Originally Posted By mousermerf Recap for Hans or anyone else who can't load the video: "Rafts" are circular, I think a size between Grizzly and Popeye, and they load in a big industrial looking Jurassic-Park lab-ish/animal holding styled area. Then float away and they appear to have onboard audio - the center "hub" is smallish (for a raft ride) and is a red domed JP logo that we later discover can light up - I assume that's where the speakers are hidden. The boat floats into lush tropical scenery, no real "rapids" though, even tamer then some stretches of Grizzly. It goes through the iconic JP gate and a woman who sounds South African or maybe lite-Aussie welcomes the guest and tells them to be on the lookout for this or that.. like a stegosaurus and its young drinking by the waterside. You round a bend by this scene and the stego and young are fairly large AA's. Another dino viewing later, this one sorta leaning out and over the boat.. still no "rapids" but lots of lush scenery. You round a bend and there's an increase in the water there's a crashed JP jeep on the shore and large downed tree you go under. The audio narration crackles at that point and alarms start going off. There's apparently been a flash flood in the something-B area of the park, "your vehicle will return directly to the unloading area.." You float past flooding waters from the surrounding scenery, and that causes you to go a minor dip into an industrial/cage/working area that is flooded up and around the buildings. I have to rewatch the video to remember that exact order.. but you go past the obviously flooded buildings and work area, get a warning about electric fences, and that your boat is off-course, bounce off a fence, and then go through a flood-water zig-zag with Raptors on each corner snarling at you. You come around the corner to the 3 waterfalls - aww, from the books - and then into another industrial/work area. I think this is the same general "pump" station from all the other JP river rides. You float into the building, no big lift hill, just floating - and seriously still no "rapids" like we'd consider them - and it goes all pitch black. The proximity alarm goes off, saying you're near a Level 1 (or something) dangerous animal, yadda yadda. You can hear audio of the other workers in the building call out that they see a T-rex in the building, panic, etc.. roars.. and you float past some sort of laboratory that looks out to the pump station through a large circular window in the concrete and the flashing lights in the destroyed lab reveal the hulking T-rex. Onward floating the dark. Did i mention the center hub of the vehicle lights up and strobes in red? You eventually stop, apparently against a water pressure bypass/release gate, the water flowing out under you while your floating sits atop just stuck against the wall, it's very dark. Lights strobe, the T-rex tromps over and burst in from above, pawing through the pipes and such to get you, extends it's big ol' head downward. The water gate it opened - it's actually a very large pair of double doors, and the vehicle goes down a moderate size drop and splashes down the rocky lagoon soaking everyone - prior to that, no real sign of any rapids. It floats peacefully around the corner and back to unload.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt I guess I just don't care about this stuff as much as some people do. Yes, I enjoy Disney Parks, but even that has its limits. Not so interested in what Universal is doing in Singapore. In fact I don't think I could care less.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo I would rather ride JP in Singapore than Popeye's in IOA. Better scenery and you do not get soaked. Much better IMHO.
Originally Posted By xrayvision >>You eventually stop, apparently against a water pressure bypass/release gate, the water flowing out under you while your floating sits atop just stuck against the wall, it's very dark. Lights strobe, the T-rex tromps over and burst in from above<< The part described as "stuck against the wall" is an elevator lift for the raft, ala Pilgrim's Plunge at Holiday World. Your raft starts off at Level One (as painted on the elevator landing doors) and is lifted up to Level Three (also painted on the elevator landing doors). As your boat is elevated up to Level 3, a T-Rex crashes through the above elevator ceiling and is looking down at you as you're rising up towards him. Strobe lights enhance the effect of quickly being lifted towards the waiting T-Rex's reach. Then, the Level 3 elevator door opens just in time for you to get a way from the T-Rex, hurdling you down a 30 foot chute into the splashdown lagoon below.
Originally Posted By xrayvision This JP ride video provides a better view of the raft in the elevator lift sequence: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Bt7AqWIOAc" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...7AqWIOAc</a>
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo I do think I prefer the original Hollywood, IOA, Osaka version, but it is nice to see this twist, especially as the rafts are in the book (no pterydactols in this version sadly). But it shows that AAs can be incorporated quite nicely into a raft ride. The LEgoland one shows it too.
Originally Posted By mousermerf <<Lol merf, that is a British accent.>> No way, she sounds nothing like Lily Allen.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Lily Allen is an East Ender. In the UK, accents change about every 10 miles or so (I kid you not). She is speaking received pronunciation a.k.a. the Queen's or BBC English.
Originally Posted By mousermerf Hmm.. I never spent much time in the UK outside of Westminster, so I do defer to your expertise. A bit of digging says BBC/Queen's English is formally "RP" or Received Pronunciation: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Received_Pronunciation" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R...nciation</a> Which is apparently very near in sound to "Cultivated" South African English.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt Just watched the JP video and the rafts seem to move a lot slower that GRR. Maybe I'm wrong.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt Just watched the JP video and the rafts seem to move a lot slower that GRR. Maybe I'm wrong.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt Yep, it's faster. Much faster: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AT_asWAj4Ss" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...asWAj4Ss</a>
Originally Posted By socalkdg That's a good video. Makes we want to ride it this week. Guess I'll wait until I'm there in June. 3 or 4 animatronics would be a nice addition. Does the store at GRR sell cheap ponchos or vests?
Originally Posted By tashajilek Don't buy them atGRR. Go to the dollar store. They are actually good quality and will last a long time. I went to taget to find cheaper ones then DL and they were $20.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 We bought two at DLR in 2001. One ripped almost immediately, the other is still going strong. Go figure.
