I'm an amusement park fan. This was the worst experience of my life! 4 Major Points:
1) Locked out 2) Wait Times 3) Customer Service 4) Ride Shut Downs 5) Locker Fees
1) Locked out of Volcano Bay even though we arrived at 8:00 AM!
Universal Oversold their parks. We bought a 3 Day - Park to Park pass. We were told by Guest Services that if we got inside Universal Studios or Islands of Adventure, we would be counted in the capacity count for Volcano Bay. My family went to U.Studios at 8:00 AM. We road a couple of rides then walked to the shuttle bus to go to Volcano Bay at 9:30 AM. The Bus Police asked to see our tickets. We were not allowed on the bus because Volcano Bay was at capacity the moment it opened at 10:00 AM!!! Universal states if you are in any one of their parks, you will be included in the capacity numbers. The Bus Police said they would ONLY ALLOW Single Day Volcano Bay Ticket holders on the bus. Universal never explains that Single Day Ticket Holders have preferential treatment or status vs Multi-Day Park To Park Hopper. We paid extra for Park to Park Hopping. I went to guest services and they told me the same thing. "Sorry, Single Day Ticket holders are guaranteed admission and my 3 day Park to Park doesn't guarantee me admission." We spent $2,700 and could never get to the water park. Universal suggests getting to the park early as the park may reach capacity. Volcano Bay reached capacity right at 10:00 AM when it opened. There were people waiting at the gate who were turned away at 10:00 AM. You can't get to the park any earlier if it reaches capacity before it opens people.
2) Wait Times - Ridiculous even with Virtual Line Pass. Our family had the App open and could only snag 1 time for Hagrid's. The line was so long, we waited 110 minutes! That's almost 2 hours long even with Virtual Line Pass! No 2 Min 50-second ride is worth almost 2 hours waiting in line! We averaged 7 rides each day. Totally not worth it! So many lines that were 45-90 minutes wait times.
3) After several families almost revolted over the Volcano Bay debacle, one of the guest services individuals gave me the Guest Services contact phone number (407) - 224-4233 to voice my complaint. This Guest Services number doesn't allow you to talk with a real person about any complaints!!!
4) Ride Shut Downs and inaccurate wait time postings.
A) Waited 40 minutes for MIB and it shut down.
B) Waited 30 minutes for Rip Rocket and it shut down
C) Waited 15 minutes for Minions but left line because of delay
5) All the $2.00 locker fees add up!!! Beware!
Never Going Back! I can go to Cedar Point, Six-Flags, and King's Island to obtain greater value for the money spent at Universal.
Response from Host
Apr 2021
Hello Curtis,
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your feedback regarding your recent visit. I'm so sorry to hear that you were not able to visit Volcano Bay during your visit, as well as your concerns with attraction downtimes and wait times. We would love to be able to further assist you with the resolution of your concerns; 407-224-4233 is the phone number for Guest Services, but if you are having trouble navigating the options, Guest Services can also be reached at
[email protected]. Please also rest assured that I will be formally documenting your feedback, and sharing your review with the appropriate leadership teams. We look forward to hearing from you.
-Meaghan