Having Second Thoughts about Volcano Bay . . .

[AtlantaDisneyDreamer]

Is VB really worth the additional cost for our family?

We have a 7 night stay at UO in September and I was initially certain I wanted to go to VB, but not so sure any longer, after looking at reviews and ticket prices.


Ticket Options:

2 park seasonal pass for 4: $1139.96
3 park seasonal pass for 4: $1535.96
5 days, 2 park, park to park: $1169.96
5 days, 3 park, park to park: $1329.96

I am leaning toward just skipping VB altogether this trip and going with a 2 park, seasonal pass.

Here are some reasons why:

• One of my children will be 5 and not tall enough for several of the slides at VB
• My girls both love swimming pools and we can pool hop a lot for no additional charge (staying at PB)
• Still a lot of kinks being worked out of VB
• We love UO and IOA and can spend a long time there without being bored
• We went to Aquatica in April and TL and BB last September, so we've done water parks recently
• We are staying Club Level and will want to enjoy lots of time at the resort as well as in the parks
• September hours are shorter (with UO closing at 5 several nights) so we may want more days at UO and IOA.
• We will be back in Orlando next February, April, and June and potentially have opportunity to go to UO. If 2018 blockout dates are essentially the same as 2017 blockout dates (will we know the blockout dates when we purchase?) we should be able to use our passes any of those times.

We can afford VB tickets. The question is this: Will we get the value out of them that we pay for them?

Don't know that spending $200 more AND losing the potential to come back is worth the day at VB, or if the spending $400 more for the three park seasonal pass is worth it (especially considering the opportunity cost of time at the other parks).

Is it really that special of a water park?

Thanks!

 

[chmurf]

Things to consider :
- you get early entry to VB, so as long as you consider it a morning park and hop to a "main" park later in the day you will not be impacted by higher crowds. You have EPs from staying at PB so it won't make a difference in the other 2 parks wether you go in the morning or not.
- you go in september which is a much quieter period of the year than it is now, and since the park opened
- many of the operating procedures glitches will have been ironed out by then.


Now, you might not know the blockout dates for 2018 when deciding for an AP

VB is "special" because it's new.
From what you say, you like to spend time at the parks, and the 2 parks seasonnal will give you 2 more days in the parks for less than the 5 days ticket. So in my opinion, it's a no brainer, I'd go for the AP and skip VB this time and make good use of the pool hopping perk

when you come back next year, you will still have the opportunity to upgrade your 2 parks AP to a 3 parks AP (current is $99pp) if you think it's then worth it.


No matter how I look at it, the 2 parks AP seem to be the sensible way to go, because you get 2 more days NOW, and you get the opportunity to come back next year at no extra cost, as well as the ability to add VB onto your AP at a later time if you feel like it, even during THIS september stay.