Trying to decide how to spend your time on vacation is as important as how much money your spending. We spent (almost) a full day at the MagiQuest in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Check out how we spent our time after our questing was done.
- Part One—Introduction to MagiQuest and Buying Things
- Part Two—Registering Wands and Training
- Part Three—Playing MagiQuest
Part Four: The Vault Laser Maze; Special FX Pirate Gold and The Odyssey Mirror Maze
After spending over two hours letting the kids do the quests and adventures in the MagiQuest proper, we still had three experiences to try as part of our ticket.
We purchased the New Magi Ultimate Package for $29.99 (the upgrade from the Value Package to the Ultimate Package was $5.00 per ticket). Since the kids would then get to access the three other attractions in the building, it seemed like a good deal for us.
New Magi Ultimate PackageIncludes: MagiQuest wand and 90 minute game experience PLUS the properties’ other three attractions (a round of Special FX Pirate Golf, Odyssey, the World’s Largest Mirror Maze and The Vault laser maze challenge)
The Vault Laser Maze Challenge
Only three of the four chose the The Vault Laser Experience. It took about five minutes and the kids (11, 12 and 15) were really unimpressed with it. They said that you were in a dark room and you could see laser lights crossing the room at different levels. The kids said that it was really difficult to avoid the lasers and it just wasn’t that much fun.
Special FX Pirate Golf
I was glad that a mini-golf package was included in the ticket and it was even better that it was indoors! Two of us got a little more sun than expected at Dollywood, so I didn’t want to spend more time outside playing mini-golf. Everyone was excited about the chance to play mini-golf, especially when we saw the course. They let my wife and I join the kids as watchers.
The course and the room is very dark and lit by backlights that cause the course and scenery to light up in a pretty spectacular manner.
The kids haven’t played much mini-golf before, so we weren’t sure what to expect. It was obvious after the first few holes that this wasn’t going to hold their interest for too long. It was hard to see the score card to keep score and it was difficult to line up shots.
The course was pretty involved, as far as the props and layout. There was a mirror in one area (it was really a television) that showed three skeletons behind bars trying to persuade a dog to give them the key. Wonder where I’ve seen something like that before.
The kids had no interest in finishing the mini-golf after about ten holes. We meandered through the rest of the area and found it much more enjoyable to walk through as opposed to actually playing the game.
Odyssey: The World’s Largest Mirror Maze
When you look at the brochure racks for all of the tourist events in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, it seems like everyone has mini-golf, go-karts and a mirror maze. My oldest son (the 16 year-old) had no interest in the maze, so I gladly took his ticket.
I’ve never done one before and I was completely blown away by the experience. It was fun, confusing and slightly frightening, almost form the beginning! It’s really hard to take photos, but the maze is made up oftener distinct sections that are broken up by rooms with special effects. During our visit, they were playing some 1980s music and I really felt like I was in a Flock of Seagulls video!
There were quite a few times that I was separated from the group and we would run into each other unexpectedly. Still, it was unnerving to not know where the kids were (probably a good idea to station a parent outside the exit). I did manage to find the entrance three times before I made it halfway through.
Overall, the Odyssey was my favorite part of the MagiQuest experience. Was it worth the $5.00 extra? I thought it was better for us than the Vault or the mini-golf, but it is an even better value if your group likes mini-golf.
What We Learned
- Get there as soon as you can to avoid a majority of the crowds.
- It felt like buying the Ultimate Package was a good deal despite the disappointment of the Laser Maze and the Pirate mini-golf.
- MagiQuest can be very expensive if you don’t set any limits up front. The toppers and other add-ons really piled up after four kids. It would have been better to have the kids go through the quest first, and then buy the toppers on a later visit.
- Overall, including the extra time we bought, we spent almost four hours there. We did break up the visit with a lunch at another location (all that MagiQuest had were two drink machines).
- Surprisingly, the kids felt like they’d had a good bit of exercise after the MagiQuest visit.
- Besides the hot tub at the chalet, MagiQuest was the highlight of the trip for the kids.