The Future Of Congo River Rapids

Got an idea of how the Alton Towers Resort may develop over the coming seasons? Discuss it here.
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Pennywise
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Congo River Rapids is an ideal example of Alton Towers at its magical best, leave the poor dear alone. :(

If it was any wetter, it wouldn't be suitable for the UK climate and wouldn't be fun in March or October. It features excellent theming and interaction throughout and is very, very re-rideable and popular on hot or busy days. There's absolutely nothing wrong with it and it's the last ride that I would alter in any way, probably.

That being said, nothing is perfect, and it would be nice to see additional queue line theming such as huts and sheds very much in the same vein as Expedition Everest at Animal Kingdom's queue line. But there's very little space in Katanga Canyon for this to be allowed to happen and Alton Towers should have much higher priorities than altering the rapids.
Last edited by Pennywise on Fri Jun 14, 2013 6:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Kirsty25

I agree with the above post. The River Rapids don't need to be altered, the addition of the water guns meant I got off it completely soaked on Monday (but I usually get off it soaked anyway). Love it as an easy going ride.
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Tonka_UK
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D4n wrote: Congo River Rapids is an ideal example of Alton Towers at its magical best, leave the poor dear alone. :(

If it was any wetter, it wouldn't be suitable for the UK climate and wouldn't be fun in March or October. It features excellent theming and interaction throughout and is very, very re-rideable and popular on hot or busy days. There's absolutely nothing wrong with it and it's the last ride that I would alter in any way, probably.
Valhalla in Blackpool certainly isn't suitable for the UK climate and definitely not a Blackpool climate but for some bizarre reason it works well judging by the queue for it.

The only thing I would change about the Rapids is the seats themselves, I'd change them for ones with the back support reminiscent of the red ones in the 90s.
Last edited by Tonka_UK on Fri Jun 14, 2013 7:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Pennywise
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Tonka_UK wrote: Valhalla in Blackpool certainly isn't suitable for the UK climate and definitely not a Blackpool climate but for some bizarre reason it works well judging by the queue for it.
Valhalla still "works" because it's worth it. In that, not only is it the best water ride in the UK, but it's also the best dark ride and something which wouldn't look out of place at a Disney park. People don't ride it for the purpose of getting drenched to the bone (note the lack of wait time for Tidal Wave & Battle Galleons throughout the season) but for the experience of it. Indeed, it would no doubt be even more popular if it had an acceptable level of wetness as opposed to giving riders an unwanted bathtime.

Congo River Rapids is about right in terms of wetness levels for the UK climate and, indeed, on those rare occasions when we do want to get a little more moist, there are alternatives (The Flume, Battle Galleons and Ripsaw on a hot day) nearby which will do the job. The Rapids is contented with being a fun, family attraction for all ages and, most importantly, all times of year. It is a completely different logic of water ride to Valhalla.

Personally I would also disagree regarding the boats. I think yellow fits in much better with the African theme compared with red, and eight seaters are excellent with regards to improving throughput so I'd say the new boats are definitely beneficial.  :D
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Themeparksandy1981
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Has it had some new boats during the closed season? They looked new yesterday and saw quite a few old 1's in the area behind Duel.
It really just needs some TLC as it looks as it's had none since it opened in parts. Was the tunnel section there before Runaway train opened?
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