Will Legoland Discovery Center fare better than DisneyQuest in Chicago?

[JimboJones123]

It basically turned out being DisneyQuest vs. Gameworks vs. Dave & Busters. D/B had been around for quit a while around the nation, and Gameworks just beat Disney to the mark. If DQ would have started a few years earlier, they may have had the success of Gameworks and still be around.

 

[MousDad]

It basically turned out being DisneyQuest vs. Gameworks vs. Dave & Busters. D/B had been around for quit a while around the nation, and Gameworks just beat Disney to the mark. If DQ would have started a few years earlier, they may have had the success of Gameworks and still be around.

What in the world is Gameworks?

 

[Spike-in-Berlin]

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:

I definitely unterstand that Lego is huge in your house. But I don't think that necessarily means that your children will enjoy the Legoland DC anyway. After I read some critics and reviews of the Berlin DC it seems to be not very impressive. Perhaps they built something much bigger in Chicago but the Berlin version features:
1) A fake Lego-factory where you can see how Lego is made. Wow...
2) 4 (FOUR) VIPs built out of Lego as foto motive a la Madame Tussauds (including Ronald Reagan)
3) A Lego Playground for small children
4) A "Jungle Expedition"/"Dschungel Expedition" which works as an "interactive" walk-thru attraction. You have to "solve riddles" to find out the "secret" of the ancient ruins and pass animals built out of Lego. Sounds quite interesting but it doesn't seem to be either very big or very impressive if you read reviews. The "riddles" are even solvable by small kids so you can imagine how difficult they are. Older children don't even take them serious.
5)Drachenburg/ Dragons Castle:
A very, VERY tame and even more brief ride that makes even the most BORING dark ride in WDW look like Expedition Everest through a small lego castle, that includes two elevators. The elevators take longer than the ride itself if you believe the reviews. Quite nice for younger, pre-school kids.
6)Miniland - A miniature Berlin built out of Lego that seems to be one of the very few real highlights of the DC.
7) A 4D-Lego movie.
8) A (not even very big) Lego-store. Now that one came as a surprise to me.

And that's about it. New attractions are already announced but I don't know where they want to put them without demolishing others. The space is very cramped as its an underground facility with nearly no expansion space.

There are some restrictions by the way. You are only allowed to do the ride and the movie ONCE during a visit!

 

[MousDad]

I definitely unterstand that Lego is huge in your house. But I don't think that necessarily means that your children will enjoy the Legoland DC anyway. After I read some critics and reviews of the Berlin DC it seems to be not very impressive. Perhaps they built something much bigger in Chicago but the Berlin version features:
1) A fake Lego-factory where you can see how Lego is made. Wow...
2) 4 (FOUR) VIPs built out of Lego as foto motive a la Madame Tussauds (including Ronald Reagan)
3) A Lego Playground for small children
4) A "Jungle Expedition"/"Dschungel Expedition" which works as an "interactive" walk-thru attraction. You have to "solve riddles" to find out the "secret" of the ancient ruins and pass animals built out of Lego. Sounds quite interesting but it doesn't seem to be either very big or very impressive if you read reviews. The "riddles" are even solvable by small kids so you can imagine how difficult they are. Older children don't even take them serious.
5)Drachenburg/ Dragons Castle:
A very, VERY tame and even more brief ride that makes even the most BORING dark ride in WDW look like Expedition Everest through a small lego castle, that includes two elevators. The elevators take longer than the ride itself if you believe the reviews. Quite nice for younger, pre-school kids.
6)Miniland - A miniature Berlin built out of Lego that seems to be one of the very few real highlights of the DC.
7) A 4D-Lego movie.
8) A (not even very big) Lego-store. Now that one came as a surprise to me.

And that's about it. New attractions are already announced but I don't know where they want to put them without demolishing others. The space is very cramped as its an underground facility with nearly no expansion space.

There are some restrictions by the way. You are only allowed to do the ride and the movie ONCE during a visit!

Very interesting info to me, and let me tell you why. Anyone who has been to Hershey, PA will probably confirm with me that this sounds like an exact replica (in scope and execution, not content) of Hershey Chocolate World. Hershey Chocolate World, by the way, has free admission. (Although there is a fee for the 4D film.) It's essentially a "get you in the door to spend money elsewhere or on merchandise" attraction that is in close proximity to Hershey Park and the other paid attractions in the area.

I had no idea Lego had done something similar. If this is what the proposed new attraction will be like, I will change my tune if it's a paid attraction. Don't get me wrong, Chocolate World is nice, and pretty well done, but not worth paying for, and DEFINITELY not worth paying for as a repeat customer.

 

[Spike-in-Berlin]

Very interesting info to me, and let me tell you why. Anyone who has been to Hershey, PA will probably confirm with me that this sounds like an exact replica (in scope and execution, not content) of Hershey Chocolate World. Hershey Chocolate World, by the way, has free admission. (Although there is a fee for the 4D film.) It's essentially a "get you in the door to spend money elsewhere or on merchandise" attraction that is in close proximity to Hershey Park and the other paid attractions in the area.

I had no idea Lego had done something similar. If this is what the proposed new attraction will be like, I will change my tune if it's a paid attraction. Don't get me wrong, Chocolate World is nice, and pretty well done, but not worth paying for, and DEFINITELY not worth paying for as a repeat customer.

Glad I could help you. BTW the entrance fee for Legoland DC is 14.50 € thats about 23 $. For a slightly smaller fee you get access to one of the major Berlin attractions, our City-Zoo, with the largest variety of species worldwide (more than 1300 species) or the larger Tierpark (a Zoo-park) in the eastern outskirts, the largest Zoo in Europe concerning the area and in both you can stay of course for the entire day. I don't think that the Legoland DC will survive for more than 2 or 3 years with prices this high.

 

[findnemo94]

I think this would be great. I live in a Suburb of Chicago and I would love to go to this over the weekend sometime and I think alot of people would like it. It would also be a great place for tourist because we already have a six flags, some water parks, a great city, and then this would just make it better.