Hurricane Harbor Tube Rental?

Is SFGAm's Hurricane Harbor the only waterpark that makes you pay for a tube? I have never been to any other water park that has made you rent a tube for 9 or 12 dollars. They usually give them away. Is this something new?

Ive been to maybe 5 water parks altogether and I have never saw them trying to make you buy a tube for the lazy river, and if you don't making you get a yellow one and only letting you go around once until a couple of days ago. Have I just been missing something?

You pay at SFA.

Well, you have the option at SFA of using the free tubes at each attraction, or renting one that you can take with you from attraction to attraction. At SFA if the lazy river doesn't have a line waiting, you can go around more than once on a free tube.

I have been to several waterparks and in actuality most to have you rent tubes...but they still will have free ones but you will have to wait longer to get on a slide and wont have one for the wave pool. I know for the slides and the lazy river you dont need to have a tube rental for. Waits were minimal last weekend cuz it wasnt scorching.

Magic Waters charges for tubes.
Noah's Ark charges for tubes.

Those are the big ones (still actually open) that I have been to recently besides Hurricane Harbor.

However parks like Holiday World and Splashin Safari are an exception where you dont have to pay for tubes. But you still dont have any for the wave pools.

Typical Six Flags - Pay, Pay, and Pay again.

Typical Holiday World - Pay once at the gate, Have fun.

SFWOA you had to pay. Not many did. :)

I felt sorry for people working those stands. People got pretty pissed at that extra charge and took it out on them.

I believe SFNE just requires a deposit. I think.

Noah's Ark was one of them that I have been too...I know you had to buy one for the wave pool but for the other slides they had tubes right?

Geauga Lake's Wildwater Kingdom makes you rent a "raft"

Rafts are available for the grand opening of Tidal Wave Bay! Raft rentals are only $5 (plus $1 deposit) for a single and $8 (plus $1 deposit) for a double.

http://wwk.geaugalake.com/public/_twb_popup.cfm?chip=103

At SFA, the only thing you can't use the (free) yellow tubes in is the wave pool, Hurricane Bay. You have to hit Aruba Tuba to rent a blue one for that. I just grab a tube at each attraction, so I don't have to lug one around.

Sorry, but I'm a waterpark newbie with a question: If you rent a tube, what the heck do you do with it while not in the pools/slides? Do you get a bicycle lock and chain it to a chair or is someone always in charge of "watching the tubes" like it's a purse or something. Seems like too much work to me...
lata, jeremy

Can't they just up the admission price a bit and save all the hassle of tube rentals? Why doesn't some innovative park come up with that kind of plan? :)

Boomerang Bay at Kings Island dosent make you pay for tubes. I know because I was just there. Nice waterpark also.

Kansas City's Oceans of Fun rents tubes (prices similar to those mentioned at GL).

The only place OOF provides a tube is at one slide complex. Unlike what others have said about their waterparks, Oceans doesn't require a tube for the lazy river. In fact, only about half the people in the lazy river are on tubes, the rest, like me, are walking/floating.

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Can't they just up the admission price a bit and save all the hassle of tube rentals?

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I don't think the parks see exta money inside the gates as a "hassle". However when you include tubes with admission the demand skyrockets. This means more tubes to buy, maintain, and get in the way in the pools and on the midway. The idea of charging for the tubes is similar to charging for go karts or a skycoaster - to lessen demand.

Although if I was a park manager I would make tubes availabe to pass holders for free.

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2Hostyl said:
Sorry, but I'm a waterpark newbie with a question: If you rent a tube, what the heck do you do with it while not in the pools/slides? Do you get a bicycle lock and chain it to a chair or is someone always in charge of "watching the tubes" like it's a purse or something. Seems like too much work to me...
lata, jeremy

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I guess they figure you'll just use it 'till you get tired, then turn it in for your deposit. Usually you can't take it out of the waterpark area anyway.

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WOF Guy said:I don't think the parks see exta money inside the gates as a "hassle".

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Guests DO....and Will K. does...

...and long lines waiting to rent tubes and lockers in addition to long lines waiting for waterpark rides, and for drinks, etc., turns into a lot of WAITING...go ahead and make me pay - AT THE GATE! After that, esp. in a waterpark settting, money is a HASSLE to deal with...for guests.

Enter Schlitterbahn, and the innovative "splash cash"! :)

Well in some markets, there are people like me who don't really want a tube, nor do I want to pay for a tube inside or outside the gate. As a guest, I don't feel I need a tube, I have no inclination to rent a tube, I hate getting bumped by people with tubes, and I certainly wouldn't want to have to pay extra for a ticket to include a tube.

Using the rent system, parks can keep gate prices low, minimize the number of tubes they own, maintain a higher/more comfortable capacity, and still offer the product to the people who want one.

Now, I think season pass holders should be given the privilage of having tubes included in their fee. This would reduce the "hassle" for frequent visitors.

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Arthur Bahl said:
Typical Six Flags - Pay, Pay, and Pay again.

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And isn't Six Flags (more specifically SFoT) the originator of the Pay Once Price admission scheme?

Six Flags back in the old days was more conscious of the value that they offered. Now it's Pay a lot to park. Pay a lot to get in. Pay a lot to avoid long lines in some of their parks, Etc.

Actually George Tilyou was the true pioneer of the POP system at Coney Island's Steeplechase Park back in 1897. When he built his park he decided to charge 25 cents to enter and then allow guests to enjy the attractions as much as they wanted.

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2Hostyl said:
Sorry, but I'm a waterpark newbie with a question: If you rent a tube, what the heck do you do with it while not in the pools/slides?

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I have not been to many waterparks, and assume many have their own policies, but at Waterworld Colorado, they give you a wristband when you rent a tube. Then, if you want to go down bodyslides, you can just return it, and pick up another whenever you want. Anyone caught with a tube without a wristband is no doubt ejected from the park.

Like other waterparks, they have free tubes in another color, but you just have to wait (sometimes a VERY long time) to get them, and (I believe) you are limited to one cycle around the lazy river. So it's worth renting one for sure, especially for the wavepool.