Anyone hear this? Kali river rapids where to sit and not get wet

[BrianL]

I like Kali but you're completely right about a missed opportunity. If you've ever ridden "Popeye & Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges" at IOA, it puts Kali to shame. It's the same style round raft ride, but it is twice as long and almost impossible to not get wet, in fact soaked on that ride!

Also Grizzly River Run at DCA is longer than Kali and much better. It is what Kali should be. I'll never forget riding that with a lady who was wearing white pants! At least the lower humidity of SoCal helps dry you off faster (though it's generally not as warm).

 

[EricInPA]

If you sing the mickey mouse march and spin around 3 times before getting in the raft, you won't get wet.

 

[AngiTN]

Of course that's nonsense. The rafts are free floating within the "river" of water. It's impossible to predict where it will spin, or when.

And in August the center still held things. We put our stuff in there (the lockers were broken, Computer was out)

 

[Micca]

I want to sit in the seat where I get the most wet lololol!

Yes! The reason to do this attraction is to GET WET. If you'd rather not get wet, you can miss this attraction.

 

[DavidNYC]

Out of all the missed opportunities at WDW, Kali is the biggest. It should be a lot longer. I know it was planned to be longer but animal habitats got in the way. It's an expensive, intensive ride, but it would be better as a truer white water ride -- run some rapids, take a break, run some more and then the big drop, have the whole thing a few minutes rather than a few seconds. Kali's promoted as AK's co-headliner, and it's so short that it's just an experience in getting wet, nothing more.

Agreed - I'm a huge fan of the Popeye raft ride at IoA - Kali is very weak and short by comparison (just did it for the first time in about 5 years last week because it was so hot and sunny I just needed to get wet - unfortunately, I was mostly dry by the end - - )

 

[vintagemomma]

If you want to avoid getting wet, don't sit next to me. I am not pooh sized and have gotten soaked every single time. I have taken to apologizing when seated next to strangers. hehe

We make our kids rock paper scissors to see who get to sit with me and eat the big wave and who gets to sit with their dad.

 

[scrapquitler]

overheard in line at Kali - is you enter the raft stay to the right and try to sit right and directly opposite of where you entered. The family I overheard swore that the rotation of the raft was deliberate and that the seats to the left of entry were the "doomed" seats ( the one seat that goes downhill first every...single...time) now to test the theory in summer you'd need a wet suit! I call bunk on this one (although I'm always in the doomed seat!) anyone heard this or can prove/disprove? I thought the things were semi free floating! Then again I believe in magic too!

Nope. I sat directly across from the entry, and myself and the two people to my left (your theoretical ' drier' seats) were the ones that got the most wet.

It seems to be pretty random.

 

[MeetingMickeyin2006]

It all depends on the size of the passengers and the distribution of the weight! We rode Kali twice over the summer. The first time, it was us and our 2 kids, and we were seated with mostly other adults. We barely got wet. The second time we rode, we were seated with mostly other kids, so we were the "heavy" side, and we got tsunami-sized waves of water and SOAKED!

 

[Baklava]

Also Grizzly River Run at DCA is longer than Kali and much better. It is what Kali should be. I'll never forget riding that with a lady who was wearing white pants! At least the lower humidity of SoCal helps dry you off faster (though it's generally not as warm).

I feel better now. We were really bummed to be missing Kali due to refurb on our upcoming trip to WDW, but if it's not as good as GRR, we'll just wait and do that at our home park.

 

[SueM in MN]

It all depends on the size of the passengers and the distribution of the weight! We rode Kali twice over the summer. The first time, it was us and our 2 kids, and we were seated with mostly other adults. We barely got wet. The second time we rode, we were seated with mostly other kids, so we were the "heavy" side, and we got tsunami-sized waves of water and SOAKED!

and even that is not for sure....

We've ridden at the the very end of the day many times, when people are basically walking right on without waiting.
My youngest DD is in a wheelchair and can't walk, so it's not the easiest thing to get her on. We board at a different spot and if there are not enough other people with disabilities to fill the boat, the CMs send over Guests from the regular boarding area to fill the boat.

Because it's so much work to get DD on and off and the fact that the ride has been no wait, the CMs have let us ride sometimes a second time without getting off. Anyone riding with us has the choice to ride again too (and most do).

So, we have been on it with exactly the same people in exactly the same seats and had different people get the wall of water dumped on them.

 

[MarkinMA]

We were there over Halloween and my group went back on Kali. I hadn't been on it for awhile...and after visiting Grizzly River Run and Popeye...I was really quite disappointed with Kali. We did the first drop (really the only one - and the big one) and I thought we were just getting going... Then we rounded the bend and were done. I actually said out loud "Is that it...that's a lot of work (meaning drying off, etc) for that..."

Also - they've taken out the covered things in the middle - where you put your bags and stuff, and hide your feet under. Just a metal bar hoop thing to hang onto...so make sure if you bring stuff on with you - it can/will get wet.

Next visit - this is a skip for me...use the FP on Dinosaur (along with Safari and Everest)....

 

[cjparker0110]

I haven't been on that one, but have road similar rides at other parks. The one at Busch Gardens Williamsburg (Roman Rapids...just a six seater) is the one I've been on the most. My older sister worked there the year it opened and I was there pretty much 3 or 4 days a week that summer. I road every single seat on that ride (one very hot day I road it about 30 times) and can say that there is no safe spot on that kind of ride. What works one time doesn't work the next. There are various factors which can play in on those kinds of rides:

1. Water level: some parks have varying water levels. I never knew why but I have witnessed this. This can affect the size of the "rapids" and the speed of the "raft"
2. Weight/number of riders: This is probably the biggest factor. The number of people, as well as their collective weight and displacement of such weight, can make a big difference in how the ride runs.
3. Geysers. That's what I call them anyway. Some rides have water that shoots out of the water and can land on you. Sometimes this is turned on, sometimes turned off. If it's on, all bets are off.
4. Water falls. Many of these types of rides have a section where you boat goes under a water fall. These can be turned on to varying levels. In the height of summer at BGW, pretty much everyone would get hit by it. On a September afternoon it would hit whichever unlucky people were directly under the "sprinklers." In October they turned it off. Valley Fair (MN) has one that covers the entire boat if it's turned on. Even if you are lucky enough to miss everything else, you will be soaked coming off. That, to me, is not fun. I don't mind the "challenge" of not getting wet. I don't like being forced into it.
5. Target practice. Some rides have little sections where non-riders can pay a quarter or two and "shoot" water at people on the ride. This is sadistic in nature and should be banned!

 

[DisneyOma]

It's all weight and timing, and a bit of of luck. My daughter and I can pretty much predict who is going to get soaked - usually the larger people directly across from us. We are both really small, and tend to be the last ones over the falls. A few times we've gone down sideways, and once we were first, but didn't really get soaked because the raft was very evenly balanced.

 

[JacknSally]

it was waterproof storage at one point...what is it now? I remember one trip this family filled it almost all the way but I could have easily fit my purse and they held it shut and wouldn't "allow" me to put my bag in!!!! needless to say, I hoped the whole ride that they didn't want to get soaked but did anyway!

It's gone completely. I was expecting it when we rode last month, and ended up having to hold the camera bag and hope it didn't get wet, haha. They have lockers outside the ride now.

 

[Disneyholic]

The center storage was still there when we went in August this year. My husband was across from the loading area. I was next to him. When the raft went over the first dip I saw the wall of water coming over the other side and though those people were going to get drenched. Instead the raft kept moving and the water dumped on me. My husband got wet, I got drenched. This was at about 10am and with the humidity my clothing still hadn't dried by the time we got back to our room at 5pm.

 

[Lee & Kerry]

overheard in line at Kali - is you enter the raft stay to the right and try to sit right and directly opposite of where you entered. The family I overheard swore that the rotation of the raft was deliberate and that the seats to the left of entry were the "doomed" seats ( the one seat that goes downhill first every...single...time) now to test the theory in summer you'd need a wet suit! I call bunk on this one (although I'm always in the doomed seat!) anyone heard this or can prove/disprove? I thought the things were semi free floating! Then again I believe in magic too!

it doesn't matter where you first sit, it matters when the raft rotates going down the falls, if you go down backwards your soaked, there is a big wave that comes up and over the back side and drowns you, anywhere else you just get wet.

 

[Disneyholic]

it doesn't matter where you first sit, it matters when the raft rotates going down the falls, if you go down backwards your soaked, there is a big wave that comes up and over the back side and drowns you, anywhere else you just get wet.

And what you just posted is just the opposite of what I posted above.....so......that means that it is totally random who gets wet & who gets soaked.

 

[mortimor]

If you sit in the seat where the water doesn't splash you will stay dry

 

[larryz]

If you sit in the seat where the water doesn't splash you will stay dry

Or if you stay on the loading dock you can stay dry...

 

[AGoofykindagirl]

As others have done, I think I have been in every seat and get soaked every time. And that is why I ride it. But thinking of a dry seat reminds me of the first time I rode a "river ride" like Kali:
We were at a rival park (in Texas) in the mid 80's. We got to the end of the drops and Pop had maybe 3 drops of water on him and laughed at how wet the rest of us were. But his back was turned to the waterfall right before the unloading zone. The son in the other family in the boat started to say something but the mom and dad distracted him so he couldn't warn Pop. And yes Pop was the only one hit by the waterfall- so his safe seat was not so safe after all! He was the wettest of us all.
Returning to Kali- anyone who thinks they have a trick to getting less wet, has just been lucky if it worked.