Kali River Rapids in deplorable condition

[DisneyJayL]

Wow, seems as though this ride has become terrible. I have only ridden it once and it was cool, I just don't like getting wet like that. That's sad and for Disney to let something like this go down is just sad.

 

[EPCOTCenterLover]

Concept art for the original plan for the rapids ride is here.

 

[Magicart87]

KRR was pretty bad the last time I rode as well -- almost a year ago. Very non-Disney with broken statuary, non-functioning effects, lack of scenery, lack of enveloping foliage. It felt very cold and sterile not at all like it once did. It was very "bland" for lack of better terms. Kali was easily the best attraction at AK just a short few years ago. It's disheartening to read that nothing has improved.

 

[WDF]

Even in its current state, if you get the chance to ride it after the sun goes down (and it's warm enough outside) DO IT.

 

[gmajew]

After catching up on thread a lot of said rode it once and not been back on.

I don't want to spend the day soaked so I don't like riding it or any type of ride like it. Did Popeye this past trip because my son wanted to and regretted it as I was soaked rest of day.

Cool ride on a hot day maybe but not my cup of tea. Don't need chaffing while walking.

 

[WDF]

After catching up on thread a lot of said rode it once and not been back on.

I don't want to spend the day soaked so I don't like riding it or any type of ride like it. Did Popeye this past trip because my son wanted to and regretted it as I was soaked rest of day.

Cool ride on a hot day maybe but not my cup of tea. Don't need chaffing while walking.

I will say that this is one instance where FP+ really comes in handy. I generally know what time I will be leaving the park for the day and I make plans to ride this as the last thing before leaving. Won't work for every one and there may still be some soaked travel, but it works for me. I try to do the same with Splash Mountain if possible.

 

[Tinkerfan4ever]

We hadn't rode KRR in quite a long time (most likely 2009). Then we went to Disneyland and rode Grizzly River Run. It was so much fun, all of us got wet but not soaked, it was quite long and had a great theme. Then I told my family, we have to ride Kali again we must just have forgotten how much fun it was, because it is like Grizzly right? Wrong. We rode KRR again in Oct and we couldn't believe how short and unthemed it is. At least compared to its West Coast counterpart.

 

[Marlins1]

I'm a Disney guy but Popye's Barge kills Kali and the lack of misters on the lift is ridiculous. By the time you reach the drop where the ride actually gets going you take a quick turn and can see the end.

 

[Nmoody1]

Deplorable by Disney standards, or deplorable by the standards of Disneys park where they won't pay for a parade, lands got cut, the central animatronic of an attraction hasn't worked for years, a dinosaur attraction has more dark patches than dinosaurs and attractions are dumbed down constantly???

 

[Rescue Ranger]

Yes, so sad to see
Though when I was on it last week, the smoke effects I believe were working. The chainsaw noises were definitely working. The mist as well I think. Or some mist somewhere.

I was really upset to see the truck not moving and no fire. The ride hardly has anything, so it's quite pathetic to not have what little features it does have working. They better fix this eventually.

Yes, Popeye blows Kali away unfortunately.

Also was upset to see Dinosaur SO dark. I rarely even saw any of the Dinos. They took the term dark ride to a new meaning with this LOL.

Animal Kingdom, being my favorite park desperately needs some DLC on their rides. Everything is pretty bad actually. Bugs life desperately needs an HD transfer. So blurry.

Funny, they can keep the Tough to be a Bug sign & ToT advertisements always working on the roads but not the attractions

 

[cosmicray]

Only ridden it at night (and that was almost three years ago), so thankfully I haven't seen the deplorable condition it's in now. Hopefully they fix this soon, this is ridiculous.

 

[Marlins1]

Deplorable by Disney standards, or deplorable by the standards of Disneys park where they won't pay for a parade, lands got cut, the central animatronic of an attraction hasn't worked for years, a dinosaur attraction has more dark patches than dinosaurs and attractions are dumbed down constantly???

I agree that Kali's condition is deplorable but I think most of this park is still really strong. KS, FOTLK and EE (even with a still Yeti) are great. Trails and general theming are great. Dinosaur, Bug and Primeval are fun - not great but fun fillers. With the new additions this park will excel - a better Kali would really raise the bar though.

 

[ceverette]

I was trying not to stare (Especially with her husband and kids with her) but sometimes, a man's got to do what a man's got to do.

Post of the day.....thank you.

 

[Bairstow]

Popeye is 10,000 times better than Kali.

Oh definitely, but Popeye gets you too wet.
Honestly, you may as well jump off the dock and into the lagoon when it's over- it would make no difference.
This makes both it and Ripsaw Falls a bit of a pain in the butt, since you basically have to wear a bathing suit and sandals all day (chafing!) OR a change of clothes... which thanks to Universal's draconian bag policy on the Potter rides and coasters is also a total pain in the butt.

There's a happy medium to be achieved here, and Grizzly River Run and most versions of Splash Mountain manage to achieve it.
A good water ride should be like having a glass of water splashed in your face, not having a bucket of water dumped in your lap.

 

[Bairstow]

Concept art for the original plan for the rapids ride is here.

Other than the split, that appears to be the final layout.

Marni posted this, which I think is the longer version.

 

[TP2000]

We hadn't rode KRR in quite a long time (most likely 2009). Then we went to Disneyland and rode Grizzly River Run. It was so much fun, all of us got wet but not soaked, it was quite long and had a great theme. Then I told my family, we have to ride Kali again we must just have forgotten how much fun it was, because it is like Grizzly right? Wrong. We rode KRR again in Oct and we couldn't believe how short and unthemed it is. At least compared to its West Coast counterpart.

You aren't imagining things. Grizzly River Run at Disney California Adventure has a 7:30 ride time versus Kali's 4:30 ride time, plus an additional drop and actual working props and water effects.

Grizzly River Run also receives an annual six to eight week refurbishment to keep it in good shape. This year it was closed from late January until mid March. But they do that because TDA managers hate their customers because they know that "Rehabs Ruin Vacations!".

 

[prfctlyximprct]

Everyone complains about not getting wet yet every single time I rode people were wearing their ponchos. It's a water ride. Don't wanna get wet? Don't go on.

Rant over.

 

[TP2000]

Animal Kingdom, being my favorite park desperately needs some TLC on their rides. Everything is pretty bad actually. Bugs life desperately needs an HD transfer. So blurry.

Didn't they upgrade Bugs Life to HD in the Tree rehab this past year? They upgraded Bugs Life to HD at Disney California Adventure back in early 2014, and the results were dramatic; crystal clear, sharp, and even much more colorful and vibrant. So obviously Disney owns a digital download of the attraction to use in theme parks.

Didn't they do the HD upgrade at WDW a few months ago?

 

[Bairstow]

You aren't imagining things. Grizzly River Run at Disney California Adventure has a 7:30 ride time versus Kali's 4:30 ride time, plus an additional drop and actual working props and water effects.

Grizzly River Run also receives an annual six to eight week refurbishment to keep it in good shape. This year it was closed from late January until mid March. But they do that because TDA managers hate their customers because they know that "Rehabs Ruin Vacations!".

The difference is that a much, much bigger chunk of Disneyland's guest base isn't on vacation.

 

[bhg469]

Our little Six Flags park 10 minutes down the interstate has a 30 year old Rapids ride that is 2000x better.

Right? The idea is fantastic but the execution is very sad. I feel like the ride needs to be at least 3x longer to even come close to a run of the mill raft ride, especially since the effects are mostly broken.

Sure would be a great spot for another attraction someday.