Kali River Rapids - what is it like?

miles1

miles1

Active Member
This is just my observation, but it seems like the raft will spin around at the start of the last drop so that the heaviest side of raft is going downward first. This is the side that will get totally soaked. So if you want to stay dry, sit next to a skinny person or a child, or opposite the largest people in the raft.

This is one of our favorite rides despite its brevity, and we really don't mind getting soaked after walking around in the Florida heat for a few hours. DS and I usually bring an extra pair of running shorts, an extra shirt and flip flops, then we change in the nearby restrooms before and after the ride. If you keep the clothes light, they'll fit in a small bag or backpack and they're not a bother at all. It's more pleasant than staying in wet heavy clothes and possibly ruined shoes.
 
Hobnail Boot

Hobnail Boot

Well-Known Member
It's an alright ride. The queue theming is great but the overall experience is way too short. I remember the old rumors about the ride being lengthened. Ah, if only.

Matpez said:
If you have already been on the Popeye one at IoA you have been on one of the best raft type rides there is. Besides some themeing, Kali is one of the worst, with the one at your local six flags being longer and more fun.

As far as wet goes, Popeye's is obnoxious... you might as well just jump in the water, but the ride is so amazingly long, fun and well themed that it is worth it!
Click to expand...
Popeye is an awesome raft ride! Definitely my absolute favorite out of any park. Good theming, good duration, and lots of ways to get wet! My favorite part is the car (raft?) wash lift hill.
 
Walt Disney1955

Walt Disney1955

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Matpez said:
If you have already been on the Popeye one at IoA you have been on one of the best raft type rides there is. Besides some themeing, Kali is one of the worst, with the one at your local six flags being longer and more fun.

As far as wet goes, Popeye's is obnoxious... you might as well just jump in the water, but the ride is so amazingly long, fun and well themed that it is worth it!
Click to expand...

Couldn't agree with you more. We were drenched after Popeye's. But it was fun and we hit Ripsaw Falls right after that (Universal's answer to Splash mountain) so we were soaked regardless. But yes I thought if Kali was like Popeye's then the ride is worth it all around to ride. But the sources on this board seem to disagree with that
 
Walt Disney1955

Walt Disney1955

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
RCT2 Imagineer said:
Popeye is an awesome raft ride! Definitely my absolute favorite out of any park. Good theming, good duration, and lots of ways to get wet! My favorite part is the car (raft?) wash lift hill.
Click to expand...

Ah yes, the slow painful way of knowing that you are going to literally get drenched........slowly but surely. The riders don't have a chance
 
marni1971

marni1971

Park History nut
Premium Member
Yes, it is short. Tiger River Run was planned to be longer (do a search for plans in these forums) but it got budget cut. If you can, try it at night when it's warm. The lighting and mist effects make it a whole different experience.

You`ll get damp. You`ll probably get wet. You may get soaked.
 
M

Micksmaster

New Member
The last time we were there (2003) it had rained a lot in the week before our visit. The water in the rapids was higher than it had been in the previous trip. We rode it 3 times in a row because it was so much fun. The ride had just opened after a delay for some repairs so the line was short.
 
imagineer boy

imagineer boy

Well-Known Member
I really enjoy the ride, but it really could be longer. I've looked at it on google earth, and there is a TON of expansion space around it. It could very easily be expanded.

Love the themeing though. The queue is easily one of the best queues in all of WDW. The temples, the bird shop, the sounds of chainsaws in the distance. Its very well done.
 
MythBuster

MythBuster

Active Member
Originally, it was planned to have 3 separate drops and have animals in the ride, hence the name, Tiger Rapids Run. But they had animal access issues so they put them in the Jungle Trek and moved the Gibbons and Siamangs from the Discovery River and put them near the ride path.

The only animated prop on the whole ride is up at the Burn Zone, the Teetering Truck (a logging truck) originally spun its tires and teetered back and forth and the logs swung out over the flume when the rafts when by. But instead of fixing it when it broke, they just turned it off. Does that sound familar? Just like their next door neighbor(EE).
 
jonnyc

jonnyc

Well-Known Member
I remember on one of the Planning Videos in the UK, one women getting off and remarking 'It's the best ride we've been on'...

...She obviously hadn't been on many!

I find Kali a bit of an anti-climax, much like the log flume at Busch Gardens.
 
J

Juliaz3

Active Member
If you don't want to ride and get wet, you can always walk the path around the ride and get others wet. There is a small bridge over the water that has squirt guns mounted on it and you can squirt the riders as they go by!
 
FettFan

FettFan

Well-Known Member
Kali River Rapids is okay. It's not horrible, but I suspect that that it was a last minute addition that ran out of funding during the DAK planning stages.

Hence, it's about two minutes too short and there is very little in the way of props or theming in the ride.
I would love to see an addition made...ancient Indian ruins with a half-sunk Jungle Cruise boat, and many more rapids.
 
blueboxdoctor

blueboxdoctor

Well-Known Member
Honestly, it depends where you sit and how you end up going down. I've been on it before when I didn't get overly soaked, but there have been other times when the raft spun just the right way that I ended up getting drenched. Either way, if it is hot out you likely won't mind how soaked you get.
 
Tom Morrow

Tom Morrow

Well-Known Member
Agreed that if you get the chance, definitely ride it in the dark. There will likely be no line, too. The atmosphere is quite honestly pretty amazing, with the queue temples and lighting and being in a dense, forest-y part of DAK. The ride itself just looks a lot better at night too. The ride also has complimentary lockers now, so you could always bring a chance of clothing in tow if you don't want to be soaked all day but still want to experience it.

Overall its like everyone else said, its decent, not awful, but it could have been a lot more. Other than being kind of short, my two biggest complaints are the lack of themed sets other than the detailed deforestation/logging section and some rockwork and statue figures, and a distinct lack of actual rough rapids. Unlike Popeye at IOA which is long, fast, very choppy, and thrilling, KRR has a pretty calm river as far as rapids rides go. There aren't really that many turbulators in the river to create rapids, so your raft mostly just bobs around without taking many dips or splashes. The one exception being the drop, which is pretty unique to rapids rides and soaks half the boat. Grizzly River Run has two drops (and is probably the second best rapids ride to Popeye), but not many rapids rides have a drop like that.

edit - didn't realize most of this thread was over 2 years old, lol
 
luv

luv

Well-Known Member
On Popeyes, EVERYONE comes off drenched. Every little bit of you gets wet.

This can happen on Kali, but you can also come off with just a few drippy spots. Just depends.

As mentioned, Kali is shorter and less thrilling. But IMO, it is still worth a ride on a warm, dry day. I wouldn't do it in the cold or when it is very humid unless I was leaving the park immediately after riding. And like a pp said, denim clothes or see-through (when wet) clothes might not be the best choice of material. :)
 
BryceM

BryceM

Well-Known Member
If you've already ridden Popeye & Bluto's Bilge Rat Barges at Islands of Adventure, Kali River Rapids will be a huge disappointment. On Popeye, the ride is long, so many chances to get absolutely soaked and the theming is incredible. Kali River Rapids has broken effects, it's very short and there really isn't a "rapids" part of the ride, just a small drop.

Kali River Rapids does not even compare to Popeye & Bluto's Bilge Rat Barges.
 

Register on WDWMAGIC. This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.

Back
Top Bottom