Time for another Tip Tuesday!
(my apologies for yet another delay... oy!)
Last week, I started a series of posts about the new Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom game at the (of course) Magic Kingdom.
This week, I thought I'd take a moment to talk about other gaming option at WDW before continuing about SOTMK -- and that's the many Disney arcades around.
Arcades aren't new to Disney at all. Many resorts have arcades and have had arcades for quite a while. There are even two arcades in the parks (one in Tomorrowland in the Magic Kingdom and another in Pizza Planet in Hollywood Studios). There's also DisneyQuest, which is a topic of it's own. What's interesting is that the concept of an arcade is becoming more and more foreign to kids around the nation (with the prevalence of home-based gaming systems). Long gone are the days of the mall-based video arcade. Sure there are a few arcades located in pizza restaurants (i.e. Chuck-E-Cheese) but most people don't visit these on any kind of a regular basis like I did a few -ahem- years ago. So when kids (and adults) do run across the resort arcades, it's a moment of amazement for kids at all the huge gaming systems and nostalgia for adults who may remember the old days.
Just about every Disney resort has an arcade and some are much bigger and better than most. Arcades are open from 7 a.m. to midnight each day. The best, in my opinion, is The Game Station located on the concourse level (4th floor) of Disney's Contemporary Resort. This arcade is pretty large and just has more of that old arcade look and feel. It really fits in the Contemporary.
To play in the arcade, you first need an arcade card (shown above). It's easy to get one. There's a kiosk in every arcade where you can purchase an initial card with points preloaded on it. The costs are anywhere from around $5 to more than $50 depending on how many points you want. Games cost different points, from around 15 points per play for very simple (usually kiddie) games to 200 points per play for more complex games such as racing games. The arcade cards can be reloaded with more points, so there's no need to get a new card when your points run out. Also, cards can be reused trip after trip, so be sure to keep it with you anytime you're at Disney.
Most importantly, Disney tracks any "tickets" won on the game card, so DON'T THROW IT AWAY if you win tickets at one of the many games that offer ticket rewards. The ticket credits don't expire, so you can save up to get those more valuable prizes.
Arcades are a great place to kill a few hours especially when a rain shower begins to dampen the day, so just have fun and play on!
4 comments:
Love this Chuck. My 13 & 17 year old will never understand the pure joy that i experienced in arcades when I was their age. However, they do love playing the games when given the opportunity. I just wish the games weren't so darned expensive. standing at a Pac Man machine with a stack of quarters won't get you as far now as it did then... awww, man, now I definitely sound like an old man... "A quarter ain't worth as much as it used to be." Hey, I got next!
Ahhh, this tip comes in handy since we are traveling with five kids, we noticed our stay this week is a bit more challenging since my older kids are entering the teen yrs ( 11&12 yrs) and don't really enjoy most if the little tike activities we do with the two 4 yr olds...:)
Thank you for this information. I know that this article is several years out of date, but at least I have some knowledge how the resort arcades work.
Thank you for this information. I know that this article is several years out of date, but at least I have some knowledge how the resort arcades work.
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