Jungala Not Close To Opening
June 28, 2019
Bill and his wife were in Riviera Maya last week and were nice enough to make their way to the Junagala (New "Luxury Water Park") site. This is located next to the Jungle Suites Towers at the Northwest area of the property.My wife and I took a shuttle from the GL Lobby to the GL Jungle Lobby. Inside, the Jungle Lobby looked spacious and similar to the GL Lobby but not quite as big. Behind the lobby and to the right were several buildings of GL lodges. We walked past the first one and then went in the walkway going between two buildings and came close to the Lazy River. There were lots of workmen there working on parts of the river foundation and the edges. From what we saw, it was clear to us that there was no way that the Lazy River could open as quietly announced on June 23, 2019. We continued walking and saw more of the same: lots of construction going on and the banks of the Lazy River still had lots of work to be done.
If you have a recent flora and fauna map of the MR Vidanta property, you may see a building titled The Bliss; that is now where the Jungle Lobby is. We walked from the lobby west to where that row of lodgings ended and turned south and then southeast along the Lazy River and in front of three more lodgings until we were stopped at the sharp southerly turn of the Lazy River as there was extensive construction still ongoing: roads, buildings and underground infrastructure.
All the lodging buildings in the Jungle looked like Mayan Palaces from the outside, with tiny balconies, perhaps only large enough for two chairs. At one point we ran into a couple who were staying in one of the buildings and they described the interiors as being quite nice and spacious, so perhaps the architects used the footprint of a Mayan Palace and made the interiors more spacious.
In talking with a concierge later in the week, we were told that perhaps the Lazy River would open around July 20, but based on what we saw, I am skeptical.
Thanks for your help,
Plans are made to be broken. From the sound of it, June 23, now come and gone, was never in the picture to begin with, based on the amount of work that remains. Bill's description of the current status implies opening might not take place until the start of next season which is about four months away. Cash starts to flow in then. Maybe work is tied to cash flow. It certainly makes sense to not be in a hurry when the facilities are not heavily used.
Also, there is the issue of getting to the venue. Bill's comment about the elevated walkway is relevant. Guests will likely want to walk to the venue, and they won't be able to until the walkway is complete.