During our Focus on Florida tour we visited the fantastic Universal's Volcano Bay as well as Disney's Typhoon Lagoon and Disney's Blizzard Beach for plenty of brilliant water park fun!
Universal's Volcano Bay is the newest water theme park in Florida, a $600 million addition to the Universal Orlando Resort that we saved for our last day, and what a fantastic way to end, going out on a massive high.
From the moment we arrived we knew we were in for a treat, it all looked so very new and fresh with wonderful theming and tropical music in abundance. Entry was swift so we were in and ready to ride in moments.
The park received some criticism during the first few months of opening, mainly due to long wait times for the slides which when busy require the use of a virtual queue system called TapuTapu, but on our visit every slide was able to ride without a reservation.
The first views of Waturi Beach were splendid, but we would save this gigantic wave pool for later and instead head straight for the Krakatau Aqua Coaster which is an exciting water coaster taking riders inside the volcano that is the centerpiece of the park. We also took some time to explore the interative elements inside the volcano's passageways.
Kala and Ta Nui are a pair of body slides with trap-door starts, the most terrifying start to a slide we have ever experienced! Only one of us was brave enough for Ko’okiri Body Plunge, a near-vertical (70° drop) speed slide with a trap-door start that passes through the Krakatau volcano, falling 125ft! The last section of the ride passes between two pools, with one above and one below the tube, giving onlookers unique views of riders rushing past.
Some of our favorite rides were the multi-passenger rafts. Maku has three high-banked 'saucer' elements, Puihi drops into multiple tunnels and funnels, and Honu Ika Moana sweeps riders up massive walls of water. The Taniwha Tubes can be ridden solo or in pairs.
We also enjoyed racing 'slide by slide' on the four-lane Punga Racers lying face down on mats.
The park has not one, but two excellent lazy rivers! We enjoyed relaxing on the gentle Kopiko Wai Winding River that passes through the volcano, with decorated caves and special effects, but enjoyed TeAwa The Fearless River even more - faster, deeper and with a few exciting white-water moments.
Recommended only for strong swimmers, the Ohyah and Ohno body slides have high drops into the splash pool below. There are also loads of smaller slides and play areas for younger guests, incuding Tot Tiki Reef and Runamukka Reef.
There are plenty of great places to stop for a bite to eat or something to drink, including delicious cocktails at the Dancing Dragons Boat Bar. There was a bit of a wait for the changing rooms at the end of our visit as these are quite limited, and the park isn't as immersive as Disney's water parks (being sandwiched between two major roads at a hotel resort) but it's all so beautifully decorated and well planted up that it's a joy to spend time in.
Earlier in our Focus on Florida tour we made the most of an overcast day at Disney's Typhoon Lagoon, the older of their two water parks but for the overall atmosphere our favorite. The shrimp boat 'Miss Tilly' sits atop a mountain above a storm-ravaged bay, which every so often blasts a 50 foot geyser of water into the sky.
Our first slide was the newest, Miss Adventure Falls, a superb multi-passenger raft ride with a properly themed queue and even animatronics along the ride. Another highlight was the Crush 'n' Gusher water coasters where rafts are
propelled through hairpin turns and drop-offs, with three courses to choose from, we did all of them!
There are a great selection of other slides, all cleverly landscaped into the mountain that also features scenic walkways and caves, including tube slides Mayday Falls and Keelhaul Falls (the latter is shorter and gentler), multi-person raft ride Gangplank Falls, twisting and winding Storm Slides, and the Humunga Kowabunga enclosed speed slides that send riders down five stories in a matter of seconds at nearly 40mph.
In the center of the park, fairly intimidating 6 foot high waves surge across the Typhoon Lagoon Surf Pool throughout the day but for those looking for a more relaxing experience Castaway Creek offers a 2,100-foot lazy river that gently travels around the lush park and through waterfalls, mist screens and Mount Mayday.
Those needing a place to chill out can retire to the plainly named Sandy White Beach or Blustery Bay, Whitecap Cove and Hideaway Bay. For little ones, there is also the Ketchakiddee Creek play area. Food and drinks options are plentiful, and the whole place makes you feel like you are miles from anywhere, we could have stayed here all day!
Disney's Blizzard Beach feels very different, contrasting the blue skies and heat of Florida with the appearance of a ski resort! Mount Gushmore is the centerpiece of the park, with the majority of the slides integrated into the slopes, and a very novel Chairlift to transport guests from the beach to the summit.
Summit Plummet is the flagship attraction of the park at 120 feet tall and reaching speeds of up to 60 miles per hour, the third-tallest and fastest free fall slide in the world. We were pretty nervous at the top waiting to go down, but so glad we did it. Another thrilling slide is Slush Gusher, a 90 foot tall snow-banked mountain gully body slide that reaches speeds up to 35 miles per hour.
Teamboat Springs is the world's longest raft ride and sends riders from the top of Mount Gushmore to the other side of the park via an exciting course filled with sharp turns and steep drops. Downhill Double Dipper is one of the world's only side-by-side racing tube slides. Snow Stormers is a mat slide that descends from the top of the mountain and follows a switchback course through ski-type slalom gates. Toboggan Racers is an 8-lane mat slide that has the added excitement of going head to head with others to reach the finish line.
After all the action from the slides and raft rides we spent some time bobbing about in the Cross Country Creek lazy river that travels around park and through a cave where icy water falls from above and then paddling about in the Melt-Away Bay wave pool.
For younger guests the Ski Patrol Training Camp includes a pool, slides and obstacle course plus Tike's Peak features some more gentle slides. Once again, eating and drinking was a real pleasure, with lots of great options.
