Volcano Bay: General Discussion

[Frank Drackman]

When do the national ad campaigns begin? Is that in early January?

Regarding VBs lower attendance recently, the temperatures are set to rise back into the 80s in just a few days, so I would expect things to bump back up.

would we ever really know the success for the Company though? I was a bit surprised on how they tried to price this (as an AP that drives to Orlando). I mean, I always thought an after four entry would be fine for my family more so than a whole day at a water park.

Now, I imagine they sell a 'three park' pass of some sort at some 'magical' rate (sort of like how they had a park to park ticket over and above a one park ticket). So, for folks in the rooms, maybe they can go to any park any day...I really do not know, but I bet that makes it difficult to know when they may (or may not) even go to VB?!?

I guess I am just saying that I only know the AP price structure and I really do not get how they are trying to use the water park. I love the place, but I do not know if my whole family would go each time we are in Orlando. To me, that makes it hard to decide if it is worth adding to an AP that I know I will use on each UNI visit....

On the flip side, for folks thinking the park is hurting them (maybe under utilized save 3 to 5 months were they do not have capacity)....they may be using to sell higher gate tickets even to folks that never step foot in the park....

 

[Teebin]

If they are heating the water during the winter months, it would be so cool to see photographs of the park at six or seven in the morning. On the rare cold morning, it should be just a big steam pocket of fog and very otherworldly.

 

[Mad Dog]

I would guess per guest spending at VB is many times over what it was at Wet & Wild. Attendance figures can be misleading when it comes to revenue. Much better to have 2,000 visitors who spend $50 each than 3,000 visitors who spend $10 each. And that's not even counting higher ticket costs or staying at an on site hotel as opposed to living a few miles away.

 

[fryoj]

On the flip side, for folks thinking the park is hurting them (maybe under utilized save 3 to 5 months were they do not have capacity)....they may be using to sell higher gate tickets even to folks that never step foot in the park....

This is definitely going on. If you go to book a package on their website, it automatically puts in 3 park passes. You can switch them out, but its not obvious how to do it, and I'm sure people are booking not even knowing that they can choose different tickets. That being said though, for a 4 day pass this time of year, it's only about $10 a person difference between a 2 park and 3 park, so it's not a huge difference. I guess it depends on how many people they are getting on the three day passes.

 

[Andysol]

With such small crowds, one would think they’d start on that much-needed expansion.

Not waiting on land acquisitions/settlements to decide what goes where to which park. Not waiting on Nintendo. Not waiting for holiday crowds to subside. Let’s get on it already Universal. You have the expansion spot. It desperately needs more capacity before spring hits. So why the delay?

 

[Frank Drackman]

This is definitely going on. If you go to book a package on their website, it automatically puts in 3 park passes. You can switch them out, but its not obvious how to do it, and I'm sure people are booking not even knowing that they can choose different tickets. That being said though, for a 4 day pass this time of year, it's only about $10 a person difference between a 2 park and 3 park, so it's not a huge difference. I guess it depends on how many people they are getting on the three day passes.

I guess this is how I am seeing this, the attendance might not matter (save for in park spend)...yet, technically, people are paying for admission. So, it might be, for now, the park is operating as a means to drive up cash flow from park admission tickets and it may be doing better as a whole since they market the resort as three parks....

 

[Frank Drackman]

With such small crowds, one would think they’d start on that much-needed expansion.

Not waiting on land acquisitions/settlements to decide what goes where to which park. Not waiting on Nintendo. Not waiting for holiday crowds to subside. Let’s get on it already Universal. You have the expansion spot. It desperately needs more capacity before spring hits. So why the delay?

I mean, I think they moved the trailers and such, who is to say they are not working on it yet...permits take time, design takes time....I assume they are still in good shape to get something for a water park done before next summer no? (I really have no clue on typical time spans from say visible construction til open)

 

[fryoj]

I mean, I think they moved the trailers and such, who is to say they are not working on it yet...permits take time, design takes time....I assume they are still in good shape to get something for a water park done before next summer no? (I really have no clue on typical time spans from say visible construction til open)

I would highly doubt they'd have an expansion open by summer. They haven't broken ground yet, and we are just under 6 months from Summer season starting. It's possible, but they'd really have to kick it into gear.

There is one thing that does lean towards them getting started though. In Bio's latest pic, they have started taking apart construction trailers to be removed. By itself, that doesn't necessarily mean anything thought as those trailers were eventually coming out anyway.

 

[Teebin]

Keep in mind there is no infrastructure to build. Popping in a few support columns and decorating it with stonework and landscaping shouldn’t take that long. These rides are prefabbed after all.

 

[fryoj]

Keep in mind there is no infrastructure to build. Popping in a few support columns and decorating it with stonework and landscaping shouldn’t take that long. These rides are prefabbed after all.

Did they run all the plumbing, drainage, and electrical to the expansion pad already? It doesn't look like they have from the aerials. Considering they were using that as their staging and construction trailer location, I'd be surprised. They definitely haven't done the foundations. I know theres not as much work to do as for the main park, but theres still quite a bit. Theres also the question of if they are putting any bathrooms or food options back there.

 

[tidecat]

Could something be in the works for an August 1 opening to coincide with Aventura? Every new “on-site” hotel is going to create additional demand for Volcano Bay with Eary Park Admission.

I still think 2019 may be more likely.

 

[Nick]

Could something be in the works for an August 1 opening to coincide with Aventura? Every new “on-site” hotel is going to create additional demand for Volcano Bay with Eary Park Admission.

I still think 2019 may be more likely.

They are going to want something for the beginning of the Summer season if they are opening a new attraction at VB, not the end.

Crowds were extremely thin by September this year (and weather still very nice).

 

[darkridelover]

Did they run all the plumbing, drainage, and electrical to the expansion pad already? It doesn't look like they have from the aerials. Considering they were using that as their staging and construction trailer location, I'd be surprised. They definitely haven't done the foundations. I know theres not as much work to do as for the main park, but theres still quite a bit. Theres also the question of if they are putting any bathrooms or food options back there.

The answer is yes. They've already built a pump house like the ones they've used on each slide complex. You can see it clear as day in these photos next to what looks like water mains placed in the area. Look at the bottom of the second pic.

 

[fryoj]

The answer is yes. They've already built a pump house like the ones they've used on each slide complex. You can see it clear as day in these photos next to what looks like water mains placed in the area. Look at the bottom of the second pic.

That gets it to the property. Still a lot of work to get that stuff ran to the areas of the property where the construction trailers have been staged. Unless all of the slide complexes are going to originate right there and they aren't doing anything else on the lot.

 

[Hockeyman55]

If they are heating the water during the winter months, it would be so cool to see photographs of the park at six or seven in the morning. On the rare cold morning, it should be just a big steam pocket of fog and very otherworldly.

That is what I had hoped for when I went yesterday but by early entry at 9am the fog was long gone.

 

[SeventyOne]

Crowds were extremely thin by September this year (and weather still very nice).

I think this is where not having 60,000 hotel rooms hurts UOR. Law of Really Big Numbers, a certain percentage of those rooms are bound to be occupied by Brits/Canadians (the prime water park market November - February, despite the weather being absolutely perfect for the parks on a day like today). Easier to come up with 1,000 or 2,000 people to justify keeping open one water park any day it goes above 72 degrees when you have that many rooms at whatever high capacity, even if only a tiny percentage of guests are interested.

 

[JoeCamel]

I think this is where not having 60,000 hotel rooms hurts UOR. Law of Really Big Numbers, a certain percentage of those rooms are bound to be occupied by Brits/Canadians (the prime water park market November - February, despite the weather being absolutely perfect for the parks on a day like today). Easier to come up with 1,000 or 2,000 people to justify keeping open one water park any day it goes above 72 degrees when you have that many rooms at whatever high capacity, even if only a tiny percentage of guests are interested.

Do you think we will see a January or February closure like the other parks in the area?

 

[Andysol]

Do you think we will see a January or February closure like the other parks in the area?

There’s no doubt if/when the 2nd area and 2nd water park open (I’d assume simultaneously) that they’ll adopt the TL/BB rotation schedule.

 

[Nick]

There’s no doubt if/when the 2nd area and 2nd water park open (I’d assume simultaneously) that they’ll adopt the TL/BB rotation schedule.

Yeah right now I don't expect it because of the money they make off of the three park pass.

If VB closes for any period of time, that means they can't sell three park passes, which would be leaving money on the table.

 

[Mad Dog]

I would guess that after they get in a full year's operation, they'll have a better concept of what the crowds will be like. They're kind of running in the dark on this. VB has a nearly completely different customer base than Wet & Wild, so they can't really go by what happened with that park in the past.