Disneyland Review: Splash Mountain

Stars: 5 out of 5
Pros: Wonderful theme making this log flume something special

Cons: Somewhat confusing story unless you've seen Song of the South

The Bottom Line:

Ready to splash down?

After journey with new friends

And surprise or two

Time to be Turning Around?  Nope!  Everybody's Got a Laughing Place on this Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah Ride

Leave it to Disney to take a theme park staple and turn it into something special.  Splash Mountain opened on Disneyland's 34th anniversary and was the first water ride at the southern California park.  Yes, the basic idea had been done time and time again at other parks.  But Disney truly makes theirs memorable.

Of course, with that comes a price.  This attraction has long lines just about every day of the year.  I try to hit it fairly early in the morning, so it isn't too bad, but the lines can stretch around to the exit of the Haunted Mansion next door.  It's not uncommon to see a wait time of over an hour or even an hour and a half.  The good news is you can get a fast pass ticket for this ride.  These allow you to come back in a one hour window and sail to the front of the line.  You'll probably still wait 15 minutes, but when everyone else is waiting 90, it's the much shorter option.  They have added a single rider line, the entrance to which is near the exit.  So if no one else in your party is brave enough (or you don't mind being split up), this is an option as well.

The attraction itself is located in Critter Country, around behind the Rivers of America.  If you are near it in the park, you can't miss it since the peak of the mountain towers over everything else around.  And you can hear the screams of people plummeting down the final drop. 

Because of that final drop, you must be 40 inches or taller to enjoy the ride.

When the time comes to board your log, you and five of your closest friends will enter single file.  There is now a back rest between each seat, so you've got a barrier between you and your neighbor.

The ride begins outside.  You do a quick climb and then float around some well landscaped flumes.  Honestly, there is little to differentiate this part from any other flume ride.  You reach the first drop before you go inside the mountain.  It's small but fun.  And you'll most likely get splashed here.

Once you are inside, the magic really begins.  The track you are following becomes less obvious as you float through panoramas of Animatronics characters singing at you.  As the ride progresses, you are supposedly told the story of Brer Rabbit as he plays one trick too many on his friends Brer Bear and Brer Fox.  At least that's the sense I get from the scenes.  The storyline is a tad unclear, but I just enjoy it as it passes.  It might help if I had ever seen Song of the South, the Disney movie the ride is based on.  Unfortunately, that isn't likely to ever happen thanks to changing cultural norms on race.  (I'm not saying these changes are a bad thing.  But if they can release their old cartoons with a disclaimer saying "Look how far we've come," why can't they do it with this movie?)

At one point, you get the second drop, only this one is unlike anything else I've seen on a flume ride before.  Instead of a straight drop, you actually go down, up, and down.  Did I mention you do this in the dark?  Believe it or not, there have been times I have actually gotten the wettest on this part of the ride.

As you near the final climb, things take a dark and serious turn.  In fact, you pass some animals singing a song of warning.  But it's too late as you climb the hill for the big plummet.

When you reach the top, look fast.  There is a spectacular view of the rest of Disneyland.  Then smile.  They take your picture not too far into the big plummet.

And plummet you do.  The final drop into the briar patch is 5 stories.  While they try to hide it from view, you actually come out into the edge of the Rivers of America next door.

But your ride isn't quite over yet.  There is one final scene as you drift by a riverboat full of animals singing the most famous song from Song of the South, "Zip-a-dee-doo-dah."  And if you are lucky, you can catch the Disneyland train as it drives through this scene on its grand circle tour of Disneyland.

From here, it's back to the platform to disembark.  All told, the ride takes around nine and a half minutes.  And, if you like the picture taken at the top of the big drop, you can buy it on the way by.  I've never stopped to investigate how much it is, but I assume it is rather pricey.

As you might have figured out by now, I do love this ride.  I enjoy flume type rides period, but the added Animatronics make this one stand out from all the rest.  It is Disney magic at its finest.

But if you are going on this ride, you really do need to plan on getting wet.  I have never gotten off this ride completely dry.  It has seemed to be getting wetter as the years go on, however.  Two out of the last three times I have been on this ride, I have gotten absolutely soaked.  We're talking wetter then I've gotten on Grizzly Rapids next door at California Adventure.  Wring water out of your shirt wet.  So be prepared.

As much as I do enjoy the ride, there is a bittersweet component to it.  I'd guess half the Animatronics figures used in the ride started out life in the America Sings show over in Tomorrowland.  Man, I loved that attraction.  As I am going through the ride, I do my best to spot all of them and remember what scene they were part of in that show.  I truly wish it were possible to enjoy this ride and still see the show, too.  But if I can't see the show any more, I'll definitely take this ride as a consolation prize.

Unsurprisingly, this ride isn't very popular on cool days, but really gets crowded during the heat of the summer.  The long lines, the only real drawback, are also a testament to just how great the ride is.  Next time you are at Disneyland, don't miss Splash Mountain.