Volcano Bay

Universal Orlando’s custom-built water park, the tiki-tastic, 28-acre Universal's Volcano Bay, opened in the summer of 2017, and is already number seven in the world’s most-attended water parks. This slippery playpen is a beaut: The centerpiece, a 200-foot volcano gushing with waterfalls and steaming with mist, is now a landmark beside I-4. Its systems are just as audacious. Guests borrow a sensor wristband, called TapuTapu, that they use to make purchases (if they’ve linked their credit card to the Universal app first) and trigger spray tricks and photo stations. Tap the band to the talisman posted at flume entrances to reserve a place in a virtual line for later. TapuTapu counts down your wait time while you do other things, and when it’s time to ride, the wristband notifies you to head to the attraction.

And what rides, none of which require you to tote a raft around (and there are floaty vests of every size to borrow for free): Highlights of the 11 or so choices, which truly run the gamut from mild to wild, include Krakatau, an aqua coaster that pushes riders up and down slopes in a toboggan; Ko’okiri Body Plunge, a 70-degree, 125-foot body slide that begins with a trap door and rockets you along a clear tube through the wave pool; four Punga Racers slides; Waturi Beach wave lagoon (the gong means it’s time to surf); toddler and kids’ areas; Ohyah and Ohno slides that drop you into a pool from 4–6 feet; the six-person Maku Puihi round-raft rides that spit you into a massive bowl; the Kopiko Wai winding river that passes through the illuminated “Stargazer’s Cavern”; and many twisted flumes besides those. (Yeah, those names get confusing fast, so get a guide map as you enter, or better yet, bone up before you arrive.)

Walkways are kept wet and cool so you can go barefoot, and you’ll find many hidden spots with free loungers and powdery sand—they’re emptier at the back of the mountain, so that’s where you should grab your locker (which are multiple-entry using a code you determine).

It’s a well-crafted environment, but it’s not a park where you can expect to ride every single thing in a day, though arriving right at opening will help squeeze in more. TapuTapu only permits one reservation at a time on the flumes (the two lazy rivers, kiddie zone, and pools don’t require reservations; neither does anything with a sign reading RIDE NOW), and you’re free to replace any current reservation with a new one. While you wait, you’re expected to do the non-reservation stuff—nosh at the six distinct food locations (quite good—stuff like poke and burgers), drink cocktails (nice and strong), and sunbathe. You can ease the logjam somewhat by paying more to cut the lines with Express ($20–$120 depending on how busy it is and if you want the right to use it multiple times on the same ride), but to be honest, you should save that expense because riding everything would be exhausting here.

You have to climb the equivalent of 13 floors each time you do the most extreme slides, and there’s not much shade, neither of which is unusual for a water park. Most visitors, especially older ones and those with young children, are satisfied with the amount of stuff they wind up getting to do. Renting a cabana, if you can afford it, also helps since you’ll be able to join virtual queues from a tablet there; you also get bottled water, snacks, a butler, and a home base kids can always return to (from $199, but usually more like $500). More affordably, “Premium Seating” (around $127) consists of a pair of padded loungers with canopy, lockbox, and wait service. (Book those and cabanas at 877/489-8068.) There’s no drop-off at the front gate; Universal hotel guests take buses, and outsiders park in the Universal structure ($26) and take the free shuttle from the back of the bottom level there. Guests of Cabana Bay can just walk next door.

Tip: In spring and summer it often pours rain in the mid-afternoon, and the park can empty out then. If you can wait about 90 minutes for these storms to pass, you’ll be rewarded by greatly reduced waits on everything.

Details

• Address: 6000 Universal Blvd., Orlando
• Neighborhood: Universal Orlando Resort
• Website: http://www.universalorlando.com
• Hours: Typically opens around 9am and closes around dusk
• Prices: $80–$85 adults, $75–$80 kids 3–9 (discounted when purchased with tickets to the dry Universal parks). Towel rental $6; locker rental $13–$16; private cabanas $199–$550; parking $26, then free shuttle bus