Volcano Bay

trr1

Well-Known Member
found here

Volcano Bay will open in just nine days – which means it’s about time to learn some new information about Universal Orlando’s water theme park, yes?

Luckily for us, CNN has been given an exclusive tour around the facilities, and its write-up has provided tons of new little clues about what experiences await us when we enter Volcano for the very first time. While most of these details aren’t big, earth-shattering revelations, they’re still cool little tidbits that help answer some lingering questions – and, of course, to help us get even more excited for our impending Polynesian-flavored vacation.

(Note: there is one reveal that will turn heads…)

1. Entering the park
A-private-cabana-at-Universals-Volcano-Bay.jpg

A private cabana at Universal’s Volcano Bay (image source: CNN)
The entrance area has no ticket booth or turnstiles; instead, it features a heavily-themed area with totem poles, water features, and ukulele music. A concierge area sits nearby, which is actually vital to the park’s infrastructure – all those guests who have rented either a private cabana or Premium Seat will be personally guided to their home-away-from-homes for the day by a concierge.

Another little nugget: team members will greet visitors with the Maori saying kia ora, which literally means “be well” but which colloquially serves as a salutation, farewell, and expression of thanks, according to the all-knowing Wikipedia. This, of course, fits into the park’s elaborate backstory, which sees the Waturi people – the fictitious founders of Volcano Bay – travel all across Pacifica in an effort to find Kunuku, the legendary fish goddess, who will lead them to a new home.

Finally, before departing this introductory section, guests will need to grab their TapuTapu wearable, which they’ll do by scanning their fingerprints – the very same process, it sounds like, that annual passholders already engage in every time they visit the two theme parks.

2. There’s already an expansion being planned
Tiki-water-jets-at-Universals-Volcano-Bay-1024x575.jpg

Tiki water jets at Universal’s Volcano Bay (image source: CNN)
Just in case the 30-acre Volcano Bay isn’t enough for you, Universal is already planning on a five-acre expansion.

Says Dale Masion, Vice President and Executive Art Director of Universal Creative: “We have a pretty darn good idea of what we’ll do. It could happen quicker than we think – it could start in three weeks.”

looks like a lot to do in 8 day
 
Last edited:

trr1

Well-Known Member
This park will be a race to the finish to have it up and ready by May 27th.
Based on all the pics and video I see, this park will greatly benefit from a couple of years of the current landscape maturing a bit. I believe this park will be in a better position aesthetically once the foliage takes over a bit as of now there are just too many bare spots but I guess this is to be expected from a new park.
Did they push opening day from the 25th to the 27th? Pandora is due to open on 27th
 

captainkidd

Well-Known Member
Just bought our tickets and rented cabana. We're staying at Hard Rock. Am I reading correctly that we'll have to catch transportation in the central garage at City Walk? Seems odd they wouldn't have transportation direct from each resort.
 

Tom Morrow

Well-Known Member
This park will be a race to the finish to have it up and ready by May 27th.
Based on all the pics and video I see, this park will greatly benefit from a couple of years of the current landscape maturing a bit. I believe this park will be in a better position aesthetically once the foliage takes over a bit as of now there are just too many bare spots but I guess this is to be expected from a new park.
I was thinking that too, though from that recent drone video it looks pretty nice overall. My one wish is that there should be a very, very thick wall of vegetation on each edge of the park except for the Cabana Bay side, but that does not seem to be the case, or something that would be finished in a week anyway.
 

BubbaQuest

Well-Known Member
Just bought our tickets and rented cabana. We're staying at Hard Rock. Am I reading correctly that we'll have to catch transportation in the central garage at City Walk? Seems odd they wouldn't have transportation direct from each resort.

May understanding is there will be direct hotel to Volcano Bay buses. I'm wondering if they are just expanding the route of the existing buses that already went from hotel to hotel.
 

mergatroid

Well-Known Member
Wow. Not sure if they are going to be able to open that blue slide as-is. Even after already extending the width of that turn around, looks like the raft still goes way too close to that left wall.

Yes it certainly looks exciting if not a little dangerous right now!! There was another video from this week where they took off that section (it's built in parts like a jigsaw), so I think they can add parts quite quickly and easily to help change the speed and 'climb'..
 

rushtest4echo

Well-Known Member
This'll probably be the last time that I have an opportunity to say anything about VB before it opens to the public. I have quite a few doubts that everything is going to be one hundred percent for the opening, they still have things that need to be completed that are scheduled after the media previews.

The slides inside the volcano themselves are fine, but the stairways, railings, signage, and other stuff are still not complete.

I have not seen any of the supposed themed rafts yet and the slides that are supposed to have them have been running the generic rafts regularly for quite some time. So either they're going to break out the nicely themed rafts right before opening or they'll be coming later, but I've been assured that the themed rafts will be there at some point.

Really disappointed with the placement a large number of the Cabanas, they are as close to the freeway off-ramps as you can possibly get and there is currently nothing to block the view or soundproof them which means I wouldn't pay a dime to use those particular ones.

Other than the already addressed issue on Honu (which has pretty much negated that second lip since the boats are so slow traversing it now) the slides, the rest of the stuff not connected to the volcano all seems like it will be done in time.

I'm happy to see such an amazing complex in the volcano (though the stairs really should have been concealed better they look terrible up close I hope they at least paint the exposed steel everywhere.) To be honest I thought there would be more foliage around the park especially around the perimeter but I guess they're still a week to dump more plants in.

Super interested to see what they've got planned for that expansion, let's hope it's something launched from Pro slide since we're sort of getting a smallish model to start and there are clearly bigger and better versions available.

Now that everything is in place and now that I've seen the majority of the slides operating and how the park will flow, it will be quite interesting to see how they handle the queueless stuff. Good luck to them on that! Otherwise, looks like Universal has a winner, and I will be excited to visit as a guest, though that may not come for a while since I don't actually have an annual pass or other means to visit after the park opens. Honestly it looks good enough for what they're charging so maybe we will just bite the bullet and pay!
 

Quinnmac000

Well-Known Member
This'll probably be the last time that I have an opportunity to say anything about VB before it opens to the public. I have quite a few doubts that everything is going to be one hundred percent for the opening, they still have things that need to be completed that are scheduled after the media previews.

The slides inside the volcano themselves are fine, but the stairways, railings, signage, and other stuff are still not complete.

I have not seen any of the supposed themed rafts yet and the slides that are supposed to have them have been running the generic rafts regularly for quite some time. So either they're going to break out the nicely themed rafts right before opening or they'll be coming later, but I've been assured that the themed rafts will be there at some point.

Really disappointed with the placement a large number of the Cabanas, they are as close to the freeway off-ramps as you can possibly get and there is currently nothing to block the view or soundproof them which means I wouldn't pay a dime to use those particular ones.

Other than the already addressed issue on Honu (which has pretty much negated that second lip since the boats are so slow traversing it now) the slides, the rest of the stuff not connected to the volcano all seems like it will be done in time.

I'm happy to see such an amazing complex in the volcano (though the stairs really should have been concealed better they look terrible up close I hope they at least paint the exposed steel everywhere.) To be honest I thought there would be more foliage around the park especially around the perimeter but I guess they're still a week to dump more plants in.

Super interested to see what they've got planned for that expansion, let's hope it's something launched from Pro slide since we're sort of getting a smallish model to start and there are clearly bigger and better versions available.

Now that everything is in place and now that I've seen the majority of the slides operating and how the park will flow, it will be quite interesting to see how they handle the queueless stuff. Good luck to them on that! Otherwise, looks like Universal has a winner, and I will be excited to visit as a guest, though that may not come for a while since I don't actually have an annual pass or other means to visit after the park opens. Honestly it looks good enough for what they're charging so maybe we will just bite the bullet and pay!

The customized rafts are already out.
DAS5ibsXkAIXskY.jpg
 

Register on WDWMAGIC. This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.

Back
Top Bottom