For the past six months or so, guests staying at Universal's
Cabana Bay Beach Resort have been looking their windows and watching as a
mysterious mound of dirt grew …
Universal's Volcano Bay construction site in December of 2014. Photo by Jim Hill
… and grew.
Universal's Volcano Bay construction site in February 2015. Photo by Jim Hill
And when Universal Orlando officials were quizzed about what
the Resort was building on this triangular piece of property (which is bounded
by I-4 to the South, Turkey Lake Road
to the West, and Cabana Bay
to the North), they'd just say "We're not ready to talk about that project
just yet."
Well, today Universal Orlando officials changed their minds.
They're finally revealed what they're building right next door to Universal's Cabana
Bay Beach.
Which will be the Resort's third park, Universal's Volcano
Bay.
Copyright 2015 Universal Orlando. All rights reserved
Universal Orlando's going to wait a bit before getting into
the nitty-gritty when it comes to this ambitious, immersive project, revealing
which attractions and experiences they'll actually be offering at Volcano Bay.
But right from the get-go, Universal Orlando officials want people to
understand that what they're now building at the Resort isn't just a water park.
What they're really trying to create here is the world's first water theme
park.
To put it bluntly, Universal's Volcano
Bay isn't just going to be concrete
and slides. When they're finished building Universal Orlando's third park, this
will be a lush, tropical setting where — yes — there will be thrilling
attractions for the entire family. But at the same time, guests will also be
able to have these moments where they can stop & relax & really feel like they're in that island
environment. What Universal Orlando is trying to do with Volcano
Bay is very different from what
anyone else in the themed entertainment business has ever done with a water
park before. It'll be an entirely new experience.
Now it may seem strange that Universal Orlando is attempting to recreate one of
those postcard-perfect tropical islands — complete with towering volcano —
right next to one of Florida's
busiest highways. But let's remember that the people who are designing
Universal's Volcano Bay
are the exact same folks who did The Wizarding World of Harry Potter –
Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley. More to the point, Universal Creative will be
trying to give Volcano Bay
the exact same level of intricacies and nuances that The Wizarding World has.
Long story short: Universal's Volcano
Bay is going to be very different
from what people have previously experienced at a water park. Which is why
Universal Orlando officials are calling Volcano
Bay a water theme park rather than
just a water park. When guests finally get to Universal's third park in 2017
and then see how detailed & immersive Volcano
Bay is, people will then understand
why Universal Orlando is now making a point of making this distinction.
But as to when exactly Universal's Volcano
Bay will be opening in 2017, theme
park officials weren't ready to say.
So until the next press release about this project arrives,
I guess that all theme park enthusiasts can do is gaze out the windows of
Universal's Cabana Bay Beach Resort …
The view of Universal's Volcano Bay construction site from the Americana
wing of Universal's Cabana Bay Beach Resort. Please note how close
Universal's water theme park is to Cabana Bay's lazy river.
Photo by Jim Hill
… and watch as Universal's Volcano
Bay slowly begins to rises up out
of that bulldozed pile of dirt.