Hilltopper39 wrote:Yeah that's probably totally true from the perspective of the resort guests, but what about competition for Orlando locals and non-resort guests?
You can't even buy a ticket for Volcano Bay unless you buy a 3-day park ticket and there is no option right now for annual passholders. I assume that will probably change in the future, but I personally don't think the water parks even look at "locals" as being their core audience. At least not the Disney parks. I'm sure those parks meet their numbers every day on resort guests alone so any additional locals are just a bonus.
I mean, look at SeaWorld Aquatica. Every time I've been to that park, I feel like 90% of the people there have their Discovery Cove lanyards or are there because they have bought a length of stay SeaWorld pass or flex ticket. Not many are walking up to the gate and buying a water park ticket.
It will be interesting to see how Volcano Bay does because, IMO, it's a different kind of park than Wet N Wild. To me, Wet N Wild was a water park that people would do as a stand-alone visit. The Disney parks and Volcano Bay are more parks that people do as part of their resort stay. (And when I say 'resort stay' I don't always always mean people who are staying at a hotel on property, but people who have bought into multi-day tickets at a park resort.)