Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid, is the great new dark attraction located in the Enchanted Forest of the Magic Kingdom's New Fantasyland. The ride opened this past December to great fanfare and has been delighting Walt Disney World guests who experience it.
The queue for this attraction is truly phenomenal, and winds down along the shore-line beneath Prince Erik's Castle. Guests encounter playful sea life they descend through the grottos and caverns where they can interact with mischievous little crabs engaging guests in games of 'trash' or 'treasure' to help the crabs fill their treasure chest. It's an enchanting way to pass the time, and the adorable animated crabs running to and fro almost made me sad that there was no line when I went through.
Once under the sea, guests will find themselves immersed in the story of "The Little Mermaid." Similar to it's sister ride in Disneyland, guests climb inside their Omnimover "clamshells" that move and turn to direct the guests attention while traveling with Ariel and her friends through their exciting adventures both above and below the Sea. Adults and children alike will enjoy and relate to the festive atmosphere of the attraction, and the suspenseful villainy of Ursula the Sea Witch.
Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid uses more than 180 Audio-Animatronic characters to tell it's story through song and imagery. Their creation posed some special challenges to Imagineers who strived to place guests inside of the animated world. To achieve their goals a special "skin technology" was developed and used for Ariel, King Triton and Ursula, because they have so much exposed. The vibrant colors and life-like motion help to suspend reality and the familiar musical score playing through will entice everyone to sing along.
Electric convenience vehicles are able to navigate the mermaid queue easily. Though the belt loading system can sometimes be difficult to navigate for guests with impaired mobility, the cast members at this attraction have the ability to slow or stop the ride's motion in order to assist those in getting on and off the ride. My experience with the cast members at this attraction in needing assistance was both friendly and compassionate.
Be sure to add this fun new attraction in to your touring strategy next time you're down in the Magic Kingdom. I found it to be a welcome addition to the New Fantasyland line up. If you're already had a chance to experience the attraction leave a comment below and let us know what your thoughts are about this Under Sea Journey.
Phil wrote on Tue, 01/29/2013 - 18:15:
We experienced this attraction last week. The area is themed very well and the little crabs in the game indeed are incredibly cute, but the game itself doesn't recognize movements all that well... the waving they want you to do is not always picked up reliably.
As for the ride itself, it's just another generic movie retelling dark ride in an omnimover. Unless someone has small children who absolutely love the movie, this will likely be a "do it once and be done with it" attraction. For those who visit often it just isn't going to be on the must do list... maybe worth it if the queue is very short (and I expect it will be once the newness wears off), but definitely not worth waiting for a half hour or more.
JoAnn C wrote on Thu, 01/31/2013 - 02:31:
I rode this during a dress rehearsal in November. I enjoyed it. I would ride it again.
Poppet wrote on Mon, 04/29/2013 - 19:37:
Fantastic ride! Loved every minute of it. Great queue as well, keeps you entertained while you wait to board the clamshell.
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