mergatroid
Well-Known Member
Crowds way down after the hurricane this week
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Volcano Bay
- Thread starter Mike C
- Start date
sonoma15
Well-Known Member
All we really know is it was delayed due to taputapu and other issues.
UpAllNight
Well-Known Member
How's it going with the random smaller updates?
mergatroid
Well-Known Member
Still mostly getting hammered on the reviews unfortunately, if true slides appear to be still shutting down throughout the day. Any news on the technical issues causing the closing of rides still, we're a few months in now?
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andysol
Well-Known Member
All I can review is my experience.
And my experience was it was the best day at Universal or Disney that I've had in years and years
Did having a cabana skew that? Probably.
Did going two days before a hurricane when there was zero crowds and beautiful weather? Assuredly.
Nothing broke down while I was there, But my experience is anecdotal.
But for me, Volcano Bay was the most relaxing and beautiful water park I've ever been to. Those who think Typhoon has better theming, I don't know what to say. Outside of having the slides (sans water coasters and miss fortune falls) integrated into the rockwork- it doesn't get close to comparing. Landscaping, the rockwork (volcano!), and the incredible wood carvings all over the park are heads and shoulders better.
Those saying Typhoon is prettier likely have an axe to grind.
And my experience was it was the best day at Universal or Disney that I've had in years and years
Did having a cabana skew that? Probably.
Did going two days before a hurricane when there was zero crowds and beautiful weather? Assuredly.
Nothing broke down while I was there, But my experience is anecdotal.
But for me, Volcano Bay was the most relaxing and beautiful water park I've ever been to. Those who think Typhoon has better theming, I don't know what to say. Outside of having the slides (sans water coasters and miss fortune falls) integrated into the rockwork- it doesn't get close to comparing. Landscaping, the rockwork (volcano!), and the incredible wood carvings all over the park are heads and shoulders better.
Those saying Typhoon is prettier likely have an axe to grind.
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mergatroid
Well-Known Member
Glad you enjoyed it, genuinely am. I wish it had been like that on my visit. As for the theming, I guess it's pretty subjective? But even Tim Tracker was of the opinion that TL was better themed and he certainly has no axe to grind with Universal, again it's all subjective though.
BrianLo
Well-Known Member
I think the axe to grind stems from the fact that Universal wanted to recategorize the entire theme park landscape to suit their marketing gimmick. Everything from calling it a water theme park to the 3rd theme park gate, it's banal. It's Universals and the Fans *need* to be better in the silly internet flame war that perks up the trolls. Even your review circles immediately back to a comparable Disney park, a review for VB can hardly ever be in isolation. Why is that the lens through all Universal theme park conversations must occur?
Since it is occurring, VB looks excellent in many ways. Issues aside being that reviews seem largely dictated by having a cabana and early entry. Still, you don't see such a dichotomy in the daily experience at Typhoon Lagoon between onsite and offsite guests... sans hurricane of course. I probably would have the most fun in VB with the off-chance of catching a reasonable operation day, or forking out more cash for perks.
There are however quite a few images between the direct comparables that parts of Typhoon Lagoon are still better themed, whereas VB has more nice ornamentation everywhere. It's not entirely fair that Typhoon Lagoon has 20 odd years of vegetation growth whereas VB has a much more prominent weenie. Apples and Oranges.
Which gets back to the whole ornamentation versus theme. Volcano bay's true theme is that it is a water park, one ornamented by a native people. Sort of the Indian Casino's of themes. Is that "theme" truly better than Typhoon Lagoon, or is the park prettier in sections?
The volcano and setting hold up well, then it all starts to come off the rails as it turns into a modern water park.
Scott Osborne
New Member
Looking for advice. I’m planning on being in Orlando in 2 weeks. I really want to check out Volcano Bay, but the mixed reviews I’ve seen online give me pause. At this point are the crowds a little less / Universal ironing out the glitches or am I best to skip it for now and try again next year after some more time has passed?
I just don’t want to pay a bunch of money and find that I got to ride 2 slides in 5 or 6 hours of being there.
I just don’t want to pay a bunch of money and find that I got to ride 2 slides in 5 or 6 hours of being there.
Disneyhead'71
Well-Known Member
The crowds are significantly less now that Summer is over. You should be fine.
JoeCamel
Well-Known Member
Don't expect to waltz in at 11 or 12 and have a full day riding slides. Put a little effort into it like you would for a theme park and get there early, plan to relax during the peak times and then catch what you want for the last part of the day.
sedati
Well-Known Member
I was there September 18th, and here's some thoughts:
First of all, there seems a lot of confusion on how to actually get there, so my first advice is to have that all figured out beforehand and to allow the time so you're not wasting your early hours.
Overall the park is new, fun, and has many new-to-me style slides. There are great themed elements, but the overall effect does not achieve a cohesive whole. The first vista of Krakatoa is the best, but it steadily degrades as you make your way around. Even from the front there are exposed slide elements and platforms that spoil it a bit. I had commented earlier from just seeing others photos and videos that from behind the volcano looked more like a giant burnt tree-stump, and sadly this was exactly my impression on seeing it in person. That said, be sure to wander the caves below which are well done as are the adorable gator bridges.
The park did not reach capacity the day of our visit, and the walking paths were never oppressively crowded. Tapu Tapu and the virtual wait system was exactly as I'd come to expect from reading reviews and blogs, and not at all as Universal advertised (same with the Jimmy Fallon ride- easily the worst wait at that resort.) Tap and get a wait time- which fell usually around forty plus minutes that day- though Krakatoa and Ko'okiri hit three hours. Surprisingly, the time seemed to always come up as ride now quicker than expected, but when we arrived at the actual line we encountered a pretty consistent thirty or more minute wait (occasionally much longer due to breakdowns- the longest of which involved a mat getting fed into the conveyor incorrectly and getting chewed up.) These waits are almost entirely spent going up unthemed and uncovered stairs with views of surrounding roads and strip malls. I think we were there from about opening to five and got on most of what we hoped to at least once (though I would have loved to do more repeat rides.)
The slides:
Krakatoa- Actually rode this three times. First time was at opening, we rushed over and had a short wait. The other rides were lucky breaks (for us) as the ride went down throughout the day and we happened to catch it as it reopened (though one wait failed as it broke again while we were in line.) A fun group ride, but overall repetitive and unimaginative. Downhill, uphill, turn. Downhill, uphill, turn. The mechanics are interesting and I liked how they let gravity exhaust itself on the way back up before catching you and launching you up the rest of the way. The last hill and drop are by far the best. The scenery is almost a showcase of how they dropped the ball on theming, though it's fun to see the guts of so many exposed slides and supports wizz by. This type of ride could offer more if there were some sort of set pieces, special effects, or even sounds along the way.
Two of the three mechanical drop slides were down all day (not broken as I later found out, but being re-worked and have since re-opened.) First of all be prepared for a daunting number of steps to reach the 125 foot high slides, but I guess that's to be expected. I have never done a mechanical drop slide before, and it was intense, fun, and over in a literal blur. I couldn't see anything, but that's hardly the point. I unfortunately found Ko'okiri quite painful... especially for a male. I kept my legs and arms crossed as instructed, but as I hit the bottom third my hands went quickly downward to shield a sensitive area that was taking an unexpected and unpleasant pummeling. Glad I did it, but didn't even entertain the idea of doing it again (the insane wait for the one-at-a-time slide was also a deterrent.)
All of the large family style raft rides were great fun with the blue Honu being my favorite ride in the whole park. The loading process seems very inefficient and we constantly saw the four to six person rafts going down with just two riders (not heavy ones either as I do understand there are weight limits.) As others have stated, they should also have designed it so one raft could be loaded while another waits for dispatch. One confused family could really delay the line.
Punga Racers are great fun and quite zippy, but had the longest wait for us as the mat conveyor had gone down.
OhNo drop slide- Unlike Ko'okiri which drops the floor out from you at the beginning, this slide drops you out high over a pool at the end. I had high hopes as I remembered a slide at River Country that did a similar thing. The wait was long, and the slide was surprisingly short. What I found odd was how the final plunge was handled. You slow to a near crawl along a straightaway which removes any element of surprise when the drop finally happens.
Taniwah tubes- these were the constant ride-now option where one did not use Tapu Tapu. The line was long all morning, but towards the late afternoon there seemed a sudden drop-off and we managed three rides with under fifteen minute waits. My favorite was the dark blue slide. Nothing groundbreaking, but these are fun tube slides of a good length and variety.
Kopiko Wai Winding River- pleasant as expected. Not nearly as long as the ones at Disney, but you can certainly spend as long as you like in them. Not as shaded or scenic (though we did have an odd glimpse into some childish mayhem going on in a room of one of the neighboring towers) but there is a cave (ignore the concept art, but it's still nice.) Wish there were more spots to get in/out so that one could use this as a lazy form of transportation as you often can on these type of rivers.
TeAwa the Fearless River- great fun, but my whole party seemed baffled at how this was operated (I have not been to Aquatica where there is apparently a similar type river, but my companions had and yet they all found this one to be borderline dangerous.) Even with vests, it seems children (even tweens) should not be allowed in. It is far to easy to be swiftly whisked away from another, and the water is pretty deep. Even as adults we could not stay within eye-sight of one another. Getting in and getting a tube is a real challenge as it's very difficult to stand still especially with other tubes bumping you. I advise caution, but once settled in, the river is great. There is a wave effect at one point and another with rather extreme bobbing, where again, you will collide sometimes violently with others. This river also gives you another great view up into the mezmerizing guts of Krakatoa.
Wave pool- there is a neat bell that gongs with a changing logo for the types of waves, but somehow all I ever saw were bobbing waves. The water is cold- too cold for those in my party and we didn't really spend any time in the wave pool. There is an adjoining pool (no waves) that is more comfortable and also offers views of riders on Ko'okiri zipping though a transparent tube. This pool goes under some falls which I found quite inviting, but was yelled at when I swam towards them. Oddly, there is an entry point right there and others were yelled at as well- not sure why they don't put up some kind of rope instead of having the life guards constantly deterring the guests vocally.
Misc- none of us had been there before and would have greatly appreciated more signage and anything with a clock on it. Tapu would be great if it doubled as a watch, and even better if it could somehow locate the rest of your party if you should split up. Once we got the lay of the land it does seem to be split into two halves. The front half is basically the wave pool and the majority of beach chairs along with the best view of the mountain and it's many impressive waterfalls. This is where you could imagine yourself in a next-gen themed water park. The back half is where all the colorful slides are and feels very much like a Wet-N-Wild. As trees grow in the place will only get better, but I was surprised at the glimpses of the outside world offered at ground level (not just visually, but audibly.) Overall, I had a good time and recommend giving it a try, but was happy to have my expectations hampered by early reviews. Volcano Bay's biggest issues come from the expectations Universal set. There are a good variety of slides, especially ones that can be enjoyed as a group though personally I felt a lack of simple old fashioned body slides. Food and drink are apparently better here, but I for one rarely seek out food at any water park and didn't do so here. My companions were interested in the pizzas, but found the lines too long to bother. It's a well balanced mix, but for pure immersion or theme I'd say Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach are leagues beyond.
Hope this was helpful, and feel free to ask any questions you may have. I'd had a long drought time in the theme parks, and am happy to finally be able to offer first-hand opinions again.
Scott Osborne
New Member
Thanks so much. That is an excellent review!
It tells me what I need to know. I’ve been to a number of water parks - including both of Disney’s & Aquatica.
My experience at those 3 was that even on a busy summer day I was able to kind of show up partway through the day go on lots of slides and such.
Right now it sounds like VB is still really new and attracting a lot of people / glitches still being worked out. As awesome as it sounds - I’m gonna skip it this go around and hopefully next year when some of the newness has worn off and there’s more time for Universal to figure it out or open more attractions or whatever - then I’ll go. This year I’ll probably only have l1 day to go to Orlando - if I was there for a whole week it would probably still be worth it as part of a 4 or 5 day pass.
It tells me what I need to know. I’ve been to a number of water parks - including both of Disney’s & Aquatica.
My experience at those 3 was that even on a busy summer day I was able to kind of show up partway through the day go on lots of slides and such.
Right now it sounds like VB is still really new and attracting a lot of people / glitches still being worked out. As awesome as it sounds - I’m gonna skip it this go around and hopefully next year when some of the newness has worn off and there’s more time for Universal to figure it out or open more attractions or whatever - then I’ll go. This year I’ll probably only have l1 day to go to Orlando - if I was there for a whole week it would probably still be worth it as part of a 4 or 5 day pass.
JoeCamel
Well-Known Member
Next year they will have an addition to the south portion. Look forward to a mammoth water coaster
mergatroid
Well-Known Member
Any news on when the expansion will be ready? In October and they're still being slaughtered on the reviews and if they're true, still reports of numerous slide breakdowns. It does seem people prefer the option of having some slides off the virtual reservation system now which appears to be a plus.
sedati
Well-Known Member
But they already have a mammoth water coaster. I'd rather they fill the area with multiple (themed) slides and get capacity up.
mergatroid
Well-Known Member
Looks very quiet this time of year which must be great for guests if not for Uni. Many rides showing ride now, lots of new electronic signs, some new padding on the slides and a few new meal additions. The video here shows the park deserted on a beautiful day 
Furiated
Well-Known Member
(sigh) The weight limit is still slightly too low on the two serpentine body slides for me.
Oh well, the other two in my group will get to ride them.
-Rob
Same. This is the one super disappointing thing for me. They raised it to 230 for my last trip which meant I could ride them... then they were both closed for work on the landing pool. Then they re-opened back at the 200 limit. I can get close to 200 but not under, and I’m assuming the TMs don’t have any wiggle room if someone is like 205.
mergatroid
Well-Known Member
Impractical Jokers