Volcano Bay - our thoughts from yesterday's visit

[Guest]

Went to Volcano Bay yesterday and thought I did feedback on the experience.

Bus from the parking lot to the water park was fine, got in and got locker no problem (cash or credit card swipe from locker) but had to ask where they were as no main map or anything as you get in.

For you've not booked a cabana or one of the double canopied loungers then it could be a long search for shaded loungers or chairs depending when you arrive but I would say shaded ones with umbrellas are MUST as there is a distinct lack of shade anywhere else in the park.

2 lazy rivers (one a bit faster and more turbulent) which is good but one 2 entry points which were a bit of a trek.

The Tapu Tapu band thing for the rides is a bit of a disappointment. 110min wait for a ride time, that's fine, BUT when you go back to the ride all it does it let you enter the queue and then a further 20-30mins wait - so basically you are waiting to be added to the line to wait! No return time and you can't access the queue - it's no fastpass / express pass for sure!

We did the Aqua Coaster and there is zero shade in the queue area and no sprinklers either so a very uncomfortable wait and burnt soles of feet!

Happy we went, severely sun burnt despite slapping on factor 50 all day but wouldn't go back in til they've streamlined the issues a bit.

Was chatting to someone in MK today and he said they had heard about lack of shade and lack of sprinklers on the wide lines so not just me then!

[Kerfuffle1984]

I'm still undecided about slipping it into our October trip, but your mention of lack of shade is a bit worrying as I burn bad at around 17 degrees upwards. Hmm, something worth considering for sure, thank you for your post.

[talk talk]

So, we went to VB today (Fri 23/06/17) after mulling over the mainly negative reviews but decided to take the plunge anyway. We arrived at 08:30 and after car parking and bus transfer got to park at 08:45, 15 mins before opening. This gave us time to find a locker (cost $15 but $8 for a small one). We started with a family slide for 5 (don't know all the names) and there was a 25 minute wait so we went in the lazy river. Got the call to 'Ride Now' 25 mins later so went to ride and joined a queue for another 25 mins before actually starting the ride. We then checked in for the Krakatoa ride and a 45 minute wait time so went to the Rapids ( a faster lazy river) before getting the 'Ride now' notification. Joined a queue for a further 45 minutes before getting on the ride. We did a further 2 man ride which was a 'Ride Now' so no need to book. Waited no more than 15 minutes. By 12:30 we had done all we wanted to do so relaxed under parasol for a couple of hours and left the park at 14:30. Conclusion, the tape tapu worked well, the 'ride now' only means join a queue but overall I think it's on a par with the Disney water parks. I think experience is everything and we will be more aware of how things work on our next visit next week. A final thought is on the time of arrival. We arrived early so wait times relatively short but we noticed wait times of 2-3 hours from around 14:00 so my advice is to arrive early!

[Twinklestar1]

Thanks for the review and advice

[disneytrio]

Thanks for the review, we've decided we won't go on our August visit, but maybe next time we are there we will try it, we're not huge water park enthusiasts, but something we will try later.

[Floridatilly]

Thank you for this information.
We really can't wait in a queue with no shade so will be limited to what we can ride but limited anyway with a 4 year old.
We only want to do a couple of family rides, any idea which would be more shaded and least queue time?
Thanks

[Kass]

We go In September and I really want visit this new water park it does sound and look amazing, but do you think it will be a lot quieter and less busy, I really hope.

[curlysue2]

Excellent measured and honest reviews thanks for the info.
Do they let you wear water shoes on rides etc.? Thought this might help with lack of path misting.

[Guest]

Saw some people wearing water shoes but can't remember if I saw them on the actual rides.

There is a kids area as well which seemed popular with families.

Only other thing I've just remembered is the queuing system - they split the Aqua one into party size - odds numbers on one side (Inc single riders) and evens on the other - needless to say the odds queue went down much quicker as there were way less parties of 1, 3 or 5 etc and they were not doubling up parties of 2 to fill a 4 seater canoe.

The staff did say they were trying different things to revise wait times ( the odds queue used to be single rider only) so they seem to know it's not quite right yet and I would say it needs over the summer to get used to the crowds and work out the kinks

[Animagus]

Appreciate the reviews and honest feedback. Still a few weeks before we need to make a final decision about visiting VB or not. Will invest in some water shoes for all water parks