I’ve written about Disney Quest, a 5-story arcade at Downtown Disney, a couple of times. I first went in February and spent 11 hours there. It was great playing all the old-school games, the cool Pirates of the Caribbean ride, and everything else.
But I went back last month and was totally disappointed. The virtual reality and simulator rides seemed even more lame and outdated than before; the bumper cars that let you shoot cannons were smelly and broken. And I’d say a full third of the games, at minimum, were turned off or otherwise broken. I couldn’t understand why the place was unkempt and falling apart.
Thanks to Joystiq, now I know: Apparently Disney Quest was supposed to be a national chain, but that plan quickly failed. And now the sole survivor, the one in Orlando, is on the way out. Word is it’ll become an ESPN Zone in 2008.
That’s a shame. When stuff was working, Disney Quest really was cool. And if they had updated some of the bigger things with new technology, it could have been amazing. I wonder what they’ll do with all the old games. It’s a shame that they’re letting the place wind down so miserably. Better to just close it and sell off the games why they still work so they can still be of use to collectors.
— September 20, 2006
Korr Values 
Yeah, the ‘big’ games weren’t that great when I visited DisneyQuest last fall (’09). However, getting a chance to play all the cool old games and amazing new ones (yes, apparently they’re still making arcade games.. very high-tech, too) more than made up for that. Mind you, the PotC and Buzz Lightyear ‘big’ games *were* fun, but running around like a kid in a candy store playing whatever random, crazy game I saw in a five-story, visually interesting setting was like one of those things that usually only happens in dreams (at least when I was a kid). I’m not even much of a gamer, but I definitely intend to return to DQ the next time I’m in Disney World!
Glad to hear that Disney Quest is still open and that enough of the old games are working to make it fun!
I guess that means they didn’t turn it into an ESPN Zone, after all.
Guess what you where wrong because the building is still standing in 2013 and is even better than ever