5 tips for enjoying Disney’s NBA Experience
are some huge shoes. There are a couple of short movies, including one that prominently incorporates downtown Orlando’s Amway Center alongside a slew of NBA players, mascots and fans from across the league. (Sidenote: The Experience is pretty good about not being All LeBron All the Time).
As we suspected all along, NBA Experience has a strong
Plan B game. My visit was during a heavy thunderstorm, but we couldn’t tell it from inside. Same story, different verse for our trademark Florida heat (not to be confused with Miami Heat) or those days when we have both heat and rain. Welcome to Orlando! Come inside! The attraction is also a viable option for folks at Disney Springs who don’t want to shop or eat, but their companions do.
Yep, there’s a gift shop on the way out, although you can browse and buy without paying NBA Experience admission. Expect apparel and other merchandise from NBA and WNBA teams.
Collectibles frequently are mysterious for me because I’m not willing to pay $3,000 for a basketball sporting the “silver signature” of Michael Jordan and I’m not sure why you’d need a downsized NBA “replica” trophy for $90. But, hey, they’re worth whatever they can get someone to pay, right?
NBA Experience is on the West Side of Disney Springs, a.k.a. the Cirque du Soleil end. The building stands where DisneyQuest used to be. Tickets are $34 ($29 for ages 3 to 9). Generally speaking, it opens at noon and closes at 11 p.m. or 11:30 p.m.
There are no food or drinks for sale at NBA Experience, although the building eventually will house a restaurant called City Works. Finally, NBA Experience should not be confused with NBA City, the former restaurant at Universal CityWalk.