Kali River Rapids for almost 3yo?

[javaj]

We saw the WDW special on the Travel Channel the other day and when DS saw Kali River Rapids, he was so excited and said he wanted to ride it. He was so funny, he wanted to know why we didn't go on the ride when we went to WDW last June.

When we go in December, he will be almost 3 (turns 3 in January) and hopefully he'll meet the 38" height requirement by then (he's 37.5" right now). But just because he will be tall enough, will he really be ready? Of course he might not grow between now and then so it might not matter LOL.

Can anyone share toddler experiences on this ride?

Thanks!

 

[Tigger&Belle]

My 4yo hasn't been on Kali, but when I had him at Universal last February he went on the Popeye raft ride (similar, but longer) 7 times in a row. He loved it, even though his teeth were chattering. I finally drew the line at 7 times or he would have had me there all day. If your son enjoys getting wet, go for it!

T&B

 

[CamColt]

My DS is pretty short for his age and he made it on Kali in December, a month before he turned 4. He really liked it. I had never been on it before and I found its a lot tamer than I had expected.
If your DS makes the 38 mark, but not much over, he will need to be the "Captain" of the raft. I believe thats for anyone under 42 inches. He will get a bracelet at the entrance when he gets measured and then when loading the raft, you will show the CM the bracelet. This will get him the "Captains Seat" with the bar in front of it.

 

[SamanthaL]

If he a little daring like my DD then I bet he will do fine. If he is a little timid I would think about it first. He also needs to be OK with getting wet and my DD is NOT!

 

[Aristomommy]

DD was 1 month short of 3yo when we went to WDW. She loved Kali and I took some cute pictures of her. I had a change of clothes in a ziploc bag so she could be comfortable after the ride. It was not too scary for her.

Jen

 

[Mainebound]

My son was 3 years, 3 months old when he first went on Kali and he LOVED it. Kali is a pretty tame ride, IMO, tamer than the Popeye raft ride at Universal which he also loved. He was put in the special seat on Kali with the straps.

 

[McKelly]

Question about the "Captain's seat". Do two people still fit in the seats or would your child be alone(meaning not having a parent sitting directly next to him)? And if a parent does sit next to him, does it allow enough room for Pooh sized people or should we make sure a thinner person in the party be sitting next to him.. Thanks for any tips!!

 

[jenfur]

My DS rode it at 3 and he loved it. You can sit next to him and I am sure a Pooh sized person will fit cause DH and I ...well....


The only problem we did have was DS getting cold, but it 3 was Dec and we did ride a few times in a row. He didn't complain, but he was shaky, they get soaked!

 

[Mainebound]

Originally posted by jenfur
The only problem we did have was DS getting cold, but it 3 was Dec and we did ride a few times in a row. He didn't complain, but he was shaky, they get soaked! [/B]

That reminds me -- we bought t-shirts this year after they rode because they were so wet and it was early in the day. They are their favorite t-shirts from this WDW trip -- Pooh in safari gear holding a magnifying glass up to a very large tiger saying "Tigger, is that you?"

If you plan to ride early, bring extra clothes or plan to buy some if your kids hate walking around in wet stuff.

 

[Mom2Ashli]

My DD 5 wanted to ride that when we were there in July but she had a cast on her arm. But we are going back in September and I am glad to hear that is an okay ride for small children. Can't wait to get wet.

 

[CamColt]

As jenfur said, yes a parent can sit next to him. The seats are the same as all the other seats, it just has a bar infront of it.

 

[javaj]

Thank you for all the input! This is exactly what I was looking for, I bet DS will love the ride. Oh I hope he grows at least half an inch in the next 117 days!

 

[dixieamy]

My DD, then 2 years, 8 months, (who by the way is very tall for her age) got to ride it, but she fell asleep on my DH's shoulder while we were waiting in line for the ride. She got about a 30 minute nap while we were waiting, but we had to wake her up to put her in the "captain's seat." She was still okay at this point, not crying from being woken from her nap, so we were holding our breath about how the ride would go. This was our family's first time going, so we had no clue how wet we would get. We got nervous when we saw everyone around us putting on their ponchos. Of course we didn't have a change of clothes with us, and it was early afternoon.

Well, my DD, the trooper, got the wettest of anyone on the ride! She never cried or even fussed, she just kept saying "I'm wet, Mama". And she was, she got completely soaked. But, she loved it, and I'm sure your DS will too. We had to buy her a change of clothes afterward, and all was well.

 

[jcemom]

Can anyone tell me if this is one of the rides where the height measurement bar is set higher to account for shoes? My DD will turn 4 on our trip next week. She's 38" in bare feet, so closer to 39" with shoes. I'm wondering if their measurement is at 38" though, or higher to account for shoes? If it's at 38" then I can let her wear her sandals. If not, then I'll have to try with her sneakers on since the sole is thicker.

 

[BlindTyldak]

My suggestion for the OP would be to plan Kali for just before you head back to the hotel just to be safe. If your little one 9and you as the parent, yourself!) end up in the super-soaker seat, that can make for some mighty uncomfortable touring.

 

[Mabila]

Can anyone tell me if this is one of the rides where the height measurement bar is set higher to account for shoes?

I think so. We were there at dd's 4th birthday in March, and she was 37" (in bare feet), and in shoes she was *still* a good two inches below the mark. She was very disappointed that she couldn't ride (she had made the cut-off for a couple of other 38" rides, wearing shoes), but in the end had a good time spraying her dad and brother with the elephants as they floated by.

I'm hoping maybe she'll be big enough this time around -- but will it be warm enough for us to want to do it?!?

 

[ctnurse]

DS was almost 2&1/2 when we were there is Sept and he rode it and loved it. Yes he is huge. The only thing that upset him was he was about 1 inch to short to ride SM. He kept pointing at the hill and saying "ride Mama"

 

[CindyAnn]

If your little guy is fairly intrepid, he should be okay. We often go to WDW in the cooler months, and our Kali tips for that time are:

1) We always layer T-shirts and sweatshirts in the cooler months, so we take off our sweatshirts, put them in our backpacks, and put on our ponchos.

2) We always keep our feet up on the bar (for adults - it will be way too low for your little guy in any case) because lots of water sloshes around in the bottom of the raft.

3) We always ride it (as many as 10 times in succession) as the last ride of the day.

4) After leaving the ride we go straight to the bathrooms, take off our soaked T-shirts and put on the nice dry sweatshirts. That's okay to get you to the parking lot, but we always either return directly to our hotel for a change at that point, or (as we will this year) take a complete set of dry clothes (including underwear and shoes) to change into so we can head straight to Boma at AKL for dinner.

Have fun!

 

[Dimap]

My 3 year old dd would only go on if she was allowed to wear her rain poncho. (She had a very bad experience on the raft ride at Hershey Park). So on went the poncho (my husband thought I was being a little weird...) and she had such a great time that she did it again!

Pam

 

[TinkerbellMama]

We saw the WDW special on the Travel Channel the other day and when DS saw Kali River Rapids, he was so excited and said he wanted to ride it. He was so funny, he wanted to know why we didn't go on the ride when we went to WDW last June.

When we go in December, he will be almost 3 (turns 3 in January) and hopefully he'll meet the 38" height requirement by then (he's 37.5" right now). But just because he will be tall enough, will he really be ready? Of course he might not grow between now and then so it might not matter LOL.

Can anyone share toddler experiences on this ride?

Thanks!

The ride is fun but TOO mild, IMO. I'd take him on it. My toddler will go on it next year (too short this go-round). I know he'll love it!