Will Castaway Bay draw?

I think we can all agree that having a year-round indoor waterpark in the Northeast is a pretty original idea.

However, I couldn't help but think that, with the upcoming November opening, how many people will plan to visit. For those in the area reading this, are you anxious to visit?

In November I wonder if a waterpark resort visit is something a family would want to do. This seems maybe an odd time of year, with the holidays and all.

The other thing I wonder will work is the fact that only those staying at Castaway Bay can visit the water park.

What does everyone else think?

I think that I reserved my room months ago and that it will make for a great "off-season" trip for me. I also know that several members of my family are interested in going. Outside of that, I have no idea how well or poorly the resort will perform.

Great Wolf Lodge (formerly Great Bear) does very good business. From what I understand, they are near capacity even in the winter and often sell out. That's why you're seeing two new indoor waterparks (Castaway Bay and Kalahari) being built in Sandusky right now. The town is quietly turning into a year-round destination.

As for the waterpark being exclusive to resort guests - that's part of the draw. It has worked for Great Wolf. In fact, I think the opposite is true. If the waterpark was open to anyone, you'd probably see people staying at cheaper hotels. The exclusive waterpark is a plus for the resort guests and the resort itself.

More info on Kalahari

*** Edited 6/15/2004 4:34:40 PM UTC by Gemini***

It is my understanding that there is already a great deal of buzz about Castaway Bay and reservations is already seeing the impact.

Heck, I have family in Sandusky and I might still stay a night just so I can try out the MasterBlaster that is going in there. I have never had a chance to ride one.

I'm excited about Castaway Bay, & will most likely make about one visit a year. Does anyone know how much it is a nite. I would imagine it will be around $300 a nite, which is out of my reach for more than a couple nites a year. I think the indoor parks are a great break from the doldrums of winter.

It is around 225-250 if I remember right. The park maps also have coupons for up to 100$ off.

my god, I might stay the kalahari next time i go to cedar point. I love Kalahari! im staying there this summer at the dells.

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I am Jack's Coaster said:
I think we can all agree that having a year-round indoor waterpark in the Northeast is a pretty original idea.

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An indoor waterpark in the Northeast is hardly an original idea. Great Wolf (Bear) Lodge has been in Sandusky for a couple of years now. No doubt they got that idea from the Dells where there are several indoor waterparks that have been there for years. The World Waterpark in Edmonton is decades old. Indoor waterparks are not new or novel.

That said, I don't really understand the draw of Sandusky in the middle of Winter. But apparently it must be popular. As Walt mentioned, the Great Wolf Lodge is always busy and I don't think Kalahari would move in unless they were fairly certain of success.

What's the draw of the Dells in the winter? Maybe it's the fact that everyone knows Sandusky (or the Dells) as a tourist spot. It's not that big of a leap for families who come to town in July, to come back in January.

Is the Great Bear lodge considered a waterpark? From the road it looks fairly small (at least the non-hotel portion). I recall 2 slides visible from the outside, is there much more?

It's fairly large:

http://ohio.greatwolflodge.com/waterparks.asp

The waterparks don't need to draw nearly as many folks as the amusement parks do---they have to fill only a few hundred rooms total each night. So, you don't need to get people from all that far away, and I'd bet the average stay is between 1 and 2 nights.

That said, I've been thinking about Great Bear for a while now as a midwinter break, though in all honesty the $79 a night at the local Holidome (or the much nicer Weber's Inn) might be the direction I go. Plus, since my daughter's school has a pool complete with a weekly swimming lesson, going swimming in the winter is not the draw for her that it was for me.

As far as I am concerned, its hard to tell. I can't say for sure that this will be a big draw. The Great Bear does alright for itself, and it's not quite on the scale of CB. However, indoor waterparks aren't really tried and true models, and let's be honest, there is absolutely nothing to do in Sandusky in winter time (except of course stare out at Cedar Point and wish that you were there.) I guess the only question will be the quality of the waterpark. If it's good, than people will come. It's going to have to be as good or better than soak city to draw the kind of numbers that Cedar Fair wants. I hope it works, but I'm skeptical as to how successful it will be.

Other water parks do very well in the midwestern area. Water parks like the Great Wolf Lodge, draw in many guests. I am ready to visit Castaway bay, partially because I would like to see what Cedar Point looks like during the winter. I think that Castaway Bay will draw in a number of people in the Midwest who are looking for a family vacation to go on without having to drive far or fly somewhere. All I know is, I can't wait to go!!!