VOLCANO BAY.....INFO AND QUESTION THREAD........

any opinions on whether it would be better to rent a cabana at Volcano Bay OR get the express pass? Would be about the same price for my family to do one or the other. I suspect my kids won't be interested in spending any time in the Cabana at all so leaning express pass.
 
any opinions on whether it would be better to rent a cabana at Volcano Bay OR get the express pass? Would be about the same price for my family to do one or the other. I suspect my kids won't be interested in spending any time in the Cabana at all so leaning express pass.
When are you going? Soon? Another poster said that waits for food were long. You get a server and a special menu with a cabana.
 
When are you going? Soon? Another poster said that waits for food were long. You get a server and a special menu with a cabana.
We are going July 15th and possible 20th. I've seen that about food lines and am hoping they work out the kinks in food ordering by then. Also no idea how crowded or not crowded it'll be. So it's an unusual time but just curious generally about pros and cons. Tempted by the cabana but really don't think we'd spend any time in it. My kids are ride-obsessed.
 
How old are your kids? My kids are still young and really appreciated the long mid-day break in the cabana because their little legs were so tired. It is a lot of stairs. Your mind says ride, ride, ride, but your legs say tired, tired, tired.
I think being able to tap into ride lines in the cabana instead of heading to the ride itself to get a return time would be nice too, if the park has waits. We were there in early June and there were no virtual lines because the rides were all walk on. I do wonder how much more crowded it's gotten and if they've gone to virtual lines yet everyday or just on the weekends when they seem to be reaching capacity.
I think that if the kids are young enough that you have to be with them on the rides, you will appreciate the cabana for everyone to rest. I think that if your kids are old enough to hit the rides alone, YOU will be the one that appreciates the cabana. Just my opinion. We did the cabana on very low crowd days where we could have easily found shaded seating but we still really enjoyed the cabana, but we need quiet spots in situations like VB due to anxiety issues. It helps everyone decompress. It's a nice thing to have, but only you know what suits your family the best.
 


How old are your kids? My kids are still young and really appreciated the long mid-day break in the cabana because their little legs were so tired. It is a lot of stairs. Your mind says ride, ride, ride, but your legs say tired, tired, tired.
I think being able to tap into ride lines in the cabana instead of heading to the ride itself to get a return time would be nice too, if the park has waits. We were there in early June and there were no virtual lines because the rides were all walk on. I do wonder how much more crowded it's gotten and if they've gone to virtual lines yet everyday or just on the weekends when they seem to be reaching capacity.
I think that if the kids are young enough that you have to be with them on the rides, you will appreciate the cabana for everyone to rest. I think that if your kids are old enough to hit the rides alone, YOU will be the one that appreciates the cabana. Just my opinion. We did the cabana on very low crowd days where we could have easily found shaded seating but we still really enjoyed the cabana, but we need quiet spots in situations like VB due to anxiety issues. It helps everyone decompress. It's a nice thing to have, but only you know what suits your family the best.
This is helpful to consider! Thank you!
 
We are going July 15th and possible 20th. I've seen that about food lines and am hoping they work out the kinks in food ordering by then. Also no idea how crowded or not crowded it'll be. So it's an unusual time but just curious generally about pros and cons. Tempted by the cabana but really don't think we'd spend any time in it. My kids are ride-obsessed.

I haven't done the cabana. There are only 3 of us. However, we end up getting the Premium Seating every time. I wasn't going to get it this time, July 9th, but I broke down because of the food lines. I really like having the built-in lock box too. It's easy to just pop stuff into it and head to a ride. I usually end up hanging out at the chair for a lot of the day, so having the shade, for as long as it lasts, will be nice. We have also waited out a torrential downpour that lasted an hour in the lounger. One trip, my son, a preteen at the time, sat with me at the lounger most of the day and read, when he wasn't in the lazy river.
 
I haven't done the cabana. There are only 3 of us. However, we end up getting the Premium Seating every time. I wasn't going to get it this time, July 9th, but I broke down because of the food lines. I really like having the built-in lock box too. It's easy to just pop stuff into it and head to a ride. I usually end up hanging out at the chair for a lot of the day, so having the shade, for as long as it lasts, will be nice. We have also waited out a torrential downpour that lasted an hour in the lounger. One trip, my son, a preteen at the time, sat with me at the lounger most of the day and read, when he wasn't in the lazy river.
Thank you! Shade would definitely be nice. We are not used to humidity and I know we are going to die in Florida in July so shade is a good idea.
 


Thank you! Shade would definitely be nice. We are not used to humidity and I know we are going to die in Florida in July so shade is a good idea.

I can't guarantee that the shade cover will provide shade all day. Back in October 2018, we had a problem with the direction that the chairs faced, and we were in full sun around mid-day. Another poster was there about June 12th and said there was plenty of shade. Looking at some overhead pics, it looks like they could have moved the loungers to face slightly different. It could also be the time of year, because the sun will be different in the summer vs October. Just wanted to give you that warning. I haven't heard of any problems with the cabanas. There are also umbrellas, shade structures, and trees, so it's not impossible to find shade.
 
I can't guarantee that the shade cover will provide shade all day. Back in October 2018, we had a problem with the direction that the chairs faced, and we were in full sun around mid-day. Another poster was there about June 12th and said there was plenty of shade. Looking at some overhead pics, it looks like they could have moved the loungers to face slightly different. It could also be the time of year, because the sun will be different in the summer vs October. Just wanted to give you that warning. I haven't heard of any problems with the cabanas. There are also umbrellas, shade structures, and trees, so it's not impossible to find shade.
I was just reading that. Honestly, for my family, I think an express pass will probably be a better use of money. My kids are OBSESSED with water slides and I think they'll be doing that all day. So to be able to do each one without a wait, and then use the virtual line to re-ride favorites, is probably the way we'll go. I will probably call about the cabana just to see pricing for that day though.
 
So I’m reading that Volcano Bay doesn’t have its own parking garage and its recommended to park at CityWalk. I’m guessing this means that parking is still going to run $32 or whatever it is to park at CityWalk? And is the distance walkable from the parking area to VB? Also, are you able to leave the park and come back in within the same day if we wanted to grab lunch somewhere at CityWalk? Thank you for the responses. It’s been FOREVER since I’ve been to Universal and I’ve never been to VB.
 
So I’m reading that Volcano Bay doesn’t have its own parking garage and its recommended to park at CityWalk. I’m guessing this means that parking is still going to run $32 or whatever it is to park at CityWalk? And is the distance walkable from the parking area to VB? Also, are you able to leave the park and come back in within the same day if we wanted to grab lunch somewhere at CityWalk? Thank you for the responses. It’s been FOREVER since I’ve been to Universal and I’ve never been to VB.

I can not answer the parking price one but I would guess that the parking fees still apply since they do not know where you are going when you park.

Can you walk from the Parking Garage to Volcano Bay?

Technically yes. You can walk from Cabana Bay Beach Resort to Citywalk and CBBR is right next to VB (literally bumping up against it) so the reverse trip is possible. That would definitely be the long way to do it, time wise and distance wise. You would need to walk through all of CityWalk and go through security and such and then make your way to the hotel. Once there it is easy to get in.

Can you leave and come back?

Yes you can, capacity withstanding. You do need to hand in your TapuTapu wristband as you leave so when you come back you will get a new one. I am not sure if that means you will need to rebuy a locker if you got one earlier in the day or if that info carries over though.
 
How have the wait times been. Thinking of going on 7/1

There's a thread under Trip Reports that is titled "Lazy Saturday..." that gives good insight into a capacity day at VB earlier this month.
I would like to read more "boots on the ground" experiences regarding crowds and wait times at VB, though.

My gut is telling me that weekdays aren't going to have much, if any, waits.
 
My experience at VB earlier this month was hardly any waits at all. No virtual lines at any of the rides because it was not needed. This was over 4 days. June 8-11.
 
We’ve been there all week. Weekdays it’s dead. It was way busier today (Friday), but no waits for rides.
 
any opinions on whether it would be better to rent a cabana at Volcano Bay OR get the express pass? Would be about the same price for my family to do one or the other. I suspect my kids won't be interested in spending any time in the Cabana at all so leaning express pass.

We (kids were 6 and 10) went September several years ago and the cabana really made the experience. We still talk about how it was a splurge so unlike us, but that it really made for a fantastic experience. Ordering food was nice, but being able to get in VQs for any ride from the cabana was awesome (if they still do that).
 

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