Splash Mountain
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Splash Mountain is one of the Magic Kingdom's busiest attractions. There's a reason for that. Uncle Walt's boys have taken a good story and made it better. In 1946, Disney released Song of the South, a story about a rabbit and being chased by a fox and a bear and all the follies that followed.
Splash Mountain |
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What makes this ride special is the anticipation of the "Big Drop". Toward the end of the ride there is a 52 foot 45 degree drop which will take your breath away. In fact Disney, always looking to make a little money, snaps your picture right as you start down the "Big Drop". Most people are screaming when the flash happens. It makes for a great picture which you can buy for a measly $49.59 (or something like that.)
Fear the "Big Drop".
The Pre Show
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| Photo by Don Sullivan |
Waiting in line for some of Disney's rides can be as much fun as the rides themselves. This ride has an interesting line area. It's a good thing, because everyone usually has to wait a while. The "Mountains" in the Magic Kingdom have the longest rides of all the rides in the Magic Kingdom (except maybe Dumbo).
Here you walk through a nice cool Chickapin Hill. It's covered and cool. It's a nice place to be on a hot Florida afternoon.
Crowds
Lines at Splash Mountain can reach up to 2 hours on a normal day. So how can you avoid most of the lines? There are a couple of ways Dad suggests. First get to the park when it opens and walk directly to Frontierland and ride. If you get there within the first hour your wait will be the shortest of the day. (Disclaimer - Dad gives the same advice for Space Mountain. You'll have to choose between the 2.)
See Dad's Guide to Magic Kingdom Crowds
The other way to reduce your wait time is to use FastPass. We like to grab a FastPass for this ride and ride some of the surrounding rides like Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and the Country Bear Jamboree. If you have some extra time before your return time you could mosey over to Adventureland and ride some of the rides there.
For more information on Disney's FastPass program see
Dad's Guide to Fastpass
Another way to avoid the longest lines is to have a good touring plan especially for the Magic Kingdom. Touringplans.com has over 100 touring plans for the parks at Walt Disney World. There is a plan for every family. Their plans will save you hours of standing in line.
Dad's Touringplans.com page
The Story
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| Photo by Jeff_B |
Splash Mountain starts out with Br'er Frog telling guests that they will be taking a wet ride with a big drop. The story goes that Mr. Bluebird and Br'er Rabbit are sitting around chatting one day, and the restless Br'er Rabbit decides he needs to leave the safety of the briar patch and find his "Laughing Place". Where he won't be bothered by Br'er Fox and Br'er Bear (say that 5 times fast.)
You make your way through scenes where the rabbit is chased by the fox and the bear. You see how the wily rabbit outwits the slower fox and bear time after time right up to the final fallllllllllllll.
At the end of the ride your reach the Laughing Place. The place where all is peaceful and happy.
Getting Wet
Will you get wet on Splash Mountain? Maybe, probably, I don't know. Yes, that's a cop out answer, but it's the truth. If you sit in the front of the ride, you have a descent chance of getting wet, especially if you have very large (like Dad) people riding in the front. You might get soaked.
Riders report everything from not getting wet at all, to getting totally soaked. Most of the time, the soaking doesn't come from the "Big Drop", but from some of the smaller drops and some of the twists and turns. Shoes, purses and camera bags are the items that tend to get the wettest.
You can always put on one of those great Disney World ponchos to stay relatively dry.
Getting Wet at Splash Mountain |
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| Photo by Express Monorail |
Fun Facts
Here are some interesting tidbits -
- The drop is a 5 story drop (52 feet) at a 45 degree angle as speeds up to 40 mph
- There is a smaller drop after "Slippin Falls" and 5 total drops along the way
- There are over 100 audio-animatronic figures in the ride
The Big Drop |
History
Splash Mountain first opened at Walt Disney World in 1992.
- The ride is based on Disney's 1946 release of Song of the South.
- The original ride cost $75 million to develop. One of the most expensive rides at the time.
- It replaced America Sings. Some of the scenery from America Sings was included in the new ride
Dad's Ride Information Table
Splash Mountain |
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| Description: A log ride through the Song of the South story | ||||||||||||
| Height Requirement - 40 inches | Fastpass:Yes | Length of Ride: 12 minutes | ||||||||||
| Type of ride: Plume ride with big drops | ||||||||||||
Dad's Ratings
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Other Information: There are several big drops that may be disconcerting to small and not so small people. See more video of Splash Mountain. |
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The Fine Print
Here's some small print information
- Expectant mothers should not ride
- Those with bad necks, backs, high blood pressure, and those that suffer from motion sickness could have an adverse reaction to this ride (now you tell me)
- Guests must be able to transfer from ECV's to ride vehicles
- Service animals are not allowed on the ride.
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Dad's Bottom Line
It's too bad that all of this great scenery goes to waste on Dad. Being the wimp he is Dad is discomfited (big word) by the 4 early drops waiting for the Big One and misses a great ride. Sorry.
