Volcano Bay - Opens May 25th

Could this be a new water park with a tiki theme?

See the tiki in the lower right corner.

Universal has just announced their Volcano Bay water park. They’re calling it a third theme park. Is it really going to be up there with Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure? Water Parks don’t usually live up to “Theme Park” status. Looking at Universal’s track record of late- it’s a possibility. Here’s what they’re promising:

Imagine a place that offers radically innovative, thrilling attractions, peaceful moments of relaxation and an inspired guest experience that will forever change the perception of water theme parks. It will be set in a highly themed, completely immersive environment inspired by postcard-perfect tropical islands. And it will be the kind of special place that only the Universal team – the same team that has changed the face of Universal Orlando Resort in recent years – can envision and create. ~ MiceChat

"People are like islands. You have to get close to them to know what they are about."
~ Adam Troy

[ Edited by: MaukaHale 2015-05-29 20:53 ]

[ Edited by: MaukaHale 2017-05-25 07:48 ]

So lots of 3D movie screens then?

It will be here next year:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8t6Am7cgc2I

This will be good competition for the water parks from SeaWorld and Disney.

The video shows nice tropical island theming, thatched roofs, etc. but no real tiki is shown yet -- the features may be shown at a very early conceptual stage. Let's hope that if they incorporate tiki they will do it in a non-Jimmy Buffett and non-Florida crappy tiki manner.

Keep it real! (I know, I know... How "real" is tiki? Oh, the irony! And that's why we drink, right?)

Tiki is there, just not the focus of the presentation. In the opening shot you can see a voyaging canoe, as well as Tapa cloth and Tiki masks on the entrance sign at :21. There is also water spitting Tikis at:23 and Moai around the water slides and pools. The elements are clearer in the concept artwork.

A few more images...

I wonder if this place has a tiki bar. This looks like they took the tiki theme to the max.

http://micechat.com/161861-volcano-bay-new-water-theme-park-now-open-universal-orlando-resort/

Interesting. Not sure how Volcano Bay measures up to Schlitterbahn from a purely "water ride" perspective, but they've clearly invested a tremendous amount of time and effort into the presentation. Is it authentic tiki? Well, not really. But tiki itself isn't an authentic representation of anything other than itself. It looks fun and welcoming, and they've done an impressive job of conveying age with some of that statuary. And I don't see any signs of Jimmy Buffett, although I expect plenty of his tunes will be playing over the park speaker system, and I'd be surprised as heck if there wasn't a Margaritaville restaurant near the entrance (if not now, then at some point in the future).

We don't normally visit water parks when traveling, because they're normally disappointing to us (what can I say? Living in New Braunfels has spoiled us). But this one would tempt me.

Looks fun. I like the tiki aspects but am also curious how the rides and slides stack up to a place like Schlitterbahn that's practically in our backyard.

Mike, you must be referring to Texas bikinis versus Florida bikinis? While your state could give us a decent run for our money, I'm confident that our state would win. :P

Mike, have you ever been to the South Padre 'Bahn? The logistics there are incredible--the vast majority of the rides are connected to the encircling river so that for all practical purposes, you never have to get out of the water. We went back in the day when a season pass could get you into all of their parks. The aesthetics of Schlitterbahn parks can't compare with monster productions like Volcano Bay, Blizzard Beach, etc. There's plenty of thatch and tropical nods, but not much of a unifying theme (the German aspects are mostly confined to the names, not styling). I can't recall ever seeing anything close to tiki in the NB, Padre or Galveston parks. There's a reason Schlitterbahn annually tops lists of best waterpark in the U.S., though. The Henry family has built a very lucrative parallel business in design and consulting with these other parks.

Whoa, my first post! Hi y'all!

I live in Orlando and have been to Schlitterbahn in New Braunfels almost every summer since 2006 or so. Based on all the stuff I've seen from local press, bloggers and friends who work at Universal, Schlitterbahn (at least NF's original section) has nothing to worry about.

From what I saw/heard, Volcano Bay is gorgeous, but today was its first day of opening and it has its share of problems and, of course, crowds. Hubby and I will go after Labor Day, when the crowds die down.

No tiki mugs there, BTW. Not from what I can tell (and one of my friends spent most of his day at the bar and tweeted pics). Just a coupla plastic clear cups with Volcano Bay's logo, and plastic cups that look like tikis but they're plastic.

BTW, there IS a Margaritaville, over at Universal's Citiwalk. So yeah, they have that covered :).

Sharon
Central FL

Welcome, Sharon! My two daughters both worked at Schlitterbahn in the past--one of the few places in town that'll hire 15-year-olds--so we've had season passes until recently. What brings you to Central Texas from Orlando?

Taking a swim at Volcano Bay

Theme Park Adventure: Volcano Bay

On 2017-05-25 20:40, SharonKurheg wrote:
BTW, there IS a Margaritaville, over at Universal's Citiwalk. So yeah, they have that covered :).

Sadly, not Tiki though. As far as the bar drinks at Volcano Bay, I wouldn't expect much - a lot of pink looking drinks with umbrellas. Jack Daniels, Cuervo, and every rainbow-flavored Bacardi rum under the sun.

Review by Theme Park Adventure with lot and lots of photos.

Theme Park Aventure: Volcano Bay opens at Universal Orlando Resort

Looks like Party City erupted, and 1 hour plus lines sound like a good time to go to Typhoon Lagoon! :)

I think this place looks great. Actually kind of surprised to see such a 'meh' reaction on this board. I don't see anything 'Party City' or 'Margaritaville' at all, more like a stylized, cartoony take a la the Disney parks/trader Sams etc. Looks well designed & faithfully executed.

Some were not happy with opening ceremony of Volcano Bay.
(Thanks to Waikiki Tiki for heads up on this)

New Zealand News: Maori 'diminished' by Universal Studios' Polynesian water park 'tiki lounge' attraction

A reaction to above

New Zealand News: A prominent Maori leader says critics of a kapa haka group from Aotearoa's involvement in the opening of a Universal Studios' Polynesian-themed water park in Florida need to "loosen up".

The decor seems to bounce on both sides between authentic and silly/clown tiki. I still think I'd enjoy the park itself - I enjoy a theme with waterparks.

On 2017-05-30 06:38, happy buddha wrote:
I think this place looks great. Actually kind of surprised to see such a 'meh' reaction on this board. I don't see anything 'Party City' or 'Margaritaville' at all, more like a stylized, cartoony take a la the Disney parks/trader Sams etc. Looks well designed & faithfully executed.

Different strokes for different folks... First of all, I'm not a Universal Studios guy. Perhaps I would be more of one if they actually built an area based on the classic monsters, but as theme parks go, I still see Universal as a weird mix of thematic half-measures overcompensated for by visual and auditory loudness, brashness, and busyness. It feels more like a mix between Vegas and a carnival... Walking through Citywalk almost makes me anxious that Disney Springs or even Downtown Disney didn't, and then you get to the parks and its all soundstages and billboards and speakers fighting for your attention. I look at those photos of Volcano Bay and all I'm seeing is a claustrophobic mess of neon. The volcano looks cool, but the rest of it, like Citywalk, almost makes me anxious just looking at it. In comparison, Typhoon Lagoon or the grounds of the Polynesian Village Resort feel calmer and more enjoyable, for me. And even though Typhoon Lagoon and Trader Sam's and so on have their own contrived stories, they are far more naturalistic. Disney actually ISN'T cartoony in the way Volcano Bay appears to be.

On 2017-05-26 07:40, Prikli Pear wrote:
Welcome, Sharon! My two daughters both worked at Schlitterbahn in the past--one of the few places in town that'll hire 15-year-olds--so we've had season passes until recently. What brings you to Central Texas from Orlando?

Hi Pritiki and thanks for the welcome! My husband watched a TV show about "The Best Water Parks In The World" (or some such) in the early-mid 2000s, we went for our first time in 2006-2007ish, and, with a few exceptions when we just couldn't make it work, we've we visiting once a year ever since :). By this time, it's our "we don't have to make plan, and just GO" vacation. We stop off at the Whole Foods in Austin after we land so we have healthier stuff to bring to the parks. We know to park at the chicken place next-door if we want to go to the Starbucks on I-35. We even have our favorite restaurants in the form of Huisache Grill, the Salt Lick (I know there are better places. We still like it LOL) and, when we can, Jack Allen's Kitchen.

Oh, and Buc-ee's!!! I LOVE the New Braunfels Buc-ee's! Did you hear that we're getting one down here? For REALS! Look:
https://yourmileagemayvary.net/2017/04/17/buc-ees-is-coming-to-florida-i-am-thrilled-to-no-end-heres-why-you-should-be-too/

(ETA ^^ full disclosure - hubby and I have a travel blog :wink: )

Sooooo....are there any tiki type places in New Braunfels?

Sharon
Central FL

[ Edited by: SharonKurheg 2017-05-30 17:31 ]

Hmmm. Thank you everyone for the posts and links. Looking at earlier renderings of the park I was amazed by the great looking volcano with some hint of nice tiki and Polynesian culture. I was looking forward to the park's opening. The final result, with the park had me feeling uncomfortable. The tiki, as mentioned were cartoony and disrespectful of it's origins. I cant believe Universal Park reps traveled throughout Polynesia for research. The results looks like they took advantage of their jobs and just sipped mai tais on various Pacific beaches. As in any good tiki, representation of Pacific Island culture are better displayed as a distant mystique with more authentic looking samples and, at times, real items from the Pacific. Here the tiki devolution is exhibited. More genuine looking tiki could of stood guard throughout the park with signs explaining their names, origins and meanings. Along with different roof designs found throughout the Pacific region and appropriate names to match the architecture. The theming of the water park would be more authentic and educational while most importantly extruding a Polynesian vibe that I'm sure was the park's intention. To put it more plainly, the giant artificial volcano surpassed the looks of earlier renderings (unusual), it is awe inspiring, realistic, and it definitely sets the mood for the park. The park certainly did their homework on the volcano and I can't wait to see it at night. Now if they put that same effort into their tiki, then we would have something. Samples from the Theme Park Adventure.com website below illustrates my point.

Creativenative, good thoughts and analysis, and I also agree (from the photos) that they have built a very good looking volcano. It's a huge and very visible icon for the park. Last time I drove along that section of I-4 six or eight weeks ago it was still under construction, but it looked great.

I'm thinking out loud here and not criticizing anyone at all. I see this park as an expression of the current 2017 incarnation of pop-culture tiki. If the designers travelled and did research, then they had to come back and build something which appealed to families and kids who are not tikiphiles like many of us. I think it was not intended to be a museum, or a learning experience, but simply a fun water park which is visually appealing.

I keep reminding myself that to have such a great expression of faux tropical, Polynesian, island, tiki, etc. built today in such a grand manner is truly awesome! How many years will this stuff last and influence people? 20 years? 30 years? This park may lead a number of their guests to eventually also discover mid-century tiki. Many will also get into Jimmy Buffett.

I really want to visit the park soon, and then hit some of the great cocktail and tiki bars which Orlando has to offer.

You can make the same point about cartoon tikis at Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom. Pele, in the waiting area, doesn't look like anything from Polynesian Culture.

Yup, and subsequently someone coined the term "Disney tiki" to label it We read here every now and then that the Disney tiki stuff was the gateway drug for many who later came to join TC. Volcano Bay is in a position where it may do the same.

On 2017-05-31 08:32, AceExplorer wrote:
Yup, and subsequently someone coined the term "Disney tiki" to label it We read here every now and then that the Disney tiki stuff was the gateway drug for many who later came to join TC. Volcano Bay is in a position where it may do the same.

Perhaps. People said the same thing about Moana - that although they did study and learn and incorporate into the movie, it wasn't 100% true to the Hawaiian culture. But the bottom line is that for the masses, it's good enough. Especially when a "real" Pele likeness could scare a kid and the Disney version is friendly and lovable.

Ever see Neal DeGras Tyson talk about real science in relation to movies like Independence Day? Same sort of thing - stuff like that is made for John Q. Public (and as many of them as possible), not the experts. But if "good enough" gets people interested and involved, then that's a good thing, right? :)

Sharon
Central FL

Good follow-up, Sharon!

Since mid-century tiki and Polynesian pop is a re-creation based loosely on the real stuff, I try to keep that in mind and go easy when I see clown tiki and Margaritaville tiki.

We even have our favorite restaurants in the form of Huisache Grill

Sooooo....are there any tiki type places in New Braunfels?

Sharon, good choice! IMHO, Huisache is the best restaurant in NB. Excellent all around. Gruene River Grill would be next, with McAdoo's (seafood) and A-Tan (sushi) quite nice as well.

Alas, if you've seen the palapas at Schlitterbahn, you've seen the most tiki New Braunfels gets. I'm trying to change that with my home bar, but it's a work in progress, and the progress only comes in fits and starts.

On 2017-05-31 10:10, Prikli Pear wrote:

We even have our favorite restaurants in the form of Huisache Grill

Sooooo....are there any tiki type places in New Braunfels?

Sharon, good choice! IMHO, Huisache is the best restaurant in NB. Excellent all around. Gruene River Grill would be next, with McAdoo's (seafood) and A-Tan (sushi) quite nice as well.

Alas, if you've seen the palapas at Schlitterbahn, you've seen the most tiki New Braunfels gets. I'm trying to change that with my home bar, but it's a work in progress, and the progress only comes in fits and starts.

We LOVE Huisache! I think we discovered it on our very first visit and have gone back every year ever since. Ah, the Mixed Grill.....sigh....drool.

My husband's response to "There's nothing tiki in NB" = "THANK GOODNESS!" (he doesn't share my hobby. I TRIED...I tried SO HARD...I got him both Star Wars sets from ThinkGeek...but it's just not working.

We have passed Gruene River Grill a few times but never made it there. We have eaten at the Gristmill a handful of times until we realized we could do SO MUCH BETTER LOLOL. We used to love...oh, I forgot the name of it. It was in the basement of an old bank or the old City Hall or something? Had the vault and everything. Liberty something. Made it there 2 or 3 times and then they closed :(

Sharon
Central Fl

On 2017-05-31 08:24, MaukaHale wrote:
You can make the same point about cartoon tikis at Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom. Pele, in the waiting area, doesn't look like anything from Polynesian Culture.

Sure, but by the same token...

The issue for me isn't so much that it's fake... as you say, so is Disney... but that it's Party City-style cartoonish silliness. Rolly Crump's Tiki gods are not authentic, but they still mostly look good. Gawd, I wish I had bought the 2004 Pele mug when I had the chance. Now that I've got my Nautilus, that thing is my holy grail.

But yeah, as I said before, Disney actually isn't as cartoony as this place. They typically make things that are much more subdued, naturalistic, and elegant.

My husband's response to "There's nothing tiki in NB" = "THANK GOODNESS!" (he doesn't share my hobby. I TRIED...I tried SO HARD...I got him both Star Wars sets from ThinkGeek...but it's just not working.

We have passed Gruene River Grill a few times but never made it there. We have eaten at the Gristmill a handful of times until we realized we could do SO MUCH BETTER LOLOL. We used to love...oh, I forgot the name of it. It was in the basement of an old bank or the old City Hall or something? Had the vault and everything. Liberty something. Made it there 2 or 3 times and then they closed :(

Liberty Bistro. Yeah, that old city hall building is one of those cursed locations. Nothing that's ever opened there has lasted more than a couple of years. The Gristmill is the go-to restaurant in Gruene because 1) it was the first there, and sparked the whole Gruene historic district revival back in the 70s, and 2) it's got great atmosphere, built up amongst the ruins as it is. The food? Merely average.

The Wife and I, newcomers to tiki though we may be, both think a small, strategic tiki bar could be quite successful in New Braunfels or San Marcos, even though Austin gets all the love. There's so much tourist traffic that they'd do pretty well, but we're not restauranteurs/bar owners by any stretch of the imagination. The closest New Braunfels has is a couple of places that go for the surf shack vibe, and San Marcos doesn't really have anything (despite it's Aquarena/Mermaids history). Even Schlitterbahn could capitalize, and it wouldn't take much at all, but nobody asks me...