Four Things To Know About Arcades In Walt Disney World

There are 19 resort arcades around Walt Disney World and while they vary in size, they’re all run the same way. Yes, the list above shows 20 resorts, but that’s because the Beach Club and Yacht Club share an arcade, Lafferty Place Arcade. The smallest arcades are Arcadia Games at the Grand Floridian and the aforementioned Lafferty Place Arcade. These spaces are likely designed with so little square footage because they’re housed at resorts with an incredible amount to do that doesn’t involve Fruit Ninja.
The largest and the best (in my opinion) arcades can be found at any of the Value Resorts, and the Contemporary Resort. You do not need to be a guest at any of these locations to enjoy the games. I am unable to pass an air hockey table without dropping a few hundred points so I can hurt some feelings, and I can confidently say the resort that regularly rotates out tables for newer, speedier versions is Pop Century. At one point they had a few multi-puck tables in circulation. Fabulous.
2) You’ll Need an Arcade Game Card to Play

None of the games in any of the resorts take cash – just game cards. This doesn’t mean you can’t play if all you have is cash, it means you’ll have to purchase an Arcade Play Card, pictured above, to play. There are multiple kiosks at each arcade where you can purchase a game card. You may use cash, credit, or debit cards to load points to your card. Once you have a Play Card, you can reload points or take it with you to use at other resorts. All of the games in all of the resorts accept this card.
3) The Price of Play

The image above shows the dollar to point breakdown for a Play Card. These prices and point values are going to be the same in every resort arcade. I can say with some confidence that you’re going to want more than 250 points but probably won’t use 3750 points unless you’ve got a gaggle of folks with you or you’re planning to spend a lot of time at the arcade.

Arcade games range in points from 25 (around 50 cents a game) to 125 (around $2.50 a game), with a small number of games in the larger arcades exceeding 125 points. As simple as it sounds, the larger the game, the more points it’s going to require.

Skee-Ball is 30 points, or about 60 cents a game. Other games commonly found around the resorts include various motorcycle, snowboarding, race car, and other speed focused games that require you to sit in or on a simulator that will shake and have very loud sound effects. You can always find pinball games in the larger arcades and there is usually a corner where they put the classics, like Pac-Man or Space Invaders. All resort arcades will have at least one machine geared in hight and skill level toward small children. There are a few diminutive versions of Wac-A-Mole I’ve spotted in my travels.
Disney IP games

4) No Prizes Unless You Play-Till-You-Win

If you’re headed to a Disney resort arcade for the first time, keep in mind that they differ from other popular arcades, like Dave & Buster’s or Chuck E. Cheese, in that you don’t accumulate points as you play. There is no prize redemption counter to look forward to when you’ve used up all of your points. The only exception is if you decide to play one of the Play-Till-You-Win games! The Contemporary arcade has rubber duck, candy, and tiny stuffie versions of this machine and they each cost 100 points, or $2.00. Be warned though! They really mean the “Till-You-Win” part, so if you decide to allow your child three turns on the duck machine and spend the next 45 minutes saying “can Mommy help you?” don’t come back here saying I didn’t warn you. The great news is you can occasionally win more than one duck per turn and they make a neat and inexpensive toy for the pool or tub.
Overall, a resort arcade can be a fun side quest during your vacation. Do you have a favorite Disney arcade or game?
Photos: Amy Schinner

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