any advice for our volcano bay to IoA day?

[mrd7896]

We just decided to extend our september stay by one night so that we can have another full day at Universal.

Originally, we were going to go to Universal on our arrival and departure day and then have one 'full' day in the middle of our stay.

with that being said, this is the first time we are trying volcano bay which i know is really only like a 3-4 hour park.
now that we have a full day, we are going to go to volcano bay and then over to whichever universal park we want more time in (or maybe both!)
i know personally how i feel after a day at a water park and thats...gross..but since we are staying at a disney hotel it would be too much time to go back and forth to freshen up after volcano bay. don't you think?

my brother is staying at Cabana Bay so maybe we go back to his room to shower? is that even an option now for us to take his room key and go to his room? I dont know if universal resorts are being strict with who is entering and exiting their hotels.

if we choose to just go straight from one park to another, is there anything you would do or bring to be more comfortable?

also, does volcano bay make you bring your own towels?

 

[ShadeDK]

(1) September hours aren’t posted yet, but you can probably expect that VB will open around 10am, and that USO/IoA will close around 5 or 6pm. Although possible, this makes split days more challenging. I would not recommend going back to a Disney hotel in between due to lost time.

(2) Uni resorts are doing temperature checks, but not otherwise restricting access. They’re not going to check ID or a key card (or even ask if you’re staying there).

(3) Bring your own towels to VB - although they do rent them (around $5/towel as I recall).

One of the best parts of VB is its laid back vibe (especially with the virtual queue system) - don’t be surprised if you budget a few hours to do everything and still end up staying longer once you have.

 

[Dockside Bayer]

Doing some planning too. Never been to VB so take this for what it's worth but...from everything we have read, we are planning a full day there. We do have teenagers, however, whicb maybe makes a difference

 

[mrd7896]

Doing some planning too. Never been to VB so take this for what it's worth but...from everything we have read, we are planning a full day there. We do have teenagers, however, whicb maybe makes a difference

I think we are kind of capping it at a half day in all honesty.
my coworker went in 2019 and although they didn't do everything (her hubby wasn't feeling great) they stayed a little over 3 hours and got a LOT done. and loved it!

 

[nkereina]

i know personally how i feel after a day at a water park and thats...gross..but since we are staying at a disney hotel it would be too much time to go back and forth to freshen up after volcano bay. don't you think?

This would be very inefficient and kill the middle part of your day. As PP mentioned, September sees shorter hours as it is, but with the pandemic, I would definitely expect both parks to have shorter than normal hours. Have you considered doing the morning at Universal/IOA and then hopping to Volcano Bay in the afternoon? The parks will likely open earlier than VB and you avoid the gross feeling after the waterpark while you're in the park. I also like to do the water rides at IOA right before leaving for the pool because you get drenched, so it would be good to save those for last before going to VB.

my brother is staying at Cabana Bay so maybe we go back to his room to shower? is that even an option now for us to take his room key and go to his room?

You could do that, but again, I think this would be a time suck and a hassle. Are you planning to spend the evening at City Walk? If so, perhaps you could go there to shower after you're done at both VB and UO/IOA.

if we choose to just go straight from one park to another, is there anything you would do or bring to be more comfortable?

I would just bring a backpack with a change of clothes and deodorant and whatever else you might need. I would rent a locker at both VB and whichever park you decide to store the backpack so you don't have to lug it around. I would also change before leaving VB and bring a ziplock bag for any wet bathing suits.

 

[mrd7896]

yeah seeing the shortened hours for august makes me definitely want to avoid leaving the parks and going back to cabana bay into my brothers' room even though that would be convenient. just too much wasted time.

I was more concerned about lugging a backpack around but i think we will survive..just have to pay for the lockers instead of using the free ones at the parks that can fit a toddlers' purse.

i haven't thought about switching up and going to UO/IOA first...but that could definitely be an option!

 

[nkereina]

I was more concerned about lugging a backpack around but i think we will survive..just have to pay for the lockers

DH and I always rent a locker that would fit a backpack when we go to HHN. I don't remember the exact cost, but I want to say it was around $10 for the day? You can access it as often as needed and its near the park entrance. A nominal fee to not have to hassle with carrying it around!

 

[GreyStr0ke]

Cramming VB into half a day and trying to IOA after seems tiring. I recently went to VB from 10:00am to 2:00pm and I was able to do everything I wanted, but it was non stop walking. We had reserved loungers and didn't even get to use them.

 

[Dockside Bayer]

I think we are kind of capping it at a half day in all honesty.
my coworker went in 2019 and although they didn't do everything (her hubby wasn't feeling great) they stayed a little over 3 hours and got a LOT done. and loved it!

Oh ok. Still seems like you are leaving a very short time (like a couple of hours) for in the parks but I hope it works out the way you hope.