News The game arcade is set to return to Disney's Contemporary Resort

WeWantsTheRedHead

WeWantsTheRedHead

New Member
DisneyFreak said:
Fond memories...

What a coincidence, the same thing happened to me in 1992! Teenage me and two buddies I made on the trip were staying at Dixie Landings and used the buses and monorails as a transit system to all of the hotels. One night we went to the Fiesta Fun Center, met a group of girls and stayed past the last bus to Pleasure Island to get back home. We asked a security officer what we should do, he radioed for a security van and we rode in the back where we found out they only had front seats – the back was for storage. We ran into a traffic jam on Vista Blvd out by Fort Wilderness, the road had a herd of deer crossing. Great times!
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Nunu

Nunu

Wanderluster
Premium Member
Almac97 said:
As someone who fully admits to my addiction to pinball (I have 6 machines myself, and 2 of my close friends have a combined 30+), I figured I'd chime in here with some info as I too would like pinball at Disney... but won't hold my breath. But there are alternatives!

1) I always heard (especially at DisneyQuest) that the pinball machines were in subpar condition. Pinball is an awesome hobby, but one that consumes money, space, and time. Operators of arcades know this and have to weigh that against video and redemption machines which are far less likely to break down. Though there are some great locations, many places that have pinball don't know how to care for them, or find the care bothersome. There once was a Star Trek pinball I believe at Islands of Adventure that was notorious for how worn down it was.

2) If you really do have a fondness for pinball, it's a very exciting time for the hobby. A decade ago, the only manufacturer around was in danger of going belly up. Thanks to barcades and just retro things becoming cool again (see Captain Marvel fight scene with Space Invaders machine), there are about a half dozen companies producing arcade quality machines, many of which are purchased by home collectors like myself.

3) If a pinball AND Disney fanatic, there's a fair amount of Disney/Marvel/Lucas titles from which to choose. Stern Pinball over the past ~decade has made machines for the aforementioned Tron, Pirates of the Caribbean, Guardians of the Galaxy, Deadpool, Spiderman, Avengers, Avatar (eh, almost "Disney"), Ironman, X-men, and Star Wars. There's also a company Jersey Jack Pinball which has made one of the most fantastic works of pinball art in The Wizard of Oz Pinball (see pics below and say you don't want to play that!) and also has released their crazy own Disney POTC machine which has a rocking ship w/ mini-playfield, and is reportedly about to launch Willy Wonka this Friday at the Midwest Gaming Classic.

4) If you decide that home ownership is not your cup of tea for any of the reasons mentioned above in (1), there are still many places to play around the country, and even in Orlando when visiting Disney. If you have an off day or a rain day, check out The Pinball Lounge in Orlando which I believe has 32 machines and even more importantly, ownership that cares about their cleanliness and condition.

TLDR: Even if Disney doesn't return to pinball operating, there are probably many locations around where you live, companies that will sell directly to you if you want to get into the hobby, leagues to join, and even decent spots around the WDW/Orlando area.

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Wow, thank you!
Where is The Pinball Lounge?
And, is there a "play all you want" pass?
 
Almac97

Almac97

Active Member
NunuBelle said:
Wow, thank you!
Where is The Pinball Lounge?
And, is there a "play all you want" pass?
Click to expand...
From what I remember, it's equally as northeast to Orlando as WDW is southwest. So you have to go around Orlando.

The joint is coin drop-based, meaning each game costs a certain amount of quarters/tokens, some more than others. There was a night where they did a "pay one price" but it was 1 night and it's hard to set up. Though pinball goes back decades, circuit boards were basically introduced in 1978. Therefore the earlier electromechanical games (the bell and chimes w/ score reels) require workarounds to accommodate "free play".
For the post-1978 games, there are "free play" settings which is what the location does for those nights, but then you have to go into the settings of ~30 games and switch them over. Having both options at once (free play and coin drop) can't happen, and would be an accounting/metrics nightmare. Pinball really hasn't gotten into the "card swipe" systems you see at a lot of arcades for redemption games (at least I haven't seen one yet)... and if it does exist for the new games, it would be virtually impossible to get it into the games from the 80s-90s-00s.

Almac97 said:
There once was a Star Trek pinball I believe at Islands of Adventure that was notorious for how worn down it was.
Click to expand...
Also, before I conclude my minor thread drift, I was able to find the Star Trek pic from Islands of Adventure. Compare this to the exact same model I happen to own, and you can see what happens when a location doesn't provide proper upkeep of a pinball machine.
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Nunu

Nunu

Wanderluster
Premium Member
Almac97 said:
From what I remember, it's equally as northeast to Orlando as WDW is southwest. So you have to go around Orlando.

The joint is coin drop-based, meaning each game costs a certain amount of quarters/tokens, some more than others. There was a night where they did a "pay one price" but it was 1 night and it's hard to set up. Though pinball goes back decades, circuit boards were basically introduced in 1978. Therefore the earlier electromechanical games (the bell and chimes w/ score reels) require workarounds to accommodate "free play".
For the post-1978 games, there are "free play" settings which is what the location does for those nights, but then you have to go into the settings of ~30 games and switch them over. Having both options at once (free play and coin drop) can't happen, and would be an accounting/metrics nightmare. Pinball really hasn't gotten into the "card swipe" systems you see at a lot of arcades for redemption games (at least I haven't seen one yet)... and if it does exist for the new games, it would be virtually impossible to get it into the games from the 80s-90s-00s.


Also, before I conclude my minor thread drift, I was able to find the Star Trek pic from Islands of Adventure. Compare this to the exact same model I happen to own, and you can see what happens when a location doesn't provide proper upkeep of a pinball machine.
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You certainly know your pinballs! And to think I considered myself a fan, thank you! ;)
 
WDWTank

WDWTank

Well-Known Member
NunuBelle said:
Wow, thank you!
Where is The Pinball Lounge?
And, is there a "play all you want" pass?
Click to expand...
It’s inside The Oviedo Bowling Bowling Center, Oviedo FL, about 50 minutes from WDW via 417.
They have Flip-Out Friday’s where from 8-midnight all pins are unlimited play for $10, and you get a wristband for access...

I’m at The Pinball Lounge on a regular basis, there every week for league and IFPA tournaments and friday’s. My high score initials are TJK, and, I have all high scores on Family Guy except Grand Champion :) my longer initials for high scores if allocated is Tank James :D
 
Nunu

Nunu

Wanderluster
Premium Member
WDWTank said:
It’s inside The Oviedo Bowling Bowling Center, Oviedo FL, about 50 minutes from WDW via 417.
They have Flip-Out Friday’s where from 8-midnight all pins are unlimited play for $10, and you get a wristband for access...

I’m at The Pinball Lounge on a regular basis, there every week for league and IFPA tournaments and friday’s. My high score initials are TJK, and, I have all high scores on Family Guy except Grand Champion :) my longer initials for high scores if allocated is Tank James :D
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Thanks for the info @WDWTank !
it sure looks like you are a pro
I'll try to visit next time I'm in town, fun! 😀
 
raymusiccity

raymusiccity

Well-Known Member
Almac97 said:
From what I remember, it's equally as northeast to Orlando as WDW is southwest. So you have to go around Orlando.

The joint is coin drop-based, meaning each game costs a certain amount of quarters/tokens, some more than others. There was a night where they did a "pay one price" but it was 1 night and it's hard to set up. Though pinball goes back decades, circuit boards were basically introduced in 1978. Therefore the earlier electromechanical games (the bell and chimes w/ score reels) require workarounds to accommodate "free play".
For the post-1978 games, there are "free play" settings which is what the location does for those nights, but then you have to go into the settings of ~30 games and switch them over. Having both options at once (free play and coin drop) can't happen, and would be an accounting/metrics nightmare. Pinball really hasn't gotten into the "card swipe" systems you see at a lot of arcades for redemption games (at least I haven't seen one yet)... and if it does exist for the new games, it would be virtually impossible to get it into the games from the 80s-90s-00s.


Also, before I conclude my minor thread drift, I was able to find the Star Trek pic from Islands of Adventure. Compare this to the exact same model I happen to own, and you can see what happens when a location doesn't provide proper upkeep of a pinball machine.
View attachment 363239View attachment 363238View attachment 363237
Click to expand...

Brings back lots of memories. I can remember the games requiring quite a bit of finesse to get a ball hung up on an activator to ring up enough points before the 'TILT' lit up !
 
S

Surfin' Tuna

Well-Known Member
We popped back in yesterday. It is open, but in typical TDO fashion a huge percentage of the games don't work. It was still a welcome distraction, and we spent probably a little more than an hour there.
 

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