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Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure has escaped from my grasp for the past three times i was at USS; the first and third times were due to an at least 55-minute wait that i had no patience for and the second was because it was closed for enhancement.
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Hence, i was dead set to take the dinosaur-themed water raft ride in my third visit to the theme park even though the LED display consistently reflected at least an over 50-minute wait!
The number thankfully dropped to 20 minutes at noon and we almost immediately joined the queue. Why did i say almost?
Well, we were warned to keep our personal belongings in the lockers as USS would not be responsible for any wet, damaged items. Please note that lockers outside Rapids Adventure do not offer any free usage, unlike the ones next to Battlestar Galactica.
A big round island map was placed along the queue where you can pinpoint the attractions within the Lost World zone and check out the numerous key sections of the "Rapids".
Those letters and symbols on the map would hardly make any sense without referring to the legend panel.
Forgive me for the blurred pictures so far. In order to enjoy my visit (Lavinia, you are so right), i made the rare decision to leave my camera at home! All the pictures in this post were taken using my iPhone5.
Anyway, you have been warned again and again that you would get wet and in the worst case scenario, soaking wet! To protect yourself, you may buy plastic poncho at the entrance of the ride or even in the midst of queuing up with the convenience of these ponchos vending machines.
We are a daring bunch; we bought only one piece to be shared. =_=|||. Speaking from experience, i would strongly recommend that everyone gets a poncho. Getting yourself soaking wet can be very uncomfortable for the rest of the day.
Reaching the dry dock to board the raft.
It can hold nine persons which was a bit of a squeeze. The movement of the raft, once it leaves the conveyor belt dock, is freely controlled by the water; if you are prone to severe motion sickness, this might affect you a little.
Nothing much from this moment on as everyone was demanding that i kept my new iPhone! Not so much the result of incessant recorded warnings that there should be no photography during the ride but because i am jobless and to spend my savings on another mobile phone is so not worth it!
As expected, the 10-12 minutes ride was similar to the Madagascar ride with visual sights of different species of dinosaurs, some with robotic movements to make them more realistic.
The only excitement came at the hydroelectric plant where the raft was carried into a dark elevator, brought to a height of around 12 meters and free-fall down the steep slope to the less dangerous outdoors!
Before the raft got into the elevator, we were all trying our best to maneuver using these rubbery handles in the centre of the raft; the person with his/her back directly facing the impact of water at the end of the slope would be the worst hit!
Kon was soaked the first time he participated in the adventure and he was once again the "lucky" man! Should there be no children in the raft with us, i guarantee he would spew out beautifully worded vulgarities of various languages and dialects.
Discard your ponchos? NOOOooooo!!! NEverrr!! A poncho cost S$3 each and you could actually reuse it in the unfortunate event of a heavy downpour after the ride! Two of my friends (Kiahui and Pauline) were even smart enough to keep their ponchos for a BBQ session a few weeks later!
For those who wish to dry themselves, you may make use of the Drying Pods (S$5 per use) which could only be best described as a life-sized hairdryer where strong hot air was blown out of air-vents.
Soaking wet? The Great Kon has confirmed that the drying pods would not help much. Rule of thumb is therefore to bring an extra set of clothing whenever you visit Universal Studios Singapore!
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