Last week Sheryl said she had a surprise for me. She wouldn’t tell me what it was, so I looked online for events happening around the Valley that day. Nothing stood out. As a matter of fact, until that day, I had forgotten all about it! Good thing I didn’t have a tee time. Anyway, before we left, she spilled the beans and told me what we were doing. She was taking me to The Marvel Experience.
What in the world is The Marvel Experience? According to their website, it’s “the world’s first hyper-reality tour.” What is hyper-reality? Honestly, I still don’t know. We got ready and headed to Salt River Fields, home of The Marvel Experience. I like saying that.
We got there, and parking was apparently $10. This isn’t being promoted anywhere, and we actually saw several cars turning around to find an ATM. There wasn’t an ATM readily available near the parking lot, at least from what we could tell. Of course, Sheryl figured it out beforehand, and we stopped to get cash before we got there. Since Salt River Fields is on Indian land, I assume Marvel has nothing to do with it. But still, if you paid $30+ per person for tickets to this thing, and had to pay $10 for parking, they least they could do is promote it.
Once we parked, we grabbed our tickets from will call and waited in line to get in. The staff was walking around and I heard one person say, “Welcome recruits.” That was the theme of the day. We were all recruits training to save the world. Once inside we were entertained with a video that explained S.H.I.E.L.D. We were all S.H.I.E.L.D. recruits training to “swing” with Spider-Man, “smash” with Hulk and “fly” with Iron Man. I will say, out of all the Marvel characters, Iron Man is my favorite.
While we were waiting in line, the video played over and over again. The entire experience, to this point, felt like I was getting on a ride at Six Flags or Kings Island. After all was said and done, Sheryl and I both agreed this would be best as a ride, not a traveling sideshow. I can’t imagine the amount of work, time and money it takes to build this and move it from city to city.
After we got in, we walked around for a bit and found another line to wait in. I didn’t really want to spend my day waiting in line, so we found another room to visit. When we walked in, they put “superpower bands” on our wrist. I still don’t know what they did, because when we left the room, and entered the next room, they were taken off our wrist. Regardless, the next room was freezing cold and we stood there, again, waiting. When we finally made it to the next room, we all watched a video that was, I imagine, hyper-reality.
Then we visited one final room that had interactive chairs. Again, it felt like a ride in an amusement park. That part was neat, but it didn’t last long. Oh, then they pushed us through the gift shop. Of course. Can’t leave without spending more money.
Like I said, I am not a fan of Marvel. If you were, then this might be neat to see… But there is no way this is worth $30. There were a lot of kids walking around, and kids under 5 are free, but if you had a family of teenagers that wanted to see this, it could get expensive quick. Not to mention the cafe and the gift shop.
I’m not bitter because I don’t like Marvel. It was neat to see. We considered it an “experience.” It was… It was The Marvel Experience. See what I did there?
After Scottsdale, The Marvel Experience is headed to Dallas, Texas then to California visiting Del Mar on the way to San Francisco. Tickets start at $27.50, but you can also purchase VIP tickets. Not sure what that gets you… But they are more expensive.
Sheryl posted about it on Facebook, and someone asked if it was worth going. Personally, no. I wouldn’t pay for this. If you are a fan, then maybe… But it’s not cheap, and be prepared to spend the entire day inside. There is a lot to see and a lot to do… Like wait in line. I am glad that we went, but after we left The Marvel Experience we went to Union Barrelhouse for lunch. Sorry to say, that was the highlight of the day.
If you like Marvel, have kids and are looking for something to do this holiday season, then it might be worth seeing The Marvel Experience. But unless you know all the characters, read the comic books and watch all the movies, pass. It wouldn’t be worth the money. Having said that, I am glad we went. It was, after all, an experience!
Connect with The Marvel Experience:
Website: http://themarvelexperiencetour.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarvelExperience
Twitter: https://twitter.com/themarvelexp
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/MarvelExpTour/
