Universal Orlando will shutter its Volcano Bay water park beginning Nov. 2 in what the resort is calling a “seasonal closure.”

The park will reopen on or before March 1, Universal announced Friday. 

“We are closing for the season to perform annual maintenance on several attractions and areas of the park at the same time,” reads a FAQ on the Universal Orlando website. “It’s typical in the industry for water parks to do seasonal closures during winter months for maintenance purposes.”

Universal did not specify what parts of the park will receive attention during the closure. The Orlando Sentinel reported in August that since Volcano Bay opened in 2017, 73 injury claims have been filed involving its slides, and 115 people have been hurt on Punga Racers, including one man who is now paralyzed. 

It’s true that some water parks in the area close during winter months — warm as those are in Central Florida — to allow for maintenance. Disney World’s two water parks, Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon, stagger these maintenance periods to ensure one water park is always open. 

However, Volcano Bay’s closure comes as Universal and other theme parks are seeing smaller crowds thanks to COVID-19 capacity limits and a steep drop in tourism to Central Florida. The park had already cut back its operating schedule to five days a week. 

For guests that had already purchased a single-day ticket to Volcano Bay, the resort is offering the option to change the date or receive a refund through the Universal Orlando app or by calling (877) 801-9720. If you have a three-park ticket to Universal, you have the additional option of downgrading to a two-park ticket and receiving a gift card that covers the difference plus a 20 percent bonus to use anywhere else at the resort.

If you have a Universal annual pass that includes Volcano Bay, you can either receive two additional months on your pass or downgrade to a two-park pass and receive a reimbursement for the Volcano Bay portion. 

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