This month marks DisneyQuest’s 13th anniversary. Perhaps that isn’t as big as a 15th anniversary. But honestly, I don’t know that this place will be around at 15. So 13 seems to be the year to celebrate.
What is inside that big box? Photo by J. Jeff Kober.
Last week, I obtained a Disney Premiere Pass, and, while I’ve been to all of the theme parks, including the water parks, in recent years, it had been many years since I had visited DisneyQuest.
DisneyQuest is close to my heart. I worked extensively with the operation to provide team building programs and we had a lot of fun there. That’s a longer story for another day. That said, I was both excited and fearful to visit the attraction after having been away for several years. The excitement was born out of my love for this unique attraction. My fear was that it had gone steadily downhill in the years since, which was what I saw last time I visited nearly five years ago.
Great news! It’s alive! Where previously I could see wear and tear and little concern, this time it looked well kept. Sure, there haven’t been new games introduced in years, and the software looks old compared to what you’ll find on your Wii or Xbox. Still, it’s vibrant, and a great way to enjoy a few hours before heading back to the airport or waiting out a thunderstorm in the heat of a summer day.
This article celebrates the good in DisneyQuest, and gives you a glimpse of what you’re missing if you’ve never been, or if it’s been a while.
Entering DisneyQuest
As you approach the building, it’s clear where DisneyQuest is. But unless you’ve been inside, you wouldn’t have a clue what to expect of this massive five-story structure. That’s why a major mural was painted on one side not long after it opened. Additional signage tries to explain the experience, and, at one point, an example of CyberSpace Mountain vehicle was displayed. But the latter is gone.
This marquee outside DisneyQuests educates guests that there are four lands for your discovery. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.
Stepping into the lobby of DisneyQuest, it’s still hard to see what lies ahead either. But you do see that there’s a strong Disney presence in the theming. Statues of Disney characters surround a dome with a Mickey globe in the center. Here in the lobby you purchase your tickets, go through the turnstiles, and enter the attraction.
Surely whatever is inside is Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.
Busts of Disney characters surround the lobby. Here we see Malificent-kind of. That’s another story. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.
The Cybrolator is how you enter DisneyQuest. It takes you from the bottom floor to the third floor, or center of the building. During your ascent, Genie from Aladdin welcomes you in a way that only he can and sends you on a short journey up to the Ventureport.
Cybrolators are interesting. They are certainly better than Hydrolators. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.
Think of the Ventureport as the Central Plaza of DisneyQuest. From there you venture out into four zones: Score, Create, Re-Play, and Explore. Let’s visit each.
Rising another two floors above Ventureport lies this creative configuration of art and science. This is the hub of DisneyQuest. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.
This carpet at Ventureport and throughout is full of arithmetic symbols and actually can be translated-If you know your math and Disney! Photo by J. Jeff Kober.
Score Zone
The Score Zone is the noisiest corner of DisneyQuest. It feels more like an arcade than any other part of the facility. But if you’ve lost your teenager in the building start by looking for them there, because Score holds the latest and greatest in games, as well as some unique attractions with a Disney twist.
The centerpiece of the Score Zone is the Mighty Ducks Pinball Slam. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.
Ride the Comix offered heroes and villains that look an awful lot like Disney heroes and villains. Like Malificent. But I told you. That’s another story. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.
The Underground offers many traditional arcade games, and provides the most arcade feeling in the entire complex. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.
Invasion! An ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter. Based on the original attraction found in Tomorrowland at the Magic Kingdom, this was one of the best team-playing attractions in DisneyQuest. This is a model of what the ride vehicle is supposed to represent. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.
Create Zone
The Create Zone offers a wide array of attractions where you not only build something, but can purchase it as well, in the Guest Gallery.
The Create Zone shows Living Easels in the foreground, Animation Academy in the background, and the entrance to CyberSpace Mountain to the far right. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.
Once upon a time Pinocchio hosted an attraction called “Magic Mirrors” where guests could take a picture of themselves and then edit their faces to appear like cartoons. This was removed in 2005. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.
Sid’s Create-a-Toy allowed you to create your own customer toy. Like other activities in the Create Zone, you could then purchase a replica or copy of your creation. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.
Radio Disney Song Maker offers an opportunity to create your own song, and then buy it later. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.
Another sign of the nineties-any attraction that hosts Bill Nye the “Coaster Guy”! Still, this attraction was way ahead of the robotics found in the Sum of All Thrills at Epcot. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.
Re-Play Zone
The Re-Play has a retro feel to it. It’s more like stepping back into the past. At the heart of the Re-Play Zone is Buzz Lightyear’s AstroBlaster. Not the one you play in Tomorrowland. This ride features retro bumper cars with cannons that allow you to shoot asteroids (think black volleyballs). Each car has a driver and a gunner, and when you hit your opponent, they spin out of control.
The most popular attraction in the Replay Zone is Buzz Lightyear's AstroBlaster. These ships allowed you to run around the playing field capturing balls and then shooting them out a cannon toward your opponents. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.
Lots of classic games can be found in the Replay Zone, hence the title of the area. Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, air hockey, skee-ball and even Tron all vie for attention. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.
Also in the Re-Play Zone you can find something to eat. Originally this section was operated by the Cheesecake Factory. Unfortunately, they left the building, and the last time I visited, they seemed to sell only pizza, popcorn and ice cream bars. It was pathetic.
The Wonderland Cafe offers the same whimsical Lewis Carroll setting as before, but without the internet TVs. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.
Little details like this Cheshire Cat pop up throughout DisneyQuest. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.
Between Wonderland Cafe and FoodQuest, you’ll find something to hold you over between games. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.
I’m happy to say that this is looking much better than last I saw it. No, it isn’t the Cheesecake Factory, but they did offer cheesecake. And while the pizza and Caesar salad looks like it came from Pinocchio’s Village Haus, there are still enough to be found between both the Wonderland Cafe and FoodQuest. If you want something better, head to House of Blues or Wolfgang Puck’s across the way.
Explore Zone.
My favorite of all the zones is Explore. Three key attractions await guests as they enter this area themed around Aladdin, The Jungle Cruise, and Pirates of the Caribbean. Aladdin’s Magic Carpet Ride lets you fly through the alleys and streets of Agrabah as you steer your own carpet in search for the magic lamp.
Randy Pausch, of The Last Lecture, was part of the team that made Aladdin’s Magic Flying Carpets a reality. But that’s another story also. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.
Virtual Jungle Cruise lets you board rafts, not boats, to explore the rivers of adventure. Once inflated, know that this rapids ride rocks. And where you paddle is where you go, which can be in any number of directions.
Virtual Jungle Cruise allows you to ride the rapids choosing your own course while paddling in the direction you want to go.
Nowhere else can you see Cinderella Castle adjacent to the Matterhorn Mountain but at the Virtual Jungle Cruise. It’s the only Disney Jungle Cruise in the world that looks more like a page out of Jurassic Park. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.
Those who visited DisneyQuest in the early years might remember several attractions that no longer exist. One was a “Cave of Wonders” slide that took you from the Ventureport on the third floor down to the first floor. Safety issues closed that slide not long after it was built. I think I went on it once.
Treasure of the Incas was my favorite and was very cool. Guests crossed over on a glass floor that served as a window to a huge maze where you would steer small remote-control toy trucks. It was cool, but trucks often got stuck—among other problems. In time it was buried. Now safari-themed games take up the space.
Hercules was a terrific team game where six guests collected lightning bolts in an effort to defeat Hades. Alas, the movie, which came out about the same time didn’t fare that well, and when an idea came to create a virtual game based on Pirates of the Caribbean, Hercules moved out. No complete loss, however, as the Battle for Bucanneer Gold game is a terrific and popular attraction that allows you to sail the high seas in search for gold. The cannon technology is the basis for the technology used in Toy Story Midway Mania.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for Buccaneer Gold is not only the most popular attraction in the Explore Zone, but perhaps in all of DisneyQuest. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.
This map gives the layout for where guests can sail in Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for Buccaneer Gold ride. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.
Of course all good things come to an end, and that means little more than a gift shop.
As all good Disney adventures do, you exit via a gift shop. The tragedy is that DisneyQuest merchandise hasn’t been sold there in years. Photo by J. Jeff Kober.
DisneyQuest was a terrific concept, and one of many taken during the 1990s. A second one was built in Chicago, but it lasted only two summers. There’s a story about that, as well, but as you can guess, that will have to wait for another day.
While some will say that this attraction pales to anything else Disney has done in terms of parks and attractions, I dare say that had DisneyQuest come to your home town, and you wanted something Disney themed to do on weekends, you would have purchased an annual pass. But now there’s only one DisneyQuest. It’s unique, and might not last all that long unless serious reinvestment is made to take the software to the next level.
So enjoy it while you have a chance.
