Splash Mountain and Grizzly River Run - how wet will we get?

[PairOfDice]

We have been avoiding these rides because we don't want to spend the day in soaked clothes. Is there anything worse than wet denim? Can you give me an idea of how wet we should expect to get? I recently saw one of those Instagram makeup ladies riding SM and her makeup didn't look destroyed at all. I've gotten soaked riding Matterhorn so I'm curious about how these two rides compare. I'm not interested in keeping makeup looking good. It's not a big concern for us. It just made me think it's not the soaker that I thought it was.

I've seen some Youtube videos of GRR and I can see why people get soaked on it. Which brings up my next questions. Do you wear a poncho? Wear dollar store flip flops that you can toss after? Or just deal with getting soaked?

I don't want to avoid these rides anymore. I want ALL the DL experiences next time and I want to be prepared.

 

[SteveH]

You might get a bit wet on Splash but not that big of deal, but it really is a bit of a gamble. However on Grizzly (DL) and Kali River (WDW) I can say you WILL get wet, how wet depends a lot on where you are seated when the raft goes "down" or pops back "up" avoid sitting by the entry step, it's like an open door for the water to come in, which is great in the summer, not so great in December. Don't forget the geysers can drench you too.

If you're unsure bring a change of pants and put them in the locker. Denim is the worst and takes a while to dry, for that reason and others I avoid jeans. Panchos will help keep your top dry but won't help for pants or shoes so much. At Grizzly I saw a number of people change into shorts and sandals for it.

 

[sherilaine]

For Grizzly I brought a change of clothes and I needed them - of all the people in our raft I got SOAKED - like straight through entirely - be prepared! It was about 95 degrees that day though so it was all good. Also take care to waterproof whatever you bring on with you - in terms of bag - as they can get soaked too!

On Splash I was about as wet as if I walked by someone lawn sprinkler and got a few drops splashed on me. I have seen others get a bit more wet but nothing like Grizzly!

 

[mich311e]

The last few times I rode Splash I was in the front and I got soaked! A friend of mine went on Splash a different time of year and, same deal, in the front and soaked! Pants, shoes, everything.

 

[jammyjam25]

I have gotten SOAKED on Splash as well. It had rained or something the day before because the water was really full and as we went around a corner our log dipped down and water came in over the side. My entire left side got drenched. It was hilarious actually.

I never mind getting wet (I'm from Seattle, hello) so I don't bother with ponchos or lockers but I'd definitely recommend it for yourself if you want to experience these rides - which you should, they're both a blast - with minimal wetness!

 

[figment_jii]

I haven't ridden GRR in years, but my friends ride it on every trip. They've always come out wet, but to varying degrees (some were soaked, others were merely wet).

For Splash, it's a bit more hit or miss and depends a lot (I think) on where you're sitting and who else is in the log with you. The folks in the front seem to get the wettest. Those further back (or behind someone larger than them) seem to fair better. I'd say you can be anything from nearly dry to soaked on Splash. I would avoid sitting in the front or behind someone considerably smaller than you if you wanted the best chance at not being super wet by the end of the ride. Also, it's the smaller inside drops that seem to get me the wettest; not the big one at the end!

I've almost never gotten wet on Matterhorn. Maybe a few drops, but that's about it...I usually get wetter on Pirates than on Matterhorn. So for me, I would say that Matterhorn has the lowest chance of getting wet, with Splash next, and GRR having the highest chance.

 

[Tinkerbell19672]

I get soaked on Splash and like pp mentioned, usually on the inside drops. There’s always a rogue wave over the side that gets me every time. Usually my leg. I tuck my feet up under the sides to avoid getting my feet too soaked but I wouldn’t wear denim on Splash, especially if not that hot out.

 

[Niltiac]

I also got soaked once on Matterhorn and that's a very unusual occurrence - everyone in our cart was shocked. If Matterhorn is your benchmark, then both of these rides are much wetter.

I've never gotten very wet on Splash, but I've only been on it a few times. I've heard of people getting soaked, but I think it's more the exception than the rule, but it is definitely a possibility. I think I've heard that they change the water levels depending on weather so you're more likely to get soaked in Summer (I'm not positive about that, I might be thinking of the Jurassic ride at Universal).

GRR is another beast entirely - I love that ride but I'm completely soaked every time. On our first visit we thought we could walk it off and the water would evaporate, but we were forgetting that CA has higher humidity than where we're from. After walking around for an hour we were still literally dripping wet, so we went back to the hotel to change. Nowadays we don't do GRR every trip for logistical reasons (even though it's one of my favorites), but when we do it we bring a backpack with a complete change of clothes and sandals plus a plastic bag for the wet clothes, and we stash our park clothes/shoes/bags in the free lockers next to GRR. Since we've gone through all that trouble we then ride several times in a row before changing back.

 

[Kender]

It's really a YMMV. As mentioned, it depends where you're sitting and who is riding with you. Also I feel like there is some voodoo magic going on at some point too

I have gone on both and gotten at most a couple drops of water. I've also come off both soaked to the bone.

This past Thanksgiving was one such day, yet everyone else riding with me came off barely splashed. My mom was almost completely dry getting off Splash, but I'd had several waves of water pour over the sides and dump in my lap even when already long past drops. My log mates thought it hilarious how often I was screaming in shock from surprise waves.

It was so bad after Splash (ridden a couple hours after GRR) that I was in stores looking at pajama pant sets to purchase and change into. I usually don't worry about a change of clothes when it's warm and it was very hot that day. But I wasn't drying even with the heat and I was miserable. Not making that mistake again.

I ended up just changing my socks finally to a pair I bought earlier in the day and it was all the difference (this was several hours after Splash and my socks were still heavy with water). As a hilarious aside, they were the mermaid tail socks lol. Bought that morning before I'd even booked those ride FPs.

 

[poseys]

I don’t mind getting soaked but I don’t wear long pants in the park, either. If you’re comfortable wearing shorts, it will dry pretty quickly on a warm day. Or maybe you could ride before a mid-day hotel break?

 

[RedHotMama]

Yes, wear light-weight pants that will dry faster than denim. I think they're more comfortable anyway.
And here's my tip for Grizzly: Put your feet up. There's a little ledge that goes around under the seats. Rest your heels on it so your feet aren't on the bottom of the raft, where the water pours in. I don't mind my clothes taking a little while to dry on a warm day, but I hate wet socks and shoes.

 

[Mamato4boys]

Like everyone else has already said, it really varies. We are huge fans of Splash and GRR, so we are typically the weirdos who take advantage of the lack of lines at 9pm in November and go on them over and over again. The best way to end the night is 6 times on GRR and then trudging back to the hotel dripping wet with squeaking shoes. (Hey, we're from Oregon, we don't know any better... )

Splash varies significantly. Most times our legs are a bit wet, but nothing too severe. When we do get soaked, it is from rogue waves at random, unexpected times splashing over the sides. I have come off a Splash a few times completely drenched, from the top of my head down.

GRR, we always get wet. Usually a moderate amount, but probably 1 ride out of 4, at least one of us is soaked. Sometimes it is from an overhead wave and sometimes it is from a flood coming through one of the doorways.

 

[Wahlee]

If I'm going on a wet ride and don't want to get too wet (if it's really hot I don't care much), then I wear a dollar-store poncho and chuck it in the trash when I get off. I always have one in my bag. How wet you get can vary, but if you really don't want to be soaked and don't feel like carrying around a change of clothes, ponchos are the way to go.

 

[Poppins2010]

Agreed.... But better yet, offer your used poncho to a person waiting in line. I always look for someone with terror on their face, and offer it to them. I have made some folks very happy!

 

[NannyBeBe]

The last time I went on Splash I got totally soaked and I was not sitting in the front. I always change into flip flops because it would take days for my leather shoes to dry. The part I really dislike is having to sit down in a puddle and get my backside wet. Next time I am stuffing paper towels in my pocket to wipe the seat.

 

[Pamela M]

I've gotten soaked on Splash a couple of times and I've walked away with only a few splashes of water on me other times. One of the things I do is I wear clothes that dry quick ( thinking hiking, travel gear, workout gear) and then I also will carry flipflops with me and will change out of my tennis shoes into my flip flops so I have dry socks and shoes afterward.

The other thing you can do if you don't want to get really wet is bring a rain poncho with you that should keep most of you dry if your wearing shorts.

 

[PairOfDice]

Thank you all for your comments. I'm thinking our plan will be to try to ride them before a midday hotel break. Also, no more denim. So uncomfortable.
I mentioned Matterhorn above because we did get soaked on that last September. It was like a huge bucket of water in the face. We had ridden it earlier and got a little sprinkle so it was quite a surprise and very funny.

 

[nikkislaght]

Pro tip for GRR. There are holes in the floor.. make sure you cover them with your feet.. this will stop water from coming up and soaking you that way too... we make sure we have a gallon bag. and put camera.. phone etc.. anything that cant get wet inside the gallon zip lock and put in backpack ..

 

[katyringo]

I sucked it up for my son and rode both of these. We were in the back in splash and hardly got wet. We didn’t get soaked on. Grizzle but my poor son it washed his face paint right off...

We are going sans kid next time and I won’t be riding these lol.

 

[nikkislaght]

oh I forgot to mention.. we sometimes make it our last ride.. that way we hit the hotel soon after and get a warm shower and we arent walking round all day in wet clothes..!!