NBA Experience opens at Disney Springs August 12th

[tguz]

Anyone know how long the entire experience takes? Huge bball fan (knicks fan unfortunately) but I would def do this but not many people in my party would want to wait. Also can your party come in with you or is this just a solo act? Obviously not to participate but to watch, wouldn't mind showing off a little bit.

I had read that everyone that enters the experience has to have a ticket even if they are not going to participate. Disney Springs has so much to offer that maybe the rest of your party could do other things while you hoop it up. Good Luck.

 

[rteetz]

Anyone know how long the entire experience takes? Huge bball fan (knicks fan unfortunately) but I would def do this but not many people in my party would want to wait. Also can your party come in with you or is this just a solo act? Obviously not to participate but to watch, wouldn't mind showing off a little bit.

As long as you want it to take really.

 

[tlmadden73]

Now that it is open .. I am just curious to see how this goes. While I personally could see going to an NBA themed store or restaurant. An arcade full of basketball experiences, just not up my alley. Maybe .. if I was a local, .. I could see doing this once for a guys night out.

This just feels like Disney Quest 2.0 -- The general public will walk by, maybe peek in and try and figure out what you DO in there .. see the ticket price and walk on. I feel they will need a way to get people to try this out ... bundled with a resort stay, the ability to walk in and just look around WITHOUT paying.

 

[fatmanatee]

Did a quick check and not seeing anything. You would think they'd have at least an Orlando player or two there for the opening but if they're doing that, they're not advertising it well.

As it turns out...

1. there are a *lot* of players over there for the opening
2. they really didn't advertise it well

 

[ghtx]

As it turns out...

1. there are a *lot* of players over there for the opening
2. they really didn't advertise it well

It looks like it was pretty cool:

Kareem was there!

 

[Matthew Caito]

Does everyone in your party have to pay for a ticket? or can everyone go in and only the people who want to tap and participate pay to use the services?

 

[Searc]

Does everyone in your party have to pay for a ticket? or can everyone go in and only the people who want to tap and participate pay to use the services?

Everyone that goes in has to pay.

 

[tlmadden73]

Should we have an over/under on how long this place will last? Granted it will probably be propped up and run at a loss because of how Disney(ABC/ESPN) has a contract with the NBA and thus has high incentive to promote it.

But, I gather for you average guest, they are going to need to do some heavy promoting to get people to check this out. Based on what the podcast was saying about the experiences in there .. it seemed not exciting and something you could do at your local playground or arcade.

 

[WinnieAndMinnie17]

Should we have an over/under on how long this place will last? Granted it will probably be propped up and run at a loss because of how Disney(ABC/ESPN) has a contract with the NBA and thus has high incentive to promote it.

But, I gather for you average guest, they are going to need to do some heavy promoting to get people to check this out. Based on what the podcast was saying about the experiences in there .. it seemed not exciting and something you could do at your local playground or arcade.

I can't see many families wanting to waste maybe 1-2 hours doing this experience, maybe dads and sons\daughters while the wives shop around but even then most people don't want to pay for something I can easily do at an arcade or park. I mean I would try it one time but I cant see many people doing this multiple times. Maybe if they have some contests like whoever scores the best or hits a certain mark, you'd win tickets to a magic game or an autograph basketball/jersey then maybe it will do well. I am probably going to do it when I go in November but I am probably the only one in my group. Also don't like the fact that everyone has to pay a ticket to go in even when they aren't participating but I guess that's where they will make money with large groups.

 

[tguz]

It would be cool if you could book it as an add on when you book your vacation like you can add on dining or photopass or park hoppers. Plus, maybe at a better price such as $24.99 each if 2 or more book it. I would assume that Disney is ok with people doing it once as Disney World (unlike Disneyland) visitors are predominantly out of towners and there are hundreds of thousands of "new" people at Disney each week.

 

[BrianL]

I think a lot of the reviewers and Disney fans here aren't really the audience for this thing. NBA fans are, particularly kids and I think they will enjoy it. WDW isn't really as interested in the repeat guest anyway, so I think they will be fine in that regard. I bet attendance will wax and wane with the NBA's overall popularity, though it is on an upswing right now especially in International markets. I am sort of a casual NBA fan, and while I'm not really too interested in the Experience, I do think people will be.

 

[tlmadden73]

I watched a vloggers video of the press event (Tim Tracker) and it was a good glimpse inside of all the activities and layout of the place.

I have seen similar "experiences" when you go to other pro sporting events, like All-Star games or such (but those are temporary).

Feels like an experience that would be more at home at the NBA Hall of Fame, or at a team's stadium or a traveling experience that goes with the NBA all-star game ... not a giant building at a Disney vacation destination. *shrug*.

Seems like if they just wanted to promote the NBA they should just let people in and try these experiences for free. They look fun .. but for a short period of time. (I would think even at free this place would not get a lot of visitors).

It just seems it has a VERY limited demographic at the current price point. But hey .. people spend more money on Disney dessert parties, so what do I know?

 

[fatmanatee]

This should be up my alley and there's a chance I go next time I'm over there but I dunno. I'm looking at everything you can do and nothing seems to have a wow factor, or at least a "I want to spend $35 to do this" factor. A lot of this is stuff you can do at home. Of course, shooting contests in the driveway doesn't have the NBA brand but it'll be interesting to see if a lot of people pay for this experience.

 

[raidermatt]

WDW isn't really as interested in the repeat guest anyway...

This is no longer true. With the rise of DVC, WDW's interest in repeat guests is much higher than it was in the past, and it continues to grow. It is not to the same extent as DL, but it is becoming quite significant.

 

[Love Tink]

As it turns out...

1. there are a *lot* of players over there for the opening
2. they really didn't advertise it well

It was not open to the public.

 

[Love Tink]

Should we have an over/under on how long this place will last? Granted it will probably be propped up and run at a loss because of how Disney(ABC/ESPN) has a contract with the NBA and thus has high incentive to promote it.

But, I gather for you average guest, they are going to need to do some heavy promoting to get people to check this out. Based on what the podcast was saying about the experiences in there .. it seemed not exciting and something you could do at your local playground or arcade.

I’ve seen the “you could do this at the playground” bit said a lot and just want to comment that playgrounds must be different where we live.

 

[mshanson3121]

How much does this cost? I could see my hubby and daughter LOVING this.

And any reviews yet from people who have been?

 

[rteetz]

How much does this cost? I could see my hubby and daughter LOVING this.

And any reviews yet from people who have been?

$34 per adult $29 per child under 10 I believe.

Plenty of reviews. Many Disney fans don’t seem to like it. NBA fans seem to find it fun. Most think the pricing is a bit high for what you get.

 

[mshanson3121]

$34 per adult $29 per child under 10 I believe.

Plenty of reviews. Many Disney fans don’t seem to like it. NBA fans seem to find it fun. Most think the pricing is a bit high for what you get.

Reviews on Disboards?

 

[rteetz]

Reviews on Disboards?

Visit the theme parks attractions and strategies board. The dis unplugged podcast also gave some thoughts.