Yes. We said it.
I’m sure you’ve thought about it too. You’re reaching hour 6 of an all day excursion at Disneyland. Palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy (Eminem anyone?). “Hey everyone, we should have just gone to an escape room!”
Sure, Disneyland still gets the nod when you ask Super Bowl winners what they’re going to do next. But, other than that, escape rooms win in so many other ways. Consider simply the distance you must travel. Unless you live next door in Anaheim, Disneyland is at minimum an hour or two to drive (if you live in Los Angeles). Or even farther if you have to take a plane. There is likely an escape room within a few blocks from where you live though. Much easier decision for some spur of the moment “amusement.”
Admittedly, if you need to get your Mickey or Minnie fix, you will have to make the trek to Disneyland. And since Disney owns the Marvel, Star Wars, Guardians, Avatar, and (soon to own) all of Fox’s assets, their rides can be a lot more appealing than a white-labeled knock-off escape room. But have you ever tried the generic brand of Frosted Flakes (with the polar bear) that you can find at ALDI supermarket? It tastes the same. If you pay for the real “Frosted Flakes,” you’re really just paying more because you like to see Tony the Tiger.
Aside from the big branded movies and characters, Disneyland doesn’t offer much more than can beat the escape room experience.
Let’s not forget about the $6 cups of Coke. That’s extortion. Way to take advantage of thirsty people who have no other option to quench their thirst. At The Exit Game we sell our cans of Coke for just $1 each.
Speaking of price, the average Disneyland ticket costs about $105 vs $32 for an escape room. If you can ride more than 3 rides in 1 day, you’ve probably gotten some value there. Average might be somewhere along the lines of 5 “good” rides, and possibly 8-or-more if you move efficiently and utilize the FastPass as much as possible. But that makes for a super exhausting day. It’s a big commitment, especially for larger families. Most people walk more than they’ve ever walked in their lives in that single day. Okay maybe an exaggeration, but 10-12 miles is reasonable-- when’s the last time you’ve walked or jogged that far?
Escape rooms can be consumed in much smaller doses. It’s like riding an amusement park ride, but just scheduling 1 single ride at a time. Of course you still have the option to make it an all-day affair if you want to. You could play all the escape rooms at a certain venue, then drive to another one, if that’s what you want to do. Still, it seems most escape room players opt for the 1-and-done experience, and live to play another day. This means escape rooms can be played much more frequently, as it’s not such a large commitment of your time.
Even better, you won’t have to wait in line for an hour (or sometimes a lot more) to play your favorite escape room. Given this amazing thing called “the internet,” you can now schedule your escape room experience for any time or day in the near future, show up when you’re supposed to, and be done with time to spare for dinner. Ask people what the most annoying thing is about Disneyland and you’ll probably hear “waiting in line.” A very close #2 is “trying to avoid strollers.”
Another annoying thing that happens at Disneyland when you’re waiting in line-- is people cutting in front of you. It really doesn’t matter the reason. When you’re sweating like a pig, the fury is real. And you can’t really do anything about it. Just stand there knowing your wait is going to be an extra bit longer.
^That would never happen at an escape room. No cutting in line. Just playing when you’re supposed to.
Looking for somewhere to sit, anyone?
I’m not sure about you, but last time I went to Disneyland my knees almost broke. And the only thing I could find to sit on was the most uncomfortable lumpy stone. Come try one our escape rooms though and you’ll find almost all our rooms provide somewhere to sit and relax. Our “A.I.” room even has a comfy couch where parents can relax while their kids solve all the puzzles.
Since we’re on the topic of comfort, let’s not forget about the scorching southern California sun. You have a 99% chance of getting either a sunburn or a farmer’s tan at Disneyland. 0% chance of that inside an air conditioned escape room. Perhaps you’ve visited Disneyland during the rainy season? Yea, that sometimes happens, even in sunny SoCal. You’ll never get rained on inside an escape room!
Hey if you’re really in love with waiting 1 hour for a 5 minute ride, who am I to stop you?
However, if you’re ready to have the most exciting hour of your life, go ahead and BOOK AN ESCAPE ROOM NOW. A reservation guarantees your game and time (unlike Disneyland!).