How do you handle/prepare for the water rides?

[jtowntoflorida]

Bluto's is definitely different than the other two rides! We didn't ride RF in June (but my son really, really wants to next month) and did take a few splashes on JP but still were OK to walk around after riding. Bluto's, OTOH...no. We did experience the full on, full body soaking, down to the underwear. Our bargemates fared no better in their ponchos. We tried the body dryers but they were pretty much a ripoff...they helped to blow off some of the dripping water, but that was about it.

Luckily, we have a stroller so we can just store the extra clothes under there. Good tip about the towel...I wouldn't have thought of that! I just want to change clothes even before walking back so (1) we won't have to time the rides for the end of the day or right before a break; and (2) if it's a cool day (October weather is so unpredictable) we won't have to go back to our resort freezing. Plus, my husband also developed an "issue" after walking back to HRH with wet unders this summer. LOL.

I wasn't sure if our plan was overkill, and it sounds like not.

 

[Lisa0620]

Forgot to mention that we wear flip flops or sandals that are ok in water on the day we plan to ride the wet rides too. No sneakers!

Yes! It didn't bother us at all to have wet clothes, but the kids were miserable in their shoes. We had quick dry clothes on and I thought we could just prop our feet against the center pole like we do on Kali to avoid getting our feet super wet, but there is NO ESCAPE from the water on the Barges! (Probably didn't help that we rode it 4 x in a row...) I was okay in my H2O keens but I think we're all wearing crocs next time!

 

[sharona]

You can put your stuff in that storage bin in the middle - no idea how dry stuff stays in there though... maybe someone else who has used it can chime in. My friend had on running shoes and he put his feet up against the center pole but also inside a plastic bag and they stayed mostly dry and he looked hilarious so very entertaining for the rest of us.

 

[jtowntoflorida]

You can put your stuff in that storage bin in the middle - no idea how dry stuff stays in there though... maybe someone else who has used it can chime in. My friend had on running shoes and he put his feet up against the center pole but also inside a plastic bag and they stayed mostly dry and he looked hilarious so very entertaining for the rest of us.

Not dry at all. I mean, the cover protects your stuff from the biggest waves, but that's about it. We had a stroller so didn't want to rent a locker and I did take my small backpack and put it in there, with all the stuff inside it safely sealed in a large ziplock.

 

[bumbershoot]

On JP River Adventure and Ripsaw Falls, I've always stayed 100% dry under the poncho. But I have a feeling that Bluto might be a different story

*So far* you have stayed dry.

I have not, on those same rides. I am speaking from experience. Ripsaw was the second worst, and it was in December, and it was freezing. Bluto is absolutely the wettest; just get into a shower. Except showers aren't that much fun.

My cousin, a FL native, believed that Splash wasn't a water ride. She grew up going to the parks, courted with her husband at WDW...then she rode Splash with me and DH, and she and her husband got drenched from head to foot. They'd never even had a drop for decades. (and managed to ignore all the other sopping people, I suppose) It's one way until one day it's the other!

 

[RMulieri]

If it is hot out we just go with it.We do the water rides last and then go back to the resort.If it is cold/cool out like when we visit in Jan, we only do JP and skip the others.BUT in the cooler months like Jan, they do refurb the water rides ( usually one at a time).This past Jan when we went Bluto was closed.The year before JP was closed

 

[hdnwaters]

*So far* you have stayed dry.

I have not, on those same rides. I am speaking from experience. Ripsaw was the second worst, and it was in December, and it was freezing. Bluto is absolutely the wettest; just get into a shower. Except showers aren't that much fun.

My cousin, a FL native, believed that Splash wasn't a water ride. She grew up going to the parks, courted with her husband at WDW...then she rode Splash with me and DH, and she and her husband got drenched from head to foot. They'd never even had a drop for decades. (and managed to ignore all the other sopping people, I suppose) It's one way until one day it's the other!

I heard if they change the timing of the logs on Splash, you can really get soaked. My sister went on a behind the scene tour when she worked for NASCAR. They had met the ride CMs....my sister and friend knew where the cameras were and waved to the CMs, they sent them down too soon on purpose and they were soaked, then they turned the waterfall on full blast and stopped them under it! It was a chilly day too! Never been too wet on Splash....got totally soaked on Kali Rapids and on Bluto!

 

[lvdis]

The only time we've been was at the beginning of January one year. We only rode JP and got wetter than expected. We didn't do the other two because it was a little chilly out and I had read that you get soaked on them. We are planning a trip back in March and I figure maybe if it's warm enough we'll give them a try since they sound like a lot of fun. My husband will not be happy to have wet shoes though, so I'm trying to figure out a strategy for us. Too bad you can't go barefoot on the water rides! Maybe bringing bags to cover our shoes/feet with rubber bands to hold them on will work (although it will look pretty silly!).

 

[SouthAfricaTraveller]

We changed into swimsuits with a thin covering and slops. We left our clothes in a nearby locker. It worked great, we did all 3 water rides, most of them 3 times and we were sopping wet. When we were done we changed back into our dry clothes and sneakers. It was a little bit of effort, but worked perfectly well for us.

 

[johde]

I normally wear quick dry clothes, ride all of them back to back, then go change clothes. It was fun in January when it was a little chilly and could ride most of them with little wait.

Yes, I'm the one in the front without any water protection.