From the Wizarding World of Harry Potter to superheroes and the Express Pass, Universal Orlando Resort is a favorite destination for this family. And now, there is another reason to love the Universal Orlando Resort family of parks even more - they have added a brand new, super innovative and expansive South Pacific themed water park, Volcano Bay. We recently had the opportunity to visit and here is what we learned.
Best Place to Stay: Cabana Bay Beach Resort
The best place to stay to visit Universal's Volcano Bay is Universal's Cabana Bay Beach Resort. This hotel not only has the most incredible retro 1950's vibe happening, it is steps away from the entrance to Volcano Bay and offers guests early admission to the park (which is a huge advantage because the park often reaches capacity very early in the day). Early admission to the park also ensures that you will be able to hit the popular rides first, making your wait times even shorter.
Universal's Cabana Bay Beach Resort offers several types of rooms: standard, poolside, family suites (can sleep up to six) and Volcano side rooms with views of the park. There are two big pools on each side of the hotel; one side of the hotel has "motel" style rooms which are entered from wraparound terraces on each floor while the other side offers rooms in a tower with interior hallways. One side has a large pool with a lazy river, and the other has water slides, a splash pad area and more. We stayed on the "motel" side in a family suite with two queen sized beds with a pull out sofa and kitchenette in an adjacent room. It slept five very comfortably. And, while it was on the opposite side of the hotel from Volcano Bay, this ended up being an ideal location because the pool my children preferred, with the watersides and splash pads, was right outside our door.
Even though we spent most of our time at the parks, there was plenty to do right on-site. In addition to the large pool areas and lazy river, there is a bowling alley, an arcade and a large gift shop. There are several options for food as well: six restaurants, a full-service Starbucks and a shuttle to any of the other resort hotel restaurants.
Another advantage to staying at Cabana Bay is that CityWalk, Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios are just a short bus ride away from the hotel. While we were there, there was always a bus waiting and it usually departed moments after we boarded. The bus drops you outside of City Walk where you walk through metal detectors and through the shops and restaurants to get the entrances of the parks.
Universal's Newest Park: Volcano Bay
I can say without a doubt that Universal Orlando Resort has done everything right with Volcano Bay. Not only does Universal's Volcano Bay have a wide range of options for every age and every family, it is an innovative and "next -level" theme park which aims to offer an immersive, technology-driven experience that is almost entirely hassle-free.
Walking into Universal's Volcano Bay feels like you have stepped onto an island in the South Pacific. You are greeted in a welcoming tiki entrance and each guest is given a waterproof TapuTapu wristband to wear in the park (Tip: to save time, create an account online or using the Universal Orlando Resort app ahead of time. More on the TapuTapu band later). Steps away from the entrance is a sandy beach covered with chairs and umbrellas facing a towering and beautiful 200 foot tall Krakatau Volcano surrounded by a giant wave pool. Look to the top of the volcano and you will notice that there are slides built into the volcano itself, including some of the largest slides in the U.S., at 125 feet high.
Volcano Bay is huge and is divided into 4 villages, each offering a variety of rides and experiences - from the dare devils, to those looking to relax, and from the young, to not so young. First, decide whether you want to rent a cabana (this requires planning way ahead as they tend to sell out months in advance) or just find an area with lounge chairs (look for the sandy beaches) where you would like to have as a home base for connecting, relaxing and reapplying sunblock - we found a great shaded area with lounge chairs and umbrellas near the volcano and near one of the entrances to the lazy river (tubes are provided, no need to carry your own) which proved to be a great location. If you have little ones, you may want to set up camp at Runnamukah Reef, a great play area with smaller slides and splashing areas. Next, take a look at a map of the park and plan ahead, this will help maximize your riding time. Make sure you hit up the most popular rides first, such as the Krakatau Aqua Coaster (seriously the most fun water slide ever) and the Ko'Okiri Body Plunge (if you dare) because the wait times for these slides tend to get longer as more people arrive. Also, for an added element of immersion in the experience, look for pieces of the story of the Waturi Islanders throughout the park and follow in their footsteps as they search for a new home with the help of a mystical fish named Kunuku.
While you may bring your own towels and coolers with food and drinks into the park, if you prefer to travel lightly, you really don't need anything other than your entrance tickets, a credit card, swimsuits and sunblock. Towels may be rented for five dollars each and the food is fantastic and definitely worth checking out. There are six dining outposts and over 60 different menu items to choose from - from traditional theme park fare to Polynesian inspired fare ranging from Hawaiian Ribs to Mango BBQ pork to Poke Poke bowls. There are several healthful options and the quality far exceeded our expectations.
Still, in this mom's opinion, the best part about Volcano Bay is that you actually get to experience it, not spend the day waiting in excessively long lines. There are two types of rides at Volcano Bay: those that you may hop on a short line and "ride now" and those that allow you to tap into a virtual line (these are the ones that tend to be the busiest and most popular). Remember the TapuTapu band I mentioned, instead of waiting in line at the most popular rides, you use this waterproof wrist band to tap into a virtual line while enjoying other areas of the park – converting your “queue” experience into a float down a peaceful, winding river, riding a "ride now" ride or grabbing a bite to eat. The display on the band counts down the time left in "line" and vibrates when it's time to ride (you then have an hour to finish up what you are doing and return). This feature greatly reduces the amount of time spent waiting in line.
TapuTapu's convenience doesn't end there. The TapuTapu can be connected to a credit card for purchases in the park and it may be used to access the lockers (each locker can be connected to several TapuTapu bands so everyone in your party can access it at any time), meaning no more keys, cards or money to keep track of. (Tip: if you lose a band as both of my girls did, it is easy to replace at one of the concierge stands, just make sure you bring your entrance ticket.) And, not only is the TapuTapu band practical, it is fun. The TapuTapu band can be used to play throughout the park - there are several locations where it triggers special effects like controlling streams of water spurting from whales in Tot Tiki Reef, shooting water cannons at guests snaking down Kopiko Wai Winding River, illuminating images in the volcano’s hidden caves and more. My kids had a blast running around and locating all of the different spots to engage the band, and they can be found in surprising locations, take a look at the one below, out in the middle of a pool.
Universal Orlando Resort's ability to combine spectacular storytelling with an innovative system for reducing hassle and keeping lines at a minimum, is pure genius, and in my opinion, this is one area in which Universal Orlando Resort truly excels. Between the attention to detail, the layout of the park itself and the Tapu Tapu wristband technology, Universal's Volcano Bay never feels too crowded (even when almost at capacity, as it was on the day we visited the park). You really have the opportunity to immerse yourself in the experience of the park and its rides without the hassle of keeping track of things and spending the entire day standing in line and fighting crowds. Universal's Volcano Bay mantra says it best, Water is Life. Life is Joy. And life is joy at Volcano Bay.
The author and her family were a guest of Universal Orlando Resort for three days. All opinions are those of the author. No other compensation was received.
