Kali River Rapids

[JediMom43014]

Last week I booked my Fast Pass for Kali River Rapids. When I checked today it was not there. Instead was a Fast Pass for Expedition Everest. When I tried to change that to Kali River Rapids it says FastPass Service unavailable. This is seems to be different than for the message when there are no more available.

We are going in February. Is this a seasonal ride? Or is it undergoing refurbishment?

 

[DisSteve89]

We just got an email update that our Jan 16th FP for Kali was changed to a Kilimanjaro Safari FP for the same time. When I checked the other AK days on our trip (Jan 8th, 14th) the ride is also unavailable. Also, the Fast Pass unavailable text is the same for the Tomorrowland Speedway and Peter Pan's Flight that are down during our trip, so I'd say the ride is probably going down for refurbishment.

 

[Snowbird67]

Do they not usually give u a little more of a heads up on this. Was looking forward to this because I had missed out last visit

 

[iujen94]

I got the same email for my mid-February trip.

 

[mgrayar]

It seems to have been down about the same timeframe the past 4 years in a row.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Some news on the subject: https://www.kennythepirate.com/2018/12/11/breaking-kali-river-rapids-to-undergo-refurbishment/

Closed for refurb 1/7-3/22.

 

[Snowbird67]

Thx for the update. Sucks because I had them already booked and was looking forward to the ride.

 

[GoingSince1990]

Not really a devastating loss. Kali is such a disappointment, definitely an "is that it?" type of ride. It doesn't even come close to measuring up to Popeye and Bluto or Grizzly River Run in DCA. Apparently it was originally intended to be more elaborate but was cut back fairly significantly for budgetary reasons.

 

[Snowbird67]

Does the Popeye ride have a annual refurb and if so does it last 2 months?

 

[NeuroCindy]

Does the Popeye ride have a annual refurb and if so does it last 2 months?

It has an annual refurb that's shorter.

https://touringplans.com/islands-of-adventure/attractions/popeye-blutos-bilgerat-barges/closures
The following is a list of historical, current, and future closures (for refurbishment or other reasons) that we have recorded for the Popeye & Bluto's Bilge-Rat Bargesattraction at Universal's Islands of Adventure in Florida.

Please note that this is an unofficial list and that future closures are very much subject to change.

• February 20, 2018 to March 9, 2018
• January 4, 2017 to January 21, 2017
• January 4, 2016 to January 23, 2016
• January 5, 2015 to January 22, 2015
• February 2, 2014 to February 14, 2014
• November 25, 2013
• January 26, 2013 to February 8, 2013

 

[fredsgal]

My FP for Kali was cancelled for February 20th and they rescheduled us for..... the safari even though we are FPing that immediately before. I checked and there seems to be a good selection for other attractions including FOP (which we already have and Naavi (which we have also) Soooo.... Rivers of Light???

 

[ClapYourHands]

Not really a devastating loss. Kali is such a disappointment, definitely an "is that it?" type of ride. It doesn't even come close to measuring up to Popeye and Bluto or Grizzly River Run in DCA. Apparently it was originally intended to be more elaborate but was cut back fairly significantly for budgetary reasons.

And I hated Bluto's Barges! When I go on a water ride I expect to get wet. I mean, a bit wet. I expect to spend the next hour or two drying out. But on Bluto we were all soaked, completely drenched right though our underwear and to the point our shoes were squelching with water. We ended up going back to the hotel to change (good thing Universal hotels are so close) because no way could we go sit on the upholstered seats of the Hogwarts Express like we were. I'd love a bit more twisting and turning and theming on Kali, but I'm glad it's not just a soak-fest.

 

[WaterLinds]

Oh that’s disappointing. We ended up skipping Kali last visit, not everyone in the group felt it was warm enough to get wet and the Park was so crazy busy we were short on time. And now it will be closed for our March dates so we’ll miss it again!

 

[MomOTwins]

And I hated Bluto's Barges! When I go on a water ride I expect to get wet. I mean, a bit wet. I expect to spend the next hour or two drying out. But on Bluto we were all soaked, completely drenched right though our underwear and to the point our shoes were squelching with water. We ended up going back to the hotel to change (good thing Universal hotels are so close) because no way could we go sit on the upholstered seats of the Hogwarts Express like we were. I'd love a bit more twisting and turning and theming on Kali, but I'm glad it's not just a soak-fest.

Kali is very inconsistent in that regard. I've ridden it and had barely a sprinkle, and I've ridden it and come away absolutely drenched from head to toe. It all depends on whether a big splash or water jet hits you just right.

 

[ClapYourHands]

Kali is very inconsistent in that regard. I've ridden it and had barely a sprinkle, and I've ridden it and come away absolutely drenched from head to toe. It all depends on whether a big splash or water jet hits you just right.

I'm okay with the randomness of getting wet vs getting sprinkled. But if you've been on Bluto's over at Universal, it's guaranteed that everyone will be completely drenched. To me, that's not very fun. On something like Kali, part of the fun is the uncertainty of who is going to get wet and how wet.

 

[DisDreaming4116]

I'm okay with the randomness of getting wet vs getting sprinkled. But if you've been on Bluto's over at Universal, it's guaranteed that everyone will be completely drenched. To me, that's not very fun. On something like Kali, part of the fun is the uncertainty of who is going to get wet and how wet.

It seems every time I go on Kali River Rapids, I've been on a raft with a family from Asia. A person getting completely SOAKED while others are bone dry is funny in any language! The attraction doesn't deserve a long wait in line but I've left KRR with more laughs and smiles than almost any other attraction.

 

[lothik2]

I got the same email. Not sure what to do. I have FOP booked for my older daughter and I and Navi for my husband and youngest. We are planning Kilimanjaro right at opening after breakfast at Tusker, so I don't need the 1pm FP they gave me. I don't want to do EE bc that separates us again being the youngest is not tall enough. So I guess we go see Mickey and Minnie with FP?? The other one I have is dinosaurs and we want to see Lion King and Finding Nemo but I don't think I'll FP for those mid week in Jan.
Any suggestions. I have never been.

 

[ClapYourHands]

I got the same email. Not sure what to do. I have FOP booked for my older daughter and I and Navi for my husband and youngest. We are planning Kilimanjaro right at opening after breakfast at Tusker, so I don't need the 1pm FP they gave me. I don't want to do EE bc that separates us again being the youngest is not tall enough. So I guess we go see Mickey and Minnie with FP?? The other one I have is dinosaurs and we want to see Lion King and Finding Nemo but I don't think I'll FP for those mid week in Jan.
Any suggestions. I have never been.

You could totally use it for a character meet, if your family is into that. I agree you wouldn't need FP for FOTLK or Nemo. You could also keep the Safari FP for 1pm, and see if you feel like going again. The thing about Safari is that what you see each time is really dependent on what the animals are doing when you drive through. We like to go twice, either at different times on one day or on different days during our trip, just because I like to see what other animal activity I might see the second time out.