Description And Comments

Splash Mountain is a Disney-style amusement-park flume ride. The ride combines steep chutes with a variety of Disney's best special effects. Covering more than half a mile, the ride splashes through swamps, caves, and backwoods bayous before climaxing in a 52-foot plunge and Br'er Rabbit's triumphant return home. The entire ride is populated by more than 100 audio-animatronic characters, including Br'er Rabbit, Br'er Bear, and Br'er Fox, all regaling riders with songs, including "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah."

Touring Tips

This is the most popular ride in Disneyland Park for patrons of all ages - happy, exciting, and adventuresome all at once. Though eclipsed somewhat by Indiana Jones Adventure, Splash Mountain nevertheless builds crowds quickly during the morning, and waits of more than 75 minutes are not uncommon once Disneyland Park fills up on a busy day. To avoid the crowds, arrive at the park before opening time and get in line at Splash Mountain no later than 40 minutes after Disneyland Park opens. Lines persist throughout the day until a few minutes before closing. These words are particularly true on hotter days, which affects the wait times significantly.

There are four ways to experience Splash Mountain without a long wait. The first is to be on hand when the park opens and to sprint over and get in line before anyone else. The second way is to allow the initial mob of Splash cadets to be processed through and to arrive at Splash Mountain about 20 to 40 minutes after the park opens or after riding Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage and/or Space Mountain. A third strategy is to get in line for Splash Mountain during a parade and/or a performance of Fantasmic! Be advised, however, that huge crowds gathering along the New Orleans Square and Frontierland waterfronts for Fantasmic! make getting to Splash Mountain very difficult (if not impossible) just before, during, and just after performances. Fourth, use FASTPASS.

A Suffolk, Virginia, mom contends that there are more important considerations than beating crowds:

The only recommendation I do have is to definitely wait to do Splash Mountain at the end of the day. We were seated in the front of the ride and needless to say we were drenched to the bone. If we had ridden the ride [first thing in the morning] according to your plan, I personally would have been miserable for the rest of the day. Parents, beware! It says you will get wet, not drowned.

It is almost a certainty that you will get wet, and possibly drenched, riding Splash Mountain. If you visit on a cool day, you may want to carry a plastic garbage bag. By tearing holes in the bottom and sides, you can fashion a sack dress of sorts to keep you dry. Be sure to tuck the bag under your bottom. By the way, it doesn't matter whether you ride in front or back. You will get wet regardless. If you have a camera, either leave it with a nonriding member of your party or wrap it in a plastic bag.

One final word: This is not just a fancy flume ride; it is a full-blown Disney adventure. The scariest part by far is the big drop into the pool (visible from the sidewalk in front of Splash Mountain), and even this plunge looks worse than it really is. Despite reassurances, however, many children wig out after watching it from the sidewalk. A Grand Rapids, Michigan, mother recalls her kids' rather unique reaction:

We discovered after the fact that our children thought they would go under water after the five-story drop and tried to hold their breath throughout the ride in preparation. They were really too preoccupied to enjoy the clever Br'er Rabbit story.

Splash Mountain Wait Times

This chart shows you roughly how long you'll wait for Splash Mountain when you visit on a day with a given Disneyland Crowd Level. The blue bars represent the average "peak" wait time (that is, how long the line will at its busiest). The bottom and top black lines represent the range of peak wait times to expect (for you fellow nerds out there: it's the 5th percentile and 95th percentile of peak wait times). Please note that these are estimates, and for a better forecast for your travel dates, see Splash Mountain Wait Times.

Special Comments

A wet winner, not to be missed; children must be 40" tall to ride; those under 7 years of age must ride with an adult; switching-off provided.

Special Needs

Disney Dish with Jim Hill

Yikes! Bear Butts and T&A in Critter Country

Before any audio-animatronic figure can be installed in an attraction, the robot must go through a production phase known as "Test and Adjust," in which the new figure is run for hours on end, repeating over and over the same action it must perform every day.

Why do I mention this? Well, as you're floating through Splash Mountain and encounter Br'er Bear's butt sticking out of that hole in the honey tree, imagine the poor Imagineer who monitored this portly, fuzzy rump during its hours of testing.

Other Attractions in Critter Country

Touring Plans with Splash Mountain

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