10 Things We Love About Volcano Bay

In this episode, we “head over” to a South Seas Oasis (in the heart of Florida!) Universal’s Volcano Bay Water Theme Park and chat about our overall park experience while listing the things we love most. We also discuss a few suggestions on how to make your next trip more memorable. 

The Atmosphere

The Hawaiian music and beautiful scenery throughout the water park made us feel like we had gone away to a faraway tropical island.  We were most surprised by this element since the park is right next to a major Florida highway! But the atmosphere changes to that Polynesian vibe from the moment you arrive through the park’s entrance and provides that wonderful south seas escape. 

2. Changing areas

Throughout the park, the restrooms, lockers, and changing areas are not only very convenient but most importantly, we found them to be super clean. What was especially great was utilizing the showers and changing rooms when we decided to park and hop over to Universal Studios.

3. Tapu Tapu 

 You’ll wear a wearable, waterproof band on your wrist while at the park. It not only holds your spot virtually in line at attractions, but you can also use it to open rental lockers and make cash-free payments. You can even have fun tapping your band to activate water jets on fellow guests and other surprises. The Tapu Tapu is included with park entry and while there is an option to purchase an express pass at Volcano Bay, we opted to not do this visit as wait times were never too long.

4. Krakatau, the centerpiece volcano and its beautiful waterfalls 

What a sight.. The Volcano is absolutely stunning. While you can see it along the highway, there’s nothing quite like seeing it in person. The waves along the volcano on Waturi beach aren’t thrilling, it is really relaxing and more welcoming to those that have young kids.

Venture inside the volcano’s heart to visit Vol, the spirit of Krakatau. With fountains, mist, and incredible lighting you will love chatting with this ancient being.

5. Fearless River

Universal Orlando Resort- “Up for an Adventure? Head to Hammerhead Beach and take a thrilling whitewater ride through the heart of the volcano and down a run in Rainforest Village. Put on your life vest and race along with a roaring, watery onslaught of churning rapids and chopping waves.”

6. Plenty of non-body type slides

This may be just specific to our family but most of us do not love going on too many slides without a raft. Here there are plenty of great water attractions that do not involve sacrificing our backs.

7. Krakatau Aqua Coaster

Universal Orlando Resort- “It’s a Drencher. Honorary Waturi can experience the power of the volcano on this amazing ride. Four-person canoes slide upward through the mists and into the dark twists and turns within the volcano before emerging with a plunge through a shimmering waterfall.

Our eldest called this “waterfall space mountain,” and we could not agree more.

8. Comfortable waters..

The water temperature was always perfect. We visited the park for two days, and each time the weather was very different yet the water was always the right temp for us to all enjoy. This might not seem like a big deal but it’s actually a huge factor for our family to be able to have fun together. 

9. Dining 

Dining at Volcano Bay was surprisingly delicious for a water park. We enjoyed sweet pineapple upside-down cake, Poke bowls, loaded nachos, Mahi Mahi sandwiches, burgers, and more. All are reasonably priced with great size portions.

10. The Merchandise

We might be alone in this opinion but we all LOVE the Volcano Logo and found ourselves wanting to purchase all the souvenirs.

Our Best moments:

-Enjoying our nonalcoholic pina Coladas along Hammerhead Beach

-Fearless “Crazy River” with the whole family

-Braving Honu of the Honu slide 

Unlocking A Few Key Takeaways of Universal’s Volcano Bay:

• You will be going through security and metal detectors so be sure to avoid bringing any glass with you for safety reasons. Guests will be barefoot in the park most of the time so this is a non-negotiable issue. Team members are super nice about it if you accidentally pack something containing glass and will give you the option to return the item to the car or they can throw it away for you.

• Be prepared to ride a bus. This was a surprise to us. After parking in Universal’s dedicated garage you must take a bus to the waterpark. 

That said, the buses are clean, the team members are great and we didn’t feel stuffed.

• You can take advantage of early park entry if you really want to secure a great lounging spot but we did not find it to be crucial as we did not spend too much time on our lounge chairs. That being said, all the popular slides have practically no wait times the earlier you visit.

• Many people wonder, do you hear sounds of Interstate 4? The only time we ever noticed we were along the highway was when we were high up on

And at one point we did notice sirens above the island music but between the sounds of the waterfalls crashing, the music, and the high trees, we were able to immerse ourselves in the island.

• Fearless River is so much fun and a great way to spend time while waiting for the next attraction with your tapu tapu. That said, the river can be intimidating to some kids. We saw a few kids dislike the wave part when going through. (Minimum height requirement of 42 inches and under 48 inches requires an adult companion)

• Bring towels to save money (we brought our resort towels remember to return them). The park does offer keepsake towels to purchase or you can also rent and return at the end of the day.

• Dining options are plentiful- we enjoyed various items but keep in mind you can bring your own food/snacks

• If you are going with a large group or want to be sure to have time away from the sun, definitely splurge on one story or two-story retreat -Cabana, but remember to book in advance. Same with “premium seating”

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• Unlocking The Magic Travel

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Thanks For Listening

Hope you enjoyed this episode!

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Email us your question or suggestions for future episodes:Info@unlockingthemagic.com

Also, come talk to us on Twitter & Facebook and see the photos from our recent trips on Instagram. That’s it for now! Until next time, have a great (and of course magical) day.