Level 99 Brings Pure Fun to Disney Springs

By Susan & Simon Veness

We flagged it up. We anticipated the opening. And we just had so much fun at the debut of this new attraction at Disney Springs. Yes, Level99 is a hit, folks, and, at long last, the site that saw the failure of DisneyQuest and the ill-fated NBA Experience has a genuine crowd-pulling treat in store.

June 25 saw a small army of invited guests – including Yours Truly – descend on this all-new space in the West Side section of Disney Springs, opposite House of Blues and next door to City Works Eatery & Pour House. And we can confirm, it is fun with a capital “F”. Heck, we should just say FUN!

Its huge purple-and-black façade, complete with giant video screen, is unmissable as you head towards the iconic Cirque du Soleil theatre, and the building itself has something of a cavernous feel. But that is nothing compared to just how much is packed into this House of Fun, which officially opened to the public on June 29.

All On The Level

The owners call it “real-world, challenge-based social entertainment,” which is just a fancy way of saying interactive games, and they come in all shapes and sizes, with a variety of different challenges, from athletic and physical to skillful and mental. There are 63 games in all, with names like Sideshow, Assistant, Pinball and Brig, all set across two levels that are linked by the gigantic two-storey lighting rig that is the circular main bar. It also serves up a mouth-watering array of craft beer, wine and cocktails to go with a tempting menu of bar food that is way beyond, well, bar food.

The game play works in sessions of one-and-a-half-hour time slots, and you get a special tap-in wristband to make everything work. Games are definitely active, social and repeatable, with each one lasting from one to four minutes and designed for two to six players. Players’ progress is saved across visits, allowing them to pick up where they left off when they return to any of Level99’s four locations in the US, providing them with the opportunity to climb the leaderboard and earn rewards. Everything is collected on your own online account, which tracks your progress – and Star collection – as you go.

All the games are created, developed and designed by Level99 at its production facility in Massachusetts, where their creative team is constantly designing new games that are rotated into the Level99 venues. Most are a team effort to complete various challenges, but some are also head-to-head for two players, with the main aim to earn Stars that highlight successful performances.

Our Experience at Level99

The interior of Level99 is a dazzling, high-energy set-up, with lots to admire and a lively musical soundtrack right around the venue. Once we’d got our bearings, we teamed up with two good local friends to make sure we had enough people to meet most of the challenges. And there was no shortage of options once we were ready to play. We quickly decided that trying to figure out a logical way to tackle the games was not the best option for us, and just tried to play each game as we toured the upper level.

Each game requires you to “tap in” with your wristband and activate the “Play” button to enter, and then it is a madcap dash for a minute or four to figure out the nature of the challenge and compete against the system. In an hour, we managed 15 games of various kinds, all of which are listed as Physical, Mental or Skill. Some definitely require a more athletic effort and we found those the most difficult, albeit we weren’t great at some of those that required brain-power, either!

We especially liked the mental challenges of Alchemy and Crystal Vision, while each of Pinball and Brain Cells were a hoot. The biggest laughs of the day came from the Twister-style challenge of Space Void, and Simon really enjoyed the more physical dodgeball style of Strike. We did find the Starship Specimen – a scramble to collect “alien samples” – a bit of a head-scratcher and were positively baffled by the demands of Brig, a more escape room-style game.

The most eye-catching challenge, though, has to be Axe Run, which is really Level99’s most iconic game. Here, players have to find their way through a series of swinging axes to reach the end target in as quick a time as possible. The best time of the day was an amazing 4.89 seconds, and that was well beyond Simon’s two attempts! The bottom line is that this is all pure fun, and it is hard not to want to keep trying more and more games.

That F&B Bonus

Arguably the most surprising element of Level99, though, is their tastebud-tantalising menu of food and drinks, which was WAY beyond anything that we expected. While it looks primarily like fairly standard fare, the food we tried all proved a distinct cut above, notably with things like their Tuna Poke Bowl, Chilled Shanghai Noodles and Street Tacos. The House Burger and Grilled Chicken sandwich were equally tasty, while we would definitely go back just for the Korean BBQ Sticky Wings and Detroit Style Pizza.

It’s also highly likely Level99 will quickly become famous for its creative cocktails and impressive craft beer selection. The focus on local breweries – including Cigar City (Tampa), Crooked Can (Orlando) and Funky Buddha (Fort Lauderdale) – is impressive, and the inclusion of the delicious Limonada de Rosada, a rose lemonade sour from Tripping Animals Brewing in the greater Miami area, is a masterstroke.

They might also have saved some of their most creative touches for the cocktail list, as it boasts heavyweight treats like their Mango Habanero Margarita and Frozen Irish Coffee, while there ought to be a special naming award for the Mai Tai Have Another! For unique flavour, we’d also highlight the Hibiscus Old Fashioned, which goes down great with the pizza. The dozens of staff throughout the building were all super-excited to be open and were highly efficient, whether behind the bar, bringing out the food offerings or helping out with the various game-playing. Seeking out their guidance for game tips and strategy was definitely a big help.

Pricing and Other Details

Level99 is open from 11am-10pm Mon-Thur; 11am-11pm Fri; 10am-11pm Sat; and 10am-10pm Sun. Game-play time costs from $29.99 per player, providing intervals of 1.5 and 2.5 hours of play, and can be purchased in advance online at Level99.com. A premium pass add-on is also available, offering expedited check-in and special gifts.

Perhaps the best thing about Level99, though, is that it is free to enter, providing it is not at maximum capacity. That means you can wander in to have a look around and check out some of the games – like the Axe Run – before you part with any cash. You are also welcome to grab a seat at the bar and sample some of their delicious food and drink offerings. Actually, we’d make that a recommendation!

Simon and Susan Veness are Orlando-based travel experts and guidebook authors writing exclusively for Debbie’s Villas.