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It's good to see the Disney waterparks expand and this looks like a great family raft slide. It's still kinda funny to me that Blizzard Beach has added basically nothing new in the 20+ years it's been open but maybe after Volcano Bay the competition in that market segment will heat up a bit and change that.

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It's good to see the Disney waterparks expand and this looks like a great family raft slide. It's still kinda funny to me that Blizzard Beach has added basically nothing new in the 20+ years it's been open but maybe after Volcano Bay the competition in that market segment will heat up a bit and change that.

I'm still not understanding people's thoughts behind Volcano Bay being "competition" for the Disney water parks. I honestly cannot see someone staying at a Disney Resort when there are two water parks RIGHT THERE and shlepping all their water park stuff all the way over to Universal to do their water park. IMO, I've always seen the water parks as more of an "extension" to resort amenities and less of a "park" that people are going to go out of their way to visit.

 

If you're on Universal property, you'll go to Volcano Bay. If you're on Disney property, you'll go to one of those water parks. I don't really see them being competition for each other.

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It's good to see the Disney waterparks expand and this looks like a great family raft slide. It's still kinda funny to me that Blizzard Beach has added basically nothing new in the 20+ years it's been open but maybe after Volcano Bay the competition in that market segment will heat up a bit and change that.

I'm still not understanding people's thoughts behind Volcano Bay being "competition" for the Disney water parks. I honestly cannot see someone staying at a Disney Resort when there are two water parks RIGHT THERE and shlepping all their water park stuff all the way over to Universal to do their water park. IMO, I've always seen the water parks as more of an "extension" to resort amenities and less of a "park" that people are going to go out of their way to visit.

 

If you're on Universal property, you'll go to Volcano Bay. If you're on Disney property, you'll go to one of those water parks. I don't really see them being competition for each other.

 

 

Yeah that's probably totally true from the perspective of the resort guests, but what about competition for Orlando locals and non-resort guests? Disney does offer a pretty reasonably priced water parks only annual pass so in my mind I guess I've always thought that the water parks maybe had a slightly higher ratio of non-resort/resort guest at the water parks than the theme parks but that may not be true at all.

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What is the overall scale and length of this one compared to the one at Blizzard Beach? The one at Blizzard Beach is pretty long for this type of slide and is very fun.

 

Never mind I found a video. While this is certainly better than the one that was already there, doesn't seem to compete with the Blizzard Beach one on thrills or length

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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.)

Edited by robbalvey
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Never mind I found a video. While this is certainly better than the one that was already there, doesn't seem to compete with the Blizzard Beach one on thrills or length

Why is it important for Disney to compete with something they already have?

 

I mean, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train isn't as long or as thrilling as Big Thunder, but yet that ride does just fine on it's own.

Edited by robbalvey
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I haven't looked at the pricing yet so I had no idea single day tickets to Volcano Bay weren't available at this point in time, but that's intersting, and it will be intersting to see how that plays out. I'm interested to see how the place works out logistically, with the whole park in the structure and ride a shuttle bus to the entrance plan. Seems like a headache to me but this is Universal.

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Aquatica will take over for Wet N' Wild with the locals market (which, hilariously, I hear Orlando locals themselves talk badly about) until/unless Fun Spot manages to actually develop a new water park in the area.

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^Yeah that's probably true, but at $108 for an Aquatica only annual pass compared to $125 for a Blizzard Beach and Typhooon Lagoon pass I know where I'd be spending my money if I were a local.

 

Actually Im close enough to be considered a local but I've got a boat load of water park days left from non-expiring tickets back when those things still existed, I should be set for a few years.

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Aquatica will take over for Wet N' Wild with the locals market (which, hilariously, I hear Orlando locals themselves talk badly about)

Aquatica is "ok" and I've had a good time every visit, but I'm not rushing back.

 

The reality is this - locals here just don't seem to do water parks very often. I know very very few who frequent them and usually it's more of a "once a year MAYBE" kind of thing. I feel like we do a water park once every 2-3 years and for a "local" that seems about right.

 

I've got a boat load of water park days left from non-expiring tickets back when those things still existed, I should be set for a few years.

I actually have 14 water park days remaining on two non-expiring passes we've been holding onto since 2003. We'll have free Disney water parks for at least the next ten years! lol

 

In short, basically what I'm trying to say is that I don't think locals play a huge role in the water park attendance figures at all. And if I had to guess, the majority of "Orlando locals" going to any water park are probably going for very cheap if not free due to having friends or friends of friends that work at said resorts.

Edited by robbalvey
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I've got a boat load of water park days left from non-expiring tickets back when those things still existed, I should be set for a few years.

I actually have 14 water park days remaining on two non-expiring passes we've been holding onto since 2003. We'll have free Disney water parks for at least the next ten years! lol

 

 

Funny story last year I found two 3-Day children's tickets at my in-laws house that had to have been from around 1985, paper tickets with detachable daily admission tabs good at either Epcot or Magic Kingdom. One ticket had 2 tabs left the other 1, I took them to guest services and they gave me 3 single day park hoppers in exchange.

 

In short, basically what I'm trying to say is that I don't think locals play a huge role in the water park attendance figures at all. And if I had to guess, the majority of "Orlando locals" going to any water park are probably going for very cheap if not free due to having friends or friends of friends that work at said resorts.

 

Yeah the more I think about it the more I agree with you but it is kind of interesting that they open a new attraction at a water park now, 2 months ahead of Volcano Bay's opening, considering that between almost 60 years of operation of BB & TL Disney has added a new attraction to either park once. I'm just curious as to why a family raft slide at Typhoon Lagoon and why now? Maybe some contractor at Disney Springs blew a job and said okay we owe you one...... and Disney said "what if we had a waterslide laying around, how much to have it installed......".

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^Typhoon Lagoon and BB both seem to be on the one new attraction every 10-15 years plan and this coincides with that. I really believe that Disney does not see Universal as competition as much as enthusiasts seem to believe. Disney is not 'reactionary' towards anything Universal is doing. They have long, long term plans and seem to stick close to them.

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I've been to Blizzard Beach, but not Typhoon Lagoon. This new raft ride sounds like fun, and I like how Disney is incorporating a story line into the ride (you don't see this at water parks).

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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.)

There's the kicker. I enjoy water parks so I'd be in that minority that would go to Typhoon Lagoon, Blizzard Beach or even Volcano Bay on a regular basis. However, most tourist-y type people seem to relegate Typhoon Lagoon or Blizzard Beach to that awkward "day 4" or "day 5" of their Disney Vacation as an off day after romping around the four major parks once.

 

I feel like if Disney were really "worried", if you could call it that, about Volcano Bay, we would be seeing new developments in their water parks on the scale of, say, Star Wars Land, Pandora or New Fantasyland. They know that people will always go to their water parks. That's why I think that they can be okay with a small, consistent base of attendance over the course of however many years, with the occasional "nice" new attraction that augments the existing offerings without any super-huge "whizz-bang".

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I adore water parks and yet even though I barely do them here in Korea, because people wait 2-3 hours for even normal slides, whenever we look into doing Orlando we find that the maximum length we could probably get is a 2 week vacation. When we look at all the theme park to do, and considering it'd probably be a once in a life time trip, the water parks don't even cross our minds when factoring in all the parks, plus days where we can revisit ones we want re-rides or can't fit it all in and/or leaving empty days to move things in case of weather. I think Disney know what they're doing when they only add to those parks now and again.

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I don't think anyone is confused as to why Blizzard Beach hasn't ever gotten a new slide complex or that Typhoon Lagoon only sparingly gets them, but that fact doesn't really change my personal opinion that their slides are generally somewhat archaic in design compared to most regional water parks and that I lack any real enthusiasm to go due to that combined with the heavy crowd loads that hit it every day. I'm sure lots of families are happy going to it and it makes money. They should: their maintenance budget is obviously greater than most water parks' annual cap ex to be fair on the costs, but they're also like the first and second most visited aquatics facilities in the world IIRC.

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I don't think anyone is confused as to why Blizzard Beach hasn't ever gotten a new slide complex or that Typhoon Lagoon only sparingly gets them, but that fact doesn't really change my personal opinion that their slides are generally somewhat archaic in design compared to most regional water parks and that I lack any real enthusiasm to go due to that combined with the heavy crowd loads that hit it every day. I'm sure lots of families are happy going to it and it makes money. They should: their maintenance budget is obviously greater than most water parks' annual cap ex to be fair on the costs, but they're also like the first and second most visited aquatics facilities in the world IIRC.

Maintenance is higher because of (a) their seasons (BB and TC are both open 9-10 months of the year, with their rehabs staggered so they're not going on at the same time) and (b) the number of people that ride their slides per day

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Speaking of Disney water parks, I've been to both Typhoon Lagoon, and Blizzard Beach. Both were good parks, but nothing I can see us going back to visit for a few years. There's more interesting things to do than the water parks. I don't know why neither of the water parks are a big draw for us, their just not.

 

That being said, the new slide sure does look great. I love very heavily themed water slides... but still not enough for me to want to make a trip back just yet.

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- A Version of Volcano Bay's Wristbands

 

Let's not forget that these special Tapu Tapu Volcano Bay Wristbands are (from what I understand) made by Accesso and just a custom Prism band. I'm sure if Disney decides to add Fastpass Plus to the waterparks it will do it with magic bands their own way.

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- A Version of Volcano Bay's Wristbands

 

Let's not forget that these special Tapu Tapu Volcano Bay Wristbands are (from what I understand) made by Accesso and just a custom Prism band. I'm sure if Disney decides to add Fastpass Plus to the waterparks it will do it with magic bands their own way.

 

Fixed cause I'm an idiot

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I think Volcano Bay will do 2 things to the Disney Waterparks:

- MyMagic+ For the waterparks

Don't you already use your MagicBand at the Disney water parks to get in and to pay for stuff? I thought the touch points at retail, F&B, and the park entrance have been there for a while, have they not?

Edited by robbalvey
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- A Version of Volcano Bay's Wristbands

Let's not forget that these special Tapu Tapu Volcano Bay Wristbands are (from what I understand) made by Accesso and just a custom Prism band.

This is what I was led to believe. While neither party seems to confirm or deny this fact (just like Disney will never tell you that Vekoma supplies the hardware for their coasters, etc...) the Tapu Tapu band looks eerily similar to the Accesso Prism band, and I just cannot see Universal spending the kind of "Disney Money" for their water park system, especially when Accesso already has their system in place as many water parks and Universal already has an existing relationship with Accesso for their Express Pass....

bands.jpg.4d6a1094e14c36e7305bc0911503c179.jpg

Edited by robbalvey
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Has anyone here ever used those at a waterpark? I'm pretty familiar with some of Accesso's other products's (Q-bot, Q-Smart etc.) but I don't think I've seen these in action anywhere.

 

Seems like if Disney wanted to bring Fastpass+ to the water parks they would have already done it by now, so I'm guessing it's not high on their priority list.

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