
Review from November 2002 by Deirdre
Sargent:
This ride was fun but I have to agree with
Mr. Sellinger in the Unauthorized Guide - it's a weenie ride. It's
not very fast, the rapids are not scary or bumpy, it's too short and the
drops are small. The scenery is lovely and the temple is VERY detailed.
The Imagineers knocked themselves out in the look of this ride. This
is a water ride and you WILL get WET. How wet depends on fate and
which Water Gods you pray to before the ride starts. The round raft
spins freely sans track and you can't predict where the water will come
from. It does seem to be worse if you are heading down an incline
and you are leading (or moving backwards while you plunge down the drop).
There is a covered container in the center to protect items from the water. The problem was that by the time I took my shoes and socks off, (which I highly recommend unless you want to get blisters walking in squishy wet shoes) I couldn't get them in the middle container because our piggy boat companions but bulky backpacks, etc. in the middle. In case anyone out there is unclear about the concept, the small area in the middle is for shoes, purses, cameras, small packages, anything that would be ruined by the water. LARGE packages, bulky backpacks do NOT apply. A backpack can get wet. So that being said, I stuffed my socks into my tennis shoes, put them upside down on my seat and sat on them. Let me tell you, I got fairly wet this time, although I was not in the “soak” seat but sitting on my shoes kept them dry.
Also near the end there are two elephants flanking you that are controlled by people on the bridge. I looked up and saw this 10 year old kid hitting the button that got me. As soon as that ride was over, I grabbed my shoes and headed for that kid. "Hey kid, you're the one who shot me with that water! Show me how to do it to someone else!" So I played with the kid and hosed other people. Lesson on this ride: (1) put shoes and socks in center container or sit on them and (2) don't get mad, get even and squirt others.
A B- for cooling water fun but points off for the weenie factor.
Kid Grade (PG): Suitable for most ages. The dips are no more extreme than Pirates of the Caribbean and not too scary. The only thing to gauge is your child's reaction to getting either splashed or soaked.