Kali River - wet?

[TravelGrl]

I was wondering what most people do when riding Kali River Rapids.
I understand you get really wet, which isn't a problem when you are there in 90 degree weather. However, what do you do when it's this time a year?

Do you bring a change of cloths and shoes and keep them in a locker till after the ride? Do you wear ponchos? Please advise.

Thanks

 

[JohnnySharp2]

To be honest I have only ridden it once and didn't get too wet at all.

If it isn't too hot though I would either advise a poncho yes, or stay clear completely.
You may want to check whether the ride is open also, as several water rides close over the winter period.

The Popeye's Barges ride at Universal is a ride you do get absolutely soaked on, usually guaranteed.

 

[PoohHappens]

You may or may not get wet. We have ridden and been soaked and we have not gotten wet at all. We just put our ponchos on and there is a bar to put you feet up on to keep them a little dryer. I usually remove my socks and put them in my pocket so even if my shoes get wet I have dry socks. You must wear shoes, they will not let you remove them to ride. We have been soaked in December and it is not too comfy. Sometimes we ride it as the last ride before heading to the hotel. We also wear lighter weight fabric so it drys faster--not denim. Have fun and good luck staying dry and warm.

 

[Susiesnowflake]

Yes, you can get very, very wet! All depends upon your position in the raft on that last big drop. The raft spins some so you never know where you will end up. We always wear ponchos. Even though Kali is a favorite of mine and I usually ride it multiple times, I did skip it during our late Nov/early Dec trip. Temps were much chillier than normal, and I just didn't want to deal with being wet too. Hoping to get back on there late Feb.

PoohHappens made good recommendations about wearing lighter weight clothing and putting your socks in your pocket. We also usually bring a small washcloth to use as a towel.

Hoping for warm and sunny skies for you to enjoy Kali River Rapids!

 

[Shells9]

We skip it -- but I am pretty much a whimp when it comes to be being cold.

We always manage to get SOAKED when we ride, so if you must ride when it is cold, I would recommend a change of clothes.

 

[JFrey4240]

Yes, you can get very wet! Last summer we rode the rapids before we left for dinner at MGM--big mistake! My daughter and I got soaking wet and I mean like a drowned rat! The sun had gone down and we were freezing and of course, we didn't have a change of clothes. We ended up going into one of the shops and buying my daughter a new outfit down to new underwear! I then didn't want to spend any extra $$$ on me so I remained a drowned rat in denim shorts that would never dry! Being the Disney trooper and not wanting to waste time to go back to the resort and change, we proceeded to MGM for dinner. The AC was up so high--because it was summer--that I froze my *** off all through dinner. So I recommend taking a change of clothes and not ride the rapids after the sun goes down. It was fun and what a memory!

 

[GoofyDad869]

I've ridden it at least six times. Not to offend, but in my experience heavier people tend to get wetter than lighter people. It's all in how the raft is loaded. The rafts are round, but if one side (quadrant, whatever) has more bigger people than the other, that side will get wetter.

If you do ride it, bring along zippable bags for your personal stuff (cameras, wallets - stuff you don't want to get wet). I think we had 5 gallon zips last time we rode. The reason I'm saying this is that even though there is a 'dry' storage bin in the middle of the raft, the bin usually has some water rolling around within. It didn't seem to matter what time of day, but there was usually some water...

 

[TravelGrl]

You're tips have been good. I'll report once I return.

 

[CAD3655]

I'll admit to being a baby when it comes to getting wet. I HATE it, but DH adores this ride. (Mostly for watching me cringe when that 4 foot wall of water comes rushing over my head.) I usually carry a pair of flip flops in my back pack, my poncho and a change of bottoms cause I get soaked to the skin...there is nothing worse than trying to negotiate the parks in wet denim. I'd rather carry a pair of shorts rather than be wet and miserable.

 

[Shagley]

I've ridden it at least six times. Not to offend, but in my experience heavier people tend to get wetter than lighter people. It's all in how the raft is loaded. The rafts are round, but if one side (quadrant, whatever) has more bigger people than the other, that side will get wetter.

That is sooo true. When I rode, the side I sat on had my tiny 100 pound friend, about 4 kids, and me (I was the largest one on my side of the raft). The other side of the raft had all average sized adults. Of course the heavier side of the raft was downriver through the entire ride, and their side went directly into the water every time we hit a dip. That side of the raft got SOAKED, and our side of the raft just got a few drops.

The moral to this story = sit with kids or skinny people on the raft if you don't want to get too wet.

 

[lorik]

You can get very wet and it doesn't matter how hot it is. Wet is still uncomfortable. We were there in August and got drenched. We did changed from our sneakers to flip flops that I had brought for this purpose. I had also brought ponchos but it was so humid that no one wanted to wear them. Of course, the humidity meant that our clothes would not dry. We ended up returning to our hotel and then back to AK to get the bus to AKL for our ADR at Boma. It would have been a lot easier had we worn the ponchos.

 

[mapmakerj]

I've ridden it at least six times. Not to offend, but in my experience heavier people tend to get wetter than lighter people. It's all in how the raft is loaded. The rafts are round, but if one side (quadrant, whatever) has more bigger people than the other, that side will get wetter.

How funny that the exact opposite happened to me my only time on KRR!
My DH (not a small guy) and 4 guys the size of NFL linebackers were on my raft along with a tiny girl who sat with me. And out of the lot only me (who weighs 125 lbs) and my seat mate got completely soaked. I don't think I had a dry spot. So I guess I was the lucky one who got to experience the "fluke" ride. I should have wimped out and wore the poncho!

 

[debaudrn]

mapmakerj
The same thing happened to my son and I last year. He weighted 65 lbs at the time and I'm not large either. We have a great picture of us looking like drowned rats! It was summer and very hot so we eventually dried off. I did go into the ladies room and wrung the water out of my clothes (in a stall of course!!!) I've ridden this many times and never got wet at all before. The rest of the family wanted to put on ponchos and I called them all wimps! That will teach me!!!

 

[dixiedizfan]

When we visited AK three weeks ago, the weather was wonderfully warm and sunny ... highs in the mid 70s. However, none of us wanted to ride Kali, because you can get absolutely drenched on it, and the temperature outside wasn't warm ENOUGH where we'd be comfortable or would dry out any time soon.

 

[BraveMom3]

I have finally gotten this figured out. Two different times I had to buy shorts that my DS never wears again because he had on denim shorts that literally eat his little legs up when they are wet. This past trip, I took flip flops for the three children to change into, and the boys wore nylon shorts that dry very quickly. DD and I wore ponchos, because neither of us like our clothing to get wet, but boys love it!

 

[MouseWorshipin]

I've ridden and had every stich of clothing soaked thoroughly and I've ridden and gotten about 2 drops of water on me. I think it just depends. I always plan it as the last thing to do before leaving the park, that way it doesn't matter much!