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Universal Orlando Resort Reveals Details Of New Water Theme Park ‘Volcano Bay’ Including Rides And New Hotel

By Patrick Frye
Published on: 15:08 PST, Jul 10, 2016

Universal Orlando Resort, the home of the theme parks, Universal Studios Orlando, and Universal Islands of Adventure, has revealed more details of their third theme park, a water park called Volcano Bay. This includes the park’s attractions as well as a hotel being made to accommodate more guests.

According to an article by the Orlando Sentinel, Volcano Bay will be a unique experience for it combines what makes a theme park a theme park with what makes a water park a water park. That alone probably does not make sense, but if one were to analyze it, theme parks and water parks have always been in a class of their own. The example provided, Disney World, is that they have four theme parks (Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom) and two water parks (Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon and Disney’s Blizzard Beach). Nevertheless, Volcano Bay will be a “water theme park.”

Tom Schroder provided a statement in an email in which he details that Universal Orlando Resort wants to do something new, something innovative.

“Our goal from the start has been to create something innovative, both in terms of ride experience and overall guest experience. The park is being brought to life by the Universal Creative team. These are the same people who created The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man and everything else that is great about our theme parks. They are bringing the same level of imagination, innovation, immersion and adventure to Volcano Bay that they have brought to all the rest of what we do.”

It should be noted that Universal Orlando Resort is no stranger when it comes to water parks. Prior to Disney opening up their water parks, the one water park everyone had fun at was Wet n’ Wild. Opening back in the 70s, the water park has evolved numerous times over its 30 years. However, business started to flounder near the end of its tenure, resulting in Universal Orlando Resort to close it by the end of this year.

With Volcano Bay, Universal Orlando Resort has the opportunity to create something different compared to the other water parks already in the area. With Volcano Bay being a “water theme park,” we can see ample opportunity. As a matter of fact, Universal Orlando Resort is releasing details of Volcano Bay ahead of construction. According to Bay News 9, there is a total of 18 attractions, broken down into four different areas of Polynesian influences from Hawaii, Easter Island, and more. They are centered around a large volcano known as Krakatau. The following lists are all the rides and the four areas.

  • Krakatau:
    • three different body slides with surprise doors that drop out beneath the riders: Ko’okiri Body Plunge, Kala, and Ta Nui Serpentine Body Slides
    • Punga Racers: A high-speed race featuring four slides that use manta shaped mats
    • A secret attraction Universal will not reveal yet
    • In addition, while waterfalls will be a daytime feature of the 200-foot-tall volcano, at night the volcano will “illuminate with blazing lava” according to the Universal site
  • Wave Village:
    • Waturi Beach: A multidirectional wave pool
    • The Reef: Leisure pool with calmer waters
  • River Village:
    • Kopiko Wai Winding River: A “lazy river” attraction with hidden caves and spontaneous water effects
    • Tot Tiki Reef: Children’s play area
    • Runamukka Reef: A three-story water playground
    • Honu and Ika Moana: Multi-passenger raft rides
  • Rainforest Village:
    • Maku: A multi-passenger “saucer ride”
    • Puihi: A multi-passenger ride with a funnel and a zero-gravity drop
    • Ohyah and Ohno Drop Slides: Twisting sides that drop you four to six feet above the water at the end
    • TeAwa The Fearless River: A whitewater rapids river that uses inner tubes
    • Taniwha Tubes: Easter Island-inspired slides with rafts for single or double riders
    • Puka Uli Lagoon: A tranquil pool

There is also a report that Universal Orlando Resort might be building a new hotel to accommodate the influx of guests once Volcano Bay opens. According to BizJournals, a permit, filed with the City of Orlando on June 7, wants to construct a 600-room hotel with a parking lot at 6731 Adventure Way. There is no property currently assigned to the address, but it is near the 1,000-room Sapphire Falls Resort. When asked about it, Tom Schroder said there was “nothing to share” on the potential project.

[Image via Universal Orlando Resort Promotions for Volcano Bay]

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