AC: Revel as a water park?

Report: Water park, ferry destination in the cards for Revel in Atlantic City?

If you never finished elementary school math, or are an "AC Destination Expert", who's non-travel related posts never get deleted , you might be somewhat optimistic about this.

However, at say $50 @ ticket , the first fifty thousand or so water park visitors, each month , wouldn't cover the electric bill.

Has anyone ever seen Glen Straub, Kevin D, & UK in the same room together

http://www.nj.com/south/index.ssf/2015/01/report_water_park_ferry_destination_in_the_cards_for_revel_in_atlantic_city.html

Greetings AC Mama!

♫ [tee~hee] ♫?

So riddle me this.... after a "high speed" catamaran ride from NYC how many will want to visit a friggin water park? Most will be battered, tired and possibly sea sick. What happened to the "Genius University"? Or high speed trains or underground tunnels?
Remember Straub said this, His ideal student would be "free, white and over 21,"
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/09/22/us-usa-newjersey-revel-idUSKCN0HH2SY20140922
I really think Straub has some other idea, such as reopening as a casino again.

Quote: dave12038457

So riddle me this.... after a "high speed" catamaran ride from NYC how many will want to visit a friggin water park? Most will be battered, tired and possibly sea sick. What happened to the "Genius University"? Or high speed trains or underground tunnels?
Remember Straub said this, His ideal student would be "free, white and over 21,"
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/09/22/us-usa-newjersey-revel-idUSKCN0HH2SY20140922
I really think Straub has some other idea, such as reopening as a casino again.

If you're old enuf to remember, seasickness doomed the original AC ferry
http://imgur.com/gallery/Opk6OLb

"Straub told reporters he wants to build the world's biggest water park at Revel, what he described as a $108 million project that would be both inside and outside the Boardwalk complex."

I wonder what he means by "world's biggest".

I don't think Revel's 20-acre site will accomodate the world's biggest waterpark by any criteria he may be using,
but I'd sure like to see him try.

Hurricane Harbor in Jackson NJ had over 400K visitors during its 6 month season in 2014.

I suppose those kind of numbers are possible with indoor and outdoor components open 12 months per year.

Does Revel have a deed restriction like Showboat does (no gambling)?

Revel CAN be operated as a casino. I sure hope it does again

Welcome Mama!!
As stated above, I think Revel can be run as a casino. Brookfield Asset Management (who runs Hard Rock and the Atlantis) who pulled out was going to run it as a casino. I think Loveman and CET properties were doing the happy dance when that happened.

Straub not only "dislikes the idea of Atlantic City as a casino town but says he would be bothered by the idea of his family profiting from an enterprise built around gambling." So I don't think he'd put in a casino but the way Straub flip flops on things "big and small", nothing he does would surprise me. Next we'll hear him say he's going to reinvent the auto industry and put in an factory. AC could be called "little Detroit" The Genius University intent seems to have fallen by the wayside.

He reminds me of a PT Barnum.

Straub is no Steve Wynn so we are not going to get a great gaming experience at the former Revel.

It is too bad because run properly that can be a fantastic destination that would generate big profits.

Who's going to the Revel Water Park next Summer. Dealers who were use to making $40-50K a year will now be earning $10 an hour to push kids down a giant water slide.

"Revel is designed as a destination resort, not as a casino resort but as a resort that happened to have a casino" - Kevin Desanctis

We want to be known as a resort.... the casino will not be the heart of the operation -Glenn Straub

I thought I read that someplace before, and we all know how that went down.


Honestly, I'd love for the waterpark thing to work, the more options for travelers the better, just not my cup of tea. When I go to a resort, I want palm trees and umbrella drinks being brought to my private cabana buy Pablo.....I want to be able to walk the street, shop quaint little stores and buy puka beads.

A water park would be a nice addition but just not now. AC needs more than that before even thinking about building a water park. First of all, AC is NOT a family vacation destination area. Bringing a few families to a water park will do nothing to increase revenue inside the casinos. AC really needs to attract back all the faithful players who used to visit on the regular basis and donate their money to the casinos and dine in their restaurants. If you want to attract gamblers back to AC give us better comps, restaurants, entertainment and nightlife. The boardwalk needs a total revamping. Way too many of those cheezy t-shirt and dollar junk shops. Bring in better shopping, dining and nightlife options. Turn the Pier Shops into an Entertainment Complex. This would get me back to AC monthly instead of yearly.

Before building a water park or anything else, I wish the powers that be would consider this: I live 45 minutes away from AC. I am recently retired and have both the time and cash to spend in your casinos. I've been a loyal patron since 1995. But not so much in the past few years. Why not? I am tired of ruining my tires and suspension by driving on your MAIN STREETS full of potholes. Tired of dodging "floppers" who walk right in front of my car. Tired of feeling uneasy when stopped at red lights. Tired of pulling into a casino garage that is so filthy we actually refer to certain rows as "poop rows" because obvious human excrement is present. Tired of being asked for money and smokes both inside and outside the casino. The boardwalk now creeps me out after dark. All of these factors add up to make me think twice about driving in. Years ago I planned to get a job in AC upon my retirement. There were lots of retired nurses etc working the night shift in the cages and they all seemed to love their jobs. The casinos were busy, they were cleaner, and I never felt ill at ease playing alone in the very wee hours. I could always find a coffee shop open 24/7. This has all changed. Some of this is the casinos' fault but a lot of it is the city's fault. No infrastructure, no transportation, no feeling of safety. When everyone was wiping their hinies with Benjamin's, NOTHING was done. Now that the city is broke nothing WILL be done.

I live in a beach community that is truly a family destination. Boardwalk, rides, great beach, fine dining etc. AC will never be a family destination IMHO no matter what they do. It is Camden by the sea. As a lifelong Jersey resident this saddens me. I had a whole lot of fun in AC but now have limited myself to the marina casinos. I don't even see the ocean when I go in. I have NO idea what if anything can be done to save the city. But no matter how many water parks and sparkly attractions they put in, no one wants to drive on Beirut-type streets to get there. Why is this not obvious to the city?

I know one less patron isn't going to make a difference overall. But I always spent serious money on every trip. You cannot afford to lose me-- and the thousands more like me who have left.

I think a water park is a great idea. Look at the water parks elsewhere. They charge hundreds of dollars for a night, and they are usually busy. This guy probably doesn't know what he's doing, but I do think it could be profitable for him. I don't think it's going to bring anyone into the casino's, but as much as I like to gamble AC needs to try to attract families also. I do agree with others though that AC needs to improve the area. If they want people to venture out of the water park and feel safe (and return), they need to improve the infrastructure, and police the area more scaring off seedy characters.

Very good people, you obviously don't do drugs because you have good memories. Bob Roberts was my handle back then. Same bike, same abode, same opinions. Please give me at least a week on this forum.

Concerning water park. The AC press comment section (which I can only read, not respond) has a 90% favorable response, is in stark contrast to national news comment sections (see yahoo) which most think its a crazy plan, plus most add that AC is still a ghetto. I guess our reputation has yet to change.

Revel gets a bad rap and in many areas they deserved it.
However, I personaly had a great time there on many occasions.
Here a few of the best thing about Revel

Great rooms with beautiful views.
Awesome pools
The Revel Beach (this would have been great if it was fully completed)
Dealers ( With a few exceptions I thought the dealers were top notch)
Comp Drinks in real glasses
The Hugh windows that highlighted the ocean
All 3:2 blackjack
spacious check in lobby
American Cut Steakhouse
The go-go girls dancing on the catwalk
Parking lot was clean, well lit and had excellent signage
I ( for one) loved that long escalator. It was very cool.


Those are a few off the top of my head. What did you like?

What has happened in A.C. is what has happened in many cities across America. Multi-generational poverty.
At 18 have baby get own apartment repeat for each generation. It is a totally dysfunctional life that is fully dependent upon the generosity of the taxpayers.
Some have managed to leave the inner city for greener pastures. They are to be commended for understanding the values that still make it a great country for all people with a modicum of initiative.

I fully agree Revel had much to offer. I really think its demise was more a question of early missteps by management and poor initial marketing and lousy timing then anything. If it had opened say ten years ago it very well may have been a huge success.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAZfVqBwoZs

Quote: dave12038457

I fully agree Revel had much to offer. I really think its demise was more a question of early missteps by management and poor initial marketing and lousy timing then anything. If it had opened say ten years ago it very well may have been a huge success.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAZfVqBwoZs

a repost of my thoughts earlier in this thread (I too actually liked many physical aspects of the Resort):

pieces of the general population the CEO turned off - well before the place even opened.

When you put together, what he said, in his own words, he managed to condescendingly turn off, the majority of potential customers with disparaging remarks towards some aspect of their background, lifestyles or tastes:

Revel 's talking points on How to win friends & influence people in the gaming business.

A future Harvard Business School case study of positive Marketing?:

Low rollers:
Revel will not compete hard for the convenience gambler, who comes to town, plays for an hour or two, then leaves."That's not a customer we can survive on," he said. "It's just not going to happen. "

guests who can only visit (1) nite:
"We need an overnight stay. We're looking for two nights."

Union workers:
“Local 54 has tried as hard as it could to kill this project,”... “I have nothing to talk to them about."

Smoking patrons:
"so yesterday"

Buffet aficionados:
"mass feederies"

High rollers:
Revel will not have a players lounge.

Wonder why a lot of people didn't feel "welcome" at Revel?

Even after they reversed these policies, many players did not feel comfortable giving them their play, since the majority of players falls into one or more of the demographics Revel ITSELF said it looked down on

7stars, my thoughts exactly. I could never forget those offensive comments about the customers Revel's management DIDN'T t want. And guess what, he didn't get them...if he only knew then he was cutting off his nose to spite his face.

This promo video for Revel is ironic now. http://youtu.be/QgAwClHOw44

First we need a monorail!

We now have trolleys. lol

I'm good with a water park as long as they include a small casino and rooms. That seems like a fun Idea to me I would go. people might say kids and casinos don't mix.
tell that to CC.

Arcades are basically the same thing as a casino with worst odds. Toss a quarter in a shoot and try to win 100 tickets with a multiplier turn tickets in for prizes.



I #@%$ you not, a few yeas ago a small arcade in the BLVD Mall had a spinning wheel game. They replaced the original prizes (tickets I assume) with bills up to $5. It was a $1 to play.

I didn't have time to mess with it, but we were absolutely shocked.

I don't have kids, so maybe it's a reason a waterpark seems dumb and not conducive for gambling. Maybe it won't and they'll buys rooms, but would still require the rest to be built to accommodate the ones wanting to gamble. Can't leave the kids unattended so seems really hard to pull off.

Quote: AxelWolf

I'm good with a water park as long as they include a small casino and rooms. That seems like a fun Idea to me I would go. people might say kids and casinos don't mix.
tell that to CC.

Arcades are basically the same thing as a casino with worst odds. Toss a quarter in a shoot and try to win 100 tickets with a multiplier turn tickets in for prizes.



I #@%$ you not, a few yeas ago a small arcade in the BLVD Mall had a spinning wheel game. They replaced the original prizes (tickets I assume) with bills up to $5. It was a $1 to play.

I didn't have time to mess with it, but we were absolutely shocked.

circus circus is a shabby old building that doesn't have an enormous debt or a 1.5 million / month power bill hanging over it, and the maintenance on that building is probably a hell of a lot less than revel's.

Can't run a property as a novelty attraction when you have tons of fixed expenses to cover.

Quote: sc15

circus circus is a shabby old building that doesn't have an enormous debt or a 1.5 million / month power bill hanging over it, and the maintenance on that building is probably a hell of a lot less than revel's.

Can't run a property as a novelty attraction when you have tons of fixed expenses to cover.

I didn't claim it would work.

Not just a waterpark. A casino. A polo something. (Farm?). Soccer. Genius factory. Shows. Light shows. Elephant cage battles. Etc......

Revel is a gold mine if run by someone who understands gambling. The previous owners were blinded by Borgata success, they tried to copy it and they failed miserably. Why? Because Borgata caters to people with money, unfortunately, there are not enough of them to fill both casinos. Instead, they had to concentrate on people who simply love to gamble, the same way GN did. Forget about shows in the middle of the floor, night clubs, naked chicks etc. the games where people have a real chance of bringing the money home, that will make the place the number one casino on a boardwalk.

Glen Straub met with AC Mayor today -gotta love the body language here:

Mayor trying to look attentive & polite - facial expression is like

"WTF is this guy talking about -F-ing white genius dormitories, tunnels, ski mountains??? , why didn't I study accounting like my parents begged me - no , I chose politics in friggin AC- geez"

-while the guy to the left looks like he's about to burst out laughing

Should at least make for some interesting copy in the next few months.

That building needs to be open. Especially if Stockton showboat university next door opens.

Quote: onenickelmiracle

I don't have kids, so maybe it's a reason a waterpark seems dumb and not conducive for gambling. Maybe it won't and they'll buys rooms, but would still require the rest to be built to accommodate the ones wanting to gamble. Can't leave the kids unattended so seems really hard to pull off.

But that is what AC needs more than anything. We need things to do other than gamble. My biggest complaint with AC is there is nothing to do other than a crappy amusement park and a crappy boardwalk. Add water park and a few daily shows and it starts to look more like vegas.

I think they'd do OK if they did it like a cruise ship does. They provide kid service, planned activities by age ranges, and keep the kids occupied and safe while mom and dad do whatever else. They could even sign kids in for a fixed cost (I think at least some cruise ships provide it gratis), say $40/day/kid (available only to hotel guests), and it would be like resort day camp. Everybody gets a vacation. Dinner as a family, evening babysitters available for a separate charge but within the same childcare umbrella. Comp the daycare to the top tier guests.

If they were set up for that type of care, I think a waterpark could go huge, especially if they built it at boardwalk level and a good part of it was under the hotel, could be glassed in for year-round play. Since there's nothing there now, seems like it would be a relatively easy install.