Take the Plunge Off Ripsaw Falls With Dudley Do-Right at Universal Islands of Adventure

On March 14, I set off from Maryland with my Aunt Barb, Uncle Chuck and cousin Casey on a 14-hour drive that landed us in Orlando, Florida. One of the major stops on our itinerary was Universal Studios, particularly because the Wizarding World of Harry Potter had just opened there the year before, and it’s no secret what a fan I am of that series. In fact, when Casey joined my family for a trip to Ocean City, Maryland 11 years ago, I risked carsickness and spent every spare moment in the car reading my brand-new copy of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. I may be a Muggle, but I was eager to get a peek at the lifestyles of the magical and famous.

What I realized when we arrived for our first day at Universal was just how huge the place is. It’s divided into two parks, and each one is expansive. We worked our way toward Harry Potter, but oodles of fun awaited us first in other areas of Universal’s Islands of Adventure. Once we’d spent some time snapping pictures with the Marvel and classic cartoon displays in the two sections nearest the entrance, Aunt Barb made a beeline for Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls, so that served as my introduction to the rides at Universal, and it was a good one.

The ride towers above much of Universal’s classic cartoon section. The name of the ride stands out at the top of an entryway, with a large circular saw blade neatly slicing the words “RIPSAW FALLS” in half. Other striking landmarks include the tower with a red Mountie hat on top and the sculpture of villainous Snidely Whiplash and pretty young Nell Fenwick carved into the side of the mountain. At the entryway, a wooden cut-out of Dudley helps riders determine whether they are tall enough to ride. The line then divides into regular riders and those with Fast Passes.

We didn’t have Fast Passes, so we went to the right, where a long line awaited us. This was St. Patrick’s Day, as well as Spring Break week for many students, so the park was packed. It took us well over an hour, and probably closer to two, to finally get on the ride. I didn’t mind too much, though, since there was so much within the line itself to keep us entertained. Various cut-outs scattered throughout the line made me chuckle, and several short videos played on the TV screens mounted on the walls. If you went into the ride unfamiliar with Dudley Do-Right, you certainly should have had a good idea of what this cheerfully dopey Canadian officer was all about by the time you got on.

Adding to the fun were the periodic announcements over the loudspeaker from other members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. All of the ride employees wore snappy red uniforms that matched Dudley’s, which made the experience that much more immersive. After we realized how incredible crowded the park was that day, my aunt decided that we should get Fast Passes, which cost nearly as much as the price of park admission but cut your wait time down hugely, especially on such a busy day. We liked Ripsaw Falls so much that after we bought the Fast Pass, we went back and rode it again. The Fast Pass will only get you on each ride once, and a few of the rides don’t have Fast Pass lanes, but our experience tells me that if you buy a Fast Pass right off the bat, you should be able to get on every ride in Islands of Adventure if you put a full day in. The second time we rode Ripsaw Falls, we waited for fewer than ten minutes.

Ripsaw Falls is a pretty typical log flume ride, which takes you up big hills, around twisty bends and down sharp slopes, at the bottom of which you are pretty much guaranteed to get a soaking. Leave bags and other loose items with a non-rider if that’s an option, but your stuff will probably be all right in any case. I took my purse/camera bag on with me all three times, and my camera was inside and didn’t get wet. I definitely would recommend keeping cameras in some kind of bag, though, and holding them at such an angle as to minimize water exposure.

It’s not the wettest ride at Universal – that would be Popeye and Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges – but Ripsaw Falls is a close second. The ride proceeds like an episode of the series, which originated as a regular segment on The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show. Every once in a while the over-the-top narrator blasts some description out of the loudspeaker, and once in a while one of the major characters, integrated as statues all along the route, speaks as well.

There’s Dudley to the rescue, bumbling things every step of the way, shrieking Nell and slickly vile Snidely. At one point, we also get to see a struggling Inspector Fenwick expressing his spluttering displeasure at his situation. The ride ends with a splash and a curious combination of exultation and defeat as you ride in under a wide banner announcing “Big Award Ceremony Today!!” and hear the narrator conclude that “A Mountie always gets his man – but not necessarily his girl!” Because no matter how many times poor Dudley may inadvertently save the day, Nell is just not that into him.

This ride is pretty close to the entrance of Islands of Adventure, and with good reason. You probably want to ride it earlier rather than later. Granted, I probably wouldn’t get on it at 9 in the morning, but I would recommend getting it in by 3 or 4. I think it was nearing 1 the first time we rode it, and closing in on 2 the second time, and we had no trouble at all drying off in the sun. By the time we got to Harry Potter, we were good and ready for those frosty butterbeers.

The second day we went, we hit the other side of the park and only came back to Islands of Adventure to catch a couple of the best rides as we wound down. I think it was close to 5 when we rode it that day, and by the time the sun had gone down and we were having dinner at CityWalk, the avenue of shops and restaurants just outside the main park area, Aunt Barb and I were shivering and wishing we’d paid the five bucks to go through one of the super-strength people dryers located near the water rides.

Aside from the wet factor later in the day, the only downside to the ride is that you have to get in the logs with your legs flat out in front of you, and it’s pretty awkward to get in, especially since they really rush the process. My aunt and I both struggled to arrange our legs properly as we sat down, and Casey had to give us a hand getting up.

Still, the fact that this was the only ride at Universal that we went on three times tells you that it’s a pretty fantastic ride. It’s fun, with the theme perfectly carried out throughout the line and the ride alike. It’s a bit of a thrill, not least when you emerge from the long wait in darkness and emerge half-blinded into the bright sunshine. And on a hot day, it sure is refreshing. Like most of the rides at Universal, this one snaps your picture, so you can savor the experience even more with a photo as you zoom screaming down the hill. Come to think of it, I’m a little surprised none of us went for that, as many times as we rode it. But I don’t need a picture to remember this ride by; Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls stands out clearly as one of the best rides at Universal.