Kali River Rapids vs Popeye & Bluto's Blige-Rat Barges

[Club Cooloholic]

Last Thanksgiving week we visited both Uni and WDW. First day we land and hit Uni before going to check in at the Boardwalk. Well the last ride was Bilge Rats, it was a touch chilly too. I said "Oh it's fun, we might get a little wet". Soaked. Completely soaked. Got to the car and changed it was so bad. It IS fun though.

 

[Marc Davis Fan]

It's not even a close call, and I don't have to say which direction.

That being said, the version of Kali that was originally planned would've actually won hands-down:

Comparison diagram by WDWThemeParks.com:

Kali is an illustration of the moment when Disney began to slip from its "incomparable" position in the theme park world. The original, full plans for DAK would have trounced IOA. Kali/"Tiger River Rapids" would've made Popeye look cheap. CTX/Dinosaur would've made Jurassic Park look like child's play. And of course Beastly Kingdom would've existed instead of The Lost Continent...

Nonetheless, I actually consider the Kali queue to be a "must see," and arguably DAK's best. Combined with that, ramping the "logging" scene's effects back up, adding some additional items of visual interest before/after the "logging" scene, and reducing the drop's water flow so you don't get unnecessarily soaked would turn Kali into a solid attraction.

But will they ever do these simple things?

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Kali is an illustration of the moment when Disney began to slip from its "incomparable" position in the theme park world. The original, full plans for DAK would have trounced IOA. Kali/"Tiger River Rapids" would've made Popeye look cheap. CTX/Dinosaur would've made Jurassic Park look like child's play. And of course Beastly Kingdom would've existed instead of The Lost Continent...

Totally agree with this.

It's clear that once the park became value engineered, all eggs went into one basket...the safari ride. They knew that if the safari didn't live up to expectations the whole park would have failed. That was the right decision to make under those circumstances, but it's a shame the rest of the park still had to suffer. Even 25 years later Disney is still struggling to consistently deliver quality shows and rides for the park (Rivers of Light, Kite Tails, the clumsy rewrite of the bird show, the too short Avatar boat ride etc). Had the original design team got what they wanted the park would have benefited so much in both the short and long term. It wasn't until Avatar opened in 2017 that the park finally was the way it was supposed to be in 1998 and almost 5 years later we're still waiting for the true "expansion" to happen.

 

[Brer Panther]

It's clear that once the park became value engineered, all eggs went into one basket...the safari ride. They knew that if the safari didn't live up to expectations the whole park would have failed. That was the right decision to make under those circumstances, but it's a shame the rest of the park still had to suffer. Even 25 years later Disney is still struggling to consistently deliver quality shows and rides for the park (Rivers of Light, Kite Tails, the clumsy rewrite of the bird show, the too short Avatar boat ride etc). Had the original design team got what they wanted the park would have benefited so much in both the short and long term. It wasn't until Avatar opened in 2017 that the park finally was the way it was supposed to be in 1998 and almost 5 years later we're still waiting for the true "expansion" to happen.

If only Disneyland Paris hadn't been a financial failure...

 

[CAV]

Yep, you get so soaked on Popeye's that you can pay for a "dryer". I put that in quotes because, well, you don't get that dry.

No, they don't

 

[Marc Davis Fan]

Totally agree with this.

It's clear that once the park became value engineered, all eggs went into one basket...the safari ride. They knew that if the safari didn't live up to expectations the whole park would have failed. That was the right decision to make under those circumstances, but it's a shame the rest of the park still had to suffer. Even 25 years later Disney is still struggling to consistently deliver quality shows and rides for the park (Rivers of Light, Kite Tails, the clumsy rewrite of the bird show, the too short Avatar boat ride etc). Had the original design team got what they wanted the park would have benefited so much in both the short and long term. It wasn't until Avatar opened in 2017 that the park finally was the way it was supposed to be in 1998 and almost 5 years later we're still waiting for the true "expansion" to happen.

Yeah, it was an extremely smart move to make the "main attraction" top-notch and to make sure the centerpiece (Tree of Life) would stand the test of time, with the understanding that more attractions would be added to the park later. This is the opposite strategy as California Adventure, where they made everything low-quality, resulting in the need for an expensive revamp that still doesn't fix the park.

I would say, however, that we still don't have as much as the originally-planned 1998 DAK, considering how extraordinary the original Tiger River Rapids and dinosaur attraction were going to be (likely both on par with Kilimonjaro Safaris).

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Yeah, it was an extremely smart move to make the "main attraction" top-notch and to make sure the centerpiece (Tree of Life) would stand the test of time, with the understanding that more attractions would be added to the park later. This is the opposite strategy as California Adventure, where they made everything low-quality, resulting in the need for an expensive revamp that still doesn't fix the park.

I would say, however, that we still don't have as much as the originally-planned 1998 DAK, considering how extraordinary the original Tiger River Rapids and dinosaur attraction were going to be (likely both on par with Kilimonjaro Safaris).

Giving each corner of the park its own "safari" headliner with a unique ride system was a brilliant idea that would have helped to spread out the crowds and make for a better overall park.

 

[JohnD]

No, they don't

No, they don't what?

 

[Weather_Lady]

No, they don't what?

I think they were agreeing with you that "no, they" -- the dryers by Popeye and Bluto's -- "don't" get you that dry.

I've never tried the dryers, but after my first adventure on Popeye & Bluto's soaked me so thoroughly that I was still leaving wet butt-prints on seats 3 hours later (even though I was wearing quick-dry hiking shorts), I've become one of those dorks who shamelessly dons a Dollar Tree plastic poncho before getting on. The ride is totally worth the humiliation.

 

[Brer Panther]

Interesting fact about Bilge-Rat Barges - the voices of Popeye and Bluto on the ride are provided by Keith Scott, an Australian voice actor who's also done the voice of characters like Bullwinkle, Fred Flintstone, and a good chunk of the Looney Tunes.

 

[CAV]

No, they don't what?

They dont dry you.

 

["El Gran Magnifico"]

Popeye’s costs less. Popeye’s gets my vote.

 

[Magicart87]

Popeye’s costs less. Popeye’s gets my vote.

KFC is the least expensive but it's also the most greasy.

 

["El Gran Magnifico"]

KFC is the least expensive but it's also the most greasy.

Popeyes is inexpensive and has less grease. Popeyes gets my vote over KFC as well

 

[disneygeek90]

My vote is for the water ride where you actually get wet. And can look at things other than trees.

 

[JohnD]

Popeyes is inexpensive and has less grease. Popeyes gets my vote over KFC as well

Love that chicken from Popeyes!