DisneyQuest facts for kids
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Walt Disney World's DisneyQuest as it appeared in Disney Springs when the district was known as Downtown Disney
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| Location | Walt Disney World Resort, Lake Buena Vista, Florida and Chicago, Illinois, United States |
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| Coordinates | 28°22′13″N 81°31′20″W / 28.37033°N 81.52211°W (Walt Disney World) |
| Status | Removed |
| Opened | June 19, 1998 (Walt Disney World) June 16, 1999 (Chicago) |
| Closed | September 4, 2001 (Chicago) July 2, 2017 (Walt Disney World) |
| Operated by | Disney Regional Entertainment (1998–2010) Walt Disney Parks and Resorts (2010–2017) |
| Theme | Indoor Interactive Theme Park |
DisneyQuest was a chain of indoor interactive theme parks in the United States. It was run by a part of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts.
DisneyQuest was created so that the Disney brand could reach people who might not be able to visit its big theme parks. It was planned for large cities and busy areas. Disney hoped to build many locations in major cities across the United States, like Philadelphia and Baltimore. However, only two DisneyQuest locations were actually built. One was at Walt Disney World in Florida, and the other was in Chicago, Illinois. The Chicago location closed much sooner than the one in Florida.
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History of DisneyQuest
DisneyQuest first opened its doors on June 19, 1998. It was part of a big expansion of the Downtown Disney area at Walt Disney World. This area is now known as Disney Springs. The plan was for this first DisneyQuest to be the start of many similar places.
The first DisneyQuest built outside of a Disney resort opened in Chicago on June 16, 1999. Disney had plans for even more locations around the world. The Chicago DisneyQuest was in a new development called North Bridge. Another Disney-owned entertainment spot, ESPN Zone, opened nearby about a month later.
On December 9, 1998, Disney announced that Philadelphia would be a new DisneyQuest location. It was going to be built in a project called the Pavilion at Market East.
The Chicago DisneyQuest closed permanently on September 4, 2001. It had been open for just over two years. It closed because not enough people visited, and it wasn't making enough money for Disney.
After the Chicago location closed, the whole DisneyQuest project was stopped. Construction that had started in Philadelphia was canceled. For several years, there was a big empty space where it was supposed to be built. Later, this space became a parking lot. A DisneyQuest planned for the Disneyland Resort in California never even got past the planning stage. Disney also announced a location for downtown Toronto, Canada, but that project was canceled too. After the Chicago location closed, the Walt Disney World team took over running the remaining DisneyQuest in Florida.
On June 30, 2015, Disney announced that the Walt Disney World location would close in 2016. This was part of the ongoing changes to Downtown Disney, which was becoming Disney Springs. Disney said that employees who worked at DisneyQuest would get new jobs in other parts of Disney. The building was planned to become a new attraction based on the NBA. The NBA had moved from its old location at Universal CityWalk.
In November 2016, Disney announced that DisneyQuest would stay open longer, through 2017. They didn't give a final closing date at that time. They also said that the NBA attraction was still planned for the site. On January 30, 2017, Disney Parks announced that DisneyQuest would close after July 2, 2017. This would allow work on the NBA Experience attraction to begin. DisneyQuest's last day of operation was July 2, 2017. The building was torn down a few months later.
Fun Attractions at DisneyQuest
DisneyQuest was filled with many unique and interactive games and experiences. Here are some of the cool attractions that guests could enjoy:
Action-Packed Adventures
- Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for Buccaneer Gold: You could become a pirate and sail a ship! One player steered the ship, while up to four others controlled cannons. Your goal was to destroy other ships, sea monsters, and forts to collect gold.
- Virtual Jungle Cruise: Based on the famous Jungle Cruise ride, this game let you paddle an inflatable raft down a prehistoric river. You had to avoid dinosaurs and sometimes got sprayed with water!
- Buzz Lightyear's AstroBlaster: This was a bumper car game with a twist! Players drove over foam balls, which were sucked into their car. You could then load these balls into a cannon and shoot them at other cars. If you hit another car in the right spot, it would spin around for ten seconds!
- Invasion! An ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter: Four players rode in a rescue vehicle. One person drove, and the other three shot at alien enemies. This game was based on a former ride at Magic Kingdom.
- Ride the Comix: Players wore special headsets to enter a comic book world. You would battle super villains using a laser sword. Up to six players could team up at once.
Creative & Design Fun
- CyberSpace Mountain: This was a super cool attraction where you could design your own roller coaster on a computer. After designing it, you would sit in a simulator that moved and tilted, letting you "ride" your creation! You could also ride roller coasters that were already built. Bill Nye the Science Guy (who called himself "Bill Nye the Coaster Guy") was your host! This attraction was based on the famous Space Mountain ride.
- Aladdin's Magic Carpet Ride: Players wore a special headset and rode a magic carpet through Agrabah. You collected gems to find The Genie, who was hidden in the Cave of Wonders.
- Animation Academy: In these regular classes, you learned how to draw Disney characters step-by-step. You used lightpens on computer screens. After your drawing was done, you could buy a printout of it.
- Sid's Create-a-Toy: Inspired by the character Sid from Toy Story, this program let you design your own toy. You could use parts from other toys, and then buy your unique creation.
- Living Easels: This was an interactive touch screen where you could put different images onto various backgrounds. You could then buy a full-color printout of your design.
- Radio Disney Song Maker: Guests could create their very own song and then buy it later during their visit.
Other Unique Games
- Mighty Ducks Pinball Slam: Imagine being a pinball! In this giant projected game, up to twelve players would rock their "duck" back and forth. This controlled their pinball on the screen, and the goal was to get the most points.
- Treasure of the Incas: Players drove small remote-control toy trucks through a maze to find treasure. You controlled the truck using a steering wheel and a video screen. Friends could watch the trucks through a clear plastic floor and shout directions! This game had some technical problems and eventually closed.
- Magic Mirrors: Guests could take a picture of themselves and then change their faces to look like cartoons. This attraction closed in 2005.
- Hercules in the Underworld: Six guests each controlled a character from Disney's Hercules with a joystick. The goal was to collect lightning bolts and defeat Hades. This game was later replaced by "Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for Buccaneer Gold."
When DisneyQuest closed on July 2, 2017, all the remaining arcade games were removed. This included the Wreck-It Ralph arcade games like Fix-It Felix Jr. Most of these games were either sold or put into storage.
Images for kids
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Virtual Jungle Cruise
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Aladdin's Magic Carpet Ride
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The third floor atrium
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Mighty Ducks Pinball Slam
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Ride the Comix
