{"id":60233,"date":"2018-03-27T08:00:10","date_gmt":"2018-03-27T12:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/?p=60233"},"modified":"2022-04-08T23:46:46","modified_gmt":"2022-04-09T03:46:46","slug":"return-to-universals-volcano-bay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/return-to-universals-volcano-bay\/","title":{"rendered":"Return to Universal\u2019s Volcano Bay"},"content":{"rendered":"

Liliane Opsomer, coauthor of\u00a0The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World with Kids<\/em><\/a>, recently visited Universal\u2019s Volcano Bay. Here is her report!<\/p>\n

Nearly one year after its opening, the overall theme of the park is very well established, as palm trees and lush flora have fully developed. The theming of Universal\u2019s Volcano Bay<\/a> is perfect. The\u00a0tropical surroundings, reminiscent of the islands of the South Pacific,\u00a0make it the nicest water park out there.<\/p>\n

\"Volcano<\/p>\n

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I could have enjoyed my day reading a book, sipping a Volcano Bay Rum Punch, and taking an occasional dip in the pool and making a couple of rounds in the lazy river, but, after all, research demanded that I take a grand tour.<\/p>\n

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Towering proud in the middle of\u00a0Wave Village\u00a0is Krakatau. The village is\u00a0home to\u00a0the\u00a0Krakatau Aqua Coaster; Waturi Beach, a multi-directional wave pool; and The Reef\u00a0leisure pool with\u00a0its own waterfall. Here you can relax, swim up to the far end of the pool overlooking Waturi Beach, and watch guests shoot down the Ko\u2019okiri Body Plunge.<\/p>\n

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Waturi beach and other areas of Volcano Bay have plenty free-of- charge seating, as well as upscale options such as single and family cabana units ($159.99-$299.99).<\/p>\n

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For a party of two, however, the premium seating option, which includes a\u00a0pair of padded loungers with an adjustable shade canopy and a built-in storage lockbox, is perfect. For $29.99 you can relax comfortably, hide from the sun, and keep your camera and cell phone out of the sand.<\/p>\n

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Daredevils will head straight for the slides that come down Krakatau. The Ko\u2019okiri Body Plunge, a 125-foot slide with a\u00a070-degree-angle descent, is terrifying. If you want to built up the excitement, start with the slightly less scary Kala and Ta Nui Serpentine Body Slides. Beware, though: All three rides start with a\u00a0fall through a\u00a0drop door.<\/p>\n

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Less scary, but a lot of fun are the\u00a0Punga Racers. Grab a mat and race down to the pool across four lanes.<\/p>\n

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Did you know that you can walk through the\u00a0volcano? I recommend you do so. Along the way, make sure to have a chat with the God of the dancing water fountains and use your TapuTapu to see the cave walls\u00a0light up. The walk provides a great view over Waturi Beach and gives you an idea of how huge Krakatau is.<\/p>\n

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In the\u00a0River Village\u00a0section of the park are Volcano Bay\u2019s children\u2019s play area and the Kopiko Wai Winding River. Tot Tiki Reef is perfect for toddlers, while Runamukka Reef is more suitable for older kids.\u00a0The lazy river takes you\u00a0through the tropical landscape of the park and the volcano itself.<\/p>\n

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River Village is also home to not-so-tame rides. Honu and Ika Mona,\u00a0two\u00a0multi-person raft rides, are not for the faint at heart. If you must, try Ika Mona first, as it\u2019s a slightly gentler ride. If that feels just right, then go for Honu, the absolutely scariest group ride in the park.<\/p>\n

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Once you\u2019ve determined that you like living on the wild side, head over to\u00a0Rain Forest Village,\u00a0where you can experience the\u00a0Maku\u00a0and\u00a0Puihi\u00a0round raft rides, the\u00a0Taniwha Tubes, as well as the\u00a0Ohyah Drop\u00a0and the\u00a0Ohno Drop\u00a0slides. All of these rides are intense and end with a big drop into a pool.<\/p>\n

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Also located in the Rain Forest Village is Teawa the Fearless River, a wild, high-speed whitewater river.<\/p>\n

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In addition to wild rides, Rain Forest Village provides lots of fun for very young children at the Puka Uli Lagoon, a shallow pool where little tykes can splish-splash to their hearts\u2019 content.<\/p>\n

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How to Plan and Enjoy your Visit<\/strong>
\nAs with any theme park, the golden rule is to arrive early. Guests staying on property are allowed into the park one hour<\/a> before official opening time. Either way, be at the entrance to the park 30 minutes before opening.\u00a0Upon entering, guests receive a wearable TapuTapu <\/a>wristband, enabled with a technology that allows them to make\u00a0virtual ride reservations, reserve and open lockers, and make payments throughout the park. The TapuTapu is linked to a credit card via the Universal Orlando website or app.\u00a0Familiarize yourselves with the TapuTapu and make full use of it.<\/p>\n

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In front of each ride there is a totem with several reservation posts where guests\u00a0can\u00a0tap their wristbands to obtain a return ride time.<\/p>\n

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The device will alert guests\u00a0when it\u2019s time to experience the attraction. Now that they are in a virtual line, guests are\u00a0able to enjoy\u00a0other areas of the park. At the park entrance and throughout the park, wait-time boards display the wait to expect for each attraction. Note that only one reservation can be made at a time. This is very important to remember. If a ride shows an afternoon return time and it is still early in the morning, you may want to reconsider your choice.<\/p>\n\n

Ready! Set!\u2026 now go for the blockbusters\u2014such as\u00a0Aqua Coaster, the two Hony rides, the Ko\u2019Okiri Body Plunge, and the Maku raft rides. Pick your favorite and make a reservation; get a locker and a seat only after you\u2019ve done this. Next, check the wait-time boards to see if there is any ride posted with no wait and go for it.<\/p>\n

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Once you have enjoyed the top rides, set some time aside to just walk this lush tropical paradise, take a dip in the lazy river, and enjoy the wave pool of Waturi Beach. And when you are done with that, repeat!<\/p>\n

Food for the Hungry Riders<\/strong>
\nFour dining venues serve Caribbean- and island-inspired food and drinks. At\u00a0Bambu<\/a>\u00a0inside the Rainforest Village, we recommend the quinoa edamame burger topped with roasted shiitake mushrooms, lettuce, tomato, sriracha mayo, and a side of fries.<\/p>\n

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At River Village\u00a0Whakawaiwai Eats<\/a>,\u00a0the longboard Hawaiian pizza with caramelized pineapple, diced ham, and pickled jalape\u00f1os is simply the best.<\/p>\n

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The\u00a0Kohola Reef Restaurant & Social Club<\/a> serves great Hawaiian ribs (with mango slaw and fries) and a good coconut curry chicken accompanied by rice and sweet plantains.<\/p>\n

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For desert there is nothing better than the Chocolate Lava Cake. Go for it!<\/p>\n

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At\u00a0The Feasting Frog<\/a>,\u00a0the tacos are the best option. Sadly enough, the taco sampler is no longer on the menu. For a lighter dish, on a hot day, I prefer the Poke Poke Bowl (ahi tuna tossed in a soy honey vinaigrette, with plantain chips).<\/p>\n

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All eateries are quick-service locations, and meals can be purchased with the Universal Dining Plan<\/a>. A one-day quick-service meal plan costs $23.99 per adult and $15.99 for children ages 3 to 9. The plan includes an entr\u00e9e, a snack, and one non-alcoholic beverage option.<\/p>\n

And what would an island paradise be without exotic drinks? In the Rainforest Village, guests can enjoy beverages at the\u00a0Dancing Dragons Boat Bar. At the Wave Village, libations are served at the\u00a0Kunuku Boat Bar. Both locations are easily\u00a0recognizable by the colorful Chinese junk ship sails on top of the buildings.<\/p>\n

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If you like to quaff a good brew, try the\u00a0Volcano Blossom, the on-tap signature drink from the Orange Blossom Brewery especially brewed for the park. Another good choice (also available on draft) is Kona Big Wave, imported from Kailua Kona, Hawaii.<\/p>\n

Admission Prices and Logistics<\/strong>
\nSingle-day access to Volcano Bay costs\u00a0$71.31\u00a0for adults and $66.03\u00a0for ages 3-9, taxes included. Volcano Bay is\u00a0a short walk from\u00a0Cabana Bay Resort<\/a> and Universal\u2019s\u00a0Royal Pacific<\/a> and Sapphire Falls<\/a> hotels. There is no parking at Volcano Bay. Guests staying off-property and Florida residents must\u00a0park at Universal\u2019s theme park parking structure at the CityWalk\u2019s transportation hub. Designated lanes lead to water-park-only parking spots. From there, a\u00a0free\u00a0shuttle bus brings visitors over to Volcano Bay.<\/p>\n

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Unless you are a resort guest, don\u2019t think of parking at the nearby Cabana Bay property or the soon-to-open Aventura Hotel<\/a>. Both properties charge hefty parking fees aimed at discouraging guests from parking at the resorts.<\/p>\n

During my recent visit, I stayed at the Cabana Bay Towers, from where it is a short walk to Universal\u2019s Volcano Bay. Best of all, the tower rooms facing Volcano Bay offer amazing views of Krakatau, especially at night.<\/p>\n

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Universal\u2019s Volcano Bay is totally thrill-central, a beautifully landscaped park, and I know that I will be back for more soon.<\/p>\n

For more information on Volcano Bay and Universal Orlando, check out Seth Kubersky\u2019s book\u00a0The Unofficial Guide to Universal Orlando<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Did you like this article? Make sure to share it with your friends! Check below for easy ways to share!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

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    Liliane Opsomer, coauthor of\u00a0The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World with Kids, recently visited Universal\u2019s Volcano Bay. Here is her report! Nearly one year after its opening, the overall theme of the park is very well established, as palm trees and lush flora have fully developed. The theming of Universal\u2019s Volcano Bay is perfect. The\u00a0tropical…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":68,"featured_media":60721,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5387],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-60233","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-volcano-bay"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60233","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/68"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60233"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60233\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":61261,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60233\/revisions\/61261"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/60721"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60233"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60233"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60233"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}