May/June 2001 Trip -- Part 1: Busch Gardens -- Rhino Rally: A Big Disappointment

BarryHom

DIS Legend
Joined
Aug 20, 1999
Messages
14,159
May 25, 2001

The cast:
Me (the 29-year old)


I headed off at 7:00 am to start a 10-day vacation. I will start in Orlando and end up in Cedar Point in Ohio.

My first stop had to be Busch Gardens. Rhino Rally had opened on the previous day and I had to see it. I had heard so much about this ride that I wanted to ride it for months. I also wanted to see if the designers could actually pull it off. When I read about the ride, I didn’t think it would be possible.

I arrived at the Busch Gardens parking lot at around 9:45 am and took the tram to the front gates. I really don’t like taking the tram. I would walk it to the front gates if it weren’t so far. I entered the parks at 10:15 am and headed straight to Rhino Rally.

The Rhino Rally wait was around 20 to 30 minutes. I had to go through the foot scrubber because Busch Gardens was worried about foot and mouth disease. As I stood in line, I could see some of the Rovers driving by. That made me more excited. I waited and waited and finally made it to the loading area. I could feel my heart beat faster and I felt flushed. I was about to go on a ride that I had been looking forward for months. The rover drove up to the loading dock and the doors opened. I put on my seatbelt and was ready to be amazed.

The rover has a driver (ours was Jimanji Jim, I think) and a guide, who is selected from the queue. The guide today was Amanda, a senior in high school. The driver had some good banter with Amada as we drove through the course. The ride, on paper, is part safari and part water ride. The safari rode was a dirt road, which made the ride really bumpy. I only saw three animals on the safari – zebras, flamingoes, and antelopes. The safari has a few big water spots and puddles that we drove through. No one really got wet, though.

The ride came to a point where Amanda had to choose between a left and right path. The left path was all muddy and the right was pretty dry. The left path must be the way to the water ride. I know that Amanda said left, but the driver said, “I heard right” and turned right. I was so excited to go through the water part. You can imagine how disappointed I was when we hit the finish line. What? This is not part of the ride. My excitement went to disappointment in two seconds. I felt personally insulted that I did not get to go on the water ride. I thought the water part was broken down since I saw another rover sticking out from the bushes. I could see a part of the water ride from the exit and rovers were going down the river. As I exited, some people behind me said, “Don’t go on this ride!”

I wondered if the ride was truly working. One way to find out was to hop aboard the Sky Ride. You could see the entire Rhino Rally ride from the air.
 
Oh Barry..what a disappointment after such a buildup. :( They really should tell people that its not working so you don't waste your time.
 
Barry, how disappointing for you!! I hope the next time you go, it is much better for ya!! :) Thanks for posting!
 















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