy. I just thought it was me as I heard how great it was before I went. Honestly it was more like a cool arcade was in the early 90's.

 

[menamechris]

Honestly it was more like a cool arcade was in the early 90's.

That would probably be a better way for them to go! Ha! Make it a "retro arcade" of some sort if they need to keep it a gaming place. But marketing it as some sort of cutting edge technology and exciting gaming experience is just laughable at this point.

Of course, if I had a suggestion, I would gut it and turn it into a theatre that shows classic Disney movies. They could charge $5 admission (even put it as a ticket "add-on" like Quest) and would probably make more on concessions alone than DisneyQuest is making now....

 

[rstaut]

We went in 2007 & thought it needed to be closed down back then! I thought I read something a few years ago about them closing it & reopening as an ESPN Zone or something. I may have mis-read or been misinformed!

 

[muse1983]

Wow, I guess I'm going to stick out now because when we went in May of 2009 my wife and I really had a lot of fun there:lol:

Granted, this was our first and only time going so maybe repeated visits can render different opinions.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Wow, I guess I'm going to stick out now because when we went in May of 2009 my wife and I really had a lot of fun there:lol:

Granted, this was our first and only time going so maybe repeated visits can render different opinions.

We only went once which was plenty. Not to worry, tho. A couple years ago I posted pretty much this same review & the majority thought I was nuts. :shrug:

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

I haven't visited the giant unsupervised crèche for years, it was shabby and fun fare like then.

 

[disney4life2008]

I have never liked DisneyQuest. I understand its vision and purpose but I think its rather boring. The technology is very outdated especially in a world where you can buy 3d tvs with better gaming technology. I refuse to waste a minute there.

 

[Horizons1]

I love DisneyQuest. Although, it is more fun when you go with friends. I've gone by myself maybe 3 times at the most. The only thing I really don't care for is the VR because the weight of the helmets comes down onto the bridge of my nose and it hurts like hell. But other than that, I've never encountered maybe more than a couple of machines that don't work. DisneyQuest is usually up and running when I go.

 

[slappy magoo]

We haven't been in DQ since a trip in 2006. We've only gone once since then, in 2008, the first time with a baby, so it didn't seem like something worth doing with a 5-month old. We didn't even bother with water parks or park hoppers that trip, knowing how much nap time we'd all probably need...

We like the retro-aspect of it - the "retro aspect" that existed when it was built, I mean, nowadays the whole thing is retro - being able to play the games of our youth until we're sick of 'em all over again. And to be fair, we've enjoyed the more-physical games like PotC and Astroblasters as well. But the main reason we've gone is usually to take a breather, a day when we go to DTD instead of the parks. Maybe we took advantage of late EMH the night before, and we're more inclined to sleep late and take it easy the next day. The very first time we went, we made a point to go to DQ. Few trips after that, we'd spend a few hours there before going to Pleasure Island. Now, I wouldn't go out of my way to visit, but were I with someone who really wanted to do it, my arm wouldn't need to be twisted too much. Having said that, if it were to go away, I don't think I'd be surprised or sad. I'm kinda surprised it's still there, quite frankly.

I like the idea mentioned below about converting it to a retro Disney movie theater, but I doubt that would ever happen, as it would probably cause a rift with UA, what with their multiplex right there that, while not exclusively showing Disney movies, certainly seems to keep them around longer than most other theaters.

Perhaps the DQ model could be tweaked to focus less on tech and more on activities - rock climbing walls, laser tag or paintball war, stuff that is (hopefully) fun, but not reliant on cutting edge technology.

 

[worldfanatic]

I agree that it's outlived its usefulness.
Time to move on.

 

[GenerationX]

I don't go to DQ expecting to be blown away with cutting edge technology. Neither do my boys. We go to play games. DQ is a huge arcade with current games, classic games, and some cool extras. The Pirates of the Caribbean Battle for Buccaneer Gold game, for example, is an extra that is a ton of fun. Some people don't like video games, some do. We do.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

I don't go to DQ expecting to be blown away with cutting edge technology. Neither do my boys. We go to play games. DQ is a huge arcade with current games, classic games, and some cool extras. The Pirates of the Caribbean Battle for Buccaneer Gold game, for example, is an extra that is a ton of fun. Some people don't like video games, some do. We do.

I don't do a whole lot of video games. However, if they had a nice set-up for Rock Band.... :lol:

 

[the-reason14]

I enjoy it, but I only do one thing there pretty much and that's shoot hoops. If it's not your cup of tea, don't go. I'm sure there are other places in and around WDW that you can find and complain about. Also they have so much room, why tear it down to build something new when they could just put 'something new' somewhere else in Dtd.

 

[thelookingglass]

Thats odd, OP. I went to DQ recently and I felt everything was in pretty good shape. Plus, the low crowds made it more fun for me because I mean, who wants to wait in lines to play video games?

The fact that most of the games are old isn't really Disney's fault as much as the fact that arcades are a dying form of entertainment. Back in the day when home console technology was limited, they were amazing. Today, however, our home consoles connected to HDTVs and home theater systems offer a much better experience than arcade machines can. Thus, I don't even think that many arcade games are even made anymore.

But I still enjoy DisneyQuest for what it was, though it really should cost less. I love the old arcade game collection and pinball machines the most because those especially are extremely rare.

 

[menamechris]

Thats odd, OP. I went to DQ recently and I felt everything was in pretty good shape.

The fact that most of the games are old isn't really Disney's fault as much as the fact that arcades are a dying form of entertainment.

But I still enjoy DisneyQuest for what it was, though it really should cost less. I love the old arcade game collection and pinball machines the most because those especially are extremely rare.

LOL - not sure how to respond to your first part...stuff broke between when you were there and last Saturday? Haha

I personally used to love arcades. I would spend hours at the arcade in our mall back in the day. Even pizza joints used to have them, and loved them there. And like I said, the part of DisneyQuest I would miss if it closed are the old arcade games they have. They really are kick-a** and bring back a lot of memories.

BUT, I am suspicious the time has come when DisneyQuest is far more of an expense than profit. It can't be cheap to repair all those games. Heck, it the technology isn't there to repair and maintain EPCOT's Christmas lights, how is it there for these virtual reality games that never took off? :lol:

I am not knockin' anybody who loves DisneyQuest. Thats awesome. It just seems like most people I observe or chat with, are less than impressed or entertained in 2011.

 

[thelookingglass]

Well it was like, maybe two months ago. Arcade games do tend to break frequently.

(I'm normally the first person to notice when something is broken in the parks, but I don't recall seeing more than maybe one or two machines not working)