I recently visited Universal’s Volcano Bay in Orlando, Florida, and decided to rent one of their luxurious cabanas for the day. Here is my review of the cabana and the service provided.
First, to rent a cabana, I had to call into Universal Resort, and this is something I do for my clients as part of my concierge service. There are a limited number of cabanas, and they are almost always sold out. I recommend calling as soon as possible, once you have decided on your vacation dates. There are two different sizes of cabanas. The single cabanas hold up to 6 people, and the family cabanas hold up to 16 people. You must pay for the cabana in full at time of booking, and Universal will email you a confirmation that you will need for check in.
Once I arrived at Volcano Bay, I checked in at the Concierge Desk. They provide wristbands for everyone in the cabana, and then escort you to your cabana. TIP: If there is a line to check in at the Concierge Desk at the main entrance, there are two other concierge stands to the left (near Bambu) or to the right (near Wave Village Lockers West) of the main entrance that is usually less busy. The Concierge
stand is utilized for all “extras” including towel rentals, cabanas, express passes, premium seating, etc. so the line can get long.
After checking in, I was escorted to our cabana and given a tour of its amenities. We were assigned Cabana #3, a family cabana. When you call to book your cabana, you can make location requests. The picture below is of a map of Volcano Bay, and the small yellow and green squares indicate the cabana locations throughout the park.
You can request a specific area when you call in and again at the Concierge check in stand. Our cabana for the day was located at the rear entrance to the volcano and right down from the entrance to Krakatau. I highly recommend this location, as it is centrally located to everything and very secluded. It is on its own path so there is no foot traffic other than the other cabana families. The only downside to
this location, is there isn’t a great view. I have rented other cabanas at Volcano Bay with great views in the past (pictured below), but I prefer the seclusion and central location of this cabana.
Our attendant for the day was, Stitch, and he was fantastic! He was awaiting our arrival at our cabana and greeted us by name. He showed us around the cabana and explained everything we needed to make the most of our day. He provided us tips on what rides to do and when, the best menu and drinks, and explained how he would take care of us for the day. Each cabana is numbered on the outside and will have your family’s name written on it for easy identification.
Each cabana setup is fairly standard with multiple loungers, chairs, locker, refrigerator, etc.. The family cabanas have more seating and also have a full size table and chairs. Each cabana has a rope at the entrance so that guests outside your party know these are reserved.
Now for the amenities of the cabana! Upon arrival, you will have a welcome basket of fruit, pastries, cookies, and other items for you to enjoy. The refrigerator will be stocked with plenty of bottled water for your entire party for the day. There is also a storage locker that comes with a key, so that you can lock up your personal items and leave them secured while you take advantage of the park. Inside the
storage locker are also an unlimited number of towels for your use. All of these extras make the cabana a great value since locker rentals, towels, bottles of water, etc. are extra costs if you are not a cabana guest.
Another advantage to the cabana rental is your own personal Tapu Tapu station. A Tapu Tapu device is given to each park guest upon entry to Volcano Bay. You wear them on your wrist, and they allow you access to virtual ques throughout the park. You can also load a form of payment to them if you would like. To be able to enter a virtual line with Tapu Tapu, you must walk to the attraction and scan your band. Since Volcano Bay is very large and spread out, this can take a lot of time. That is where the cabana has a great advantage. With the cabana rental, you never have to leave to get into a virtual line. You can see wait times from the Tapu Tapu station inside your cabana, and select the attraction you would like to ride and enter the virtual line without ever leaving! You simply select the attraction and scan your Tapu Tapu. This saves everyone a ton of time and walking!
There is also a separate menu for cabana guests, and it includes some great items. Our favorites were the conch fritters and coconut shrimp! When we were ready for lunch, we let Stitch know what we wanted, and he took care of ordering and bringing everything to our cabana for us to enjoy. No waiting in line! We went and enjoyed the wave pool while he got everything ready for us.
Our day at Volcano Bay with the cabana was amazing! We enjoyed it so much, we said we wouldn’t go back without renting another cabana. Stitch was a huge part of what made our day so great. He went above and beyond for us and treated us like family! He played with the kids and anticipated our every need without us even asking. I would highly recommend requesting him when you call in or arrive at check in.
My biggest tip for Volcano Bay, other than renting a cabana, is to take advantage of the onsite guests early park admission, and to ride Krakatau as many times as possible during that early entry with no wait! We rode at least 6 times within the first hour of the park opening, and it was our families favorite ride.
If you are interested in booking a trip to Universal Resort and Volcano Bay, please reach out to me for all your planning needs!
JessicaNix@mickeyworldtravel.com or 615-691-1271
