Volcano Bay Universal: A Comprehensive Review of Tropical Thrills
Universal Orlando's Volcano Bay has quickly become a popular water theme park, immersing guests in the vibrant culture of the Waturi people. This article delves into various aspects of Volcano Bay, including the overall experience, key features, dining options, and practical tips for planning your visit.
Immersive Theming and First Impressions
The story of Volcano Bay begins with the Waturi, a fictional tribe from the South Pacific, embarking on a quest for their perfect home. Their journey, guided by a yearning for adventure, sets the stage for the park's immersive environment. As you enter Volcano Bay, you're immediately greeted by the breathtaking sight of the Krakatau volcano, a towering 200-foot structure that dominates the landscape and hints at the thrilling adventures that await. The park itself is beautifully themed and impeccably clean, contributing to a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere.
Volcano Bay Nights: An After-Hours Delight
Universal Orlando recently introduced Volcano Bay Nights, an after-hours event that promises a unique and enchanting experience. One of the definite perks of the Volcano Bay Nights ticket is the collectible souvenir Freestyle Coca-Cola cup, offering unlimited refills (with a 10-minute refresh window) throughout the entire event. The event kicks off with a lively dance party featuring the beloved DreamWorks duo, Shrek and Fiona! Character meet-and-greets are another highlight, with Branch and Guy Diamond from Trolls, along with the swashbuckling Puss N Boots, making appearances and posing for photos. The absolute highlight of Volcano Bay Nights is the breathtaking view of the illuminated Krakatau volcano after dark. With incredibly low crowds, a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere, fun character interactions, lively dance parties, and the stunning nighttime ambiance, it was a fantastic experience. The overall value and unique charm of the event make it a definite recommendation.
Getting There and Around
For those unfamiliar with Volcano Bay, note that dedicated parking isn’t directly at the water park entrance. If driving, your best bet is to park at Universal’s main parking area next to CityWalk. From this parking area, you can catch a shuttle bus to the park. If you’re staying at Cabana Bay, there is a $12 parking fee for hotel guests. If you’re not staying there, but want to park at the hotel, the daily parking fee is $45.
Tapu Tapu: Your Key to a Seamless Experience
Upon entering the park, you'll receive a Tapu Tapu wearable for your wrist, which serves multiple purposes. It allows you to charge purchases - food, souvenirs, drinks, etc. The Tapu Tapu wearables give you access to lockers located in bays around the park. They come in several sizes (use fee is based on size), and you’ll want one to stash a change of clothes, camera, phone, and miscellaneous personal items. Another great feature of the Tapu Tapu is that it serves as a virtual waiting line for the various rides and attractions. You tap your Tapu Tapu at the ride you want to go on; if you’re with a group, everyone will need to tap in. That tap "saves" your spot in line and gives you an estimate of the wait time until it’s your turn. Once you’ve saved your spot, head off to enjoy something else. When it’s your turn, you won’t get on the ride immediately. Instead, it means that it’s almost your turn to get on, meaning that you need to queue up for a 10-15 minute wait. It’s a great time saver and stress reducer as opposed to waiting in line for over an hour.
Read also: Universal's Volcano Bay
Thrilling Attractions
Volcano Bay boasts a variety of thrilling attractions for all ages and adrenaline levels.
Krakatau Volcano and its Slides
Without a doubt, the centerpiece of Volcano Bay is the 200-foot volcano, Krakatau. This is the location for the Ko’okiri Body Plunge, the world’s tallest body slide. The Ko’okiri Body Plunge starts with standing in a booth-like tube with a trap door beneath you. As you wait to drop, you get a view of the entirety of Universal Orlando Resort and listen to the sound of drumbeats getting louder and faster. When the trap door finally opens you plummet through a clear tube sending you straight to the pools below. Krakatau also has two serpentine body slides, Kala and Ta Nui. These aren’t as dramatic as the Ko’okiri.
Krakatau Aqua Coaster
My favorite ride was the Krakatau Aqua Coaster. So much my favorite that I rode it multiple times, back-to-back. This is a very popular ride, so I’d recommend heading here when you first arrive. Swipe your Tapu Tapu wearable for your ride time and then get on with your other plans. The Krakatau Aqua Coaster does not count as one of your veritable line spots, so you can swipe in here and at another ride.
Raft Slides
Other favorites were the Ika Moana and Honu slides. These are rafts slides that hold four to six people per raft. You twist and turn, slide up on the sides, and eventually empty into a pool of water and the bottom.
Waterways
I’m a sucker for a lazy river. The Kopiko Wai Winding River wasn’t operational when I visited (it is now), but the TeAwa Fearless River was slowed down to provide a lazy river option. Now that the lazy river is running, the Fearless River is back to being what it was intended to be, a more adventurous river experience.
Read also: A Day at Volcano Bay
Dining Options: A Culinary Adventure
Volcano Bay offers a diverse range of dining options to satisfy every palate. In addition to the expected soft drinks and coffee and tea (hot and iced), there is also a yummy selection of adult beverages, most of which can also be ordered as a non-alcoholic option. The signature drink is the Vol’s Fire Punch made from rum, pineapple juice, agave, grenadine, and Sprite. Volcano Bay offers a signature beer, Volcano Blossom, a pilsner brewed exclusively for the park. Tasting notes: A smooth honeyed floral flavor with notes of star fruit and passion fruit.
North Beach Pavilion
Our taste buds were then drawn to the North Beach Pavilion, where we sampled the complimentary island bites. The cheesy cliffside seashell pasta was comforting, and the spicy island shrimp offered a nice kick.
Kohola Reef Restaurant & Social Club
For a more substantial dinner, we opted for the Kohola Reef Restaurant & Social Club. We ordered the Island Sliders (coconut-crusted chicken on Hawaiian rolls with mango slaw and fries) and a Hawaiian pizza. While the pizza was pretty tasty, the Island Sliders unfortunately missed the mark. The chicken, described as coconut-crusted, lacked any discernible coconut flavor and along with the french fries were surprisingly VERY salty. In hindsight, more of that delicious mac and cheese would have been a better choice!
Variety of Choices
Sure, you’ve got the necessary kid standbys of burgers and dogs, but you have also delicious tropical themed dishes likes coconut fried chicken, poke bowls, pulled pork sliders, chipotle shrimp tacos, chicken mole tacos (the taco sampler was one of my favorites), specialty pizzas, sushi, and more. They’ve got you covered for dessert with specialty ice creams and ices.
Enhancing Your Visit
To make the most of your Volcano Bay experience, consider these additional options:
Read also: Renting a Cabana at Volcano Bay
Cabanas and Premium Seating
Cabanas range in sizes that will accommodate 6-16 people and start around $160-200. It’s a spacious area to call your own for the day. It includes padded lounge chairs, a small refrigerator stocked with water, towels, locker, a complimentary snack and fruit based, and an exclusive food and drink menu with butler service. With three or more people, this is a great option. If there’s only two of you, you can opt for premium seating starting at $30. With premium seating, you get two deluxe loungers with an adjustable canopy shade and built-in locker.
Staying On-Site
If you stay at one of the Universal Orlando Resort hotels, you’ll get early entry, an extra hour before the park opens to the general public. That extra hour can mean an early jump on the lines for some of the favorite rides and is a great value. The hotel closest to Volcano Bay is the Cabana Bay Beach Resort. First, a new tower has been opened at Cabana Bay, providing a more traditional hotel experience. I got a quick tour of the hotel and it seems that this tower will appeal to the more luxury traveler (me, me).
Practical Tips and Considerations
- There is currently no Express Pass for Volcano Bay.
- You can bring your own towel or rent one at the park ($5).
- When you’re at Volcano Bay, most of the staff will greet you with Kia Ora. This is a Maori expression that translates to be well or be happy.
- If you’re just spending the day at Volcano Bay, a one-day ticket is $67 for $62 for kids, plus tax.
Addressing Concerns
If you’ve read any travel news, you’ve no doubt read some reviews about lousy experiences at Volcano Bay. Complaints run from slides breaking down to virtual lines in excess of four hours, from glitchy Tapu Tapu wearables to the park reaching capacity and not being able to get in at all. Friends who have been to Volcano Bay since the grand opening, including fellow Blog Squad members as well as other non-affiliated colleagues, have not reported back with a raft of problems. They did say that lockers were scooped up quickly, not surprisingly and that if you didn’t reserve a cabana in advance, you weren’t going to get one on site (again, not surprisingly).
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