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Volcano Bay: General Discussion

I'm guessing that Universal hasn't figured out which way they want to go on an expansion. Either a bunch of generic slides to increase capacity significantly or one unique Water Ride big ticket type attraction. With that limited space they probably only have a one shot expansion.
 
Went back to Volcano Bay last Friday and the Thursday before. Both days were great with everything ride now the entire day. APs also get early entry through March I believe so take advantage of it and hit this place up before spring break crowds descend. It's crazy how dead this place can be when it's not prime waterpark season.
Absolutely. Off-season is the best. By noon you're wondering what you want to ride for the 4th time.

I'll be there on March 1-4 just before the spring break folks run through.

I'm guessing that Universal hasn't figured out which way they want to go on an expansion. Either a bunch of generic slides to increase capacity significantly or one unique Water Ride big ticket type attraction. With that limited space they probably only have a one shot expansion.
I highly doubt that is the reasoning.
It's not like the execs are sitting there hemming and hawing on what to do. A unique "big ticket" attraction isn't needed, even if we would like it. Nor would it create more crowds. The volcano in and of itself is enough to get the insta-crowd in there as they are peaked out already, and simply need more capacity. Endless Summer resorts will only compound that. It isn't a hard decision.

They're just calculating expenditure vs return. It's only a numbers game at this point.
 
I know this is off topic, but for those who want to read the Schlitterbahn indictment:

https://localtvwdaf.files.wordpress...21_indictment__miles_swkc__filed_redacted.pdf

It's long, but worth a read just to see really how bad of a deal that was. Your jaw will drop reading it.

This reminds me of a Calvin and Hobbes strip where Calvin asks his dad how they know what weight a bridge can take. The dad says "they drive trucks over it until it breaks, and then they rebuild it at that weight capacity."

It's obvious that the only reason this was built was to break records. So really, even with the mess that was the design, all of this could have been avoided had it simply been a drop.

Quick recap for those too lazy to read:

-The slide was made on a bet by Jeff Henry with the Travel Channel.

-The length of design for optimal safety would be at least 3-6 months, and with at least two professional dynamic engineers. They designed it in 36 days with no professional dynamic engineers.

-Even after the re-design, a week before its grand opening, rafts that MET THE WEIGHT REQUIREMENTS went airborne.

-Reports of riders going airborne and getting injured--which happened many times, mainly in the form of serious head and neck injuries--were repeatedly hidden by management.

-The rafts had to be repeatedly taped up--the raft that the kid died in was especially problematic. It was repeatedly taken out of circulation, but would inevitably enter back in WITHOUT STAFF DISCOVERING THE CAUSE OF MALFUNCTION.

-Critical systems often failed, but were repaired only when it was needed to keep guests flowing through. Maintenance workers ignored the braking system (the material on the slide to slow it down--see at bottom of page) completely eroding IN THE DAYS LEADING UP TO THE INCIDENT.

-Three weeks before the incident, one of the seasonal managers flagged the brake system as a "priority level 1"; rides given a "level 1" are not supposed to operate. The executive with the power to close the ride, Tyler Miles, ignored this warning.

-Eight reports that the brake system had failed were submitted to Miles IN THE THREE WEEKS FOLLOWING. No action.

:eek:

Another example of Safety should always come first in theme/water parks....Two new indictments were just handed down in the Schlitterbahn scandal. Co-owner Jeffrey Henry was indicted today , arrested, and being held in jail. Designer John Schooley was indicted and authorities are trying to locate him...This just keeps getting uglier and uglier....I really have to commend Universal for lowering weight limits last summer until it was deemed the rides in question were safe.

So, I feel like I need to admit I might've been wrong. I don't feel like making a thread on this, it's just that this was discussed in this topic. Maybe Schlitterbahn paid a large sum to the affected? Maybe the indictment was biased because the victim was the son of a lawmaker? IDK.

Judge: AG abused grandy jury; Schlitterbahn charges tossed | The Kansas City Star
 
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Went back to Volcano Bay last Friday and the Thursday before. Both days were great with everything ride now the entire day. APs also get early entry through March I believe so take advantage of it and hit this place up before spring break crowds descend. It's crazy how dead this place can be when it's not prime waterpark season.
I'm planning on going this Saturday during an impromptu trip to Universal over the weekend. Have you been during the weekend this time of year? Might pop in Monday next week too, which I expect to be even less crowded.
 
I'm planning on going this Saturday during an impromptu trip to Universal over the weekend. Have you been during the weekend this time of year? Might pop in Monday next week too, which I expect to be even less crowded.
I have not. But between early admission and you knowing what you are doing you should be fine. Like those days I went were empty empty so I can't imagine Saturday magically being at capacity.
 
I'm planning on going this Saturday during an impromptu trip to Universal over the weekend. Have you been during the weekend this time of year? Might pop in Monday next week too, which I expect to be even less crowded.

It has not been too bad on the weekends this month, but with the warmer weather brings slightly more crowds. You'll see the longest waits for Krakatau and Ohno. With the park hours being 10:00-5:00, that is a good indication they're still in the "slow" season. Also, I've seen tour groups here and there. Monday should be good as well. :)
 
@Andysol, did you end up going to the park today? It was a nice day, weather-wise. How was it on Saturday? Also, VB is closed tomorrow and Wednesday due to cold temps.

Two updates:

1) In the Maku Puihi beach seating area, they have installed a concrete sidewalk right down the center.

2) There is a bunch of scaffolding up underneath the structure of Honu Ika Moana - looks like it was right underneath the raft conveyor and around it.
 
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(Twitter image courtesy of bioreconstruct)

This drives me insane...
 
When attendance drops for VB, then they'll run with the expansion. No need to plus something that's still drawing capacity crowds many days. Also, I'm guessing they're focusing on fixing things that still need fixing, and trying to get the revenue numbers up to where they were supposed to be first.
 
When attendance drops for VB, then they'll run with the expansion. No need to plus something that's still drawing capacity crowds many days. Also, I'm guessing they're focusing on fixing things that still need fixing, and trying to get the revenue numbers up to where they were supposed to be first.

Valid points, but I think the idea is that people want them to expand already in order to increase its capacity, which is probably the park's single biggest problem.
 
Valid points, but I think the idea is that people want them to expand already in order to increase its capacity, which is probably the park's single biggest problem.

So if they add another ride or two, it increases capacity. It also increases expenses with staffing to run those new rides. In a park that is not meeting its revenue targets, there's no money to spend on increased staffing. They are focused on getting the balance of staffing and spending right with what they've got first, then it's time to expand and spend more money.
 
So if they add another ride or two, it increases capacity. It also increases expenses with staffing to run those new rides. In a park that is not meeting its revenue targets, there's no money to spend on increased staffing. They are focused on getting the balance of staffing and spending right with what they've got first, then it's time to expand and spend more money.

Yeah, that seems to be exactly what they're doing, and is probably the most sensible approach from a business perspective. It's just worth remembering that a big reason they aren't hitting projections is because the capacity projections for many of their attractions were greatly overinflated.
 
When attendance drops for VB, then they'll run with the expansion. No need to plus something that's still drawing capacity crowds many days. Also, I'm guessing they're focusing on fixing things that still need fixing, and trying to get the revenue numbers up to where they were supposed to be first.
With how many on-site room the have now (and especially by the time both parts of Endless Summer open) I honestly really doubt it WON’T be hitting capacity (or close to it) during most of the year pretty much ever until it expands. Sure, the cold months will always be slow, but that’s really it.
 
They could also add paid attractions, like a surfing simulator (using artificial waves). This would not only increase the 'things to do while waiting in virtual lines' (watching or participating), but also could potentially earn extra profits.
 
They could also add paid attractions, like a surfing simulator (using artificial waves). This would not only increase the 'things to do while waiting in virtual lines' (watching or participating), but also could potentially earn extra profits.

This is already the most expensive water park in Orlando. Adding “pay experiences” isn’t going help guest relations any.
 
This is already the most expensive water park in Orlando. Adding “pay experiences” isn’t going help guest relations any.
Surfing simulators aren't just for those surfing, people come to watch... for free. (The developer of the Margaritaville Resort water park said this himself, as he answered a question regarding if they'll be adding their own surfing simulator eventually.)
 
Surfing simulators aren't just for those surfing, people come to watch... for free. (The developer of the Margaritaville Resort water park said this himself, as he answered a question regarding if they'll be adding their own surfing simulator eventually.)
Or they could do like Typhoon Lagoon does and offer surfing lessons (or something of the sort, I can't remember) before or after the park is open. Of course I know Universal would never do that because they like to limit the amount of time ops is in the park. They like to limit hours as much as possible.
 
So a group of us hit up the park this past Saturday for a few hours, and figured I'd share some thoughts:

1. The foliage has grown in great since 2 years ago. While walking around, there are not as many areas where you feel like you're bordering the road/I4.
2. Te Awa.... Oh boy, has that river gotten better. It is soo much damn fun, but you can take a bit of a beating. I still wish under the volcano was a bit more themed, as seeing the waterpipes kinda sucks.
3. TapuTapu was working great for a Spring Break Saturday. Most of the rides were under 30 min, or Ride Now. The only exception was Krakatoa, which was a 45 min wait.

Glad to see the fine-tuning since opening has helped the park tremendously.
 
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