Volcano Bay: Photos & Reviews

Previewing Universal's Volcano Bay: Don't go there yet (yeah, we went there)

First negative review mainly because Disney would never a half open park and Universal rushed to finish and everything wasn't done.

 

Saddest review ever. First off all she tells all other reviewers are partial because they get free stuff but but she isn't. Evey media event will pamper the media. If you are a professional you try so see whats there, not whats given.
Then she point out everything that is not finished in broad strokes comparing it to Disney. That is also unprofessional because you should judge it for what it's meant to be . Beyond that it's wrong because (for instance) Disney's new Fantasyland was a building pit for many years while parts opened in slow pace.
Then there is the thing you should know about the last few resorts and rides Universal opened. They aren't done. That should be a complain for that moment but you should be informed that they will always complete and fix it in the end (unlike a certain Yeti).

 

I don't know, I think you kind of sound bitter because she told how she really felt instead of regurgitating PR. It's beyond obvious the park isn't 100%. You didn't need to read this article to realize it.

All this "review" is really saying is, maybe it's a good idea to wait until the park is 100% before throwing down $250 for a family of four. Which I totally agree with.

The news channel bragging about the lazy river they didn't ride pretty much proves her point.....

 

I'm totally fine with the review. And good for her- it's her opinion and just as valid as any of ours. The difference? If we criticize, nothing changes. She risks not being invited back.

Yes, media always gets stuff- that was her point- they give you stuff so you don't say bad things- or, your experience is a better one which gives you a false sense of liking things more. It's not the reality all of us face- compd everything and spoiled. I'm actually shocked we got a negative opinion because of all that. So again, good on her

Escalator not working. True.
Tapu Tapu only working on a couple things. True.
No lazy river. True.
Landscaping not even close to done. True.
They didn't have the main attractions up and running for a couple hours after they came, etc.
Did we forget all the exposed wires and extension cords all over the place or no mulch and plants in pots on dirt all over the place on the live feeds we saw?
There wasn't an area there wasn't a worker- every time someone turned a corner there were another 2-3 workers on something. That's pretty unprecedented for a media preview.
Im too young for Epcot, but DAK and Sanghai certainly weren't this unfinished for the media preview (by watching the shanghai feeds).

I looked past all of that stuff because I realize it's new- and was excited for the cool stuff. But her suggesting people wait a month for them to finish is what everyone here has been saying for the last half year.

 

That's actually a pretty good review, nothing she said wasn't true. I was expecting actually more people to be annoyed by the 30 minute bus wait when it was supposed to start at 10 ( I guess they weren't allowed). As she pointed out, I'm sure the anonymous bloggers on the bus she quoted didn't write anything about their actual thoughts because they wouldn't be invited back.

I liked that she gave credit for them really trying and working hard to get it done. They had to have seen them working all night.

 

I was at the park all day yesterday. I loved it. Some great slides that you definitely have to experience if you love water parks. It should go without saying they opened too early. Most of the park remains unfinished for grounds work. There are still lots of patches of dirt and there was still a crane underneath the volcano. Some sections of the park sectioned off because they werent finished. A stair case for the body plunge was still under construction causing the line for kala and tai nui to get insanely crowded. The tapu kiosk for that ride wasnt working so everyone had "ride now" on their tapu all day for those rides and everyone caught on you could get away with multiple re-rides. Krakatau is an amazing water coaster. I actually enjoyed all the up hill stuff as much as the drops which is quite a thing to experience. And Kala anda Tai Nui the 2 drop pods at the top of the volcano were my favorite slides of the day. Very fast and thrilling. Tai Nui is probably my favorite. Im going back again next week to do more of the group rides. Krakatau broke down mid day so if youre interested in that you should check it out early. I wasted a lot of my day with krakatau on my tapu patiently waiting for it to re-open after breaking down. Also one of the 2 lazy rivers was closed all day. It was still dirty and the water wasnt completely clean. The other lazy river didnt have any water effects on. No waterfalls or anything on. You could see they were there but just not spraying. Kindof a bummer for people trying to experience the park now.


Overall i love the park. The trees need to grow and spread their magical shading powers. They still need to complete some projects. I will be back again multiple times to ride things I didnt get to experience.

 

Nice review. Good to hear from an eyewitness to the actual VB

 

Tapu Tapu is amazing. I loved it for lockers/ buying food and drinks. They just need to have all the kiosks working so it controls the flow of people and correctly removes the ride now from the rider. The major annoyance comes when something closes for temporary repairs and you either abandon that virtual line or wait for it to come back up. I love that it constantly is giving you real time updates about the park.. when my first ride went off I was more impressed that it let me know this than annoyed that I couldnt ride it haha. I spent 120 min in a virtual line for krakatau which then broke down for 2-3 hours mid day. You would need to abandon that line to get in another virtual line which delivers a problem because say you already waited 110 minutes and it was ten minutes out from your ride and then the ride breaks down for 2+3 hours. If you abandon and come back you might have another 120+ min virtual line again before riding. But the virtual line adjusts accordingly if people leave the park or abandon your ride time gets pushed up. The staff at Krakatau urged people to ride that early in their day because its something new that will probably go down a lot. I think its a park that calls for multiple visits to experience it all. Im looking forward to my next sun burn.

 

It's nice to say that this is a park that needs multiple visits to experience it all, but it's also a bit condemning. By nature water parks are "half day" parks. If UOR doesn't figure out this new line system, it will be a problem.

 

Is anyone really worried about them eventually "figuring out" the line system? I mean really?

 

They just built so many slides. The top of most staircases offer a choice between 2 to 4 different slides. I would say its impossible to do it all in one day. I think if I were just an average park goer going to come to universal for a weekend I would buy a 3 day park hopper and use a couple days for the water park and split a day at universal/ islands.

 

I know that your user name is Darkridelover, but UOR has less dark rides than Disney, I mean really? Your bias is showing.

 

Yeah, I think once everything is open and running a little smoother it will be fine. I'm talking about the current situation. I really don't think the demand will stay this strong forever. At the end of the day it's still just a water park.

 

I'm sorry what does that have to do with the virtual queue system that we were talking about? You want to attack me personally that's fine but at least stay on topic. It's ridiculous.

 

So, how then did you do so many while waiting for the coaster? Did you have to tapu all 11, one after the other?