Disney quest is a five floor arcade with food, bumper cars, simulators, and more.
This news hit my family hard. We spend 4 or 5 days at Disney Quest every year and the place is always packed! It can be difficult to find a vacated game to play and the place is full. The place brings back great memories: we first came after it opened and remember sitting at an Internet cafe style table overlooking the lobby below. Since then, Disney Quest has been a favored stop and we always find it packed. How can a disney take a thriving business and shut its doors?
I suspect the answer lies in business math. They are making money, but can they make more money doing an NBA experience? Could there be some synergies with an NBA experience, such as drawing husbands to Disney? Husbands could go the the NBA Experience while their wives shop at Disney Springs. Perhaps they envision a thriving NBA sovenier business as well?
It is possible that Disney Quest doesn't make much money at all. At $45 per person per day, it is very expensive. I couldn't afford to go as much as I do if it weren't park of my annual pass. Perhaps the Disney Quest portion of annual passes doesn't offset its expenses? These answers are a mystery to me!
Disney originally had plans to put a Quest in 24 major cities. But when the second Quest flopped in Chicago in 2001, disney pulled back all investment. And it is too bad. Disney quest should have been updated over the years with laser tag, ropes course, and a coffee shop for parents. Others, such as Magiquest and Wonder Works, are eating the lunch that could have been Disney's.
They will replace Disney Quest with an MBa experience: interactive, video, restaurant, and store. The NBA boats nearly 20 million fans. I don't know whether or not that is true. And I don't know if the basketball demographic adequately covers the Disney Fan demographic. But I can understand a synergy occurring with Disney's ownership of ESPN and the Wide Wolrd of Sports at Disney World. I just know that an NBA experience will carry no interest for me.
My kids love the nonstop all day video game experience. There are the old classic video games and many current ones. And we play until they kick us out!
What has been the impact to Disney Quest? It is difficult to tell because our last visit was seven months ago, but some things are obvious.
- no longer selling the annual pass. If you don't hane an annual pass? Your only way to get in is to pay $45 per person.
- classic video games are in disrepair. In one room I counted three games that were hung, and one game I played had a bad joystick. All together I found ten games I wanted to play that had problems.
- several games are missing, leaving empty places in the arcade. The games have been removed and not replaced.
- some decorations are missing. Some of the items that use to hang on the walls have been removed and not replaced.
This degradation is being reported just weeks after the announcement! So I can only imagine an increase decline is the establishment as its closure date nears. It is very unfortunate.
While I am upset about the closure, many others aren't. They complain that a 90's style arcade doesn't fit today. The games are too outdated compared to what kids have at home. Parents are board and often found sleeping in the corners. Many children are board too and you'll find them on benches playing games on their phone. If all of this is true (and most of it is) then why is this place packed with people?
So, we are here at Disney Quest today to give it one last good bye. I don't expect it to be here when we return.
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