Will Legoland Discovery Center fare better than DisneyQuest in Chicago?

JimboJones123

JimboJones123

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I'm not sure if it's open yet or if it opens later this month, but Chicago is getting the first US Indoor Legoland.

With Cafe and 7 attractions, it sounds very much like the site based venue that Disney has been tossing around for the past few years. While DQ failed, will Lego do better. I'm sure Disney is watching it very closely in the first few months.

Here's the link.


http://www.legolanddiscoverycentre.com/chicago/us
 
Maerj

Maerj

Well-Known Member
Looks like a fun place! I think it will do well there in Chicago, especially with tourists.

A place like that would be a nice addition to Downtown Disney. They could make it one of the water park and more options, especially since they are taking away Pleasure Island. For a Disney version of the Legoland, I'd like to see more 'whole family' or more attractions geared toward adults.

You'd be suprised how many adults love Legos dearly. :lookaroun
 
C

coasterphil

Well-Known Member
CaesarBoxFan said:
Interesting.

Can someone explain why DQ Chicago was a flop? Was it that it wasn't that popular, not very well marketed, etc.?
Click to expand...

It just wasn't popular which most felt was because it was so costly to get in. It's hard to convince a family to drop $40 a person at what is basically an arcade, especially with the pay as you play ESPN Zone right next door and a Dave and Buster's less than a mile away.


I was living in Chicago when it was operating, and my family never went. We did pretty much every other family activity downtown, but could never justify DQ's price when we could have a ton of fun at ESPN Zone for so much less.
 
djkidkaz

djkidkaz

Well-Known Member
DQ isn't even a success in Downtown Disney, so Im not surprised it was a failure in Chicago. I live in Chicago and I went to DQ once. Getting around downtown Chicago is not easy. You've gotta fight traffic, pay for parking, avoid bums, then finally pay to get into DQ. It was the same confusing mess of floors as it is in DTD. Its really just a glorified arcade and nothing more. The whole arcade business is over, with all these video games in the homes now, they don't have much to offer.

In regards to Legoland, its actually not in Chicago, its in a very popular, upper-class suburb of Chicago. I think it will do ok, but are Legos even popular with kids anymore? It also needs to be seen how often they update this place so that people have a reason to come back. I'll give it five years lifespan.
 
ghostlyguitar

ghostlyguitar

New Member
Legos continue to be one of the most popular toys around, with both kids and adults. I know a lot of folks who still pick up Lego sets and build 'em, at 25! So I don't think it's a matter of popularity of the product.

I do think the pricing was a big issue with DisneyQuest, and I think that if they keep the costs down at the new Lego Land, it's going to fare much better. Plus, it's going to be perceived as a park, or at the very least, a unique experience, whereas DisneyQuest was seen as a big arcade.

-Adam-
 
scpergj

scpergj

Well-Known Member
ghostlyguitar said:
Legos continue to be one of the most popular toys around, with both kids and adults. I know a lot of folks who still pick up Lego sets and build 'em, at 25! So I don't think it's a matter of popularity of the product.
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Yeah...my son probably has over 100 different sets.

As for their overall popularity, check out your local toy store...or better yet, the Lego Imagination Center at DD...it's almost always mobbed!
 
Ausdaddy

Ausdaddy

Active Member
Well, somehow I didn't know about this. My son (8) wants to be a Lego Brickmaster when he gets older. Looks like a visit to Chicago for his B-day this January. :)
 
JWG

JWG

Well-Known Member
$40 to get in Disney Quest is crazy. I can go to our local amusement park (Valleyfair) for about $23 or $32 with parking. That's a full amusement park with waterpark. A season pass (that includes parking) is $80-89 - so all summer fun for the price of Disney Quest twice.

I can go to Nickelodeon Universe (formerly Camp Snoopy) at the Mall of America (I'm in MN, yes) for $26 with an unlimited ride wrist band (or I can also pay for tickets). Again, to ride real actual rides that includes 3 roller coasters, a flume among many other things.

And that $26 is significantly hire than the $18 or so I paid a year ago becore the Nickelodeon name took over.

Either way, it appears Disney priced themselves out of the niche. Hopefully Lego will be smarter.
 
MousDad

MousDad

New Member
JWG said:
$40 to get in Disney Quest is crazy. I can go to our local amusement park (Valleyfair) for about $23 or $32 with parking. That's a full amusement park with waterpark. A season pass (that includes parking) is $80-89 - so all summer fun for the price of Disney Quest twice.

I can go to Nickelodeon Universe (formerly Camp Snoopy) at the Mall of America (I'm in MN, yes) for $26 with an unlimited ride wrist band (or I can also pay for tickets). Again, to ride real actual rides that includes 3 roller coasters, a flume among many other things.

And that $26 is significantly hire than the $18 or so I paid a year ago becore the Nickelodeon name took over.

Either way, it appears Disney priced themselves out of the niche. Hopefully Lego will be smarter.
Click to expand...

$37 adult, $31 child. Not quite as crazy as $40. Like all of WDW though, single day admission to anything is crazy, and can be avoided to some degree by using MYW or passes.
 
Phonedave

Phonedave

Well-Known Member
CaesarBoxFan said:
Interesting.

Can someone explain why DQ Chicago was a flop? Was it that it wasn't that popular, not very well marketed, etc.?
Click to expand...


Part of the problem with DQ is the cost of designing and buliding the attractions.

From what I have read, the original plan was to have a number of DQ, all with different attractions. The attractions could be easily moved from one DQ to another. That way your "local" DQ would get new attractions on a regular basis, thus giving you a reason to go again. This sharing would allow for new (on a local basis) attractions on a fairly frequent schedule, while still keeping development costs down. However, a plan like this requires a large outlay of cash (and faith in the product) to work. You need that initial base of 6 or 7 DQ's and the 20 or so different attractions (there would be some overlap). Again, from what I read elewhere, the DQ project team lost its backing in corporate and they were told to make it work with two or three units. Of course this blows all the cost figures out of the water and doomed the project to failure.

-dave
 
wickedsoccer22

wickedsoccer22

Active Member
CaesarBoxFan said:
Interesting.

Can someone explain why DQ Chicago was a flop? Was it that it wasn't that popular, not very well marketed, etc.?
Click to expand...


If the cost didn't turn people away, the fact that it wasn't well marketed was the other main reason it didn't do well. Nobody really knew that it was there and those who did probably saw it as another arcade that just happened to be really expensive. I can't see a Legoland being very popular in Chicago because those who live outside of the city, don't enjoy coming into the city very often.
 
D

DarkMeasures

New Member
Woodfield isn't chicago. Woodfield is like a half-hour from downtown.

Though it is a good location, and if DQ had opened at Woodfield, it probably would have been a success. (much easier to get to among other things.)
 
C

coasterphil

Well-Known Member
MousDad said:
$37 adult, $31 child. Not quite as crazy as $40. Like all of WDW though, single day admission to anything is crazy, and can be avoided to some degree by using MYW or passes.
Click to expand...

I don't believe those were the initial prices they charged at the Chicago location though.
 
Spike-in-Berlin

Spike-in-Berlin

Well-Known Member
We have a Legoland DC in Berlin at the Sony Center. Tickets cost about 23 $ adult and kids 18.50. I've never been there, not exactly my age, so I can't say anything about the popularity but so far I haven't heard that It was either a major success or a big failure. But you have a maximum stay of 3 hours and the waiting times are quite long, so it doesn't seem to be empty an least.
 
DSNYKID

DSNYKID

New Member
The new Discovery Center will be at the Streets of Woodfield, across the street from the Woodfield Mall. The Woodfield Mall also has the Doorway to Dreams DVC center. As the Mom of two boys 7 and almost 4, i can tell you Legos are HUGE in our house. Going to the Lego store at DTD is one of their hightlights while at WDW! Our boys live for legos as do my nephews. I also encourage legos because I feel they are somewhat educational, better then just video games. We plan on going to new center soon. I'll let you know what it's like. The new Discovery center is set to open next weekend. There are coupons in Lego magazines. And Woodfield would only be a 1/2 hour from Chicago if you flew like a bird!! Too much traffic!:wave:
 

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