NBA Experience details

[rteetz]

I think this is an absolutely terrible decision and believe Disney will regret this financially. This eye-sore will not draw as many takers as something else non-sports segregated. Disney Quest catered to people of all ages and walks of life, while an NBA experience is going to cater to those who are specifically fans of basketball (and I personally know 0). This massive space could have been used for an array of better experiences and yet this is the best Disney can do? Highly dissatisfied.

Personally I think this new building looks better than DisneyQuest. I agree it only caters to NBA fans but DQ was very outdated.

 

[LSLS]

Personally I think this new building looks better than DisneyQuest. I agree it only caters to NBA fans but DQ was very outdated.

Yes it was. If you think about it, DQ is a concept that would require good upkeep (new systems/advances in gaming seem to come out every couple of years). While I think this is a bit of a waste catering to such a small niche with such a large area, it's going to be much easier upkeep for them (memorabilia/shooting games aren't going to need frequent changes). I have absolutely no desire to go here (and I don't think that many people will on an ongoing basis), but I can see why they don't want anything like a DQ there.

 

[mrswillson]

Personally I think this new building looks better than DisneyQuest. I agree it only caters to NBA fans but DQ was very outdated.

Oh I completely agree with Disney Quest's building design and the fact that it was severely outdated. Sadly Disney dropped the ball and left it stuck back in the 90s. However, I do believe that if they invested into a complete renovation and overhaul, Disney Quest could have been brought back to life and been much more successful than this new NBA experience.

 

[saskdw]

This place will appeal to all sports fans, not just basketball fans. Basketball is about my 10th favorite sport and I'm excited to see this place.

I guarantee this place will be full of people everytime you walk by.

The interactive games sound great. I'm sure the lounge/restaurant will have a hundred TV's showing all sports not just NBA. WDW is in need of a bigger more modern place to view sports. ESPN club is outclassed by NBC Sports Bar and Grill at Citwalk.

Sorry if you don't like sports but most people do. After I'm done playing the interactive games you'll find me in the lounge watching NHL hockey.

 

[LSLS]

This place will appeal to all sports fans, not just basketball fans. Basketball is about my 10th favorite sport and I'm excited to see this place.

I guarantee this place will be full of people everytime you walk by.

The interactive games sound great. I'm sure the lounge/restaurant will have a hundred TV's showing all sports not just NBA. WDW is in need of a bigger more modern place to view sports. ESPN club is outclassed by NBC Sports Bar and Grill at Citwalk.

Sorry if you don't like sports but most people do. After I'm done playing the interactive games you'll find me in the lounge watching NHL hockey.

I would be surprised. Basketball is a non-starter for a lot of sports fans. The location of this is going to mean people are going to have to make special trips to go to it. This isn't a place you are going to be walking by and decide on a whim to go into. It's at the end of the West Side, and there will be no Cirque pulling people in. I know Splittsville is far from a great sports bar, but that upper bar area is always empty when I walk by and that location is much better. I'm not convinced at all of how this will work. Disney needs a great sports bar (again, gag at ESPN), but I just don't think this will do it (even if they are showing all sports).

 

[Moliphino]

This place will appeal to all sports fans, not just basketball fans. Basketball is about my 10th favorite sport and I'm excited to see this place.

I wouldn't say that. I'm a sports fan (but not a basketball fan) and I have zero interest in this place. If I really want to watch a game I'll just go to ESPN.

 

[Lee Matthews]

I walked past splitsville a few months ago and was surprised how busy it was so NBA wouldn’t surprise me if it’s busy too.

I still think Disney would have been better to theme it ESPN to cater for more sports and maybe highlight the brand more, especially with a streaming service on the way

 

[LSLS]

I walked past splitsville a few months ago and was surprised how busy it was so NBA wouldn’t surprise me if it’s busy too.

I still think Disney would have been better to theme it ESPN to cater for more sports and maybe highlight the brand more, especially with a streaming service on the way

That's interesting. I think I walked around down there on my own maybe last year, and it was dead empty for Monday Night Football. I'm talking it was me and 2 other people upstairs. Did you go see all of the bar area upstairs, or was it just the downstairs patio?

 

[tlmadden73]

I was shocked when this was announced since this and the NASCAR places at City Walk in Universal closed not too long ago.

I think this is nothing but a "scratch your back" thing between Disney (ESPN) and the NBA to help promote it since ABC/ESPN invested heavily in showing Live NBA games over the next 9 years.

I read somewhere that the cost of ESPN (The cost ESPN charges cable providers to carry it) is a big percentage of your average cable bill. (You are basically paying $9.00/month just for EPSN (compared to cents you pay for other channels)). .

I don't see it being successful (mainly because I have no interest in ever setting foot in it), but Disney has big reason to promote the NBA over other sports they aren't as heavily invested in.

 

[Texans_loyal]

I work part time for the rockets and love this idea. while i love everything Disney, sometimes my brother isn't as into it. he would LOVE this as he's a bigger NBA fan than i am.

 

[saskdw]

I would be surprised. Basketball is a non-starter for a lot of sports fans. The location of this is going to mean people are going to have to make special trips to go to it. This isn't a place you are going to be walking by and decide on a whim to go into. It's at the end of the West Side, and there will be no Cirque pulling people in. I know Splittsville is far from a great sports bar, but that upper bar area is always empty when I walk by and that location is much better. I'm not convinced at all of how this will work. Disney needs a great sports bar (again, gag at ESPN), but I just don't think this will do it (even if they are showing all sports).

Again, I'm not a Basketball fan. If this was NHL hockey I'd be going crazy over this place.

However I can my 22 yr old son and I having some fun playing the games in this place even if it's not our favorite sport.

NBC Sports Bar & Grill at Citywalk was full everynight in Dec 2015 when we were there for 12 days. I don't see why a great sports bar at DS would be any different. Especially when there are 4 times as many people staying at WDW.

Time will tell, but I'd be surprised if the Restaurant/Lounge side wasn't busy. The games side might interest less people.

As far as the location, it really isn't very far from the new bus stop area.

 

[LSLS]

Again, I'm not a Basketball fan. If this was NHL hockey I'd be going crazy over this place.

However I can my 22 yr old son and I having some fun playing the games in this place even if it's not our favorite sport.

NBC Sports Bar & Grill at Citywalk was full everynight in Dec 2015 when we were there for 12 days. I don't see why a great sports bar at DS would be any different. Especially when there are 4 times as many people staying at WDW.

Time will tell, but I'd be surprised if the Restaurant/Lounge side wasn't busy. The games side might interest less people.

As far as the location, it really isn't very far from the new bus stop area.

Eh, it's a decent hike from the bus stop (closer to one of the garages though), but it's the opposite direction of almost everything else. I think a sports bar would do wonders there. I question how many people will think of it as a general sports bar when they see the name however. I think a lot will see NBA, realize that is the only reason to go that direction, and not go. I have no doubt NBC does well, and I think if they created a giant sports bar with interactive games and such and put ESPN on the front it would do great. But yeah, just speculation right now. I'm with you though, slap NHL on the front of it and I would be there every night (Boy, Toronto has some sweet ones. Sorry, way off topic).

 

[Jimmy Mouse]

I think its going to be packed the first few months then slowly go down hill. Personally I can only take so much squeaky shoes before I go crazy. Basketball is such a small part of sports. A full sports complex catering to a wide variety would draw more people. Disney springs as a whole only has a few interest for our family. We love the concerts and the live DJ's in the evening and get lost in the Disney store but love it! The restaurants are great but one day is enough for us. But the bottom line, Disney knows how to make money and if this wasn't going to profit them they wouldn't build it.

 

[Tar_Heels_Love_WDW]

Personally, I'm excited about this place. NBA and MLB are the only two American sports with any star power at the moment. The NFL's decline due to bad on-the-field product and ridiculous safety concerns are part of the reason why (plus the NHL is victim to incredible regionalism). Plus, the NBA and basketball in general is one of the few sports that offers sporting events year-long (NBA season, summer league, G-League, FIBA, Olympics, college basketball, and the WNBA).

Additionally, basketball is a global game with NBA players representing all over Europe, Asia, and South America. It's arguable that the only sport more global than basketball is soccer. I think this is forward-thinking by Disney and will be a success.

 

[umichigan10]

Personally, I'm excited about this place. NBA and MLB are the only two American sports with any star power at the moment. The NFL's decline due to bad on-the-field product and ridiculous safety concerns are part of the reason why (plus the NHL is victim to incredible regionalism). Plus, the NBA and basketball in general is one of the few sports that offers sporting events year-long (NBA season, summer league, G-League, FIBA, Olympics, college basketball, and the WNBA).

Additionally, basketball is a global game with NBA players representing all over Europe, Asia, and South America. It's arguable that the only sport more global than basketball is soccer. I think this is forward-thinking by Disney and will be a success.

I disagree; the nfl is still king, but it’s power may wane over the next decade or so.

MLB is a terrible on field product with pace of play. Their only saving grace is the drama of their postseason. Unfortunately for them ratings is a season long struggle.

Agree about the nhl however; it’s sort of a niche sport in that there’s only certain markets (cold weather with a few exceptions) that consistently follow it

 

[Tar_Heels_Love_WDW]

I disagree; the nfl is still king, but it’s power may wane over the next decade or so.

MLB is a terrible on field product with pace of play. Their only saving grace is the drama of their postseason. Unfortunately for them ratings is a season long struggle.

Agree about the nhl however; it’s sort of a niche sport in that there’s only certain markets (cold weather with a few exceptions) that consistently follow it

I don't think we disagree on all that much, from your post. I agree that the MLB on-field product isn't great, but the league still has star power which sells merchandise (Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Clayton Kershaw, Yasiel Puig, etc.) I think we're in agreement that NFL is declining. It'll take a while for any sport in the US to surpass the NFL (if ever), but WDW is a global attraction and NFL's attempts to expand beyond the US have been pretty lackluster, at best. No sport in the US has stars like the NBA currently does though. If any league was deserving of an immersive fan experience that would touch the greatest number of people, it should be the league that has been forward-thinking in terms of global marketing, VR experiences, and fan experiences during the game, not to mention a sport that isn't so dangerous that some school systems won't even allow it.

Don't get me wrong, just like everything new that Disney does, some people will be against it from the start. However, I think this one will be more successful than people realize. Just my $0.02.

 

[umichigan10]

I don't think we disagree on all that much, from your post. I agree that the MLB on-field product isn't great, but the league still has star power which sells merchandise (Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Clayton Kershaw, Yasiel Puig, etc.) I think we're in agreement that NFL is declining. It'll take a while for any sport in the US to surpass the NFL (if ever), but WDW is a global attraction and NFL's attempts to expand beyond the US have been pretty lackluster, at best. No sport in the US has stars like the NBA currently does though. If any league was deserving of an immersive fan experience that would touch the greatest number of people, it should be the league that has been forward-thinking in terms of global marketing, VR experiences, and fan experiences during the game, not to mention a sport that isn't so dangerous that some school systems won't even allow it.

Don't get me wrong, just like everything new that Disney does, some people will be against it from the start. However, I think this one will be more successful than people realize. Just my $0.02.

I disagree about the MLB starpower. I think Aaron judge will help add to that mix but overall I think they’re far behind most other sports (maybe not hockey) in athletes in the marketplace. I see Aaron Rodgers in commercials dozens of times on a weekly basis, Clayton Kershaw doesn’t sell auto insurance.

But yeah the nfl needs to either 1. Find a cure to CTE (I think treatment will exist at some point but we’re just a longways off from that) or 2. Change the rules which hurts the product as you mentioned. I think they are in trouble that the pipeline of talent is gonna thing in the next decade. There will still be good talent, just not as much of it.

And finally I do think the NBA brand is growing. I think it’s starting to grow in popularity and is probably the preeminent winter sport, but I do think the presence of super teams and lack of talent distribution hurts the league

 

[LSLS]

I don't think we disagree on all that much, from your post. I agree that the MLB on-field product isn't great, but the league still has star power which sells merchandise (Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Clayton Kershaw, Yasiel Puig, etc.) I think we're in agreement that NFL is declining. It'll take a while for any sport in the US to surpass the NFL (if ever), but WDW is a global attraction and NFL's attempts to expand beyond the US have been pretty lackluster, at best. No sport in the US has stars like the NBA currently does though. If any league was deserving of an immersive fan experience that would touch the greatest number of people, it should be the league that has been forward-thinking in terms of global marketing, VR experiences, and fan experiences during the game, not to mention a sport that isn't so dangerous that some school systems won't even allow it.

Don't get me wrong, just like everything new that Disney does, some people will be against it from the start. However, I think this one will be more successful than people realize. Just my $0.02.

Basketball may have popularity overseas (dwarfed by soccer however), but those people need to come over to Disney and take time out of their US trip to go to an NBA experience. Basketball has star power (I would COMPLETELY disagree with you about baseball but different argument), but we will see if that is enough. I think a large part of this will depend on who the visitors to Disney Springs are. I don't think a lot of people who would not go to Disney Springs before would go now for this (though as I stated earlier, I think it will be a more specialized trip). So who are the people at Disney Springs? If it relies a good amount on locals or US visitors, I think this could be in trouble. If it gets a lot of foreign visitors, it may have a better shot. You are correct in it being global, but don't forget basketball's ratings have dipped pretty far in the past decade, and while the stars can bring out the casual fans, I'm not sure how much casual fans will care about the immersive experience on an ongoing basis. I will forever think they missed in doing this as a general sports venue (so you have some basketball things, some football, some soccer, etc.), but I'm probably just beating a dead horse at this point. It will be interesting to see where it is at (and it's upkeep especially) 3-4 years after opening.

 

[tlmadden73]

MLB and NBA do have the distinction of being sports that take up a big portion of the year, so it always has attention in the sporting world. But what makes the NFL special is that the season is so short that every game matters and it has its own "day". I couldn't tell you when the next game is for my local NBA team . .could be Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday .. who knows. NFL? I know that they are playing on Sunday. MLB? They play EVERY day (except the occasional Monday or Thursday). Easy to find and follow.

This is just a personal anecdote, I just know in my general circles of friends, families and co-workers, people casually know/talk about football and baseball more than the NBA. College football and basketball come before the NBA in general sports interest in my area (coastal NC).

The NBA is something that the few who do care about it start following after the Super Bowl is over, but most don't even care until after March Madness and most really don't follow it until the NBA playoffs (since the regular seasons doesn't matter that much since HALF the teams of the league make the post season and it is dragged out for 2 1/2 months).

Like every new restaurant, it will see a huge spike in interest early on, but time will tell if it has the staying power. It just doesn't feel a place focused on a particular sport and league would have the draw over a general "sports" experience.

 

[ajwolfe]

Personally I know I have 2 boys and a DH that will be all over this if they catch wind of it.