News: The latest (water) resort

http://www.pointbuzz.com/news.htm?id=979

Here we go again. This market has to get saturated (no pun intended) eventually.

Doesn't seem to a problem for the Dells.

That's a good point. I just can't imagine filling all of those rooms each night though. Eventually you'd think the demand for them would die off.

Maybe I'm just wrong.
*** Edited 7/29/2006 1:13:39 PM UTC by bholcomb***

I think we're gonna see a closing of indoor waterparks fairly soon. I think Kalahari is going to have a tough time. Seeing as it isnt the original, not related to CP, and isn't going to be the biggest anymore.

I agree with you Fastball, although I don't think Kalahari will have a tough time, I think it will be Great Wolf Lodge. After visiting there it was much more of a little kids place instead of anything for other ages. Although I haven't been to Kalahari or CB yet, it looks like they are better in terms of attractions for all ages. The best indoor water park I have visited is Splash Lagoon in Erie.

I believe Great Wolf has been having problems already, and I suspect that they may continue to have problems after this.

Of course GWL will have some struggles as all of these new resorts open up and steal their granduer for a while. They were the only option a few years back, now they have to wait until all the business have checked out the new resorts and they come back to GWL. When CB opened, they saw a bit of a downswing, and then they didn't have very much time to recover their footing before Kalahari opened on the heels of CB, which made their situation even worse. Lately though the business has been evening out, and I usually see a pretty packed parking lot at GWL. After everyone gets over the new resort the business will even back out again.

more resorts more choices maybe lower prices with more comp.

I wonder when Sandusky will try to start charging a parking tax on the waterpark resorts? :)

I have been going to the Dells every summer for the last 20+ years. Since I can remember, if you don't book early, the hotel rooms and camp sites fill up - Quickly!

Up until the last 5 years, Sandusky didn't have much, in the amuzement area, to offer other than CP. I think if they build more indoor water parks, that could increase the visitors to CP.

I would like to see an indoor water park offer an after 10pm - Adults only, quiet time. Love the kids, but these indoor water parks, although have large tube slides and such, seem to be more directed to small children. It would be nice to have the best of both worlds.

have you ever been to kalahari???? it's the ****.... I plan to go yearly... whereas I'll never go to GWL and castaway is kinda a joke to me having worked there.

Unbelievable, I figured this was just a fad for Sandusky that would eventually even out and die off.

If you drive by (especially Kalahari) in the winter, the parking lot is always full. We've gone there in the off-season just to visit the restaurants. I don't think Kalahari will have any problems staying busy. They're even in the process of adding condos.

I think my souvineer t-shirt from "Chet and Matt's Indoor Pizza Resort" p0wns all the waterparks. Just my $0.02. ;)

Top Thrill 182 said: The best indoor water park I have visited is Splash Lagoon in Erie.

/agree

It's so damn expensive though. I'm hoping the competition in Sandusky lowers the prices and is more affordable for people in that area. As far as Erie goes, I'd rather drive a little farther and go skiing instead.

Maybe this is just me, but I really believe there are too many of these things popping up everywhere (Toledo, Columbus, Chicago, etc) for all of Sandusky's properties to be successful long term. Sure they will do fine in the summer months when people are in town for CP anyway, but during the winter, I predict they will struggle. It seems like Great Wolf might already be struggling.

And when I stayed at Castaway Bay in late April or early May, the place was deserted. At 4PM, there had been 23 people that had entered the waterpark for the day and that included our group of 4. The place was reaatively nice, but centainly not worth paying big bucks for or driving hours out of the way.

The Dells have done well because they were the first to run with the concept of an indoor waterpark. But if your local city or closer city has one, are you going to drive out of the way to Sandusky or the Dells?

I think the increased competition will force the prices WAY DOWN which is good for the consumer, but bad for the people that spent millions of dollars to put these places up. *** Edited 8/3/2006 5:05:13 PM UTC by MDOmnis***

I know in the winter Castaway is pretty dead during the weekdays. Weekends and holidays are a whole different story though.

GWL isn't really struggling, they are just starting to recover from the other two opening big and stealing its thunder. Of course the resorts aren't going to do as good during the winter. What is there to do in Sandusky other than the indoor waterparks during the winter? But I'm willing to bet that within the next 4-7 years we'll see something that will attract people year-round other than the waterpark resorts. Of course, you have to remember the main reason why they are there; the tourists that come to Cedar Point.

I agree with Matt. There will be a point when the market will be saturated with such places.

But I don't believe we have reached that point...yet.