Originally Posted By leemac So closing notices have been posted for DQ. NBA Experience is moving into that 100,000 sq ft black box. That leaves just one remaining project (ESPN Zone Anaheim) from the great money pit that was Disney Regional Entertainment that was set up in the mid-90s. $1bn later, 5 closed Club Disneys, 2 closed DisneyQuests and 8 closed ESPZ Zoneswe are left with just one. I've always been a firm believer that there is life for the Disney brand outside the berms. They just chose the wrong products targeting the wrong guests in the wrong markets at the wrong time. I hope that at some point soon Disney will contemplate re-entering the regional entertainment market. There is money to be made there with the right product. Goodnight DQ - great idea, wrong demographic (individualistic teenagers rather than families).
Originally Posted By RoadTrip So why do they move in the NBA... a franchise whose popularity peaked ten years ago? Poor move. Disney should have let City Walk keep them.
Originally Posted By dagobert I will not miss DQ. We never tried it, since we are not really into computer games. I wonder why the ESPN Zones didn't work. I liked the one in Las Vegas. I think it would fit very well into Disney Springs. Disney should do it like Universal does with its new Sports Bar with all the craft beers. I want an ESPN Zone at DLP too.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros I never visited the WDW DQ, but I went to the Chicago one right when I was in the prime demographic for it and really enjoyed it. That said, it was a fun afternoon but I felt like I had done it all and didn't feel especially compelled to go again (like on my numerous WDW trips since then) It seemed pretty clear that the concept had a limited shelf life around 2000, when they stopped updating the games. In the time since, I can only imagine how dated the place has become, with the 90's graphics and shuttered experiences. It seems like an awfully large space for this NBA thing, so I'm really curious to see what they're planning ESPN Zone is trickier, since those always seemed pretty popular. They were busy every time I was in one, and it was locals and tourists alike. It seemed like a good balance, so I'm not sure why they all got closed a few years ago. Is the one at LA Live still open? I know it survived the initial round of closures because it was still brand new at the time. And how does the ESPN Club at the Boardwalk figure into all this? >>... a franchise whose popularity peaked ten years ago?<< One could make the same argument against Mermaid or Beauty and the Beast, yet those are major components of the recent Fantasyland project. Yes, they still popular, but nothing like they were in the 90's (around the height of the NBA...and DisneyQuest). Disney is not known for really having its finger on the pulse of "what's hot now"
Originally Posted By utahjosh A DQ type experience is being built by some local guys here: <a target="blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.thevoid.com/">http://www.thevoid.com/</a>
Originally Posted By utahjosh A DQ type experience is being built by some local guys here: <a target="blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.thevoid.com/">http://www.thevoid.com/</a>
Originally Posted By RoadTrip <<And how does the ESPN Club at the Boardwalk figure into all this?>> I don't think it will go away any time soon. Even with all the TV's and the sports memorabilia on the walls, I've always seen ESPN at the Boardwalk as primarily a reasonably priced place to eat and drink. Since there is so little of that at WDW I think it could be successful with or without the sports theme.
Originally Posted By Witches of Morva ORDDU: As bad as Disney Quest may have been, it's still a step up from the NBA experience. I'd rather have Disney Quest any day over what's replacing it.
Originally Posted By CuriousConstance I think the DQ in WDW was doomed to fail because there is already SOOOOOO much stuff to do there. People already have a hard enough time craming everything into the time they have to spend in WDW just going to the parks alone, and just don't have the time to devote to something like the DQ.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt "I think the DQ in WDW was doomed to fail because there is already SOOOOOO much stuff to do there." This. Why pay extra for a virtual Space Mountain when the real one is a hop, skip and a jump away?
Originally Posted By Princessjenn5795 I personally won't miss it but my kids will. They had a lot of fun there. They have been twice. The first time we went to WDW there was a tropical storm, and the second there were record high temperatures. In both cases, DQ was a nice, fun break from the weather for them. My husband and I wanted to stab our eyeballs out after about 30 minutes because of the noise, but the kids loved it.
Originally Posted By leemac <<I wonder why the ESPN Zones didn't work.>> Where to begin! I wrote an internal white paper on it years ago - my assessment was: • Expensive F&B offerings – perceived value for money was poor • City center locations had high lease costs • Sports bars struggle to attract weekday lunch crowds when no sports programming • High operating costs with staffing needs due to the outsized venues • Sports Arena games were expensive and unpopular. Arena took up considerable space inside each venue • Onerous leases led to high exit costs
Originally Posted By CuriousConstance "Where to begin! I wrote an internal white paper on it years ago - my assessment was:" Sounds like you pretty much have a dream job, leemac!
Originally Posted By leemac <<It seemed pretty clear that the concept had a limited shelf life around 2000, when they stopped updating the games. >> The original plan called for 20% renewal every 2 years - so a complete renovation every decade. Once the Philly one collapsed and it was clear that there weren't many developers prepared to back the concept it was left to wither on the vine. The cost was north of $120m per site - very pricey. City center locations were the wrong ones. They needed to be in the suburbs. Location-based entertainment isn't a tourist draw - it is a locals draw. It needed to be in Schaumburg or Oak Brook for IL.
Originally Posted By leemac <<A DQ type experience is being built by some local guys here:>> Best of luck - LBE is a nut that no-one in the US has successfully cracked.
Originally Posted By leemac <<"I think the DQ in WDW was doomed to fail because there is already SOOOOOO much stuff to do there." This. Why pay extra for a virtual Space Mountain when the real one is a hop, skip and a jump away?>> It's all about having a diverse offering of products - DQ was the fourth after the 4 theme parks, 2 water parks and 2 mini-golf. It just gave folks a different option. CyberSpace Mountain was ground-breaking - it isn't just a simulator experience of SM - it allowed you to design your own and then ride it. It was a lot of fun.
Originally Posted By leemac <<Sounds like you pretty much have a dream job, leemac!>> Ha! It hasn't been trendy internally to push for WDP&R to exist outside the berm. I'm not alone in believing that is the only way the business unit can grow. Aulani didn't go far enough and the massive cost overruns mean we won't see any of the other fun hotels and water park hotels that were planned for New Hampshire, DC and Colorado.
Originally Posted By CuriousConstance Is Aulani making money or losing money? It's soooo expensive! I can't help but think if the price dropped some, it might do better.
Originally Posted By leemac <<Is Aulani making money or losing money? >> Making. However nowhere near its targets from when it was approved. DVC sales - particularly out of Japan just haven't been close to the target.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip How do DVC resale points currently work? Can they be used at any DVC resort (with a shorter booking window) like points purchased directly from Disney? Why would people pay extra for Auliani points if they could buy cheap resale points from Old Key West and use those for the stay in Hawaii?
