19 Best Sights in Volcano Bay, Universal Orlando

If you arrive too late to find a prime spot on Waturi Beach, this smaller, secluded, less-crowded beach near the back of the park is the perfect alternative. It's between the Taniwha Tubes and TeAwa the Fearless River attractions.

This attraction comes stamped with the postscript "Turtle and Whale," which simply means that when you reach the top you'll find two tubes (the other being the "Ika Moana" of Honu Ika Moana). It's similar to other rides where you slip into an inner tube and then ride through a slick channel, but the difference here is that you join three others in a four-person raft. Although the speed isn't as fast as single-rider attractions, the sensations are just as enjoyable as the raft sloshes and sweeps around huge walls and rounded corners, into tubes and then out again, before flopping into the final pool. For people with disabilities: Guests must be able to climb stairways and exit the splash pool without assistance or with help from members of their party.  This ride accepts Universal Express Pass. 

The counterpart to the Honu four-passenger raft is a few feet away in this five-passenger raft. The ride is slow, sloshy, and easy to handle, even when the raft glides around turns and passes over geysers that erupt like whale spouts. For people with disabilities: Guests in wheelchairs must transfer to the ride raft unassisted or with help from members of their party.  This ride accepts Universal Express Pass.

A sign stating that this is a "freefall slide that starts when a trap door is removed" could be a warning to some, an invitation to others. If you're among the latter, then step into the volcano that's the centerpiece of the park, and begin your ascent. Scaling what seems like endless stairwells, you'll be sprinkled with water dripping from intertwined blue and green tubes twisting overhead. These are Kala and Tai Nui, which are soon to be your ride home. As you climb higher and higher, occasionally you'll catch a wonderful aerial view of the park (as well as neighboring I–4), a vista that reveals just how far you've come—and just how far you'll fall.

When you enter your tube, cross your arms, cross your feet, and then just wait for gravity to do its stuff. When the door drops, so do you, shooting down the slick, splashing tube as it sends you into high, banking corners and spinning around for nearly 25 seconds in a thrilling race (with the person in the opposite tube) to a splashdown finish. For people with disabilities: Guests must be able to climb stairways and exit the splash pool unassisted or with help from members of their party.  This ride accepts Universal Express Pass Plus.

The towering, steaming volcano commands attention from every part of the park. But even that doesn't compare to the experience waiting inside the volcano. The ride is based on the concept that a body remains at rest until acted upon by another force. You step onto a seemingly solid floor that supports your body weight; the "other force" is gravity, when the door disappears. That's when the reaction is your body falling through the void and into a 70-degree, 12-story drop—a dizzying descent that rockets you right into the splashdown pool. Rinse and repeat. For people with disabilities: Guests must be able to climb stairways and exit the splash pool unassisted or with help from members of their party.  This ride accepts Universal Express Pass Plus.

Encircling a substantial portion of the park and winding through the lush foliage, this lazy river lets you go with the flow. As you drift on an inner tube past tropical surroundings, you're occasionally sprayed by streams of water triggered by guests along the banks. When you enter Stargazer's Cavern inside the volcano, the scenery changes again—this time to a brilliant night sky. Along the way are several entrance and exit points, as well as lifeguards keeping an eye on things. For people with disabilities: some entrance points are sloped, making it easier for guests using wheelchairs to transfer to the pool.

A sign that reads "Greater than any man-made thrill" greets you at this attraction. But is it really greater? You'll find out after you slip into a four-person canoe that speeds down a toboggan-style run, whips around corners, shoots you through dark tubes, and then drops you down steep falls again and again and over and over until you're alternately screaming and laughing. A quick 60 seconds later, you plunge toward the finish through a shimmering waterfall. So, yeah, it's pretty great. For people with disabilities: Guests in wheelchairs must transfer to the ride's canoe.  This ride accepts Universal Express Pass.

It will take several flights of stairs to reach the starting point of this ride, one that pairs you up with as many as five others on a rafting adventure. After settling in, a little push is all it takes for gravity to take over and water to wash you into a humongous enclosed tube for a short stretch before you are spat out into the daylight and into a massive basin where your forward motion sends you up toward the rim (but not over it). From here, you wash back down again and slide into another tube before the cycle repeats, taking you through another tube followed by a circular tour of another basin before finally flowing into a calm pool. For people with disabilities: There's a lift to the right of the main queue area; wheelchair users must be able to transfer to the raft unassisted or with help from a member of their party.  This ride accepts Universal Express Pass.

At some point, you'll realize that the most thrilling rides at Volcano Bay involve climbing several flights of stairs. Height is what makes such attractions work, and this is one of them. On your way to the top, you cross a deep chasm and walk across rope bridges before finding yourself at the entrance to the Ohno tube (Ohyah is right nearby). Like its counterpart, you'll slip and slide through a serpentine run until the tube runs out and you're flying out on a 6-foot drop into the waters at the base of Krakatau. For people with disabilities: Guests must be able to climb stairs, cross rope bridges, and exit the pool without assistance.  This ride accepts Universal Express Pass Plus.

You don't need a mat; you don't need a raft; you just need you to enjoy the first of two side-by-side body slides that snake around corners and shoot into straightaways on a fast-paced slide to the finish. On this side of the ride (next to the Ohno portion), the finish comes with a 4-foot drop into a swirling pool. Oh yeah! For people with disabilities: Guests must be able to climb stairs and exit the splash pool without assistance.  This ride accepts Universal Express Pass Plus.

This multiperson rafting ride follows a journey similar to that of its neighbor, Maku. But this one includes a few different twists and turns—primarily one with a moment of zero-gravity hang time as you spring out of an immense funnel. The twists keep coming as you cling to the raft handles and rock and roll to a spectacular splash finish. For people with disabilities: There's a lift next to the main queue area; guests must be able to transfer to the ride raft unassisted or with help from a member of their party.  This ride accepts Universal Express Pass.

A relaxing place for families, this small leisure pool is relatively secluded from the park's most active areas (albeit beside the splashdown pool of the Ohyah and Ohno slides) and includes elements that kids will appreciate—namely jets of water they can spray and tropical bongo drums they can beat. For people with disabilities: A pool lift makes it easier for guests in wheelchairs to transfer into pool, but they must do so unassisted or with help from a member of their party.

For some friendly family competition, grab a mat and pick a lane. There are four tracks on this attraction, and once you have your mat, you'll launch yourself into a tube that twists and turns and then changes to an open-air slide just to keep things interesting. The first person to cross the finish line of this race receives a celebratory spray of water. For people with disabilities: Guests must be able to climb stairs and exit the finish area unassisted.  This ride accepts Universal Express Pass.

This colorful, creative aquatic playground gives kids plenty to discover through a wide range of toys and activities that'll keep them busy and entertained. There are shallow wading areas, low-pitched slides (that probably seem stupendously huge from their perspective), spray guns, bubbling geysers, and dump cups. For people with disabilities: Guests in wheelchairs can transfer into the wading areas.

Two slides are better than one, but this attraction doubles that with four slides that mimic the snaking trunks and twisting roots of puka trees. The tubes alternate in color (green and blue), and they alternate in experiences from channels that are completely enclosed for the entire run to tracks that are enclosed until they suddenly reveal the open air and use your speed to send you up on a high-banked turn. So take it for a spin. Or two. Or four. For people with disabilities: Guests must be able to climb stairways and exit the splash pool unassisted.  This ride accepts Universal Express Pass.

This is definitely not your typical gentle river. The water's fairly shallow, but a strong current means life vests are required (and that's on top of the inner tube you're riding). There are several things to like about this attraction, and one of those is its duration: Other rides are as short as 10 seconds; this one lasts a good six minutes. In addition, the river flows through various areas of the park, traveling beneath bridges and passing rides and restaurants, from Hammerhead Beach to the volcano and Rainforest Village. For people with disabilities: A pool lift and a sloped entry make it easier for guests in wheelchairs to transfer into the water.

This intimate leisure pool has one of the best views in the park, at the base of Krakatau and beside the clear acrylic tube that carries those who've braved the Ko'okiri Body Plunge. You'll often see people lined up along the tube, watching as guests drop out of sight at the top of the mountain and reappear seconds later en route to the splashy finish. With its own waterfall, this is a nice spot to find a little peace and quiet that's still close to many of the park's main attractions. For people with disabilities: Guests must transfer from a wheelchair onto the pool lift without assistance or with help from a member of their party.

Directly across from Runamukka Reef is this shallow-water play area with kid-size slides, spraying fountains, singing whales, and a miniature water volcano. For people with disabilities: Guests must be able to climb stairways unassisted or with help from someone in their party.

In the shadow of Krakatau, the volcano that looms over the park, is this wide beach with chairs by the hundreds. Arrive early to claim the best spot, or upgrade by renting a premium seat that includes a sun canopy. Park yourself in a chair and do absolutely nothing, or venture into the water, where, every so often, a set of waves washes across the bay. So the choice is yours: swim and splash, or rest and relax. Or maybe a little of both. For people with disabilities: A sloped entry makes it easier for guests using wheelchairs to enter the pool unassisted or with the help from someone in their party.