Volcano Bay construction update with aerial photos

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We’re just over three months away from the grand opening of Universal Orlando’s first water theme park, but today you can “wet” your appetite for a Volcano Bay construction update with these stunning aerial photos of the project’s progress, courtesy of Don Gworek (a.k.a. @bioreconstruct on Twitter).

Guests at Volcano Bay will begin their visit by parking in the same garages Universal theme park guests currently use, and riding a shuttle to the water park’s entrance.

*The yellow arrow and line mark the shuttle route from the Universal parking garages to Volcano Bay.*

*Volcano Bay guests will pass through the marked tunnel to access the park entrance.*

Once they arrive, Volcano Bay visitors will approach the park via these entry structures:

You can already see signs spelling out the park's name in front of Volcano Bay's entrance building. — *You can already see signs spelling out the park’s name in front of Volcano Bay’s entrance building.*

Once inside Volcano Bay, your eye will instantly be drawn to the park’s highest point, the peak of Krakatau.

Krakatau's caldera will be the kick-off point for several of Volcano Bay's scariest slides. — *Krakatau’s caldera will be the kick-off point for several of Volcano Bay’s scariest slides.*

Another angle on the volcano's highest point. — *Another angle on the volcano’s highest point, from which water and ‘lava’ will erupt daily and nightly.*

You’ll find the exits of Volcano Bay’s many waterslides arrayed around Krakatau’s base, 200 feet below the volcano’s peak.

File Feb 13, 9 55 49 AM — *The open green and blue slide is the Krakatau water coaster, which will be Volcano’s Bay headliner attraction.*

Here’s a closer look at the anticipated Krakatau water coaster:

*The loading station for the Krakatau ride should operate more like a roller coaster boarding platform than a traditional water slide.*

File Feb 13, 10 05 47 AM — *You can see how thin the skin of the volcano is in some spots as the lazy river passes through.*

File Feb 13, 10 08 13 AM — *This pool on the volcano’s east side serves as the splashdown for the speed slides that start near Krakatau’s peak.*

As you can see below, the volcano’s surface has a gap on one side, exposing how steep the speed slides within really are!

File Feb 13, 9 56 40 AM — *Look at the initial descents on the two highest white slides. That’s a sharp drop!*

If you’ve got extra cash burning a hole in your board shorts, you may want to rent one of Volcano Bay’s private cabanas, which we are pretty sure are marked with yellow arrows in these photos.

File Feb 13, 9 41 20 AM — *It appears Volcano Bay’s cabanas will be elevated to provide dramatic views of the park.*

Volcano Bay will also have several slide and play structures that aren’t directly attached to the mountain itself.

These blue steps fill an area between the Krakatau water coaster station and the lazy river. — *These blue steps are on the opposite shore of the lazy river across from the Krakatau water coaster station.*

File Feb 13, 9 55 03 AM — *You can see how close some of these slides come to the I-4 on-ramps.*

File Feb 13, 9 52 15 AM — *This slide structure is adjacent to Cabana Bay Beach Resort.*

Colorful plastic slides aside, there’s much detailed themed design work taking shape throughout the park, from sculpted lava flows to fanciful building forms.

File Feb 13, 10 05 10 AM — *With their unconventional curved rooflines, Volcano Bay’s buildings give off a futuristic Fantasy Island vibe.*

The arrow points to faux lava flow, which fits into the park's volcanic theme. — *The arrow points to faux lava flow, which fits into the park’s volcanic theme.*

Finally, let’s conclude with yet another angle on the park, this time focusing on the east end of Volcano Bay’s wave pool.

Universal Orlando’s Volcano Bay officially opens on May 25, 2017. Until that day arrives, pass the time with some of our previous Volcano Bay construction update videos:

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