DisneyQuest
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DisneyQuest was a five-floor indoor theme park and arcade in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, USA housed within Disney Springs (formerly Downtown Disney) at Walt Disney World. Similar to Sega's Joypolis amusement park chain in Japan, DisneyQuest featured "virtual" simulator attractions and video games, among other facilities based within technology. The park was hosted by Genie from Aladdin.
History
DisneyQuest was one of the projects created by Disney Regional Entertainment, a Disney subsidiary that created midway attractions aside from theme parks, like Club Disney and ESPN Zone. The park opened within the then-named Downtown Disney on June 19, 1998.[1]
The Walt Disney World installment was opened as a testing ground for the DisneyQuest concept, with the first stand-alone installment in Chicago opening in June 1999.[2] However, plans for DisneyQuest Philadelphia never got past a large hole planned for construction and the project was eventually cancelled in April 2000.[3] The Chicago park would eventually close in September 2001 following low attendance.
After the Chicago park's closure, the WDW park remained in operation as an extra facility within Downtown Disney and transitioned to Walt Disney World's management.
Disney announced the park's closure on January 30, 2017, and closed on July 2 to make way for the construction of the "NBA Experience"[4][5] The building was soon demolished and the NBA attraction opened in August 2019, but only lasted eight months before being closed with the rest of the Walt Disney World Resort in March 2020 following the COVID-19 Pandemic. After the resort reopened in July, the NBA Experience never reopened and a year later on August 16, Disney announced that the venue would not operate again.[6]
Former Attractions
| Name | Manufacturer | Type | Opened | Closed | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buzz Lightyear's AstroBlaster | Unknown | Bumper Cars | June 19, 1998 | July 2, 2017 | Scrapped |
| Virtual Jungle Cruise | Unknown | Simulator | June 19, 1998 | July 2, 2017 | Scrapped |
Other Attractions and Non-Ride Attractions
- Aladdin's Magic Carpet Ride (1998-2017) - A VR simulator attraction housed in a small room.
- Animation Academy (1998-2017), a commonplace attraction at most Disney parks where a cast member teaches guests how to draw Disney characters step by step. The DisneyQuest incarnation had guests draw their creations on screens using lightpens, and could purchase their artwork later.
- Cave of Wonders Slide (1998-1999), Spiral slide that took guests down from the third floor to the first. It was removed following the first year of operations.
- CyberSpace Mountain (1998-2017) - A roller coaster simulator where the riders construct the coaster.
- Invasion! An ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter (1998-2017) - A shooting game attraction named after the former ride of the same name.
- Living Easels (1998-2017), Guests can create their own artwork on large screens and then purchase it later on.
- Magic Mirrors (1998-2005), Editing software that turned images of people's faces into cartoon-like illustrations. It was replaced with seating following closure.
- Mighty Ducks Pinball Slam (1998-2017) - A pinball-style game with spinning ride carts.
- Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for Buccaneer Gold (1998-2017) - A VR Shooting attraction. From 1998-2000, it was known as Hercules in the Underworld.
- Ride the Comix (1998-2014) - A VR video game attraction on Floor 4 and 5 where guests sit aboard themed spaceships. It was removed in September 2014 to improve the seating for the FoodQuest seating on both floors.
- Treasure of the Incas (1998-2007), Guests controlled RC cars around a maze. Closed after a fire and was replaced with a jungle-themed arcade area.
- Radio Disney Song Maker (1998-2017), A program where guests created their own song and could purchase it as a CD later.
- Sid's Create-a-Toy (1998-2017), A program where guests made a toy out of various parts and purchase it later.
References
- ↑ Tribune, Chicago (1998-05-31). "VIRTUAL REALITY RULES AT DISNEY'S NEWEST THEME PARK". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
- ↑ In December 1998, plans were made for a third park in Philadelphia, with a planned opening date of July 4, 2000.
https://www.thedp.com/article/1998/12/disney-plans-phila-theme-park-complex - ↑ https://www.thedp.com/article/2000/04/not_a_disneyquest_world_after_all_plans_for_complex_collapse
- ↑ https://www.local10.com/theme-parks/walt-disney-worlds-disneyquest-to-close-in-july
- ↑ "DisneyQuest to close Sunday". WFTV. 2017-07-02. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
- ↑ https://www.mynews13.com/fl/orlando/attractions/2021/08/16/nba-experience-at-disney-springs-will-not-reopen