Volcano Bay Construction & Preview Discussion

[Frank Drackman]

Do we know that they will charge for parking?

 

[KFCbowlcombo]

Do we know that they will charge for parking?

Your first born.

 

[Andysol]

Parking would be the same as IoA/USF as you still park in the garage then tram over.

I wish Uni would go ahead and do a gondola instead and get it build before May just for fun

 

[Parkscope Joe]

I bet Universal will never offer that "buy two day park hopper and get third day free" again. That probably helps.

 

[Andysol]

I bet Universal will never offer that "buy two day park hopper and get third day free" again. That probably helps.

Never say never. All it takes is a terrorist attack or an economic bubble to burst...

 

[GadgetGuru]

Universal has done a horrible job rolling out ticket information for Volcano Bay. It really shouldn't be this difficult to understand theme park tickets. It looks like a $40 difference between a 3-day 2-park ticket and a 3-day 3-park ticket. When did theme park tickets get so complicated?

Charging $120 for a single-day is absolute insanity. Discovery Bay is a boutique park with limited attendance and unique experiences (and free food, drinks + parking!). Atlantis exists solely to gouge cruisers and just generally be a tourist trap that feels upscale.

If Volcano Bay wants to charge that much, the park needs theme park worthy experiences or it needs to double down on being a boutique park and steal some lessons from Discovery Bay.

 

[SkiBum]

Well, they are a few months away from opening. They can probably get the information out pretty quick to clarify. So, the water coaster running through the volcano. Does that mean that you are riding in lava tubes?

 

[Scott W.]

Universal has done a horrible job rolling out ticket information for Volcano Bay. It really shouldn't be this difficult to understand theme park tickets. It looks like a $40 difference between a 3-day 2-park ticket and a 3-day 3-park ticket. When did theme park tickets get so complicated?

Charging $120 for a single-day is absolute insanity. Discovery Bay is a boutique park with limited attendance and unique experiences (and free food, drinks + parking!). Atlantis exists solely to gouge cruisers and just generally be a tourist trap that feels upscale.

If Volcano Bay wants to charge that much, the park needs theme park worthy experiences or it needs to double down on being a boutique park and steal some lessons from Discovery Bay.

I'm thinking a lot of the confusion is intentional. They put out a lot of stupid pricing and 1 great ticket. Even if the great ticket is priced too high, it's going to look like a bargain compared to the other options.

 

[GadgetGuru]

I wouldn't say the confusion is intentional. I think they're making it more difficult for people to book their trips.

 

[tielo]

Buying a 1 day ticket for WDW (DHS, Epcot or AK) is also insanely expensive when you see what it is. On their own these 3 parks could never survive. But as a whole, with the discounts going higher every time you add a day to your stay it's getting cheaper. Even 1/4th park like DHS even sees guests nowadays due to that ticketing structure.

Universal has 2 very nice decked out, well maintained theme park that do great business. Adding a water theme park for only $40 is a steal. There are a ton of rides, great pools and a huge volcano. It is also a regular value of $129 (for a day ticket) so the guests will even perceive it as an even better deal.
I'm also positive this water theme park will have a nightlife of it's own with the volcano show and entertainment to keep the crowds entertained and eating and drinking into the night.

Both Disney and Universal make most of their money from hotels, food and souvenirs so the math works regarding the ticket prices.

 

[Sledge]

Never say never. All it takes is a terrorist attack or an economic bubble to burst...

All you need is a TicketsAtWork.com account and you can get deals like that nearly year round. Disney even has a buy 3, get 2 day deal going on. My previous employee had a Company Code on the site, so I am on there legitimately (or WAS, at least, since I don't work for Marriott anymore), but I believe a quick Google search can pull up codes so that you may register. As far as I know, once you are registered, there is no confirmation you actually work for the company and can buy tickets as frequently as you need to.

The downside so far is that I've only seen Volcano Bay available in the 3 day package, so it looks like you can't use the "2 free days" deal towards VB. At least it doesn't say so yet.

Edit: I believe GaylordStar (or GaylordStars) was the Company Code for the Gaylord hotel chain, if anyone would like to create an account on there for deals. Also, not affiliated at all with the site aside from using it every HHN season for Orlando tickets.

 

[Frank Drackman]

Parking would be the same as IoA/USF as you still park in the garage then tram over.

I wish Uni would go ahead and do a gondola instead and get it build before May just for fun

We'll sort of. I mean, I thought I heard there is a separate toll booth for VB parking and it only uses the ground floor. I do not think it would be that hard to isolate foot traffic from the ground floor reaching access to the moving sidewalks (sure, folks could find a way), but I think it would be possible for VB parking to have a different cost than the current charge for the City Walk area.

So, really I was just asking if the parking cost for VB is just an assumption or if it is known that they are charging for parking?

 

[BAC]

Will it be possible to walk from Royal Pacific to Volcano Bay? I suspect the answer is 'no' but the Loews website says the walking paths will take you to each of the Universal properties. I'm thinking they haven't updated the website.

 

[randompixel]

If the entrance price is that high I dread to think the price of the cabanas.

Also will there be metal detectors on the water coaster?

 

[Scott W.]

Will it be possible to walk from Royal Pacific to Volcano Bay? I suspect the answer is 'no' but the Loews website says the walking paths will take you to each of the Universal properties. I'm thinking they haven't updated the website.

You can walk from CBBR to RP so I imagine you will. I imagine once the new hotel opens, it will be even easier.

 

[Scott W.]

All you need is a TicketsAtWork.com account and you can get deals like that nearly year round. Disney even has a buy 3, get 2 day deal going on. My previous employee had a Company Code on the site, so I am on there legitimately (or WAS, at least, since I don't work for Marriott anymore), but I believe a quick Google search can pull up codes so that you may register. As far as I know, once you are registered, there is no confirmation you actually work for the company and can buy tickets as frequently as you need to.

The downside so far is that I've only seen Volcano Bay available in the 3 day package, so it looks like you can't use the "2 free days" deal towards VB. At least it doesn't say so yet.

Edit: I believe GaylordStar (or GaylordStars) was the Company Code for the Gaylord hotel chain, if anyone would like to create an account on there for deals. Also, not affiliated at all with the site aside from using it every HHN season for Orlando tickets.

Wouldn't you know it, I've managed to sign up using the state of Georgia code.

 

[tidecat]

I believe Atlantis Aquaventure single day tickets are as much as $150, so it could be worse.

 

[Scott W.]

 

[GAcoaster]

Will it be possible to walk from Royal Pacific to Volcano Bay? I suspect the answer is 'no' but the Loews website says the walking paths will take you to each of the Universal properties. I'm thinking they haven't updated the website.

The Garden Walk was designed to connect everything including VB eventually. It's kind of the backup for when buses go down.

I would like to point out that I did tell you the price of a ticket would be comparable to the other parks. They don't want the locals to come unless they pay for it. It's not a babysitter or a hangout like Wet N Wild. This is a boutique park designed to keep guests on property longer.

 

[Scott W.]

There is something about the look of these slides that makes them look severely dated. It's still relatively early days and we're looking at just the bare bones here so hopefully that will change over the next few weeks.