Volcano Bay: General Discussion

[Porkchop]

Yes, I knew this looked familiar! I used to love this show as a kid. Maybe that's what Universal should add in the expansion. A chance to be part of the Legends of the Hidden Temple game show. I'd sign up for that.

Me too, loved that show! The final seemed to be almost rigged to be so hard, I only remember seeing a handful as a kid win the thing. Such fun!

 

[rhino4evr]

Is this what people wanted for Vol?

nailed it. UOR should hire you.

 

[Alicia]

We were talking about slide theming the other day and wondering why the rockwork doesn't go all the way up to the Ohyah and Ohno slides. It's so water can spray under the slide to aid in the person moving forward into the pool.

This picture shows the slide with the slide water off but the underneath water between the rockwork on:

 

[JoeCamel]

We were talking about slide theming the other day and wondering why the rockwork doesn't go all the way up to the Ohyah and Ohno slides. It's so water can spray under the slide to aid in the person moving forward into the pool.

This picture shows the slide with the slide water off but the underneath water between the rockwork on:

To be fair if they had wanted to (and they still could) the rockwork could go up to the lip of the slide and not interfere with the spray

 

[12th Man]

My god... :yikes:

 

[fryoj]

My god... :yikes:

They need to change the soundtrack and add some rumble when it does that. The islandy music completely threw it off for me.

 

[Frank Drackman]

I haven't watched any videos, but maybe the non lava colored lights are just evening lights and the 'lava' effect is limited to the eruption and lava flow afterward?

 

[romo]

So I missed it. Are the two slides that dropped Fromm 300 to 200 pounds temporary or permanent. Because that is a little low? And why?

 

[LJGonz]

I've heard a lot of it being temporary but I'm not seeing any new supports on these two slides and everyone who said it was going to be a two week delay is so far wrong,

 

[cdnusagurl]

They need to change the soundtrack and add some rumble when it does that. The islandy music completely threw it off for me.

I agree. I get that they are going for a Polynesian island vibe, but when I think of a volcano erupting I think of the ground shaking while a loud thunderous roar erupts reminding me to fear for my life like I'm running away from Pompeii.

 

[sonoma15]

Keep in mind the volcanic eruption is not complete yet.

 

[Disneyhead]

I get what you are saying and comparing, however, Volcano Bay was never suppose to integrate the slides into the landscape. The theme is that the park was ADDED to the landscape, not a PART of the landscape. Typhoon Lagoon is mostly themed to where you are riding 'natural' slides in the landscape that formed from a typhoon. Volcano Bay is a landscape where a water park was added to it. That is why all the slides and supports are exposed, they were added to the environment. This is why the rivers don't have rock work edges, they were man made and are not 'natural rivers'. As I noted earlier in the thread, there are no exposed volcano supports for the rock work, the only exposed supports are for the slides.

I understand why many think the slides and supports should be integrated into the landscape. However, judge the park on what the theme is suppose to be, not what you want it to be. This is not a criticism of what theme is better, more just to point out what the VB designers were going for. There are many other issues that were missed in VB during its rough opening but execution of their intended theme was pretty good.

Honestly, I love Typhoon Lagoon, but I think the three raft rides Keelhaul Falls, Mayday Falls and Gangplank Falls are the only slides that succeed in 'natural' themeing. The other slides, while nicely hidden in the rock work and are fun rides, truly don't make sense from a themeing standpoint. Why is there fiberglass 'naturally' occurring in the landscape? Those slides should have been made of different material to look like smooth rock if they truly wanted them to be themed in a natural landscape. Same for blizzard beach, melted snow apparently makes fiberglass. Again, fun slides and interesting theme idea and great integration of 'hidden' supports but if you think about it, it just doesn't make sense. Especially from a company that prides itself in the details...

You seem to be the only person here that "gets it".

Don't get me wrong, I understand why it's meant to look different but there is a huge difference between being man made and being man made by an early civilisation that the Waturi people are meant to be. I wouldn't have a problem with supports being visible if they were covered in bamboo or made to look like rickety old wood but just plain exposed steel is such a contrast to this world they're trying to showcase.

Because the park wasn't built by the ancient Waturi people, the temples, which are now ruins, were.

The park is supposed to be an ultra modern hi-tech luxury resort built by the descendants of the ancient Waturi civilization rooted in their beliefs and customs that "Water is Life".

The theme isn't that it was a magically built water playground the ancients stumbled upon. The theme isn't that the ancients discovered a water oasis and they built a rickety bamboo water park that the locals have kept up for eons. The theme is the modern descendants of the Waturi people have decided to cash in on their ancient beliefs and package it for rich latte sippin', craft beer/craft cocktail/craft taco (well basically craft anything) consuming, tiki lovin' hipsters. Trust me, Chloe likes the resort style lazy river over the icky dirty river over at the other place. It just goes better with the luxury cabanas and the concierge.

 

[Scott W.]

You seem to be the only person here that "gets it".


Because the park wasn't built by the ancient Waturi people, the temples, which are now ruins, were.

The park is supposed to be an ultra modern hi-tech luxury resort built by the descendants of the ancient Waturi civilization rooted in their beliefs and customs that " Water is Life".

The theme isn't that it was a magically built water playground the ancients stumbled upon. The theme isn't that the ancients discovered a water oasis and they built a rickety bamboo water park that the locals have kept up for eons. The theme is the modern descendants of the Waturi people have decided to cash in on their ancient beliefs and package it for rich latte sippin', craft beer, craft cocktail, craft taco, well basically craft anything consuming, tiki lovin' hipsters. Trust me, Chloe likes the resort style lazy river over the icky dirty river over at the other place. It just goes better with the luxury cabanas and the concierge.

So it's really just the Waturi people selling out. Universal did a pretty bad job conveying that

I'd still have preferred the bamboo supports.

 

[Teebin]

So it's really just the Waturi people selling out. Universal did a pretty bad job conveying that

Yep, just like a Florida developer to plow everything under for human enjoyment. Poor and homeless jungle animules...

 

[Scott W.]

Yep, just like a Florida developer to plow everything under for human enjoyment. Poor and homeless jungle animules...

 

[P@n!K_Sw1tC#]

So the story all along is that Universal built a modern water park and adopted the customs of the people who supposedly lived there prior? Who would have thought? Lol.

 

[JPRA513]

The "It's THEMED to a water park plopped down in the middle of a nice tropical location, and the exposed supports and slides sitting on top of rocks rather than well integrated into them, was all part of the plan!" is such a cop out to me.

 

[Bobharlem]

The park hit capacity almost at opening (9:15AM) this morning. If anyone is going over the 4th of july break... be there VERY early before opening.

It's pretty obvious why they blacked out July except for Premier AP holders.

 

[Gorillaball]

The "It's THEMED to a water park plopped down in the middle of a nice tropical location, and the exposed supports and slides sitting on top of rocks rather than well integrated into them, was all part of the plan!" is such a cop out to me.

Cop outs are common support of theme, that doesn't really bother me.

What bothers me a little bit is this was billed as not only something that would change the game and blow all other water parks out of the water but that it would be essentially the equivalent to a full blown theme park - thus the moniker Water Theme Park. The park was a blatant oversell. It is awesome and maybe the best, but... even defenders are comparing to TL and BB, each have their pros and cons and all are debatably the best park based on personal preference, but this was suppose to un-questionably be the best, end of story. It's not.

Full disclosure - I have not been so it is understandable if you completly discount this.

 

[Gorillaball]

You seem to be the only person here that "gets it".

If nobody gets it, then does it work?