It saddens me that the concept is finally receiving the final nail in the coffin, but it also make me happy to see this longtime neglected attraction close. DisneyQuest is one of the last concepts to remain from the now defunct "Disney Regional Entertainment" department that once had ambitious plans including ESPN Zone and Club Disney establishments.
ESPN Zone note: There are only two locations left both located in California and neither is directly operated by the Walt Disney Company.
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The problem with DisneyQuest arose shortly after the chain opened. The business model was flawed leading to the quick abandonment of the American Express sponsored card charging locations throughout the facility. The "pay as you play" model looked like a great money making design, which eventually led to all inclusive play included in your general admission, but soon became problematic.
Shortly after a few pre-planned updates the innovation of new and exciting offerings dwindled and future planned locations were cancelled. The last remaining location (Walt Disney World) was eventually used to "build value" into group plans and international tickets. It did not cost the company anything extra to add this attraction to new ticket sales and kept enough people coming through the doors to justify keeping it open.
The problem was Disney needed something new for Downtown Disney. Not just a new store and restaurant, but a new brand to keep competitive with Universal CityWalk and International Drive.
Disney Springs is going to breathe new life into the declining entertainment complex.
How does DisneyQuest fit in? It doesn't. The real estate is worth more than what it was when the West Side opened so changes have to be made. For years it was rumored that it would be converted into an ESPN Zone. With ESPN Zone facing similar problems, this concept would never come to fruition.
Will the NBA replacement be a slam dunk or a BRICK?
Disney and the NBA must have something special for this to work. NBA City, locate at Universal Orlando CityWalk, announced its closure the same time the Disney location was announced. *Keep in mind these are two totally different concepts and the NBA City idea is not transferring over. NBA City did ok and am thinking its great location had more to do with its success than the theme.
Just throwing an NBA themed overlay to a building, making it a restaurant and offering interactive games no longer is lightning in a bottle. Playoffs and Finals are seasonal and do not appeal to all guests (or basketball fans as a matter of fact).
Here are some ideas to make it work:
- Tap into the vast sports broadcasting power of ABC and ESPN to bring state of the art coverage of games and news to visitors.
- Dust off the old "Star of the Day" program from Disney-MGM Studios (yeah, I said it) and host meet and greets with NBA stars.
- Book groups and teams utilizing the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex. (Sure there is an ESPN Wide World of Sports Grill but why not go for the upsell?)
What are your thoughts? Are you sad to see DisneyQuest go? Will the NBA replacement work? Will you go?
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It's sad really that DisneyQuest failed. My family and I enjoyed it numerous times while visiting WDW on a rainy day, or as another "park" experience. There was enough in there to keep you for at least half the day, much like a couple of the full priced theme parks which I won't mention by name.
ReplyDeleteI think DisneyQuest might could have survived in the new Disney Springs, with some re-imagining, and tweaking, but I've gotten the impression that Disney was done with this failed experiment long ago and has been looking for a way to get rid of it. As for themeing and fitting in with Disney Springs, I don't see how the NBA is really any better than a virtual theme park, but since somebody else is helping to pay for it, why not! Seems to me like it would fit better at that other place they have on property that's specifically geared to sports. Anybody ever heard of ESPN Wide World of Sports?
I hate to harp on something that hasn't even started construction yet, but none of our family is really interested in basketball, let alone the NBA. So, I can't really see any of us making a stop there. That's not to say that it won't have its appeal, but for us, I just don't see it.