Disney Quest?

[MikeBW]

Does anyone have any opinions or advice about DQ? We got tickets for $19 thru Ticketmania, so we are going to give it a try. My DS will be in heaven! What are the crowds like? Is Saturday too hectic vs. a weekday? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[cleo]

If you can fit it in during the day, I'd go that route to avoid the crowds. Nights and weekends are going to be busiest.

It is truly a game fan's paradise. Made me crazy after about 10 minutes, but my son adored it! He could easily spend all day there and will definitely want to go back.

 

[tjkraz]

Probably won't be too busy the time of year you are going. But I'll second the recommendation to try and get there during the day. On the weekends, you're likely to run into a lot of locals who have annual passes. They sell stand-alone DQ APs, in addition to the Premium APs, which both give a year of unlimited admission to DQ.

Other busier times are evenings (when the theme parks start closing) and during any inclement weather. If significant rain is forecasted--watch out because you won't be the only ones going to DQ to stay dry.

 

[HM]

We went for the first time in late May (me, DH, Son 10, DD 8) It was a Thursday night and we got there about 5pm. We were back in our room at BWI at 9pm for Illuminations (could see if from balcony). It wasn't too busy and only had short lines but it seemed like more people were showing up as we were leaving. So early evening seems pretty good too. -HM

 

[#1Disfann]

We just got back yesterday and we spent about 4 hours there one day. We went just after opening and shared the place with only a few others the entire time. We waited for nothing!!! My DD (11) loves this place. We all had a great time. We did some things together and split up and did our own thing too. I loved the free, nonstop Centipede and Millipede . Have fun!

 

[DawnAK]

After you pay the fee to get in, is everything else free (besides food and souvenirs)? Thank, Dawn

 

[tjkraz]

Originally posted by DawnAK
After you pay the fee to get in, is everything else free (besides food and souvenirs)? Thank, Dawn

There are a handful of attractions that have additional charges. Some games spit out tickets which can be redeemed for prizes. Those games you must pay to play. Some of the attractions in the "Create Zone" allow you to do things like create your own song or design your own toy. I believe that actually experiencing these attractions is free, but if you want a CD of your song or if you want the toy that you designed, you must pay extra.

All of the classic and current arcade games are free, as are the "virtual" attractions like Cyberspace Mountain and Buzz Lightyear.

 

[ladyjayhawk]

Would a 5 year old (almost 6) enjoy Disney Quest? I know some of the games have height restrictions. Is there still enough left for a younger child to do or is it better to wait until he is older?

 

[tjkraz]

Originally posted by ladyjayhawk
Would a 5 year old (almost 6) enjoy Disney Quest? I know some of the games have height restrictions. Is there still enough left for a younger child to do or is it better to wait until he is older?

If he likes Nintendo / Playstation type games at home, then he will like DisneyQuest. If he hasn't yet had exposure to those types of games, it will be a toss up. I remember being about 8 or 9 yrs old when I got into videogames when I was young. But that's back when those things were brand new in the 70s. Not sure how early kids are latching-on these days.

 

[ladyjayhawk]

tjkraz, he does like those type of games. We don't have a game system at home yet but my younger brother does and DS plays it when at grandma's. So, he wouldn't be too young then? Thanks!

 

[tjkraz]

I personally categorize the attractions at DQ into two groups: arcade games and the interactive attractions.

Regarding the arcade games, it sounds like your son would enjoy them. If you've ever taken him to a place like Chucky Cheese (kiddie pizza place with arcade games and such), then you get the idea. There is a wide selection of "classic" games like PacMan and Donkey Kong, as well as a number of more modern games.

Check this link for info on the interactive games:

http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/dquestmain.htm

I personally didn't try any of them the couple of times that I've been to DQ, but they seemed to be quite a hit. Be wary of the height restrictions on some, and realize that your son is unlikely to be able to do any of them alone. Consider how many of these you will want to do yourself.

Sorry I can't give you a definitive answer on whether your child will enjoy or not. If you want my PERSONAL opinion of DQ based upon my own visits--I was a bit disappointed. First, the layout of the building itself is horrible. I could never tell where I was, how to get where I wanted to go, and even had trouble getting out of the place when we chose to leave. Probably 15-20% of the "classic" games were broken--either they didn't work at all or specific controls did not function. And the newer games weren't all that pleantiful.

As I said, I did not try any of the interactive games. I've heard very good things about them, so factor that into your decision.

Personally, I don't rank DQ very high on my return list. I went for a few hours with a friend while my wife and son napped back in our hotel room. I don't think I would ever set aside potential "park time" for a visit to DQ. To me, it's OK as off-hours filler, but not a must see attraction. If you have the Unlimited Park Hopper pass, then stop in for a few hours while you're at Downtown Disney. But I wouldn't recommend paying extra for stand-alone tickets.

 

[NavyDotz]

Originally posted by tjkraz
If you have the Unlimited Park Hopper pass, then stop in for a few hours while you're at Downtown Disney. But I wouldn't recommend paying extra for stand-alone tickets.

thanks for the opinion - exactly what i was looking for!

my real reason for going is for lemon-raspberry cream cheesecake from the cheesecake factory!

they really should have access to this restaurant w/o having to have DQ admission

 

[SMHCPA]

We took my then almost 5 yr old last year last year because we had free tickets from a friend who works at HOB. Unfortunately he LOVED it LOL. He has been talking about it for almost a year now, particularly the interactive things like the one were you try to shoot cannons at the pirate ships.

For myself it was okay and even if we had paid it would have been worth doing once. I did feel kind of closed in though - the building is not laid out very well. For grandma it was something she could have definitely lived without.

The problem now is that he wants to go back and we will have to pay for the tickets. It is definitely one of those things that is worth the ticket price for the child but not worth what you end up paying for all the adults that need to accompany that child if you know what I mean.

Maybe I can convince him it is down for rehab LOL!

Suzanne