Three Gulls With Big Ambitions

One of the best elements of the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage isn't seen or heard by its riders at all. Three Seagulls from the film, perched on a bouy, cry, "Mine! Mine!" every time a submarine passes by.

The birds, many yards from shore, are not immediately obvious to most guests walking by the lagoon. Fans of the film, however, immediately catch the familiar call drifting faintly on the breeze, and stop to investigate.

You've got to love a bird who dreams big.

The Nemo Subs at Night

I love to visit the Submarine Lagoon at night. At the entry to Finding Nemo, the clean lines of the neon mixed with the activity of the Monorail Station above bring back good memories of  classic "World on the Move" Tomorrowland.

Plus, the walk along the lagoon's edge is a joy. Even the "Mine, mine" cries of the Seagulls on a nearby buoy seem calming after sundown. This is usually a good place to stop, take in the beauty of the evening and make plans for the rest of the night.

If you happen to be ready to head back to one of the resort hotels or the parking tram, the Monorail comes in most handy at this moment to shave off a lot of walking time. It's a good way to avoid the post-fireworks/Fantasmic crowds on Main Street, too.

Classic Ride Review: Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage

Disneyland's original 1959 Submarine Voyage closed in 1998, leaving Tomorrowland's wonderful lagoon sub-less for years. Finally, in 2007, the attraction reopened after extensive remodeling as the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage.

Guests descend a steep metal staircase to take a seat below water level in one of Disneyland's famous submarines to view the aquatic world through a porthole. As the cabin lights dim, the vehicle leaves the dock, cruising smoothly through the spectacular flora and fauna of the outdoor lagoon. The sights here are all solid, physical fabrications -- basic but effective. This section of the journey plays out very much like the start of the original 1959 ride, with a few Finding Nemo touches blended in to ease the transition from naturalistic sealife to fantasy world.

The subs pass through a waterfall into the indoor section of the ride, and everything quickly gets more colorful, more story-driven and more animated. Nemo has swum off on an adventure, and you give chase with Marlin and Dory through encounters with other characters from the Pixar film, including sea turtles, sharks, jellyfish, scary angler fish and whales.

Some fans bemoan the change, claiming the original ride was much better. I say it's all a matter of taste. The old version was a classic 1950's/1960's-style Disney adventure with fairly impressive mechanical effects, including mermaids, toppling stone columns and a lovable sea serpent. You could see the strings and rods, but it was still fun. The new ride--once inside the show building--relies heavily on high-def animation, trading huge sets for a more intimate, character-driven experience. It's funny, colorful and spectacular. As cute as the whale finale is, however, I think if they brought back the old sea serpent near the ending (not just the serpent tribute the Imagineers included in the rockwork), both camps would be satisfied.

A classic reborn for a new generation, the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage blends old and new into a fun, beautiful adventure. It's not the most thrilling ride in the park, but the subs themselves make the experience unique. Well worth checking out if the wait is twenty minutes or less.

WARNINGS: You will be spending about fifteen minutes--possibly longer--sitting in a tightly-packed, dark chamber, though air jets beneath each porthole help keep it from feeling claustrophobic. One particular scene may frighten small children.

Stuck on the Nemo Subs

Have you ever been stuck on the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage during a moment of technical difficulities, staring at the same big, ugly fish for fifteen minutes? We have.

We named him Blarg the Magnificent.

Fortunately, once the ride resumed, we had a smooth, Nemo-full adventure with everything working perfectly...until the end, when something else happened just shy of the docks and we had to wait another fifteen minutes. We got to listen to "Beyond the Sea" over and over again.

Bottom line: even though this ate up our "Extra Magic Hour" morning, we all disembarked in a good mood. If we must get stuck somewhere, may it always be in a submarine at Disneyland rather than out in freeway traffic in the "normal" world.

Fish Heads & Crumbs #4 - How Not To Do a Podcast

Today's weekly episode finds our podcast crew in hot water at Disneyland. This is actually an above-average day for these three.

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