A really cool Virtual Reality Experience, you step into the movie as your avatar, and are transported into the movie in an interactive and hands-on event.
Know Before You Go
Make your reservations online, in advance. There are 6 tickets available for each showing, so if you aren’t going with 6 people, expect to be with others. Since you are moving around and touching everything (that’s not actually there), you may be in shared spaces/touching. Our first time we had 4 in our group and an extra guy. It was pre-Covid and just a little awkward. Our second and most recent we had 5 and we did not have anyone else join us.
Wear clothes you can easily move around in, especially shoes.
Go to the restroom before your showtime.
We parked outside Eataly off Boedecker, and this is my best tip, because Eataly is so cool. More on that later. Easy parking and Dreamscape is just across from Eataly inside the Mall. The Trains at Northpark are right next door during the Holidays.
Blu
Our big kids were home from college for Labor Day Weekend, which is also our anniversary weekend, and I booked us tickets to see Blu at Dreamscape. My youngest son and I had been to Dreamscape before, absolutely enjoyed it, and I thought it was something the rest of the family would love!
Although AMC has a theater in NorthPark Center, Dreamscape is not located there, and I think this confuses a lot of people. The Dreamscape Theater is much smaller and feels very nice when you arrive. You’ll check in, sign a waiver, and choose your avatar. It takes just a couple of minutes.
In the waiting area, there are not snacks, although they do sell candy.
At your showtime, you’ll be led back to your pod. It’s a small room where you can leave your phone, purse, jacket or anything you’re carrying. No one else can enter the pod. It’s only large enough for 6 people and your guide. You’ll then sit down for the orientation, then to put on the controls for your hands, feet, and backpack. You put on the headset in the next room. The backpack is only a few pounds. Obviously, you can’t take pictures in the theater, but if you ask your guide will take your picture before you enter the theater. Your guide does stay with you throughout the entire show!
In the theater, you can see the lights and cameras and have an idea of what is around you once you enter the VR. Then you put on your headset and bam! One of the coolest experiences is seeing yourself as your avatar! Then it’s showtime! We were still getting use to walking around when we were suddenly heading down to the bottom of the ocean on a quest to find a blue whale! Then we were riding some type of aqua cycle through a pod of whales after a fun adventure. It’s fun and exciting!
The show lasted maybe 10 minutes, my kids all loved it, and I’ll be honest, I didn’t love Blu anywhere near as much as I loved Alien Zoo. I’m not sure if it was because it was my second time, or I wanted my family to have a good time, or it just wasn’t as neat of a show. I did ask, and both our guide and the front desk guy assured me it was the show. They both agreed that Alien Zoo was their favorite as well, but said that Curse of the Lost Pearl, an action movie similar to Indiana Jones, with lots of movement, something that we didn’t have in Blu, is a fan favorite! We did all agree that we want to return and see Curse of the Lost Pearl.
Afterwards, we headed back to Eataly, as it was almost 9pm and the rest of the mall was closed. It’s still weird to me that the stores mostly close at 8pm, and some a little earlier. This was our first chance to really explore Eataly, only running through last Christmas on our way to the Northpark Trains exhibit. It’s such a great store and offers 3 “restaurants” and a cooking school. We had some gelato, bought several pastries and just walked around. Terra, their restaurant looks amazing, and will definitely be on my list of things to do for next time (do get a reservation). Check out their calendar for all the great upcoming events!
Funny moment came when I heard glass breaking near where my kids were standing, followed by my youngest shouting, ” I didn’t do that!” He was conspicuously close to the kind lady who did take the blame. I then decided to video him walking around the store, as we headed to a table to eat all the sweets my husband had purchased. Seconds after I quit recording, my son manages to knock over a stack of wine glasses, catching two but missing the third which shattered on the floor. Which is how I learned that they were giving out a free bag of chips if you use Apple Pay at checkout.
NorthPark Center is my favorite “mall”, but if you haven’t been before, I’d definitely suggest arriving early enough to walk around and see some of the unique stores. The Trains at Northpark is running Nov. 12 – Jan. 6 for the 2022-2023 season. The Northpark Santa is also just amazing!
Dreamscape AMC at NorthPark Center
8687 N US 75 Central Expressway 1000 Suite 2232 Dallas, TX
Click HERE to visit their website.
Keep Having Fun in the Texas Sun!
Michelle
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