WonderWorks?

[denisem]

Has anyone visited this attraction?

I've checked out their website (thinking of doing a birthday party while there) and am confused about "tokens" included in birthday package.

Does this mean there are additional charges beyond the original admission price?

Thanks!

 

[BarryHom]

Here's my trip report on it. The birthday parties are probably extra $. Check out their website for more information.


One of the most recognizable buildings on International Drive is the upside-down building. If you have seen the building, you have seen WonderWorks. Although it is a well-known building, not too many people know what is inside.

Inside the building are over 75 interactive exhibits amaze, amuse, and even toss you around. One exhibit simulates an earthquake. Another is a hurricane simulator. A VR simulator lets you fight other guests in a computer-generated environment. WonderWorks has an electric chair simulator. You sit in the chair and you can feel what it’s like to be electrocuted (minus the annoyance of death). You can hang glide over simulated environments. You can play music on a big piano. Smaller exhibits are optical illusions. The building also has a roller coaster simulator ride. An upper floor is a huge laser tag arena. You can also eat pizza and other junk food in the snack bar below.

WonderWorks had a lot of exhibits that you can find at many science museums. Unlike science museums, WonderWorks doesn’t have scientific explanations on what causes these phenomenons. The attraction has the air of the cheesy tourist attraction.

As I toured the building, I thought “tourist trap!” many times. I think the Orlando Science Center or even Disney Quest would be a better value for the money. At the Orlando Science Center, you learn as you have fun with the exhibits. I always feel like my head is ten pounds heavier from all the things I’ve learned there. Disney Quest has a better set of exhibits. The best thing about WonderWorks is that is open until midnight daily. Other attractions around International Drive close much earlier. Still, WonderWorks is not a bad place to spend an hour or two.

Next door to WonderWorks is Pointe*Orlando, a collection of shops and restaurants. Notable shops are a huge FAO Schwartz and a large Disney Store.

For more information on WonderWorks, go to their website at www.wonderworksonline.com.

 

[No11's Mom]

We visited WonderWorks in January 2000 with two 12 year old boys. They both enjoyed it very much. The lack of scientific explainations did not bother them. There are some sports related areas, where you play soccer or basketball and your image is projected on a screen like you are in a game. I remember they liked that very much. It is not as fancy or nice inside as DisneyQuest, but it is also not nearly as crowded or expensive. I don't remember having to pay for anything extra once we got inside. I think the tokens must be for regular video games that they must have.

 

[dtauer]

We visited last year and thought the exhibits were fun. Our kids enjoyed the time and it is a nice thing to do at the times of the year the Disney parks close early.

The only problem we had were that there really are no queuing areas. This means that the most popular exhibits become kind of a "free for all". Several times our kids were waiting their turn in a line and the person at the exhibit would walk away and have someone else step in front of the line and take over the machine. Imagine a kind of character greeting with no CMs to keep it semi orderly.

This may have only happened because it was busy the day we were there, but when it's busy the kids need to be somewhat aggressive to keep their place in line and not be stepped in front of.

 

[kilee]

We did the Wonderworks/Dinner Magic Show combo ticket. After paying for parking and leaving a tip it came to just over $100.00 for 2 adults and 1 child. Not worth it. The food at the dinner show was burnt popcorn and really terrible pizza. It was a magic/comedy show. More comedy than magic. It was okay but not worth the price.
We then went through the wonderworks building. Once again, not worth the price. It was near empty and we were through within an hour-- tops. For the money we could of had a really nice dinner or 2 more tickets to the parks.

 

[denisem]

Thanks to all for your experiences.

FWIW, WonderWorks advised me tokens were for video games available on one of the floors, in addition to the "main attractions".

Denise < --- considered a non-Disney option, but think we'll go with DisneyQuest instead. Thanks!