by Donald Wood
Last updated: 3:28 PM ET, Tue June 30, 2015
Sad news for Disney fans on Tuesday as the company announced the famous DisneyQuest area of the park would be closing in 2016.
DisneyQuest, located in the Downtown Disney portion of the Walt Disney World Resort, will be closing to make way for the new NBA Experience attraction, which will be part of the new Disney Springs portion of the park.
According to Sandra Pedicini of Orlando Sentinel, DisneyQuest is a 100,000-square-foot indoor entertainment center that features an arcade, concessions and exhibits. The area was first opened in 1998, but will undergo a complete overhaul when it closes next year.
The employees who work at the attraction will be offered new jobs with the Disney Park.
The changes also include a complete transformation of Downtown Disney into the new and improved Disney Springs. The plan from officials is to expand on the current success and add even more locations for shopping, dining and entertainment, reportedly jumping from 70 businesses to almost 150.
Disney Springs is set for completion in 2016.
The announcement of the closure of DisneyQuest comes just days after the company announced that the Magic of Disney Animation attraction in Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park would officially close its doors on July 12, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
There has been a long list of major changes and upgrades announced and planned by Disney recently, but they should have fans excited, not upset. While it may mean fewer attractions in the short term during the upgrade process, the finished product in the coming years will make for an even more entertaining Walt Disney World experience.
Topics From This Article to Explore
