Disney Quest

[ddwwelsh]

Tell me about it, please. I want to hear about your experiences-good or bad.
My daughter is very into video games, Japanese Anime, art, etc. I read that three to four hours is a good rule of thumb for a visit.

Given its late hours, we have a couple of evenings where we could entertain the possibility of going. Plus, we have local friends who mentioned meeting up with us at Downtown Disney.

Our package comes with two vouchers for Disney Quest. I'm not sure if they're discounts on admission or actual admission tix.

Thanks again. I'd just like to hear a little more about it. I seem to keep reading the same general descriptions.

 

[Malibustyle23]

Tell me about it, please. I want to hear about your experiences-good or bad.
My daughter is very into video games, Japanese Anime, art, etc. I read that three to four hours is a good rule of thumb for a visit.

Given its late hours, we have a couple of evenings where we could entertain the possibility of going. Plus, we have local friends who mentioned meeting up with us at Downtown Disney.

Our package comes with two vouchers for Disney Quest. I'm not sure if they're discounts on admission or actual admission tix.

Thanks again. I'd just like to hear a little more about it. I seem to keep reading the same general descriptions.

They are actual admission tickets. DisneyQuest is nice it has many levels to it. Almost all of the games are included in the price. I think there may be one or two that you have to pay extra for. They have arcade games, air hockey tables, basketball shoots, rollercoaster creator simulator, etc, etc. They also have a ride kinda like bumper cars but you shoot out balls at the targets on others cars. (atleast last time we went) My dh enjoyed it and I probably would have more if strollers were allowed but it was kind of overwhelming to keep my toddler under control and enjoy it. They also have a place inside where you can get drinks, snacks, etc.

I'll be sending my DH and DS who is now 9 there. I know they will thoroughly enjoy it.

 

[ddwwelsh]

So, we will put it on our wish list then. We are night owls, so I figure that by the time we get there, most families with younger children will be heading out.

 

[bluejasmine]

The evening can get packed and especially the weekends just keep that in mind..

DH and I love DQ I'm not a big gamer but have so much fun riding the virtual space mountain, Potc, jungle cruise!!

ASMU/POR Dec 16-22, 2012 & CR Sept 8-15, 2013

 

[kappyfamily]

We have gone 2 times, once right when they opened and once at 6pm. The difference in crowd size was staggering. There was actually lines with people waiting to play games at night. We only lasted an hour and said forget it! The morning time we stayed for 3 hours and felt like we had it to ourselves. Have fun!

 

[momofboyz3]

Hi- I always respond to the DQ threads, I have such a strong split opinion. I brought my 3 boys 13,13,9 who loves games! We went on a Friday night for about 4 hours (on our Typhoon lagoon day). They Loved it!!!! Loved, loved, loved!!!!! I'm planning a 2014 trip and they want it on the list if stuff to do. Now for me (39 not a gamer) I played 1 game of air hockey. I leaned against a wall & followed the boys everywhere. It's rather dark & loud and I was bored. I'm not a Debbie downer ever but yup I kinda might have been here. Next yr maybe I will sit in the cafe for a bit and just have them meet me. So for most people they enjoy it! My boys loved it!

 

[dyna]

DH an I are seeing many broken machines at DQ.

 

[kakiegirl]

We used the vouchers and paid for my husband's admission and went in June. DD 14 loves video games and could have stayed all day, we stayed about 4 hours. It was ok, to me it was bascially a glorified huge aracade with a few virtual reality games. I will say though the ones where you put the helment on your head sort of grossed me out thinking of the germs. It was okay, but I would have been disapointed if we had all three paid to go in and will probably not take Disney time to go again even if we have the vouchers. We used the same strategy we use at the parks we were there when it opened at 11:30 and went to the games we knew would be popular first. When we left at around 3:30 there were lines for just about everything so I know as the day went on it probably gets worse.

 

[MrsDuck]

We have always enjoyed it but I will say this: the technology is very outdated and it probably could use a refurb.

 

[ddwwelsh]

I am so thankful that I created this thread.

So, rather than going in the evening, maybe we'll get there early on our last morning (before flying out).

You never know until you try something at least once.

 

[sohappy]

My boys LOVED DQ. We went one morning when it opened and stayed 6 hours. We had to go back two more times and stayed 2-3 hours each of those times (premium annual passes). Despite what my (non updated) siggie says, my boys are 10 and 8. I brought a book and grabbed a seat in the cafe. They had to stay together, tell me what floor the were going to, and check in frequently (die 5 times, then come back). It was awesome for everyone.

It is already on our list for October as a must do.

 

[rex008]

I am so thankful that I created this thread.

So, rather than going in the evening, maybe we'll get there early on our last morning (before flying out).

You never know until you try something at least once.

Early is definitely better, but regular opening time is 11.30am, which caught us out.

My kids loved the place, as did I. Even DW found enough stuff she liked to keep her happy. We eventually just let the kids go off by themselves (DSs9&10), with instructions to meet back with us in the 3rd floor lobby every hour. Felt perfectly safe to do that. Spent 5 hours in there one day, and another 2 on our flight day.

The 3D pirate boat family thing was a highlight for us, but that gets slow queue quite quickly, so I'd definitely recommend that early or first.

The Buzz Lightyear dodgem/shooters was a fun one to do as a family as well.

 

[TxRabbit]

Disney Quest is a MUST DO for our family. Every trip. DS, now 12, is a total gamer...and he loves this place. We first went when he was in Kindergarten? And now, when we have the chance to go to WDW, we always have to visit DQ.

It's dark and loud. There are places where you can get a slight break from the constant hum...but this is one reason why being there for 3-4 hours at a time is a good stretch.

We generally go when it opens. We have been there in the evening...BAD...very crowded. Lines were horrible, and after having been there when we basically had the run of the place...we couldn't stay. Granted, I believe the evening was a weekend? And from my understanding, a season pass to DQ is relatively cheap, especially for residents, and so there can be a lot of LOCALS that go to DQ in the evenings. Especially in the summer and/or on the weekends.

Someone else mentioned that the Pirates experience on the lowest floor usually has a line, and it can be slow moving, so it's good to plan for that first. Also by Pirates is 2-person Jungle Adventure game where you sit in a jeep and battle all different kinds of things. It's one of those games that would EAT quarters if you had to keep paying every time you died. My men love that game...the lines build for that one too, so you want to play it earlier than later.

There are many other experiences. DS was finally tall enough to do the virtual roller coaster...OMG...luckily, he and I have the same stomach tolerance for the sick things he creates! DH doesn't participate as much. That was a blast. We did it several times, with many different creations.

We always have to do the Alien Encounter on the top floor also. When we first did it, I was driving and was so lost...it took us a while to figure out the deal so our failure was challenging and entertaining...we were pumped when we finally succeeded in the mission. Now DS is trying to drive us around.

I don't care for the helmet experiences as much. I find the helmets to be heavy and kind of irritate my neck. We limit doing these. There's a comic book battle adventure and also a carpet ride?

Never done the bumper car thing...

One thing I always do is the animation class. Throughout the day, they have a class that teaches you how to draw a character. The character changes for each class. For a very reasonable fee, you can purchase a nice print out of your drawing and also receive and animation class pin. I've done that twice now. It's a cool souvenir for me.

We generally go to WDW in the summer, so our DQ day is generally a nice break from the heat. Because it opens so late, we can sleep in a bit, have a really nice big breakfast, and still arrive before it opens. DH and I will stop in at the Ghirardelli® shop, which is one of the few places in DTD where you can order a latte and get a latte. They often have free samples too. Then we take the boat over to DQ. We stay there for 3-4 hours and leave in an off time to have a late lunch. Usually, we take the boat back over to the Marketplace side to our favorite Wolfgang Puck Express on that side. We sit on the patio.

One time, we went back to DQ? And that was when the lines and crowds were just too much.

So now generally, we shop and enjoy DTD and then head back to the hotel for some pool time. It's a great day! Feels a lot like vacation.

 

[lillygator]

can you take strollers in there? is there anything for toddler aged children?

 

[MinnieLovesMickey12]

We spent a half a day at Disney Quest in October 2011 on a day we were seeing Cirque Du Soleil that night. It was a Saturday and we were there at opening. We actually lined up about 11 am for an 11:30 opening.

My kids at the time were 10, 11 and 12 and they all liked it. Even my DH liked it. I am not really into video games so I mostly walked around watching them play.

We stayed there until about 3pm and that was plenty of time.

Just remember this...when you go in they take you in the elevator and drop you off on the 3 rd floor but there are actually 5 floors. Be sure you see them all. We only went to floors 3, 4 and 5. We didn't know you could go down to 1 and 2. I was stunned to think why would they drop you off so high and skip the bottom 2 floors. Not sure why they do that.

There is 2 food courts and only one of them takes the dining plan so be sure and check which one it is if you have the dining plan before you order.


You CANNOT take strollers inside. There is nothing much for small pre-school children. there is a bumper car you can let them ride with you. But everything else is geared for tweens and teens.

 

[I-4Bound]

can you take strollers in there? is there anything for toddler aged children?

You cannot take strollers inside DisneyQuest. Definitely something to keep in mind if you have little ones. Mine are older, so I didn't see if they had a toddler section.

We went for our first visit earlier this month with our kids (DS 12 and DD 9) They enjoyed it a lot. Definitely try to get there early (I think they open at 11:30) to avoid long waits. We went around 1, spent about 4 hours, and definitely felt like we could have spent more time.

Be aware that some of the virtual reality games can cause motion sickness. I did Ride the Comix and felt a bit queasy afterward. My DH couldn't experience any of the special ride/games because he forgot to put on his motion sickness patch. He spent his time playing all the retro video games, though, and had a blast. Several of the games use the virtual reality helmet, and the one I wore hurt the bridge of my nose pretty badly.

The Animation Academy was wonderful for my DD, and we paid the extra 5 bucks to purchase her drawing. This was optional. Overall, we would definitely go back!

 

[ddwwelsh]

The Animation Academy was wonderful for my DD, and we paid the extra 5 bucks to purchase her drawing. This was optional. Overall, we would definitely go back!

Are you referring to the Animation Academy at Hollywood Studios, or is there also one at Disney Quest?

Our daughter DEFINITELY wants to experience the Animation Academy that we've seen mentioned at DHS.

 

[I-4Bound]

Are you referring to the Animation Academy at Hollywood Studios, or is there also one at Disney Quest?

Our daughter DEFINITELY wants to experience the Animation Academy that we've seen mentioned at DHS.

Nope, this one was at DisneyQuest. It's a 20-30 minute class, and an animator walks you through the steps to draw a character. My DD enjoyed it very much. We have never done the Animation Academy at DHS, so I can't comment on it

 

[ddwwelsh]

I don't think it would matter where the Animation Academy is. Our thirteen year-old will LOVE it.

 

[Smiles4DW]

We went for the first time recently with the waterparks and more option on our MYW tix. We loved it. We went a couple of times at night. My DDs (9 & 7) loved the animation classes. I took apic with my camera of their drawings on their computer screens. Lots of great video games (vintage & newer). I don't think we would have paid OOP for it though.