Showboat Atlantic City Waterpark Closes Midweek, Weekend Ticket Prices Slide

Posted on: October 18, 2023, 03:13h. 

Last updated on: October 18, 2023, 09:16h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.

The Showboat in Atlantic City has cut back the hours of its Island Waterpark roughly four months after opening the $100 million attraction.

The Showboat Atlantic City Island Waterpark
The Showboat in Atlantic City has reduced the operating times of its Island Waterpark. The amusement attraction is now closed Tuesdays through Thursdays. (Image: Google)

Showboat owner Bart Blatstein is on a mission to make Atlantic City more family-friendly. The Philadelphia-based real estate developer acquired the former casino from Stockton University in early 2016 for just $23 million. Stockton had planned to convert the resort into student housing after it bought the property from Caesars for $18 million in 2014. Still, neighboring casinos and businesses voiced concerns about college students living on the resort corridor.

Blatstein reopened the Showboat as a nongaming resort in July 2016. He took preliminary steps toward applying for a casino license. However, it was later determined that the deed restriction Caesars placed on the Boardwalk resort before selling it to Stockton prevented gaming from returning to the resort.

Unfazed, Blatstein focused on nongaming and marketed the resort as such. The Showboat’s website in 2016 advertised to guests a reprieve from ringing slot machines and smoke-filled gaming floors common at other Boardwalk resorts.

Waterpark Hours Reduced

Unlike the nine casinos in Atlantic City, The Showboat’s focus isn’t on gamblers but is instead on families. Blatstein’s first step toward renovating the former Caesars Mardi Gras-themed casino into a family resort was transforming the casino into a supersized arcade and indoor go-kart racetrack.

Billed as the “Biggest Arcade in America,” the Lucky Snake Arcade has over 300 games featuring the world’s largest crane game, classic pinball machines, and virtual reality games. The complementary go-kart track allows drivers to speed around the indoor track at speeds up to 25 mph.

The Lucky Snake has been well received by guests of all ages. The facility has a Google rating of 4.4 stars out of five on nearly 2,000 reviews.

The Island Waterpark has received mixed reviews. The $100 million facility, which was built in a standalone glass-planed structure on what was formerly outdoor beach volleyball courts, has a Google rating of 4.1 stars on about 500 reviews.

Many of the negative complaints have cited the high ticket cost to enter the waterpark, which ran $89 per adult or approximately $300 for a family of four through a summer promotion.

The Showboat earlier this month quietly decided to close the waterpark Tuesday through Thursday weekly. The attraction’s fall and winter hours are Monday and Friday from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

Tickets Reduced

As fewer travelers visit Atlantic City during the colder months, and perhaps partially because of the summer feedback from visitors, the Island Waterpark has also amended its ticket prices. Along with reduced hours, the park has dropped its adult entry price from $89 to $49.

The general admission ticket provides unlimited access to 11 waterslides, the lazy river, the Blue Cascade Waterfall, Adventure Island, Kids Cove, Wave Machine, and the Island Waterpark Boardwalk and its four restaurants and three bars. The Showboat is currently running a fall promotion where overnight guests can add on Island Waterpark day passes for just $30 per person.

Standard tickets exclude rides on the Coconut Coaster and Rip Tide Zipline. They also don’t include access to Paradise Adult Island or the Lucky Snake Arcade. An all-access admission costs $69.