For little ones, there is also the Ketchakiddee Creek play area. Those needing a place to chill out can retire to the plainly named Sandy White Beach or Blustery Bay, Whitecap Cove and Hideaway Bay. In the center of the park, fairly intimidating 6 foot high waves surge across the Typhoon Lagoon Surf Pool throughout the day but for those looking for a more relaxing experience Castaway Creek offers a 2,100-foot lazy river that gently travels around the lush park and through waterfalls, There are a great selection of other slides, all cleverly landscaped into the mountain that also features scenic walkways and caves, including tube slides Mayday Falls and Keelhaul Falls (the latter is shorter and gentler), multi-person raft ride Gangplank Falls, twisting and winding Storm Slides, and the Humunga Kowabunga enclosed speed slides that send riders down five stories in a matter of seconds at nearly 40mph. Propelled through hairpin turns and drop-offs, with three courses to choose from, we did all of them! Another highlight was the Crush 'n' Gusher water coasters where rafts are Our first slide was the newest, Miss Adventure Falls, a superb multi-passenger raft ride with a properly themed queue and even animatronics along the ride. The shrimp boat 'Miss Tilly' sits atop a mountain above a storm-ravaged bay, which every so often blasts a 50 foot geyser of water into the sky. There was a bit of a wait for the changing rooms at the end of our visit as these are quite limited, and the park isn't as immersive as Disney's water parks (being sandwiched between two major roads at a hotel resort) but it's all so beautifully decorated and well planted up that it's a joy to spend time in.Įarlier in our Focus on Florida tour we made the most of an overcast day at Disney's Typhoon Lagoon, the older of their two water parks but for the overall atmosphere our favorite. There are plenty of great places to stop for a bite to eat or something to drink, including delicious cocktails at the Dancing Dragons Boat Bar. There are also loads of smaller slides and play areas for younger guests, incuding Tot Tiki Reef and Runamukka Reef. Recommended only for strong swimmers, the Ohyah and Ohno body slides have high drops into the splash pool below. The park has not one, but two excellent lazy rivers! We enjoyed relaxing on the gentle Kopiko Wai Winding River that passes through the volcano, with decorated caves and special effects, but enjoyed TeAwa The Fearless River even more - faster, deeper and with a few exciting white-water moments. We also enjoyed racing 'slide by slide' on the four-lane Punga Racers lying face down on mats. The Taniwha Tubes can be ridden solo or in pairs. Maku has three high-banked 'saucer' elements, Puihi drops into multiple tunnels and funnels, and Honu Ika Moana sweeps riders up massive walls of water. Some of our favorite rides were the multi-passenger rafts. Kala and Ta Nui are a pair of body slides with trap-door starts, the most terrifying start to a slide we have ever experienced! Only one of us was brave enough for Ko’okiri Body Plunge, a near-vertical (70° drop) speed slide with a trap-door start that passes through the Krakatau volcano, falling 125ft! The last section of the ride passes between two pools, with one above and one below the tube, giving onlookers unique views of riders rushing past. We also took some time to explore the interative elements inside the volcano's passageways. The first views of Waturi Beach were splendid, but we would save this gigantic wave pool for later and instead head straight for the Krakatau Aqua Coaster which is an exciting water coaster taking riders inside the volcano that is the centerpiece of the park. ![]() The park received some criticism during the first few months of opening, mainly due to long wait times for the slides which when busy require the use of a virtual queue system called TapuTapu, but on our visit every slide was able to ride without a reservation. Entry was swift so we were in and ready to ride in moments. Universal's Volcano Bay is the newest water theme park in Florida, a $600 million addition to the Universal Orlando Resort that we saved for our last day, and what a fantastic way to end, going out on a massive high.įrom the moment we arrived we knew we were in for a treat, it all looked so very new and fresh with wonderful theming and tropical music in abundance. During our Focus on Florida tour we visited the fantastic Universal's Volcano Bay as well as Disney's Typhoon Lagoon and Disney's Blizzard Beach for plenty of brilliant water park fun!
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