Welcome to the island: Showboat to introduce its record-breaking waterpark
Bart Blatstein is putting the "show" in Showboat.
The developer's latest addition? The world's largest indoor beachfront waterpark at the Atlantic City Showboat Hotel.
Originally set to welcome guests on Friday, June 30, Blatstein opted for a last-minute delay to bring the park up to his standards. Representatives were anticipating a 5 p.m. opening for the park's twilight admission rate, but that was changed again.
According to a statement released by the Showboat Hotel, Island Waterpark will open July 7.
In a prepared statement, Lisa Ryan of the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs said that the DCA was working in cooperation with Blatstein to ensure the proper permits and necessary inspection are completed and approved for the waterpark's rides.
Interviewed just one day before the planned opening, Blatstein described his hands-on approach to the project, recounting the time and effort that went into figuring out just what he thinks AC needs.
The former history major plunged into his research - reading five books about Atlantic City, speaking with two of their authors and visiting multiple waterparks to figure out just what worked, what didn't, and what was missing.
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According to Blatstein, every community and great development needs an anchor, and, to him, that natural anchor was an indoor waterpark, "something that can stretch the time that people stay here. Not just Saturday and Sunday, but more days. Not just a summer, but all year round."
Soon, visitors can be prepared to find themselves immersed in a world of 11 waterslides, waves and poolside wonders.
Security guards and hotel staff bustled by to prepare for the big day, carting shipments for the many new bars opening on location, fixing up arcade game wiring and all stopping to say hello to Blatstein with a smile, wave or handshake.
"We're like a family," the hotel owner said.
Reinvigorating the AC market
And Blatstein wants to bring families to Atlantic City with the $100 million, 120,000-square-foot Island Waterpark.
Not only is he the man-in-charge at the Showboat, but Blatstein is the CEO of Tower Investments, a Philadelphia-based development company known for transforming the city's Northern Liberties neighborhood into its current-day success.
So why take on the Atlantic City area? "My lack of hobbies," joked Blatstein.
Blatstein acquired the Showboat property in 2016 from Stockton University, which had purchased the then-closed casino in 2014 for possible use at an Atlantic City campus.
Blatstein paid $23 million for a property that he described as "two million square feet of fixer upper."
Atlantic city was "broke," he said. The neighboring Revel casino had closed and the Taj Mahal was closing as well.
And while Blatstein didn't have any plans at the time, he knew that, despite the economic anguish in Atlantic City, he was getting a great deal.
"That's what I do," Blatstein said. "I go into distressed situations in distressed areas, and I buy a critical mass of real estate [and] come up with ideas on how to help bring them back ... to help a community re-envision itself."
And now, evidenced by the addition of the waterpark to a hotel that is already home to the Lucky Snake Arcade, the largest arcade in the world, it's clear that the Showboat will continue to go big before it ever goes home.
The business recently hired around 200 employees for the new park, mostly lifeguards. That made Josh Allison, a Showboat marketing executive, quip that perhaps Atlantic City would become the lifeguard capital of the world.
A look into AC's island getaway
Intention, thought and story are present throughout every aspect of the hotel's newest large-scale attractions, from the boardwalk-style arcade that opens up to the waterpark's entrance, to the colorful surfboards embellished with the names of New Jersey towns hanging from the ceiling.
Blatstein wanted to give the park's entrance the same feel as the iconic introduction to Technicolor in his favorite movie, The Wizard of Oz. Except instead of leaping over a rainbow, guests year-round will be taken to the atmosphere of a tropical island with just the turn of a corner.
The cost of that trip?
Summer admission rates will start at $89 for daytime general admission, according to Showboat. The price falls to $69 from 4 to 8 p.m. Starting at $119 guests can also take advantage of a luxurious, 21+ section overlooking the shore.
The window-rich waterpark includes a 1,000-square-foot surf simulator and it feels like tropical mid-80 temperatures regardless of the weather outside.
In the center of the park, visitors can enjoy the 30-foot indoor treehouse, visit its bar or rent out the top floor for private parties with a view of the big water splash bucket.
Guests can venture down the Island's own boardwalk for treats, shopping and the world's only arcade located inside an indoor waterpark.
The Paradise Adult Island extension, which overlooks the park and the ocean, holds three of the attraction's six bars. It's also home to the adult-only Bliss Pool, which includes Atlantic City's only swim-up bar.
Other attractions include an over-1,000-foot Coconut Zero Gravity Coaster that delivers panoramic ocean views above the park or a 300-foot-long RipTide Zip Line.
What's next for the Showboat?
Oncoming additions are expected to include an Island Bar that will connect to the waterpark as well as an adult-targeted arcade that will mix traditional games with bar-style entertainments like pool. The Showboat is also preparing a candy store and general store by the waterpark.
According to a press release, the transformation to Showboat Resort status will mark the completion of multiple hotel renovations, including 477 guest rooms. These areas will encompass a variety of room and suite styles, including 36 balcony suites − the only balconies on Atlantic City's boardwalk.
This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Inside the Showboat's Island Waterpark in Atlantic City
