What happens to ride vehicles after its ride closes?

APirateoftheCaribbean

Member
Original Poster
Question, I've seen pictures and videos of extinct ride vehicles being driven off the property on a truck. And I was wondering what happens to them, are they sent to the garbage or scrapped for another vehicle? I know some Disneyland Peoplemover, Peter Pan, Snow White, etc. were in different auctions, but what happens to the unsold?
 

Goofyernmost

Well-Known Member
Don't know for sure, but my guess would be those that aren't in good enough condition to be wanted by collectors are scrapped and melted down and perhaps are part of your new car. I don't think that Disney is into the scrap business anymore and just sell off, if they can to dealers that decide whether or not they want to try and sell to collectors or just chop them into pieces and sell each item for recycling. It's amazing just how uncaring Disney is about old ride vehicles or other specially molded item.
 

Inspired Figment

Well-Known Member
Question, I've seen pictures and videos of extinct ride vehicles being driven off the property on a truck. And I was wondering what happens to them, are they sent to the garbage or scrapped for another vehicle? I know some Disneyland Peoplemover, Peter Pan, Snow White, etc. were in different auctions, but what happens to the unsold?
Sadly they’re trashed as far as I’m aware. That’s what happened to many of the groups of OG 83-98 Journey into Imagination vehicles.
 

JohnD

Well-Known Member
Question, I've seen pictures and videos of extinct ride vehicles being driven off the property on a truck. And I was wondering what happens to them, are they sent to the garbage or scrapped for another vehicle? I know some Disneyland Peoplemover, Peter Pan, Snow White, etc. were in different auctions, but what happens to the unsold?

It really depends. 20,000 League Under the Sea vehicles ended up all over the place. Some behind MK. Those are gone now. At least one is submerged at Castaway Cay in the Bahamas for Disney cruise guests snorkeling.
 

JIMINYCR

Well-Known Member
Its sad that so many things that guests would love seeing are viewed as having no value and are immediately trashed. Disney could place these cars in any of their empty buildings, utilizing the space, to display them as a walk through museum of past attractions. A simple spot that could draw numbers of guests giving them another thing to do and take up line space.
 

ppete1975

Well-Known Member
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Post-closure, several vehicles were left stationary in the lagoon and by the dock, before the entire fleet was eventually pulled from the attraction in 1996. The submarines were regularly moved around to different locations in Walt Disney World backstage for several years, until eventually being stripped and buried in a landfill in 2004. Three of the vehicles were saved from the fleet's demise. Two were shipped to be sunk in the snorkeling lagoon at Castaway Cay, Disney's private island. Here, the two submarines were placed in various areas of the snorkeling lagoon and covered with cargo netting to help sea life and microbial corrosion cling to them. As of 2008, only one of those two Nautilus submarines still exists, but both its wheelhouse and dorsal fin have been destroyed by hurricane weather. The third submarine was first moved to queue for the backlot tour at Disney's Hollywood Studios, but was eventually moved to an empty lot. When the tour was still open, it could be seen next to some props from Star Wars or Pirates of the Caribbean. When the tour closed, the submarine was put in storage, but it has been taken out and displayed at various Disney events, still in fairly good condition.
 

ppete1975

Well-Known Member
It really depends. 20,000 League Under the Sea vehicles ended up all over the place. Some behind MK. Those are gone now. At least one is submerged at Castaway Cay in the Bahamas for Disney cruise guests snorkeling.
As of 2008, only one of those two Nautilus submarines still exists, but both its wheelhouse and dorsal fin have been destroyed by hurricane weather
 

Goofyernmost

Well-Known Member
View attachment 575256
Post-closure, several vehicles were left stationary in the lagoon and by the dock, before the entire fleet was eventually pulled from the attraction in 1996. The submarines were regularly moved around to different locations in Walt Disney World backstage for several years, until eventually being stripped and buried in a landfill in 2004. Three of the vehicles were saved from the fleet's demise. Two were shipped to be sunk in the snorkeling lagoon at Castaway Cay, Disney's private island. Here, the two submarines were placed in various areas of the snorkeling lagoon and covered with cargo netting to help sea life and microbial corrosion cling to them. As of 2008, only one of those two Nautilus submarines still exists, but both its wheelhouse and dorsal fin have been destroyed by hurricane weather. The third submarine was first moved to queue for the backlot tour at Disney's Hollywood Studios, but was eventually moved to an empty lot. When the tour was still open, it could be seen next to some props from Star Wars or Pirates of the Caribbean. When the tour closed, the submarine was put in storage, but it has been taken out and displayed at various Disney events, still in fairly good condition.
I can't help it, when I see those "Subs" pre-burial, I get sad. As corny as it was I was an adventure to ride. My young girls loved it, as did I and my wife secretly loved it too based on here reaction when we were riding the skyway Gondola's. As it went over the lagoon with the Subs passing under us she looked up and with a surprised look said... "Hey, they don't really go under water do they?!?!" All of us, including the girls said, "how did you not know that". Anyway, after that the joy was lost for her, but I still liked it.

Back to my point, it does sadden me to think back to all the surprise fun and discovery we had on a first few trips. It leaves the newest ones enjoyable, but just not surprising anymore.
 

Heppenheimer

Well-Known Member
I can't help it, when I see those "Subs" pre-burial, I get sad. As corny as it was I was an adventure to ride. My young girls loved it, as did I and my wife secretly loved it too based on here reaction when we were riding the skyway Gondola's. As it went over the lagoon with the Subs passing under us she looked up and with a surprised look said... "Hey, they don't really go under water do they?!?!" All of us, including the girls said, "how did you not know that". Anyway, after that the joy was lost for her, but I still liked it.

Back to my point, it does sadden me to think back to all the surprise fun and discovery we had on a first few trips. It leaves the newest ones enjoyable, but just not surprising anymore.
I'm sad simply because the design work on those subs was absolutely beautiful. Some of the best vehicle work Disney Imagineering has ever done. The fact that they really captured the iconic look (if not the scale) of the Nautilus from the film AND made them functional was amazing. I wonder if Imagineering could duplicate that kind of work now if they wanted to.

BTW, is/wasn't there a lot somewhere behind the Magic Kingdom where they would hold obsolete material from the attractions?
 

Beacon Joe

Well-Known Member
I'm sad simply because the design work on those subs was absolutely beautiful. Some of the best vehicle work Disney Imagineering has ever done. The fact that they really captured the iconic look (if not the scale) of the Nautilus from the film AND made them functional was amazing. I wonder if Imagineering could duplicate that kind of work now if they wanted to.

BTW, is/wasn't there a lot somewhere behind the Magic Kingdom where they would hold obsolete material from the attractions?

This. After reading this thread, I looked up some snorkeler footage from Castaway Cay and it bummed me out seeing that boat rotting away down there.
 

Goofyernmost

Well-Known Member
I'm sad simply because the design work on those subs was absolutely beautiful. Some of the best vehicle work Disney Imagineering has ever done. The fact that they really captured the iconic look (if not the scale) of the Nautilus from the film AND made them functional was amazing. I wonder if Imagineering could duplicate that kind of work now if they wanted to.

BTW, is/wasn't there a lot somewhere behind the Magic Kingdom where they would hold obsolete material from the attractions?
From my recall, there is definitely an area where old stuff goes to die. The picture shown was of the Subs sitting in that area abandoned. Parts like porthole windows, folding sub seats were sold but I don't know if it was Disney directly doing the selling. Anyway it was reported that a big hole was dug and those subs were just buried underground. I don't now if that is true or not, but seem possible.
 

Kamikaze

Well-Known Member
I can't help it, when I see those "Subs" pre-burial, I get sad. As corny as it was I was an adventure to ride. My young girls loved it, as did I and my wife secretly loved it too based on here reaction when we were riding the skyway Gondola's. As it went over the lagoon with the Subs passing under us she looked up and with a surprised look said... "Hey, they don't really go under water do they?!?!" All of us, including the girls said, "how did you not know that". Anyway, after that the joy was lost for her, but I still liked it.

Back to my point, it does sadden me to think back to all the surprise fun and discovery we had on a first few trips. It leaves the newest ones enjoyable, but just not surprising anymore.
They still exist in DL. For now.
 

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