SpaceMtn

Honestly, I'll be surprised if they get everything up and running in time for next weekend... see my response to Canobie below. Sorry for this very very late reply. Been busy with RL stuff, but I've been lurking when I can. Appreciate you expanding on the rest of that post. I think I'm caught up to speed as to what's currently happening via this thread. Triple Five kept the preview prices after activating the pricier price this past weekend. Trip reports came out as expected. Nickelodeon Universe was very quiet and not that busy compared to the previous weekend. The higher price really scared people away. On Sunday, a Redditor did a research for me (as I didn't come here to this forum for awhile) about the price going back to the $60 thing. I was merely going inside my head. Hopefully, they do get everything worked out. Exactly. It's not the Garden State Plaza. AD is primarily entertainment and shopping is secondary. I even questioned a friend about the American Dream, and she'd pick GSP any day for shopping. Which is fine. (It's in my backyard, but I don't really hold it on any high pedestal. I'd rather have Tokyo's Odaiba replace GSP if I could.) So, yes. A lot of people, in my state, have this misconception that AD is "another mall". But thankfully, there are people, who do see it more than that. I think even GSP has started to understand that entertainment is an important future component to shopping so they're adding a small entertainment venue to their mall. I'm just darn happy to have a new entertainment place in the area. NYCers, like you, also have an all year round option to go to. I've been itching for the indoor water park for a long time. After watching several Nickelodeon Universe vids for some time now, it's nice to see families having some fun in a place that's intended for fun.

Here's the thing, though. American Dream has been advertising the prices during the current soft opening as a "preview period". Maybe if they came out at the beginning and said "hey our normal prices will be $60 on weekdays and $80 on weekends, but during this first month, we're giving all our early visitors a discount", it would be received differently... but pretty much all I hear from the media reporting on it is "they're RAISING prices already!!!!11". Either way, I certainly hope that they have all their certs sorted out by the date they're expecting to start charging $80 per ticket, else they're going to get rightfully hammered. Super belated response, but yeah. True. It's the preview period that people + media are overlooking in what they see. Still... Even the preview prices felt a bit steep to the average goer. Hopefully, they do have everything ready to go by this coming Friday to make that $80 feel a bit better (but still stinging). I will forever cross my fingers that they'll adjust that $80 in the future. Thanks for your trip report. Not surprised on the crowd factor. It's a Saturday. At least, the last weekend before that price goes up. Here's to really hoping they get all the coasters mostly up and running by next weekend. (Edit x5: Come to think of it, that's also the first time I've ever heard of it being actually crowded. Not even on opening weekend did it feel "crowded" from what I observed from the upstairs overlook. "Crowded" can be seen as a good sign in some aspects.) And I just noticed.... So, it's official that they scrapped the parking fees indefinitely? On their official website, it says "Free Parking" (with the exception of game days). Now, the complainers can't complain about it.

Oh, I did visit those indoor water parks last year. Not to go inside, but just to take a look. I had no idea Kalahari raised their prices either. However, they also vary on pricing pending on whether it's a weekday or a weekend, and the month. I can also see why Kalahari is the highest amongst them all. More things to do at the resort, itself. Hm... You could be right though. At least, that's Kalahari. It's the most expensive out of the indoor waterpark triangle over there. I did visit Camelbeach in the summer time and got a good rate on it. Not Camelback, because it was all sold out. (Even Camelback had a more reasonable price.) Hence, the Dreamworks Waterpark would be my main go-to place regardless of the price. It would be pretty understandable if the price range was closer to Kalahari's. Just not the 110+ range. I'd visit on a weekday anyways. Less people. ITT: It's Sugar! can take its time opening up. I've visited its Atlantic City location a couple of times and once in NYC. It's just a giant candy store. People, with sweet tooths, will definitely eat it up. Kids will love it. I suppose, the American Dream version will stand out a bit different from its other locations. I'm glad that store exists in Atlantic City, because there really is nothing much to do down there asides from Steel Pier and a beach. (Ok, I'm not a gambler. The restaurants are super expensive. The mall is almost pretty dead, asides from that candy store.) You hit it on the nail. It is a balancing act. I also really hope they figure out everything before it gets too late. On Google reviews, you can see how some people are just "thrilled" on paying for parking, alone. One review got the management's response back saying "Parking is free". But, that would be for the whole trial period? On Youtube, someone replied that they may change the parking to free parking? It's pretty confusing with Triple Five so far. Disney raising their prices, in increments, in three decades is one thing. Nickelodeon raising their prices, in just one month, without being fully 100% operational, is on a whole different head scratcher level of a dimension.

I've been a lurker here for some time. Finally decided to register and post my thoughts. Yes, we locals have been constantly checking it out. Whether in person, on TV, or online. I live 16 minutes away when there's no traffic. I checked it out on opening weekend. Impressive, but at the same time, a little worrisome. I feel that what may backfire a bit on Triple Five is that $80 price tag for Fri-Sun. I think Triple Five, or their marketing team, may have over-estimated the area. The tri-state region has affluent people, but also middle and lower wage earners. The reason Garden State Plaza remains as a top earning mall is because it has something for everyone of all incomes. (Not just the free parking and because we're Jersey, no sales tax on clothing.) It feels like Australia understood us better than Canada. Already, the $50-$60 price tag for Nickelodeon is considered a bit high by most locals for this kind of park size. Out-of-staters and tourists would definitely see that too. Hence, as long as the price tag remains way above the average $50 threshold, it is going to be seen as insane. It's like paying for an instant one time Fast Past fee so you get no lines, no crowds, and pretty much, keeping the trouble makers out. If that was their intention, so be it, but I'd like to see this place succeed. No doubt, it will attract families, rich people and coaster thrill seekers. But, this park needs to do more than just rides and costumed characters in order to not alienate people. It has to give people a big reason why this $80 is super justifiable because that price is already almost Universal/Disney standards. Even the upcoming Kidzania will probably have more kids/families than Nickelodeon because the prices should be more justifiable too. I'm really looking forward to the Dreamworks water park. I only pray that the price stays reasonable (like $30-40) compared to Nickelodeon. Imagine if the price was $80 to enter a water park. People would riot. The locals are not stupid. Price is always a factor. Not just the "build it, and they will come" mentality. Speaking of the water park, here's a Youtube video of a 10 year old surfer riding in its wave pool. Looks good.