Trip Report: Rhino Rally at Busch Gardens Tampa

[WebmasterBarry]

When I first read about Rhino Rally, I thought that it couldn’t be done. Then I remembered that the same thing was said about the Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man at Islands of Adventure, so anything’s possible. The ride did become a reality when it opened on May 24 at Busch Gardens Tampa.

The ride is best described as a combination of Kiljamairo Safari and Kali River Rapids at Animal Kingdom. Each vehicle consists of one driver, one navigator (picked from the queue line), and 16 passengers. Rhino Rally is a competition between different Rally drivers as they compete and head to the finish. It is more like a safari. You drive over uneven terrain and through water as you view the wildlife. On the two rides I’ve been on, I’ve only seen antelopes, flamingos, rhinos, and zebras. Kiljamairo Safari has a wider variety of animals, but the animals in Rhino Rally are unbelievably close. You could reach out and touch them if you were permitted! The navigator’s job is to keep the vehicle on track.

At a point during the ride, the navigator is asked to choose between a right and left path. If the navigator chooses right, the vehicle goes through the finish line and the ride is over. There will also be unhappy passengers! The path to the left is a path to the fun part. The vehicle passes through a rainstorm and gets stuck on a bridge. The calm waterfall to our left becomes a raging path of water and the bridge floats away. The ride is now a water ride as it drifts down a river. The driver blames their predicament on the navigator. The driver finally regains control, gets back on the land, and heads to the finish. The navigator is now the hero for getting the vehicle back on course!

If you look at Rhino Rally from the Sky Ride or the train, it doesn’t look like much. The vehicles move across the land and water very slowly. It doesn’t look thrilling at all. What makes the ride most exciting is the driver. He or she points out the wildlife and comments on what is going on. If the driver puts his or her all into the performance, then the ride is fun. If the driver just follows the script and gets by, the ride isn’t all that exciting.

I don’t think Rhino Rally lived up to its expectations. The ride seemed a lot more thrilling on paper. Is it a good ride? I would say yes. Drivers who are really into the story can make the passengers excited too.

There are a few things to note about the Rhino Rally. The ride loads very slow -- even slower than Gwazi! Ride it as soon as the park opens or face at least a 20-minute wait. In the middle of the afternoon on a Monday, the wait was about 75 minutes. Also, try to volunteer to be the navigator. I was chosen to be one and I had a better time than my ride in the regular seats. If you do become a navigator, remember to choose left when you are asked. If you choose left, the passengers will give you evil eyes. I even saw one passenger bonk the navigator on the head for choosing right!

For more information on Rhino Rally or Busch Gardens Tampa, visit: www.buschgardens.com.

 

[Jane E.]

Thanks for the review. I'm also glad to know about the navigator - I would have probably chosen right!

 

[kellymonaghan]

Barry, were you on a ride vehicle where the driver actually took the right-hand turn and avoided the flash flood? I can't believe they'd do that!

I was navigator and I made a big to-do about "Turn right! Turn right!" knowing that the driver wouldn't (and he didn't).

I agree that the fun of the ride is very dependent on the quality of the driver. One of my rides was with a driver named Lynsworth and he was terrific. He taught us a few Swahili phrases and was really good at getting everyone into the spirit of things.

I think you nailed it in your review. Good ride, great idea, but somehow it sounds better than it rides.

 

[SimonV]

I posted a 3-part trip report from BG's 'sneak preview' of RR, and was quite impressed by the ride itself, with the exception of the garish advertising down the sides of the vehicles (very non-Disney) and the slow loading. I felt the best part of the first half of the ride, the safari bit, was the very real nature of the off-road experience. Granted the jeep only does a top speed of about 8mph, but the driver changes the speed a lot and there is a lot of movement, both up and down and, more dramatically, sideways as you bounce along the track. IMHO, this actually rides better than Kilimanjaro Safari, although it is not as scenic (you can still see a lot of the rest of the park, which you can't in KS). The transition to the raft ride is then technically very clever, and the realism of the plunge down the raging river is impressive as you spin, twirl and bounce along. Considering the 'pontoon bridge' is actually just on a track, it achieves a high degree of sophistication in the illusion it creates, and it is quite a long ride (about eight minutes), too. However, at the end of the day, some folks will still enjoy KS more while others will enjoy the more high-tech elements here. You pay's your money........

For Part II of Si's Rhino Rally trip report, Click here!

 

[PooooohBear]

Thanks for the reviews. I saw a show on The Learning Channel that featured this ride. It sounds like fun and worth a try!