There are an abundance of fantastic water rides at the theme parks in Orlando, but which ones are worth queuing up for? To help you decide here are my favourites in reverse order.
Splash Mountain at Magic Kingdom
Splash Mountain is situated in Frontierland at Magic Kingdom next to the big Thunder Mountain Railroad. To start with you slowly meander through the beautiful cartoon scenery as you join Brer rabbit, Brer Fox and Brer Bear on this 11-minute watery journey. Whilst travelling round you will pass waterfalls, hear music and will be narrated through the story. For the big finale guests are plummeted down a 50-foot drop at a 45-degree angle.
Overall a great ride, especially for younger children as it has a relatively small drop.
Jurassic Park River Adventure at Islands of Adventure
Take an unforgettable ride through Jurassic Park and experience coming face to face with dinosaurs in their natural habitats. But watch out! Your flume takes a wrong turn and you end up surrounded by dangerous Raptors. But the worst is yet to come. You are being hunted down by a huge T-Rex. The only escape, an extremely wet 85-foot drop in total darkness. Very scary.
Popeye and Pluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges at Islands of Adventures
Every park seems to have a white-water raft ride and they are all very similar. Well this one is an exception. It’s fast, reaching 20mph, unusual and unpredictable. There are a couple of sizable drops and it seems that water is coming at you from every direction.
Overall, this ride is absolutely fantastic and has a variety of unusual features. Unlike most water rides where there is just a chance of getting wet, on this ride there is no escaping the water, no matter where you sit. A dry towel and change of clothes is advisable.
Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls at Islands of Adventure
This is another fantastic and innovative water ride at Islands of Adventure. To start this 10 minute ride you slowly crawl along watching the cartoon animation’s whilst gradually climbing. There are some small and unexpected drops one of which is in darkness. At the top of the flume ride you have a birds eye view of the whole park. But the finale is what makes this ride so special and unique. After reaching the top, guests’ plummet 75 feet into a dynamite shack where they go back up before falling once again in to the lagoon below. The drop reaches extremely fast speeds and gradually gets steeper the further down you get.
Journey to Atlantis at Seaworld
You start this enchanted adventure by dodging gushing fountains and water cannons as you pass through the magic of Atlantis. The ride then starts climbing up and up, turning and twisting, lulling you into a false sense of security. Once at the top an extremely steep 60-foot drop awaits you. After surviving this breathtaking drop riders believe they will slowly make their way to the finish. But Journey to Atlantis has a final twist up its sleeve as you carry on your journey in the pitch black. For the finale the water turns to track and your flume becomes a coaster making Atlantis the complete water coaster adventure.
Whichever water ride you choose I am sure you will have tremendous fun and get a good drenching into the bargain. Have fun.