Lets talk water parks and their future

[UpAllNight]

These water slides cost pennies to a company like Disney there's absolutely no excuse for them to have left their 2 parks without significant investment.

 

[21stamps]

The new Atlantis in the UAE is impressive looking and we'll Yas Water World is stunning with what they have and is to expand soon. Those are the two I most want to visit

I haven't been to either but they look amazing! I was trying to be fair with comparison of Disney/Uni/Atlantis Paradise Island because they are all geographically close and relatively inexpensive for most to get to.

 

[Bairstow]

I'd say we spend 3-8 hours at a waterpark. Depends on a few things- chair availability, if we've rented a cabana, crowd level, weather.
The 3 I quoted isn't a fair comparison bc that's just a trip morning or late afternoon visit. If we went to Volcano Bay I would guess we would stay @ 8 hours, if it was too crowded I'd cut it in half. Do they have any non water options? Such as sand volleyball?

I'd hope so.
Live entertainment would be a welcome option too.

 

[Bairstow]

I wish Disney could replicate Stormalong Bay at scale... that place was a milestone.

God, don't I wish, but I'm not sure if the interconnectivity of the area, how deep it gets, and the small army of lifeguards needed to staff it would ever be viable again. If the teaser video can be trusted, though, Universal does seem to be considering sand bottoms for at least part of Volcano Bay.

 

[monothingie]

One of the problems with expanding the water parks, is they appear to be out of space. TL had to cannibalize the reef tank to add the family raft ride, BB is in such a tight area, that they really don't have much room to expand anywhere. Universal had a ton of land to develop their park, Disney does not.

 

[Jess G]

Am I the only one who's never done the water park?! I have no good explanation either guys... I guess I'm always so focused on the 4 main parks and hanging out at the resort pool that I never got around to doing it? It's totally on my bucket list.

 

[JoeCamel]

oh god so many lulz

Water "Theme Park"

Our Third Park

Tapu Tapu

I guess Disney World has 6 theme parks now

That is exactly how Disney markets WDW in the UK

 

[The Empress Lilly]

Am I the only one who's never done the water park?! I have no good explanation either guys... I guess I'm always so focused on the 4 main parks and hanging out at the resort pool that I never got around to doing it? It's totally on my bucket list.

Oh, you're missing out! The water parks are great, in areas themed just as nicely as the dry parks. Typhoon especially, I love it.

 

[andre85]

Oh, you're missing out! The water parks are great, in areas themed just as nicely as the dry parks. Typhoon especially, I love it.

Agreed with this. Your picture reminded me though: does anyone know why they enclosed humunga cowabunga? I miss the days when it was open air.

 

[Jon81uk]

I guess Disney World has 6 theme parks now

They already market in the U.K. as offering six parks.

 

[Jon81uk]

Can someone explain the queueless system to me?

From the blog post I'm assuming there is small LED screen in the band that tells you when it is time to return to a ride. Bit like a restaurant pager system. But with elements of old FastPass in that you need to tap in and get a place in the queue first.

 

[21stamps]

From the blog post I'm assuming there is small LED screen in the band that tells you when it is time to return to a ride. But like a restaurant pager system. But with elements of old FastPass in that you need to tap in and get a place in the queue first.

I'm trying to see the logistics of it and can't figure it out, unless it only applies one at time maybe? What if you swiped on 3 slides then head to the pool and wait for one of them...that seems like it could create an issue. Will the system have that capability?

 

[Jon81uk]

I'm trying to see the logistics of it and can't figure it out, unless it only applies one at time maybe? What if you swiped on 3 slides then head to the pool and wait for one of them...that seems like it could create an issue. Will the system have that capability?

I assume if you try and swipe for a second slide before going on the first it will tell you you can't or similar. Again a bit like old paper FastPass not letting you hold more than one at a time.

 

[21stamps]

Am I the only one who's never done the water park?! I have no good explanation either guys... I guess I'm always so focused on the 4 main parks and hanging out at the resort pool that I never got around to doing it? It's totally on my bucket list.

I enjoy hanging out at the resort pool too. I think my kid went down the volcano slide at Poly over 100 times last year on our trip.lol Short line and he was loving it. Less stress, less people, happy kid...I'll take it! He doesn't even know the water parks exist...I'd like to keep it that way for as long as possible. Mean mom, I know.

 

[Biff215]

One of the problems with expanding the water parks, is they appear to be out of space. TL had to cannibalize the reef tank to add the family raft ride, BB is in such a tight area, that they really don't have much room to expand anywhere. Universal had a ton of land to develop their park, Disney does not.

Pretty sure the new TL raft ride is nowhere near Shark Reef so that appears to be more of a cost savings/staffing decision. TL has some space to work with, especially with Shark Reef gone. BB is a little tougher, but not just because of the space around it, but rather the mountain that every slide ultimately runs down. They'd have to do something similar to CnG at TL, which would likely ruin the aesthetics of the park, as seen from within and driving by. TL is tucked in and largely hidden by the dense foliage in that area.

Space is no excuse for Disney allowing their water parks to stagnate. Clearly they're still drawing in guests and making money so that's why they've seen such little investment. I do believe SW and UO are upping the ante, but Disney seems content with adding the raft ride to TL. Like the FLE following Potter, it will be interesting to see how this pans out over the long run.

ETA: I was once a lifeguard at BB and TL, so I can appreciate the water parks and their themes. But since we typically stay at BCV, we rarely visit them anymore. The cost is too high IMO and you spend more time waiting in hot lines than in the water. I'll take Stormalong Bay any day over that!

 

[21stamps]

I assume if you try and swipe for a second slide before going on the first it will tell you you can't or similar. Again a bit like old paper FastPass not letting you hold more than one at a time.

That's what I figured. So you're still technically waiting and a bit restricted, but not having to stand in an actual line. Hopefully it would give you an ETA on the original swipe. Still better than standing in a line for a water slide either way.

 

[flynnibus]

These water slides cost pennies to a company like Disney there's absolutely no excuse for them to have left their 2 parks without significant investment.

They invest in their upkeep with overhauls every year. They are generally in very good shape. I wouldn't knock Disney at all for their 'lack of significant investment' - what I'd knock them for is their lack of ambition.

 

[Dead2009]

I'm betting 90% of general guests don't know or care about a story for a park. Don't get me wrong, I love the stories behind the Disney water parks, but people just don't care. Volcano Bay looks beautiful, who cares about a story.

People who pay attention to detail, theming and stuff like that.

 

[JoeCamel]

That's what I figured. So you're still technically waiting and a bit restricted, but not having to stand in an actual line. Hopefully it would give you an ETA on the original swipe. Still better than standing in a line for a water slide either way.

So why couldn't the system know you are in line for the first, stack the second after that then stack the third after that? You could plan your whole day and never wait in a line?

 

[rob0519]

These water slides cost pennies to a company like Disney there's absolutely no excuse for them to have left their 2 parks without significant investment.

Well, Disney does shut each of their 2 water parks each year for maintenance / refurbishment, which is necessary and probably a significant financial cost. Both parks are pretty much land locked so expansion is more or less out of the question without losing an existing attraction.

Attendance at both parks is consistently high. So no excuse is needed for not making a significant investment. If people continue to pack both parks, why spend the capital? The water parks much like the other parks are highly themed and family oriented. They're not trying to produce thrill ride in order to appeal to a smaller demographic. You want thrills, go to Universal.

I too would like to see the hours extended at Typhoon Lagoon with a better dining option available.