I Went On Volcano Bay’s Not So Lazy River For The First Time At Universal, And As A Lazy River Superfan, I’m Shook

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Other people may be evaluating water parks based on factors like thrilling rides, wave pools, food options, or amenities. However, I primarily focus on the lazy river since it’s where I spend most of my time. My strategy is always consistent: I enter through the main entrance, purchase a locker, deposit my shirt, wallet, keys, and phone inside, apply sunscreen generously, and then make a beeline for the lazy river right away.

Upon arrival, I plan to locate an inflatable tube, or if I’m fortunate enough, one of those hybrid chair-tube contraptions. I intend to traverse loop after loop on these until I either succumb to heat exhaustion or crave a hot dog. This has been my sole purpose for nearly four decades, and it has served me well. However, after this week’s visit to Universal Orlando’s Volcano Bay, I find myself reconsidering my choices.

It turns out that Volcano Bay features not just one, but two leisurely rivers. The first one is called The Winding River, which provides a relaxed stroll through the park featuring colorful landscapes and occasional obstacles to navigate. I started with this one and enjoyed it multiple times in one of the semi-reclining chairs. With plans to do it again a few more times, my wife, who had visited before, shared an exciting secret about the second lazy river.

The river is known as “The Fearless River,” and it’s not the most tranquil nor does it accommodate rafting. Instead, you don a life jacket and the swift current carries you along, making you feel like you fell out of your boat on the Mighty Mississippi in 1880. It presents obstacles similar to those found on a typical lazy river – sudden waterfalls that can catch you off guard if you’re not paying attention, narrow channels where you must decide which side to follow, and so forth. However, the current flows several times faster than usual, and there are no vehicles to help navigate.

I’m not entirely certain about an effective method for navigating this, but in an attempt to find one, I experimented with various positions. First, I floated face-up with my feet pointing forward, a position many others seemed to favor. However, floating on my stomach with my feet pointing backward didn’t provide relaxation or ease of maintenance. Trying to float back-first also felt risky. Running on the ground in an attempt to boost speed might have had the opposite effect.

Essentially, I’m admitting that I’m still figuring things out, but I’ve enjoyed every moment of the process. Volcano Bay was a unique experience as it subtly reinvented something I’ve appreciated for years, creating an exciting blend of the familiar and the novel. It must be similar to how children feel when they learn about all the different ice cream flavors beyond vanilla or discover various drinks apart from milk and water.

Although it may seem as though I spent the remainder of the day navigating The Fearless River, that wasn’t exactly the case. Truth be told, I’m more of a leisurely river kind of person, not one who enjoys rushing around. Occasionally, I appreciate just going with the flow and letting the current decide my destination. Consequently, I found myself oscillating between The Winding River for a while, then straying towards The Fearless River, spending some time there, and then returning again. It turned out to be an engaging day filled with contrasts, leaving me pondering if every water park could have both fast and slow lazy rivers.

Have you ever experienced something new for the first time and pondered why you hadn’t done it sooner? That’s exactly how I feel now. I thought I was quite the expert on lazy rivers, but it turns out I knew nothing about them until earlier this week! I’m both surprised and thrilled to return. Who knows, maybe next time I might even take a ride at night.

Volcano Bay has shared its plans to abandon the wristband system and move towards a conventional queueing method for rides starting from now on. Fortunately, both of their relaxing rivers should remain unaffected by this change. However, you may find them unavailable during a significant park maintenance period scheduled from October 2026 to March 2027. In that case, it looks like we’ll have to make do with spending more time at Universal’s upcoming Epic Universe, which is slated to open later this month. We were lucky enough to attend a sneak peek, and let me tell you, it’s truly impressive – not quite two lazy rivers impressive, but very close!

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2025-05-04 15:37