NEWS: Wet n' Wild Las Vegas Announced!

[Justice]

Yeah, they had the longest lines I never knew existed! They told us all season passes were sold out for the year! Poor planning I must say.

In fairness, up until the past couple years, parks were closing left and right due to the market. Not so much poor planning as much as overwhelming response (which is great for the park!

[linearinduction]

^ They were caught with their Trunks Down! lol I mean a 17,000 Square Foot Wave Pool? Seriously? Shane's will be 32,000 Square Feet!!!!

 

- Sid

[Justice]

^ They were caught with their Trunks Down! lol I mean a 17,000 Square Foot Wave Pool? Seriously? Shane's will be 32,000 Square Feet!!!!

 

- Sid

Again, after Hard Rock Park, Celebration City, Cypress Gardens, etc. I think everyone was just glad to see ANYONE in the wave pool.

 

I personally rather see a park under build and expand the following year then overbuild and go under.

[805Andrew]

Who would have thought a water park would have done so well in Las Vegas?

[VegasCoasterGirl]

I love it! I wish I had bought the season pass a head of time as well. The only burning question is why build it next to a mountain? I would've thought to build it further down Las Vegas Blvd towards the M casino.

[Robocoaster]

Not very impressed with the park, but it is better than nothing and it's not horrible. It needs a good, scary thrill ride. Nothing there is overly tall; the speed slides are about 45 ft high for example.The wave pool is tiny, at least compared to the old park; still, it produces decent waves. When I was there, no one was patrolling the tubes. People just grabbed them and hung onto them, lugging them to the next ride instead of returning them. And really, I couldn't blame them much. You have to stand in two lines per ride; one, to get the tube or mat, then the actual ride line.

 

Lazy river has no waterfalls, geysers, etc. Boring, and you can only get in and out at one point. Zipp, Zapp, Zoom slide complex is unimpressive. The park badly needs more body slides, so those of us who don't want to wait forever for a tube have other options; hydrotubes would be nice. The animated flyover posted last October made the park seem bigger somehow, but gotta admit all the rides shown in the video did go up. The entry area does not have the troughs of water running overhead and splashing into little pools below, but hey so what; just noting the difference.

 

On the plus side, the employees were friendly. I know they had gotten beat up; I heard about the opening and waited until the Tues after memorial day; the staff was in good spirits. Constrictor and Rattler are fun. There is good air to found on the matt racers, if you know how to position yourself; sucker can get you up to some good speeds going over the humps.

 

Still, I think Cowabunga will end up being my preference next summer.

[VegasCoasterGirl]

It almost seemed certain that Cowabunga Bay was going to open this summer till the sudden stop of work. Never heard of that company till an article I had seen a while back. The racing slides are quite unique to me.

[jedimaster1227]

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/wet-n-wild-parks-in-phoenix-las-vegas-add-lo-qs-virtual-line-reservation-system-210905311.html

 

Two Wet 'n' Wild branded parks, in Phoenix and the newest Wet 'n' Wild water park that opened in Las Vegas in late May, are partnering with Lo-Q to deliver virtual queuing to their guests beginning this summer.

 

Branded as Xpress Band, guests of Wet 'n' Wild locations in Phoenix and Las Vegas can use Lo-Q's virtual queuing wristband technology to get more out of their day by spending less time waiting in line and more time enjoying all the water parks have to offer.

 

Lo-Q's innovative system uses a waterproof and lightweight radio frequency identification (RFID) wristband that allows guests to virtually queue for their favorite slides without physically standing in line. Xpress Band users select their desired ride from multiple self-service kiosks located throughout the parks and will be notified on their wristband when it's time to return. Guests use a separate entrance to enter the ride and scan their band for validation, thereby avoiding standing in line and maximizing their time to enjoy park attractions.

 

"We're pleased to offer the Xpress Band option to our guests, which allows them to spend less time in line and enjoy a premium water park experience," said Takuya Ohki, Wet 'n' Wild Las Vegas general manager.

 

Xpress Band is the first virtual reservation band of its type to be used by Wet 'n' Wild, which has a five-year agreement with Lo-Q. Both water parks are a part of Village Roadshow Theme Parks, a division of Village Roadshow Limited, which is Australia's largest theme park operator and the provider of some of the most thrilling entertainment, rides and slides available anywhere in the world. Headquartered on the Gold Coast, Village Roadshow Theme Parks operates a number of attractions in Australia and three Wet 'n' Wild branded water parks in the United States.

 

"We are excited to be working with Wet 'n' Wild Phoenix and in Las Vegas during its inaugural season," said Steve Brown, chief operating officer of Lo-Q. "These operators understand that guests want a premium park experience that includes minimizing the amount of time they have to wait in line. We are proud to provide a product that meets this need and helps increase overall guest satisfaction throughout the park."

[Jew]

Smart move revenue wise, considering all the reports of long lines. But I can only imagine how upset guests will be now, with lines already being a chief complaint...

 

Again, after Hard Rock Park, Celebration City, Cypress Gardens, etc. I think everyone was just glad to see ANYONE in the wave pool.

 

None of those examples are fair comparisons.Hard Rock Park and Cypress Gardens had HORRIBLE locations, and Celebration City entered in an already saturated market too late in the game.

 

Las Vegas is in the middle of the desert, has about 2 million locals in the region, and has no water park at all. It's safe to assume it was an underserved market.

[gisco]

I think Cowabunga will be the better park anyway and Shane can use what happened here on opening to improve their park next year opening day!

[_koppen]

Both the wave pool and the river looks to be to small, and they both look pretty lame in wave size and river strength.

And the park need more capacity pretty badly.

 

Sound like this would be a great solution for them:

Extreme River

[gisco]

^That would be cool but since the park just opened, it is probably not an option. Better options will be had for the people of Vegas when Cowabunga Bay opens next Spring!

[VegasCoasterGirl]

That Extreme River is insane! Almost slightly terrifying because of the high walls. I'd give it a try though.

[Jew]

The one at Schlitterbahn was pretty insane, though there was a big logjam of people doing everything they could to wait by the wave machine to catch it right away.

[mmkaycomputer]

Tomorrow the park will announce a new Proslide "extreme water slide" exclusive to Nevada that "simulates a natural storm experience" with zero-g sensations. I'm guessing that means it's getting a tornado slide.

 

No opening date revealed yet, but it's inferred in the press release that the ride will open this year. More details tomorrow.

[_koppen]

Proslide "extreme water slide" exclusive to Nevada that "simulates a natural storm experience" with zero-g sensations.

Is that confirmed or just a rumour?

 

Village Roadshow said they were considering bringing in some slides from Wet'n'wild Sydney to the park. Now I don't think they will do a big-ass tower like those in Sydney, but maybe a Tornado wave. Also the park's Facebook page have been full with people bitching about the lack of a conveyor for the rattler so I'm assuming this will get one. This would be great:

 

Or it will just be a standard Tornado and nothing more.

[mmkaycomputer]

Nothing is confirmed; all the language on the press release was vague. But we'll have details after 10am PST today.

 

WnW Vegas already has a Tornado wave-styled ride called Hoover Half Pipe.

[mmkaycomputer]

Yup, a Proslide Tornado 45 slide will open there on Memorial Day weekend.

 

Also, they're expanding operating hours and adding days, adding shaded areas and parking spots, and will let the gold/VIP passholders in before the general public.

[COASTER FREAK 11]

^Are there Pics, or a press release to post?

[Jew]

http://www.reviewjournal.com/business/wet-n-wild-introducing-new-funnel-water-slide

 

Wet ‘n’ Wild is introducing a new funnel water slide called the Tornado.

 

In a statement Wednesday, water park officials said the water slide simulates a natural storm experience and will join the water park’s more than 25 slides and attractions.

 

The Tornado is a four-person raft attraction that catapults riders from 36 feet in the air through a 110-foot tunnel before dropping them into the 45-foot-wide funnel where they spin back and forth through swirling water before plummeting into the “eye of the storm.”

 

As the raft sweeps up the Tornado wall and crosses its centerline, rides experience weightlessness or zero gravity. With their raft almost vertical on the wall, riders report feeling like they are about to tip over, but the curved funnel wall keeps them safe. After a series of oscillations, they descend through a tube to the exit pool.

 

The park opens April 12 for spring break, but the Wet ‘n’ Wild Tornado will launch during Memorial Day weekend.

 

Canadian-based ProSlide Technology developed the Tornado.

 

Wet ‘n’ Wild Las Vegas is located at 7055 S. Fort Apache Road near the 215 Beltway and Sunset Road.

[_koppen]

Why on earth would they add the small Tornado version to this park?

[mmkaycomputer]

Beats the hell out of me. They already have a ride called the Hoover Half Pipe that is essentially a Pipeline Wave attraction, with the same exact zero-gravity parabolic element. This just repeats the element a couple more times.

 

I think they just picked something cheap 'n' quick — assuming a Tornado is a) cheap and b) inexpensive — to counter the opening of Cowabunga. I think the next thing for them to do is not invest in any big attractions for 2015 — assuming Village Roadshow only has so much dough for this park — and go big with a water coaster in 2016. The head of the park told me they have a good chunk of land to still develop.

[ohtosc1985]

Tornado's are not cheap. They are not as expensive as the Water Coasters at Holiday World for example but choosing a Proslide Tornado in my mind is the Equivalent of adding a B&M Inverted. The Hoover Half Pipe would be like a Arrow Suspended Coaster in comparison. As someone who lives near Six Flags Great America the Tornado at that location is by far my favorite ride though I believe it to be a Tornado 65.

[_koppen]

^ Actually they're not that expansive, as a lot of people seems to think. A standard Tornado 60 (the ones who just do a turn, drop down, and go straight out into the pool) without a lift belt is around $2 million. Any family slide, despite the brand, is going to cost that amount. I would hardly compare it to a B&M ride.

 

If I were to guess I would say that they chose to have a lift hill, and therefore went with the small version to keep the cost down, similar to the Phoenix Wet'n'Wild. Still, even the smallest of water parks goes for the big version, I don't think they should have skipped out.

 

Also they are probably a bit careful no to invest to much in the park until they see how the new competition with Cowabunga Bay turns out.

 

They already have a ride called the Hoover Half Pipe that is essentially a Pipeline Wave attraction, with the same exact zero-gravity parabolic element. This just repeats the element a couple more times.

 

The experience will be quite different though with the different shape, and added weight. Lot's of parks have both Tornados and Boomerangos.

[ohtosc1985]

I guess my point comparing it to a B&M is that ProSlide is the best manufacturer of slides in the world IMO. My point was a two million dollar investment for a park of that size is alot. WnW Phoenix I believe is also a Tornado 45. Though I have only been on the Tornado 65 at SFGAM. My educated guess is that most water single slides cost between 800,000 and 2,000,000 with the clear exceptions being the water coasters.