Soaking Up the Fun
Written: Mar 04 '08
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: excellent queue, convincing atmosphere, pleasant mixture of variety in the flow of the ride
Cons: you may get drenched to your skin; no, make that to your *bones*
The Bottom Line: Grizzly River Run is a don't-miss attraction for its luscious Northern California atmosphere and careful balance of thrill and theme. Just don't forget your poncho!
|
|
|
| Liffey's Full Review: Grizzly River Run - California Adventure |
The first time I rode this I was by myself, taking advantage of the awesomeness that is the Single Rider line. I was a little wary of what was about to happen, though. A few years earlier I had a bad experience on my one and only trip on the WDW counterpart, the Kali River Rapids. Would Grizzly River Run also force me to keep my feet in standing water for most of the ride?
Luckily, no. It was pleasant sunny weather out, the ride was interesting, and I only got a little wet. "A , would buy again."
Then along came my husband, thwarting the zippy Single Rider experience with his interesting companionship. (Damn him.) From then on, every trip to California Adventure would include the "GRR Discussion," and it would go like this:
Mike: "Look at the line for Grizzly River Run!"
Moi: "I know."
Mike: "It's 90 minutes!"
Moi: "I know."
Mike: "But I've never gotten to go on it." (Manly-but-pouty expression here.)
Moi: "Go on Single Rider; I'll wait."
But he never would, and so he never rode, until this past January.
(Time out: did you ever notice that Grizzly River Run abbreviates to GRR? As in, "Grr! I'm a bear!"? I didn't realize that. Cool!)
I remember it well. It was, oh, say about 7 p.m. on a brisk January evening. We were strolling in the softly lit darkness, pleased with the world, our clasped hands just peeking beneath our pullovers. Walking past Grizzly River Run, we saw that the Standby Wait Time was one minute.
One minute.
Couples-telepathy activated in one glance, we were up the queue like shoppers at a buy-9-get-one-for-a-penny sale at Spatula City.
The themeing of the queue is wonderful. I've done a little rafting in Northern California (she says, hoping you won't press for details and find out it was really just a tranquil canoe ride on the Russian River 20 years ago), and just standing on that wooden turntable by the wonderfully detailed "provisions" area made me feel like a young Teddy Roosevelt. (Without certain parts, obviously. Like, the glasses and the hat.)
The continuous-loading aspect of the rafts can be a little dizzying at first. ("Wait, am I moving? Are they moving?") Optical illusions overcome, we were soon seated in a bonny circular contraption with a cheerful mother and her daughter. They already had on their ponchos.
Heh. Ponchos. Mike and I were poncho royalty back in the Disney World days. People would laugh, and then they'd be wet, and we'd be dry, and then we'd laugh at all the laughers. "Ha!" Or they'd be dry and we'd be dry, but we'd still say, "Ha!" - because a plastic poncho from the dollar store is always a flattering wardrobe choice. I recommend something in orange for best results.
But this time, we had no ponchos. Who knew we'd be going on GRR, where people who don't like roller coasters (i.e., California Screamin') run to get their FastPasses when the park opens? These were days when the parks were often shut by noon due to holiday crowds. GRR? Not gonna happen. And yet here we were!
I'm just going on about the ponchos because I need you to know that we are pro-poncho people. We're not like those other people who are too cool to wear a big plastic body-bib. We shouldn't be judged just because the one time, just one time, we didn't have them...
But let's back up. The ride itself is so lovely. I don't mean to make comparisons between WDW and the Disneyland parks - they are each their own experience - and I really don't mean to pick on Kali River Rapids, which probably has the finest, most breathtaking queue I've ever seen in my life. Plus, lots of people love KRR, so experiences may vary.
However, my experience is that GRR is the superior ride. There is more to see (rock formations, caves, the stunning water mill), and the ride vehicle seems to rotate more frequently, giving everyone a fair view of the surroundings. It may be my imagination, but GRR also seems to have more dips and turns to hold the rider's interest. My memory of KRR is just a fast, unidirectional slosh from point A to point B, but again, the standing water after the first splash may have put me off.
I was able to put my feet up on the center of the raft, and I pulled my sweatshirt down over my knees. That'll work, I thought. Then only my back will get wet when I lean over. No probs!
The ride seemed to last awhile, with plenty of leisurely scenic ambles between moments of excitement. We chatted a bit with our poncho-friends and enjoyed the changes in speed from lazy curls around the corners to rumpy-bumpy woo-hoos and back again. Suffice to say, grins were aching from ear to ear after the grand finale of the last drop.
We all teased my husband a little for taking most of the water on the drop, but nothing that wouldn't dry off in a short while. I gazed fondly at the plume of water shooting straight up in our path, just feet away from the disembarking zone. Maybe we could ride again!
Ah yes, that plume. The old "scare people into thinking they're going to be drenched, but have the fountain timed to go off between boats" trick, huh? Those wily Imagineers!
If you've ever been on Grizzly River Run, you know what happened next.
If you haven't been on GRR, I can only express it like this:
&%@$^!!!*@$#$!!!!
And sixty seconds later, off the raft, standing in the exit queue, Mike and I were looking down at our sopping pullovers, our drenched jeans, and his mushy socks. (At least I was in clogs.)
And that January night? Once so clear and bright? Now it was a bitter darkness where even the stars laughed down at our plight.
(Oh my. An unintentional rhyme, I promise.)
Thinking fast, we beelined for the Grand Californian fire, but it was packed. There was nowhere to huddle. Lines were long for Soarin', Twilight Zone, everything indoors. We needed a place to sit, drink a hot beverage, dry out, but lurking near counter service was the only option.
And so it came to pass that we spent the next hour shivering in short sleeves, our outerwear draped across the picnic tables by the "Farmer's Market." By then we were only "unpleasantly damp" and could shuffle into the gift shops, drawn to the fluffy warm clothes on the racks.
Still, it was such a terrific ride. As were looking for shelter afterward, we were approached by a woman with a few friends in tow.
"I've got to ask you something," she said, an invisible bee clearly buzzing in her bonnet. "Would you ever ride that again?"
I sincerely thought for a moment. "Well, I'm totally and genuinely miserable now, but... yes! It was great! At least until that completely pointless gusher of water dumped over our heads seconds before exiting. They should turn that part off in the winter."
She shook her head, unable to believe I would forgive. "They could at least have some heaters!"
I agree. There was a reason for the one-minute wait for a terrific and popular attraction on an extremely busy day. As the sign says, "You will get wet. You may get soaked." What it doesn't add is that the soaking will be a rather pointless, gratuitous, and deliberate drench of water, not necessarily the unpredictable byproduct of motion.
(To say nothing of your poncho-wearing fellow rafters pointing and laughing. I'm telling ya, we are Poncho People! I swear!)
This is my bottom-line advice: ride Grizzly River Run because it's beautiful, fun, and reasonably gentle, but always carry one of those cheap ponchos that fit in the pocket, and don't be ashamed to wear it. It's a delight to get wet, but it's irritating to be soaked for the sake of it. Don't lose an hour of your Disney vacation because of a rare design flaw. GRR!
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Couples
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
Liffey
|
|
Reviews written: 79
Trusted by: 71 members
About Me:
I like thinking.
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2008 Shopping.com, Inc.