There are two types of people in my family, those who can’t wait to get soaked on attractions at the Disney parks and those who want to stay dry and so pass those attractions up. And then there is me. I love getting wet, but I want to dry quickly. I can’t tell you the number of times I have gotten soaked to my core on Kali River Rapids and then dripped through the entire Flights of Wonder show on the back bleachers.
I finally decided I was going to be proactive. I often talk about being prepared, but I wasn’t following my own advice. So when I visited Animal Kingdom with my friend, Judy, on a sunny, but barely warm day in February, I brought a few items with me. I had rain coats, flip flops, and a towel in my backpack. Before getting in line we removed our shoes and socks, hats, and anything else that we didn’t want to get wet. Those items went into the backpack and we donned our raincoats and flip flops.
It was early in the day and there wasn’t much of a line. As usual I sat in the seat that got directly hit by the hose. I was drenched. When we got off the ride we found a sunny bench, took off our raincoats, and dried off with the towel. In five minutes we were back in our shoes and ready to enjoy the day. I rolled the wet stuff up in the towel and it fit nicely in my backpack. The only thing wet were the front of our shorts and those dried as we walked.
This might seem like a lot of trouble; if I didn’t want to be wet why go on the ride? Simply, I love the wet rides. Actually, I love all the rides. I just don’t want to be reminded of the ride with squishy sneakers and dripping clothes. Dry may not be an option, but it doesn’ t have to be eternal.
Goofy Trivia: Splash Mountain was originally going to be named the Zip-a-Dee River Run, but Michael Eisner wanted it changed to promote the movie Splash. I never think of Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah when I ride Splash Mountain, but splashed is definitely what you get on this ride. Excellent.