Volcano Bay

[Quinnmac000]

Fastpass is free, express is not
Disney is still using normal queues, Universal is not
Universal is advertising the elimination of queues as "innovative", yet people will need to queue up behind the unlimited Express users

If even 15 express pass users want to do the largest drop slide at Universal, then that's going to be at least 10 minutes that others with "reservations" will need to wait while express users walk past them. Unless they're just planning on having express pass users stand in the same queue as the reserved people who are arriving. Either way, it's a queue. Maybe a reduced one (which I'm all for), but a queue nonetheless.

The idea of a "virtual queue" has been around longer than FastPass, dating back to Universal Studios Tour in Hollywood, CA with boarding pass for the World Famous Studio Tour (ask for Babs) where guest would be given "return times" when entering the park to encourage guests to experience other shows and attractions in the park as opposed to waiting for hours in line.

So for them yes this is them being innovative. Two the only people getting express are those who buy which still will be limited as well as those staying at the top three. AP holders who use to get Express after 4 won't for VB nor will they get early admission.

 

[Eckert]

I'm under the impression that they'll be selling an extremely limited amount of Express passes. I think there's only going to be one line for the slides, so while you're sipping your margarita by the wave pool waiting for your return time to go on the aqua coaster you won't even notice the 5 express passes getting in line.

 

[Rider]

A one-day ticket to Universal Orlando’s new Volcano Bay will cost $67, according to information on the theme park resort’s website.

Though Universal likes to call Volcano Bay a theme park, the pricing is more typical of a water park. It costs slightly more than Walt Disney World’s water parks Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach, which start at $62.

Universal also introduced new three-park passes that include Volcano Bay. Those generally cost $100 more than the traditional ones. Most Universal passholders can upgrade by paying an additional $99.

For Florida residents, three-park passes start at $358.99 for passes that have blockout dates during Christmas, spring break and summer. Preferred passes with no blockout dates cost $448.99.



Premier passes which include other perks such as free Hallowene Horror Nights tickets will cost $638.99. It will cost an additional $149 to upgrade to those passes.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

A one-day ticket to Universal Orlando’s new Volcano Bay will cost $67, according to information on the theme park resort’s website.

Though Universal likes to call Volcano Bay a theme park, the pricing is more typical of a water park. It costs slightly more than Walt Disney World’s water parks Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach, which start at $62.

Universal also introduced new three-park passes that include Volcano Bay. Those generally cost $100 more than the traditional ones. Most Universal passholders can upgrade by paying an additional $99.

For Florida residents, three-park passes start at $358.99 for passes that have blockout dates during Christmas, spring break and summer. Preferred passes with no blockout dates cost $448.99.



Premier passes which include other perks such as free Hallowene Horror Nights tickets will cost $638.99. It will cost an additional $149 to upgrade to those passes.

Volcano Bay also will be charging $20 for parking which Disney doesn't for it's water parks.

 

[BubbaQuest]

It looks like Volcano Bay is included in Early Park Admission. However, the Premier resorts do *not* include Express Passes to Volcano Bay. That's disappointing. However, it gives me even more reason to stay at Cabana Bay for my next trip!

Still no info on the new Cabana Bay Towers though.

 

[EpcotEric01]

found here
Volcano Bay Cabana Rentals, Premium Seating, Universal Express details revealed
Universal Orlando has revealed the details for Cabana Rentals, Premium Seating, and Universal Express for Universal’s Volcano Bay Water Theme Park.

Cabana Rentals at Universal’s Volcano Bay
Relax, unwind and enjoy the charms of your own private cabana in paradise with extra-comfy seating, concierge service and more. Each retreat offers padded lounge chairs, a small refrigerator stocked with bottled water, complimentary fruit and snack basket, towel and locker service, plus concierge service with an exclusive menu of food and drink delivered directly to the cabana. One-story and two-story retreats are located throughout the park.

Premium Seating at Universal’s Volcano Bay
Relax with the comfort and convenience of reserved seating for the day. Includes a pair of padded loungers with an adjustable shade canopy and a built-in storage lockbox. Plus, you can enjoy the services of an area attendant who’ll see to your food and drink orders.

Universal Express at Volcano Bay
Universal Express™ lets you slide past the Virtual Line™ at participating attractions at Universal’s Volcano Bay™ (opening May 25, 2017). There’s no need to stop by the attractions ahead of time and receive a scheduled return time—you can get to the ride when you want.

The Premium Seating is intriguing, especially the lockbox as well as the area attendant. will be interested to see if we can book a couple of chairs for the wife and I and the kids can just go do there thing or if everyone would need one. Also interested to know the cost of those and the cabanas.

 

[rushtest4echo]

Not that this needs to turn into a DIsney v Universal war or anything, but some perspective (before tax):

Disney Water Parks Admission: $62
Volcano Bay Admission: $67 (way too little for an innovative "water theme park" if you ask me. They're not even pricing it out of the segment they claim to be separate from, even aquatica's gate admission is $60).

Disney FL Resident (Silver) Annual Pass including Water Parks w/ blockouts: $545
Universal FL Resident (Preferred) Annual Pass including Volcano Bay w/ blockouts: $460

Disney Fully Featured FL Resident (Platinum Plus) Annual Pass: $770
Universal Fully Featured FL Resident (Premier) Annual Pass: $640

Just crazy to see how Universal can charge 80% of what Disney charges vs. offering 50% of the parks. Between Disney undervaluing passes and Universal offering more to do per park- they can make up the difference pretty well. Sounds like Universal is winning the pricing game, at least with AP sales.

 

[andysol]

So for them yes this is them being innovative. Two the only people getting express are those who buy which still will be limited as well as those staying at the top three. AP holders who use to get Express after 4 won't for VB nor will they get early admission.

They haven't come out with info if top 3 will get EP- it's actually looking like they won't (unfortunately).

Though Universal likes to call Volcano Bay a theme park, the pricing is more typical of a water park.

It's a water theme park. Personally, Disney should call theirs water theme parks also- as they all are absolutely a cut above the normal regional water park. Similar to calling Six Flags and cedar point an amusement park vs theme park- water parks should have distinction too. That said- it's all marketing regardless.

Disney FL Resident (Silver) Annual Pass including Water Parks w/ blockouts: $545
Universal FL Resident (Preferred) Annual Pass including Volcano Bay w/ blockouts: $460

Where to start. First- volcano bay is blacked out across the board on APs in July because it's just now open and it'd be a logistical nightmare and to capacity by 10am- so that's understood.
Second- the preferred is $448.
Third- preferred has no blackout dates outside of just the July VB whereas Disney has a multitude of blackout dates.
Fourth- if you want a true apples-apples comparison, use the seasonal pass- which is $358 and lines up with Disneys silver pass exactly on blackout dates (except July for VB)- so $545 to $358- or 65% of the price.

Disney Fully Featured FL Resident (Platinum Plus) Annual Pass: $770
Universal Fully Featured FL Resident (Premier) Annual Pass: $640

I won't even break this one down in detail. But to be very quick:
-Includes Valet Parking
-Includes HHN ticket (that's $100+ there alone)
-Includes Express Pass after 4pm
-Includes 1 hr early admission
Certainly not apples-apples there either. A much more accurate comparison would be preferred which has no blackout dates (just VB in July). So $770 vs $448 or 58%.

Why do you have to try to manipulate or exaggerate data to try to prove a point? Are you deceitful or are you just Ill-informed?

 

[rushtest4echo]

They haven't come out with info if top 3 will get EP- it's actually looking like they won't (unfortunately).


It's a water theme park. Personally, Disney should call theirs water theme parks also- as they all are absolutely a cut above the normal regional water park. Similar to calling Six Flags and cedar point an amusement park vs theme park- water parks should have distinction too. That said- it's all marketing regardless.


Where to start. First- volcano bay is blacked out across the board on APs in July because it's just now open and it'd be a logistical nightmare and to capacity by 10am- so that's understood.
Second- the preferred is $448.
Third- preferred has no blackout dates outside of just the July VB whereas Disney has a multitude of blackout dates.
Fourth- if you want a true apples-apples comparison, use the seasonal pass- which is $358 and lines up with Disneys silver pass exactly on blackout dates (except July for VB)- so $545 to $358- or 65% of the price.


I won't even break this one down in detail. But to be very quick:
-Includes Valet Parking
-Includes HHN ticket (that's $100+ there alone)
-Includes Express Pass after 4pm
-Includes 1 hr early admission
Certainly not apples-apples there either. A much more accurate comparison would be preferred which has no blackout dates (just VB in July). So $770 vs $448 or 58%.

Why do you have to try to manipulate or exaggerate data to try to prove a point? Are you deceitful or are you just Ill-informed?

So for first- that's not relevant beyond a month during the parks first season. An omission on my part.
Second- you're correct, I was off in the wrong direction. The cost of the pass is $469 after parking the first time is factored. Disney doesn't charge for the privilege of going to process your pass (or they refund the money if you forget). The pass beneath that offering half price parking is not comparable in any fashion. That's $60 extra for 6 visits. The fact that they can get away with nonsense like that is amazing, good for them.
Third- You're correct. My mistake. Universal certainly has Disney beat on that (though I was kind of stating that in the first place).
Fourth: That's fine, so Universal really is winning the AP pricing at offering 50% of the parks for 65-80% of the price (your 65% doesn't hold up for the passes most people actually buy). But if you'd like to compare those be my guest. My point was that it's a win for Universal.


-Includes Valet Parking - okay, value added
-Includes HHN ticket (that's $100+ there alone) - And what value does the Golf Course, DisneyQuest (for now) and ESPN admission add to Disney's offering? $0?
-Includes Express Pass after 4pm - Or I can reserve 3 attractions after 4PM for free regardless of what ticket I use at Disney, and there's no "Potter exemption". Not a fair comparison still, I'll agree that this is a value added thing for Universal for their top end passholders. I'm just glad I don't have to be a top end passholder at Disney for the convenience of bypassing the lines for free. Again, not the same, but I'll make that trade.
-Includes 1 hr early admission - to 3 rides, which are running half capacity, but yes, value added

On the other side though, And how much value does photo pass add? According to Disney, it adds $149 worth of value. Disneyquest, Golf Courses, and WWoS add quite a bit of value if you use them. I'd still call it a push when everything is considered. And for Universal to come up with a "push" pricing/features wise with Disney demonstrates the strides they've made. They don't need to offer more or cut pricing, they can compete with the industry leader in Annual Passes and even manage to outdo them in some cases. Impressive stuff.

My use of the term Premier instead of Premier Plus threw you off. We can adjust that down to $670 for the regular premier if you'd like to not compare the top end passes for both parks though. Either way, I was in no way insinuating that there was something bad about Universal's pass pricing or offerings. I was complimenting/congratulating them on the fact that they were able to drive such competitive pricing.The fact remains that Universal is driving a harder bargain for AP's and that's a credit to them. They obviously feel that park-for-park and pass-for-pass, they can offer more than Disney can as far as what you get. I can agree with them doing that too. Their parks are certainly more "fresh" than Disney's and they're reaping the benefits of locals agreeing with that kind of pricing. I don't know the sales numbers for AP's but I'd assume that Universal and their guests are comfortable with that pricing. That's awesome for them, and a testament to their efforts to be competitive (and in this case exceed) Disney.

Your corrections are appreciated. Thanks for going into detail to refute my claims instead of namecalling or writing off my statement because it provided too many examples. The crying isn't appreciated though, and not necessary. The blockouts comparison was an error, as was me omitting the "plus"- the pricing should have given that away though (though the pricing and entitlements are still comparable to me). It was not an intent to manipulate or exaggerate. I can see that you think I'm out to get Universal- so much so that you're willing to pitch a fit about this when I'm complimenting their abilities and offerings. Get a grip.

 

[JoeCamel]

So Ill-informed, not deceitful. Got it.

Give it up, he has an agenda that started day one (12/23/15) and has not let up since. You just can't reason or shame this type, hit the ignore and let him babble to the wall.

 

[Mike S]

Give it up, he has an agenda that started day one (12/23/15) and has not let up since. You just can't reason or shame this type, hit the ignore and let him babble to the wall.

Yeah. He's quickly turned this site's Dastardly Duo (Phil and jt) into a Terrible Trio. I don't even waste my time reading his stuff anymore. The basics of what he said can be picked up from responses.

 

[raven]

Volcano Bay also will be charging $20 for parking which Disney doesn't for it's water parks.

That's because parking for VB utilizes the same massive garage complex as the rest of their parks and Citywalk. They are just making smart use of their available space instead of filling up land with parking lots.

 

[trr1]

That's because parking for VB utilizes the same massive garage complex as the rest of their parks and Citywalk. They are just making smart use of their available space instead of filling up land with parking lots.

plus I think it would keep crowds down at Volcano Bay

 

[Casper Gutman]

Yeah. He's quickly turned this site's Dastardly Duo (Phil and jt) into a Terrible Trio. I don't even waste my time reading his stuff anymore. The basics of what he said can be picked up from responses.

The weirdest part is when Rustest said Disney "undervalues" tickets - do even the most enamored pixie-dusters believe this? I mean, I thought the absurd price hikes were a point of agreement pretty much across the board.

 

[rushtest4echo]

The weirdest part is when Rustest said Disney "undervalues" tickets - do even the most enamored pixie-dusters believe this? I mean, I thought the absurd price hikes were a point of agreement pretty much across the board.

My claim was that Annual Passes, in comparison to thier nearest competitor, seemed undervalued. I'm sure Disneyland AP holders probably agree as well.

Yes, the prevailing notion that WDW is too expensive is obviously a common point of discussion, one I agree with but one I and millions of others don't find off-putting enough to curtail our business there.

 

[Casper Gutman]

My claim was that Annual Passes, in comparison to thier nearest competitor, seemed undervalued. I'm sure Disneyland AP holders probably agree as well.

Yes, the prevailing notion that WDW is too expensive is obviously a common point of discussion, one I agree with but one I and millions of others don't find off-putting enough to curtail our business there.

So how much would Disney have to charge before you stopped getting an AP?

 

[rushtest4echo]

So how much would Disney have to charge before you stopped getting an AP?

Depends on how often we use it. Over the past few years, we've been using it less due to sign ins/other events but it's still under $15 a visit for us. I'd probably set the threshold at $50 a visit- or what we'd spend on a smaller concert/sporting event. That times at least one a month would mean around $900 (what socal people pay for nearly unlimited access to their two parks). If we end up moving closer then we'd probably spend more time there are would be willing to spend more on the pass than $900. Either way, the WDW pass itself is cheaper than it was for our season tickets to the Dodgers and the 100 or so hours of entertainment that those provided. It's also (currently) way cheaper than what we'd end up spending if we were locals at Disneyland still.

Expensive? Obviously. Worth it? Definitely for us. Even if the price continues to climb. Universals pass hasn't been cost effective for us because the last two times we've had one it's amounted to 3 or 4 visits that didn't last half a day. That worked out to well over $50 a visit for us.

 

[Casper Gutman]

Depends on how often we use it. Over the past few years, we've been using it less due to sign ins/other events but it's still under $15 a visit for us. I'd probably set the threshold at $50 a visit- or what we'd spend on a smaller concert/sporting event. That times at least one a month would mean around $900 (what socal people pay for nearly unlimited access to their two parks). If we end up moving closer then we'd probably spend more time there are would be willing to spend more on the pass than $900. Either way, the WDW pass itself is cheaper than it was for our season tickets to the Dodgers and the 100 or so hours of entertainment that those provided. It's also (currently) way cheaper than what we'd end up spending if we were locals at Disneyland still.

Expensive? Obviously. Worth it? Definitely for us. Even if the price continues to climb. Universals pass hasn't been cost effective for us because the last two times we've had one it's amounted to 3 or 4 visits that didn't last half a day. That worked out to well over $50 a visit for us.

So, if my math is right (and its entirely possible it isn't), given the frequency of your visits you'd be willing to spend well over $2,700 on an AP? To each their own, of course, but that seems like questionable value.

I was a WDW AP holder for decades until around 2011 or so, when I realized Universal was offering what I considered to be a much more pleasing product - in particular, I found the service there to be considerably better than what Disney is currently offering. The biggest thing that convinced me to switch was the realization that, for at least a decade, whenever I saw there was new Disney news I cringed in anticipation while whenever I saw there was new Uni news I smiled in anticipation. Again, I am making no claims that this is the "right" opinion (or that their is a "wrong" opinion).

 

[rushtest4echo]

So, if my math is right (and its entirely possible it isn't), given the frequency of your visits you'd be willing to spend well over $2,700 on an AP? To each their own, of course, but that seems like questionable value.

I was a WDW AP holder for decades until around 2011 or so, when I realized Universal was offering what I considered to be a much more pleasing product - in particular, I found the service there to be considerably better than what Disney is currently offering. The biggest thing that convinced me to switch was the realization that, for at least a decade, whenever I saw there was new Disney news I cringed in anticipation while whenever I saw there was new Uni news I smiled in anticipation. Again, I am making no claims that this is the "right" opinion (or that their is a "wrong" opinion).

I don't know if I'd spend over $1,000 on an AP, it would really relate to how much we'd use it. The money/value prospect to us seems to be way different compared to other people. We don't current own any season tickets to sporting events here in Central Florida, and the arts scene isn't what it was in LA (duh), so we seem to find ourselves with fewer options when it comes to spending a few hours of leisure on weekends or even weeknights. My $50 threshold is sort of a calculation of what would be the minimum amount we'd be willing to settle for. If we visited say 20 times in a year, I'd consider $1,000 for those visits to be a reasonable amount for admission per person. Of course, that $1,000 drops dramatically if we visit more often, like once a week. Then it's less than $20 a visit for that same $1000 pass!

Either way, I see people spending $15,000 on a 15 day trip to the parks for a family of 4 and I'm glad that we don't need to make a decision like that. We circumnavigated the planet for 3 weeks, visited around 20 parks and 20 other cities/cultural destinations in Europe, Asia, and the US West Coast for under that price. WDW is (in my book) a poor value for tourists. Overpriced food, merchandise, ticketing, parking and just about anything else. We can choose which of those things to spend our cash on and luckily we're well enough off where it's more of "do we want to spend the money on that" instead of "can we afford to spend money on that".

I completely agree with you that Universal has offered a much better value that Disney especially in the 2000's. I had a similar opinion that their new offerings trashed Disney's new offerings for a few years between Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley, where it looked like Universal was just going to go off on an explosive curve of innovative rides and keeping the parks a great value as far as the whole resort package. Instead, it's back to the simulators which mostly don't interest me. Even Transformers was a dud in my (and my wife's) book and we're major fans of Spidey next door! Sure, I love the B&M's and Potterland, but aside from that we're largely over their offerings. I hate water rides and find simulators to be very weak/unappealing after the first ride. I don't think we've been on stuff like Shrek or Minions once since their opening years! So Universal doesn't offer a lot for my tastes beyond Potterland and coasters. We couldn't justify spending money on Universal AP's because we've been very spoiled by MM+. At this point (as mentioned earlier), we have 5 or 6 days of 3 fastpasses booked at WDW for Thursday and Saturday evenings and we stop by the parks at 5 or 6 PM to catch a show, have dinner, ride the 3 rides, see pyro and maybe ride something on the way out. It's stress free, it's easy, and it's super fun for us. It's not really an option at Universal unless we get the top tier pass, but even then throughout most of the year getting to the park at 5 or 6 isn't an option because they usually close between 6-8 PM except during busy periods (which is when we avoid them, hah). We don't care for much of the dining at Universal and reservations there are annoying. There's also slim to nil night entertainment (the cinematic shows, dating back to CineSphere, are some of the worst garbage I've ever seen). For a movie studio, they can't seem to get a decent story into those shows beyond the constant "movie theme collage".

I know plenty of people wouldn't enjoy the way we visit WDW for a few hours at a time, and I know some prefer Universal's offerings in either case. Relating specifically to Volcano Bay, I'm utterly shocked that they feel it's only worth a few bucks more compared to Disney's water parks. I'm baffled that they don't seem confident enough to just charge $80+ since the majority of visitors will be resort guests/AP's that won't be paying gate prices anyway. Maybe that's the point, and that they aren't really concerned about the value proposition of ticket prices for what will likely be a small percentage of the park's visitors. It'll be interesting to see what capacity and daily attendance look like. If they plan on really operating for 14/15 hours a day, I can see the daily attendance massively exceeding the "in park" as people come and go throughout the day. Then again, people will probably be waiting 14 hours in the park for their Tapu to finally allow them to ride the park's signature slides since they're all such pitiful capacity! Though the long operating hours should help put a dent into the waiting times hopefully. Either way it'll be awesome to have a proper nighttime water park in the US finally!

 

[Casper Gutman]

I certainly understand your feelings about simulators and screen-based attractions, and I think after Fast and Furious opens Uni will act in a way that shows they are trying to address such concerns.

There is, however, a feeling seeming to coalesce among some on these boards that Uni has turned in the wrong direction while Disney has corrected course. I don't really agree with that for several reasons -

1) Kong, Fallon, and F&F could and should have all been better (although I really like Kong) - that said, they are (or will be, in the case of F&F) improvements over what they replaced
2) Pandora has as its major ride a simulator. And Star Wars Land, which looks awesome, also has a simulator as one of its two main rides.
3) Even had Kong, Fallon, and F&F never been built, Uni's rate of improvement would still be impressive: Hogsmeade in 2010, Diagon Alley in 2014, Harry Potter 3 likely in 2019, and Nintendo likely in 2020. In that same time period, WDW gave us NFL in 2014 (good, but because Disney insisted on closing Snow White and built on the long-time husk of 20,000, not that big an improvement), Pandora in 2017, Toy Story Land in 2018 (an area that looks so lackluster as to be insulting) and SWL in 2019. Of those lists, I feel Uni still wins - and as noted, their expansions have no simulators and (likely) 6 dark rides while Disney's have 2 simulators and 3 dark rides (and, depending on how you count, they removed between 1 and 3 dark rides to build them).

Again it all boils down to personal preference, but I just like to be IN a theme park, even if I don't do any rides - and right now, the most pleasing parks to simply be in are IoA, US, and AK. Epcot and MGM are actually kind of painful to be in.