Remove All Of The Arcades From WDW Resorts?

[plumsiren]

They're not exactly huge spaces; what would you use them for instead?

 

[PoohsFan1]

Not empty at AoA the times I past it. Fun for the kids, keep 'em. I would love if they had more vintage machine for us old fogies...Galaga, Space Invaders, QBert, pinball machines, etc etc

Goodness, then I wouldn't be able to get my DH out of there . As for my kids, they love the arcades. They especially love it on our departure day when we have a couple of hours to waist while waiting for ME to arrive or when we are relaxing back at the resort (during our breaks), and the kids are done swimming, but want to still have fun .

 

[kiki02]

Does anyone else think that the game arcades in the resorts are a waste of space?

Yes. I agree with the op.

 

[bumbershoot]

Does anyone else think that the game arcades in the resorts are a waste of space? On our last few stays (POR Riverside, GF, CR) every time we walked past the arcade they were all completely empty. Seems like these spaces could be put to better use. Anyone that would want to play video games while at WDW would probably use their phone or mobile device anyway.

You obviously do not have a 10 year old son who brings his allowance money to spend in the arcades.

Or, for that matter, a 42 year old husband who follows the son to the arcades.

They get a HUGE amount of enjoyment from the arcades. I enjoy it when they enjoy themselves. Win win and win.

Not empty at AoA the times I past it. Fun for the kids, keep 'em. I would love if they had more vintage machine for us old fogies...Galaga, Space Invaders, QBert, pinball machines, etc etc

Check this one out. I swear they had several pinball machines and more old school type games. They also, as I recall, don't have the "points-giving" machines, which means they are all or nearly all proper games, not games of chance.

 

[bbmassey]

I am all for keeping them. It's funny how my opinion of them has changed over the years. As a kid I loved them, and always begged my parents for quarters and to let us go play. As a teen, I still loved them and trained my parents to bring rolls of quarters and let my brother and I go on our own to the game room on trips. In my 20's and early 30's I grew tired of them and would have supported their removal. Now entering my late 30's with two kids my opinion has changed again. A few years back my dad let me in on a little secret, we had not trained them... they had trained us. It turns out we were not the only ones playing for those 30 minutes. My dad said he made sure to have four rolls of quarters, two for each of us, on every trip once we were old enough to go on our own. My kids think they almost have us trained... just another year or two!

 

[POOHsie]

We stayed at BLT recently, and we were walking thru the Contemporary towards the Contempo Cafe early one morning. We walked past the arcade and saw a boy peering intently at the games inside. He was begging his mom to let him play. I don't think the arcade was open yet. But I remember being that age, and an arcade would have been more important to me than the whole Disneyworld trip.

On our trip in 2012, someone we casually spoke to at the food court got talking about taking their DD to the Arcade. I mentioned that we received the arcade ticket coupon with our package but we weren't going to use it. I met up with them later and gave them the coupon, but didn't know if their family would be allowed to use our coupon. Turned out it did work for them. This was when we had KTTW cards. Don't know about now, with MagicBands.

 

[jhaig]

Guess I underestimated the appeal of the arcades, especially to kids. My kids aren't terribly interested in them, but everyone has different interests.

Let's just hope Disney doesn't make them FP+....ya never know!

 

[jhaig]

Does anyone else think that the game arcades in the resorts are a waste of space? Very simple answer.......No Now that being said, what would you replace them with??????

Actually, my idea for using arcade space in the resorts is to turn the areas into resort specific character meet and greets. Have Lilo and Stitch at the Poly or Timon and Rafiki at AKL. Art of Animation could have a rotation of characters from Little Mermaid etc. This would be a great excuse to resort-hop and expose guests to places they may not normally go.

 

[Dis703]

No way we love the arcades! When ODS was 2 1/2 and we stayed at POFQ we used them for the first time when I was sick and unable to leave the room. DH wasn't quite up to doing the park alone with a 2 year old so they spent time at DTD and in the resort arcade.

On a recent trip when we stayed at BWI we had a great afternoon where we had given up on AK because of a pouring rain and made an ADR back at the Yacht Club. With a couple hours to kill before dinner we decided to spend it at the Arcade at BC. We all had a blast and ODS loved it so much he kept asking to go back. So occasionally on the walk back from Epcot we'd stop for some groceries at the store and I'd give him 10 or 15 minutes to play in the arcade.

Far less popular for us are the pools. I can't swim and would never put on a bathing suit in public anymore. DH has little interest in swimming either. And our twins are such a handful I'm terrified of monitoring them around water. But I'm sure most people would disagree.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

Guess I underestimated the appeal of the arcades, especially to kids. My kids aren't terribly interested in them, but everyone has different interests.

Let's just hope Disney doesn't make them FP+....ya never know!

Yes, I do know. No they won't make them FP+.

Actually, my idea for using arcade space in the resorts is to turn the areas into resort specific character meet and greets. Have Lilo and Stitch at the Poly or Timon and Rafiki at AKL. Art of Animation could have a rotation of characters from Little Mermaid etc. This would be a great excuse to resort-hop and expose guests to places they may not normally go.

And see, my family wouldn't cross the street to see Lilo, Stitch, Timon or Rafiki. Little Mermaid? Maybe 10 years ago, but not anymore.

Now, some A list characters, sure. But do you really want lines all the way around the resort? I know I don't.

 

[Minnesota!]

The Arcades are a huge part of our vacation. We spend at least a half hour there each evening letting the kids wind down a bit. DH and I sit in the massage chairs or play Deal or No Deal, and the kids play basketball/skee ball/something.

I would be very sad if they were closed.

FWIW, anytime we go, it's always packed (AoA, Pop, Wilderness Lodge, CSR are where I witnessed this).

 

[jhaig]

Now, some A list characters

Right, I won't go out of my way to see Stitch. But if I was there already, why not?

I would want to see characters that couldn't be seen anywhere else but at that specific resort.

 

[dpotts]

I'd like to see them replaced with something a little more special than something you could find at a local mall, but I also have to admit I'm not the target audience for an arcade.

 

[cluvsdisney]

I think it's fine the way it is. Any time I walk past one, there is always someone inside.

 

[pugbug]

I think arcades are fun!

 

[kamik86]

My DH and I used one once. We got to contemporary early after doing something else and had some time to kill before an ADR. It was fun.

Yes we have games on our phones, but its just not the same. We also go to Disneyquest and play the games there.

 

[Mousemommy1]

My kids love the arcades, especially on a rainy day!

I've never been in one and seen it empty.

 

[fnm]

I think they're really fun they're a good way to spend some time especially on first/last days and when parks close early. Especially staying at value resorts it's not always fun to go back to the room when you don't have much space and nothing to do besides play with your phone.

 

[bumbershoot]

Actually, my idea for using arcade space in the resorts is to turn the areas into resort specific character meet and greets. Have Lilo and Stitch at the Poly or Timon and Rafiki at AKL. Art of Animation could have a rotation of characters from Little Mermaid etc. This would be a great excuse to resort-hop and expose guests to places they may not normally go.

And see, characters are something I could totally obliterate from the parks and be fine with. I was scared of them as a kid, and I ignore them now. Except for Jack Sparrow because he was hilarious when walking around Disneyland, interacting with people (telling a woman with a baby in a carrier that she had a barnacle growing from her chest) and being all piratey. But note I personally never met him. I just watched others meet him.

So your arcade interest is the same as my character interest. And now that DS is 10 and feels grown, he has NO interest in characters anymore. DH still does, though. Loves 'em.

 

[conandrob240]

I hate the arcades both at resorts and on DCL. We Re already paying for a nice resort and an annual pass with hopper and waterparks. I find it extremely annoying when a kid would rather spend another $50 + at the arcade rather than use the stuff we already paid for like the pools or go to a waterpark. And don't get me started on the arcade on the cruise ship. It is such a temptation that they say they want to do that rather than play in the kids clubs. Our rules are no arcades on vacation, no tv on vacation, no video games or technology on vacation. That applies to video games in an arcade too.