Blog ≫ 2019 ≫ Holiday 2019 day three
Second full day to the water park Volcano Bay.
Volcano Bay is awesome, and great that it was walking distance from our hotel. Nothing is walking distance in the USA! We took pool towels from the hotel and then a bare minimum of stuff. We could get in an hour early because we were at a Universal hotel but we did not have fast passes for this one. The early hour is so good, we bagged some loungers and then got on some rides. Thing one was keen to go on the biggest highest "drop slide", I was not, but I manned up and went with him, hoping he'd chicken out before we got to the top. It's called Ko'okiri Body Plunge and is the highest "body slide" in America apparently. This one is partly like one of those things they used to transfer money round department stores and partly like being blasted out of a tap or flushed down a toilet. You stand in a small thing like a shower cubicle forty meters (125 feet) up at the top of the volcano. And then the floor drops away. Man alive it was fast, in a few seconds you are down in the water again. This from the wikipedia:
A near-vertical (70-degree drop) speed slide with a trap-door start that passes through the Krakatau volcano, falling 125 feet (38 m). The slide will also pass through one of the pool attractions at the base of the volcano, described by the park as a "world's-first" feature. Along with the Kala and Tai Nui Serpentine Body Slides, Ko'okiri Body Plunge is the tallest drop capsule slide in the world. It is also the tallest body slide in the world to send riders out of a drop capsule the entire height of the slide in one continuous descent
At least it was smooth, I had fears of getting a whack on the back like on the first ride I went on in Minorca that time. This was the most impressive scariest ride I went on on this trip for sure.
While we were on that, Clare and thing two went on some big inflatable multi person raft rides, the Maku, which we'd all go back on later. You get up to five people on one inflatable facing each other and go down some huge water slides being slung about. We met up again after our first hour and went on as many rides as we could, though the queues started to build up quickly. We went on the Punga Racers a few times as that was one that was safe for all of us to go down independently, and we could race each other, but we also went on the lazy river again and the more hectic fearlesss river.
I even wrote a proper review of Volcano Bay at the time and put it on the google as I had some thoughts:
Better than the theme parks too many activities for one day, we came back twice. Even those who thought they did not like water parks loved it. Come early as the queues for the big thrills build up fast. Tapu tapu queue reserving works smoothly. Lots to do with no queues too like lazy river. Recommended only one star off for everything being so expensive inside and food not looking great.bring a picnic. Another tip get a mini locker for $9 all day and bag a free lounger lots cheaper than the premium seating options. Also shoulda got a waterproof phone case in advance...
Tapu Tapu is the waterproof wearable system that they have, you can load up your card details and pay for stuff (far too easily) and use it to check into rides and get in a virtual queue, and also operate fountains and water guns and things around the park. Works very nicely and it's how you manage without a wallet when you're in a park and they want you to buy stuff. We had heard it did not work well at all, but was great for us. My actual wallet and phone were in the locker we hired for the day (think we mistakenly got a "family locker" for $16 on the first day). We left our towels and sun cream and things on the loungers in the big beach area and came back to each of these multiple times. I didn't even take a camera and mostly didn't have the phone with me, and we did not yet get a waterproof phone case, so not many pictures of this one but here's one of me only looking slightly grey in front of the Krakatau volcano.
So much fun to have at this park that we planned to return.
We probably went back to the hotel pool after this to be even more waterlogged, and then out for dinner at a neighbouring hotel this time. This was superb, Jake's American Bar at the Universal Pacific hotel. They did a vegan burger (so much better than the Hard Rock Cafe offering) and a flight of ales. Can't go wrong with that!
Just found this fun news story1. We did not get electrocuted:
Universal Orlando Volcano Bay issues statement regarding electric shocks in some areas of the water park: After several guests reported minor electrocutions at Universal's Volcano Bay water park last week, four patients were transported to area hospitals, OFD said. A Universal spokeswoman said the patients were park employees. The employees have since been released from the hospital. But questions remained about what exactly had happened, so Universal released a statement last Wednesday night, saying they closed rides and certain parts of the park to identify specific areas that were affected
- Removed old orlandoweekly.com/orlando/icymi-universal-looks-into-why-guests-were-shocked-at-volcano-bay-floridians-are-open-to-universal-background-checks-on-gun-sales-and-other/Content?oid=25457901 link here.