O-Town77

Manta at Seaworld on Sunday.

I'd imagine that Fun Spot's plans are still in a state of flux since there are so many projects currently in development for I Drive. With so many future wild cards like the Orlando Eye or the Thrill Park -- they are probably evolving the plan to differentiate themselves. I'd be curious to see the alternate ideas they are considering.

+1 I think this proposed small water park will do well. Theme Parks will never be huge in Vegas -- but some smaller offerings give the area some more things to do when people aren't shopping or in the casinos. Kinda like how Atlantic City has some small attractions like Steel Pier to complement the casinos.

I guess this committee lives by the rule: "If at first you don't succeed, let's waste another 200 million building almost the exact same thing as Six Flags." Considering the location, I can't believe they rejected the power plant.

True. Merlin already worked miracles converting the rest of the park to Legoland. Hopefully, they will start expanding the schedule -- because the theme park and water park will take more than the 7 hours that Legoland Florida is usually open.

I don't agree. Considering how tough financing is to get now -- I can't believe Fun Spot found a bank dumb enough to give them the money for the water park. The roller coaster / ride expansion is a good expansion for them -- they'll have the only wooden coaster in town. But when there are places already giving a similar experience away for FREE in this area -- it's not a great place to try to charge admission. Well folks, there you have it…pull your money out right now. Based on the experience above it’s doomed. I kid, I kid. Actually I remember reading on local sites about the impending failure of Cowabunga Bay when it was first announced. As a profession I resist from going back to those sites and saying “I told you so” but sometimes late at night when no one is around I secretly say to myself “I told you so”, and it feels good. I imagine some of us on here may enjoy that same feeling in a couple of years. You do have a point that Salt Lake and Orlando are very different markets. If I can make it here on 1,000,000 population, 100 day operating schedule and Utah Summer weather, than I am sure that the added warm Florida weather, 365 day operation schedule and 12,000,000 tourists on top of the local market should help them pay back those stupid banks. Well, Time will tell. Personally, I would have never bet against Cowabunga Bay simply because of who designed and manages it. Shane did re-invent the whole water park concept with Cowabunga Bay and proved that you don't need a 40 acre mega park to make money. My biggest worry is that Fun Spot’s John Arie Jr. sounds just like Kent Buescher circa 2004 (in interviews). As a former Cypress Gardens employee -- Fun Spot's water park expansion gives me way too much Deja Vu. I fear that they are trying to grow it too quick and pile on too much debt. It all crashed and burned within 5 years for the former Cypress Gardens Adventure Park. I wish them the best of luck. Orlando could use every job it can get. I hope the risk pays off for them.

I don't agree. Locals won't bother with this place because Fun Spot is already infamous for being an overpriced "tourist trap." And the tourists who are staying at resorts like CoCo Key, Nickelodeon Suites, Disney's Lost Club Resort, Marriott's Harbour Lake, etc. (not to mention all the timeshares with water parks) -- already get a similar sized water park for FREE with their stay. So exactly how is this a good investment? If you actually lived in this town, you'd realize the water park doesn't add up in Fun Spot's lousy location (ghost town section of I-Drive) and in a town where nearly every hotel already has a water slide complex. Considering how tough financing is to get now -- I can't believe Fun Spot found a bank dumb enough to give them the money for the water park. The roller coaster / ride expansion is a good expansion for them -- they'll have the only wooden coaster in town. But when there are places already giving a similar experience away for FREE in this area -- it's not a great place to try to charge admission.

I understand your experience in this field. But, Fun Spot doesn't really even do Go Karting all that well -- I am highly skeptical they could run a top notch water park. Also keep in mind, Cowabunga Bay doesn't have 2 Disney Water Parks and Aquatica right down the street. Plus, the local resorts near Cowabunga Bay don't have water parks -- the ones down here already do. Why would you pay for something -- when a similar experience is already FREE at the hotel (there are several resorts that have 3-5 acre water parks included in the cost of the hotel stay)? Also, the failure in your logic is that the $47 admission is for an ANNUAL PASS at Wet N Wild. It is way cheaper just to go to Wet N Wild than be nickel and dimed at Fun Spot. Beside Wet N Wild will always have superior actual rides than this proposed Fun Spot water park -- despite WNW's weak theming. ....And where is the money savings? Fun Spot is an overpriced FEC already -- it's $34.95 for their unlimited armband (to get on all their rides including go karts).....

Just to play devil's advocate... Is it the worst? Most attendance reports (even if they are just estimates) should that Orlando parks own most others in terms of attendance and the estimates say those numbers keep growing. Even with the addition of Aquatica (which maxes out capacity routinely during the summer) the three other parks didn't take a big hit. The resorts additions are great but those are all (with maybe the exception of CoCo Key) going after the same market segment. I would think the Fun Spot park would be, as they say, an alternative to those and could be great for the thousands of guests staying in standard I-Drive hotels with just a basic pool. Just like how their attractions, and now coasters, aren't trying to steal busy from the coasters literally across I-4 but rather provide supplemental entertainment to the big park's guests or to fill a niche of the lower-priced market. Well, the International Drive area is loaded with failed tourist attactions (although it is not as bad as HWY 192 in Kissimmee -- it is downright absurd there). Failures like the Titanic Exhibition, Mystery Fun House, multiple minature golf courses, Fun Centers, Haunted Houses..... No matter how much I liked some of those attractions -- lackluster projects just don't survive. You know how many dead Pizza shops we have down here? Building another one doesn't make much sense, either. When the market is so saturated with the exact same type of attraction -- they are just setting themselves up for failure. On top of that, this Fun Spot is near the "dead" side of International Drive. It's nearly a ghost town from Del Verde Drive heading North -- which is what has already doomed the Festival Bay Mall. Pumping a bunch of money into something that other water parks already do better in a mediocre location is beyond stupid. If they are going to take on that much debt, they should try to build something that isn't everywhere already. If they built something unique to draw people, they would be more likely to succeed IMO. Perhaps a great wooden roller coaster -- they would be the only one in Orlando. Something different, that's all I'm saying. Otherwise, I see their next commercial: FORECLOSURE -- It's Huge!

Considering Wet N Wild is so cheap already ($47 annual passes) -- I think all Fun Spot can do is a Cowabunga Bay hourly pricing model. But, I just don't see it succeeding in this town. Orlando has got to be the absolute WORST market for another water park. We've already got 4 MAJOR parks -- Blizzard Beach, Typhoon Lagoon, Aquatica and Wet N Wild..... Not to mention that we've got at least a DOZEN resorts that already have comparably sized water parks (to what Fun Spot is proposing) like CoCo Key, Nickelodeon Suites, Disney's Lost Club Resort, Marriott's Harbour Lake, etc. that are free for guests. The Orlando Thrill Park fiasco made more sense than another water park. At least they were trying to address attractions that Orlando generally lacks (big thrill rides). But we've probably got more water slides per capita than anywhere else in the world already.

I do get what your saying -- but I've been to Fun Spot several times and I think it's an over-reach for them. They basically own the Go Kart market for Orlando, but a water park is just something they can't do as well as the others in this market. I just don't see tourists going to this water park when Wet and Wild is visible from this proposed water parks location.

No biggie. I already edited the term out of my post -- although the people of Gen Y seem to throw that term around like any other, so I figured it was a common one (although, I'm a Gen X myself).

As great as that park artwork looks, I think this particular location is completely stupid for a water park. Seriously, it's within walking distance of Wet N Wild -- a much larger and more sophisticated water park. Does International Drive really need 3 water parks? Why would someone bother to go to this tiny park over Aquatica or Wet N Wild (Not even mentioning Disney's 2 amazing water parks)? At least if they added this water park to the Kissimmee area (where they have their other Fun Spot) -- it would fill the void for Water Mania getting closed. But there are two vastly superior water parks already on the same street. Not to mention that there are many hotels in the area (CoCo Key / Several Timeshares) that already offer a similar sized water park for free with their stay. Just seems like a big money loser for an already marginal family entertainment center. I guess Fun Spot is too cheap to pay for an actual feasibility study that would determine that the local market is already saturated with excellent water parks.