Hot Time at Universal’s Volcano Bay

I've flown over Denali in a tiny plane, zip-lined the Mexican jungle and white-water rafted the Colorado, but this was decidedly out of my comfort zone. Ko'okiri Body Plunge, an extreme water slide that screams through 200-foot Krakatau Volcano at a 70-degree angle then drops 125 feet into a splash pool -- after first climbing 13 stories to board a drop capsule with a trap door -- intimidated me.

But that’s the pleasure of Volcano Bay. The third park for Universal Creative’s brilliant minds, Volcano Bay offers that “breathtaking” slide for thrill seekers while others can choose from the four-passenger, half-pipe-style Honu ika Moana raft rides. Or they can flop into a tube and float not one but two winding rivers (one action-packed, one lazy). Or they can toddle over to Runamukka Reef. In fact, they can explore 30 experiences and 18 water attractions, and they can do it all without standing in line because there’s also new technology that conquers parkgoers most-hated theme-park aspect -- the queue.

The Legend and the Reality

Before designing Volcano Bay, the Universal Creative team went searching for inspiration. They found it in New Zealand and the Maori people. Then they created a little backstory about the mythical Waturi people and a mystical fish. Maori water dancers and fierce Haka war dancers were on hand for an authentic ceremony at the May opening, and, excuse the pun, they blew the legend out of the water.

Parkgoers won’t find the Maori there now, and they won’t care. At entry, they’ll strap on a TapuTapu -- a techno-bauble that fits the wrist and tracks everything from admission tickets to purchases to a virtual place in line for a ride.

Meanwhile, they can enjoy more than 60 South Pacific-inspired dishes at eateries such as Whakawaiwai Eats or The Feasting Frog; ride the multidirectional wave pool off Waturi Beach; relax in a private cabana and grab a park-exclusive POG (pineapple, orange and guava juice blend); or just go wandering among whimsical décor such as colossal tiki heads and bloated bullfrogs to search for possible Ride Now! signals on other rides.

TapuTapu also allows TapTu Play -- fun stuff such as firing water cannons at lazy-river riders and making Tot Tiki Reef whales spout water. Another nice touch -- no one ever has to tote a mat or tube; conveyor belts handle the job.

The rides are the raison d’etrefor Volcano Bay -- and they don’t disappoint. Everyone has a favorite: the Maku Puihi round rafts, crazy-fast Kala & Tai Nui Serpentine Body Slides, and the Taniwha Tubes. Or the park’s “marquee attraction,” the family-friendly Krakatau Aqua Coaster (which races down and up through the dark volcano), and the cheekily named Ohyah and Ohno Drop Slides, which shove riders through and drop them off four feet and six feet, respectively, above final splashdown. It’s hard to nail down a number one.