Is Paul Pressler Captain of the Submarines Again?

[Curious Constance]

I'm trying at least one new experience every trip to Disneyland. A few years ago it was the Mark Twain, then two years ago the Tiki Room, and Great Moments last year. Only problem is I'll be at DCA as well this trip which might mess me up a bit. I've never mastered parkhopping but I'm still considering Maxpass which would help.

If you're only trying out one new thing, I'd never suggest it to be wasted on Nemo. But it's still worth checking out once to give yourself some more ammo to criticize Disney with if there is a minimal wait time. . And boy do they deserve it with this ride. My daughter wanted to ride it again last summer, so we did. I kept drifting off to sleep. Seriously.

 

[dweezil78]

I tend to only go once a year so I like to get as much as I can done then, especially knowing I might not be able to next year with Galaxy's Edge opening. When I was there and on my own a couple years ago I was able to get all the attractions I wanted to done in four hours about but that was just Disneyland. Only ride I'm really interested in at DCA is Radiator Springs Racers (and the Red Car Trolley, I suppose). Maxpass would allow me to get a ticket for RSR without ever stepping in DCA until the FP time but that's the only big benefit I'm seeing but it is a big one. For only $10 a ticket it really doesn't seem that bad.

Definitley get max pass and get there 30 min before rope drop so that you can ensure you get through the gate and find a place in front of the castle. Are you ok with single rider? Make use of it whenever possible if so you're not wasting FP slots on those.

I used to always start in Tomorrowland, but seeing as how you can do SR on Matterhorn and now Space Mountain, I find it makes more sense to tackle the other side of the park first. Get all the big stuff out of the way and the rides that you know will quickly run out of FPs and save the lighter/easier-to-get stuff for later on -- things like Tiki Room, Small World, Buzz, etc. Haunted Mansion you might even want to wait until the evening as FPs are generally plentiful, even when the line is getting long.

Have you done Guardians yet? Honestly, I know you hate the idea of it and all that, but if you haven't been on it you should give it a shot. Queue problems aside, the ride itself (and the library) is an insanely good time and it's hard to not have a smile on your face when you get off it.

 

[Phroobar]

Do the shooting gallery. It will relieve some of your stress. Then take a nice ride on the Columbia. Watch them shoot the canon and then head downstairs to check out living conditions. Ride the Mark Twain on the top deck and wave at all the peons in line for POTC. Then take the rafts over to TSI and explore the caves. Canoes can be skipped unless you like padding lazy tourists around the river by yourself. Total time would be about an hour out of your day.

Don't forget the Tower of Terror GOTG:MB. It's Totally Rad!

 

[flynnibus]

I thought the coral stuff was painted with a special WDI invented glass paint that was guaranteed to not fade. I wonder how many millions they spent on developing that paint.

Being more resistant and lasting longer != promises of 'guaranteed not to fade'. That's baloney.

 

[NateD1226]

I agree, that whole area from IASW down to Autopia should be gutted and cleared out. Lots of potential in that piece of land and since they already have that huge hole for the submarine building they might as well take advantage of it and make it a two level operation to help with scale. Wouldn't want a huge building make the matterhorn look like an ant hill

That whole area is almost 9 acres of land! That would be amazing for new Tomorrowland Updates!

 

[PiratesMansion]

I've never been on the submarines. Along with the Monorail, SS Colombia, Davy Crockett's Explorer Canoes, and Tom Sawyer's Island are the only real attractions I've never experienced. Is it worth checking out just once? I always hear about cramped and miserable it is which has deterred me away from it. Also the incredibly long wait time due to incredibly long boarding time.

I wouldn't choose Nemo and I wouldn't shed a tear if the subs left forever. People like the idea of the subs more than the actual experience. Hence why everyone says "It's great to have the subs again" but they never actually say anything nice about the ride. Too much time wasted for minimal gain.

Haven't done TSL at DL since I was a kid, and I am opposed to work on vacation (so Canoes are out). I would recommend the Monorail of the options left (although the under decks museum inside Columbia is pretty cool too). I enjoy the views, the meandering return route, and the fact that it is fairly expedient.

 

[Old Mouseketeer]

I vote for this instead!

I thought the Atlantis sub ride was intended for WDW. The 20K subs fit the theme better.

 

[TwilightZone]

I wouldn't choose Nemo and I wouldn't shed a tear if the subs left forever. People like the idea of the subs more than the actual experience. Hence why everyone says "It's great to have the subs again" but they never actually say anything nice about the ride. Too much time wasted for minimal gain.

Haven't done TSL at DL since I was a kid, and I am opposed to work on vacation (so Canoes are out). I would recommend the Monorail of the options left (although the under decks museum inside Columbia is pretty cool too). I enjoy the views, the meandering return route, and the fact that it is fairly expedient.

I like the sub ride. It's not the best ride ever. But it's enjoyable for me and brings me back a lot of happy memories. Really I like the nemo subs for sentimentality.
PS, I hated both previous sub rides, from what I've seen, they have not aged well at all.

 

[TwilightZone]

I thought the Atlantis sub ride was intended for WDW. The 20K subs fit the theme better.

No, always disneyland. Maybe if it was a thing and turned out to be popular, the plan would have been to clone it in WDW too.
To bad that didn't happen, sounded like it would have been an incredible ride. As long as disney were smart anyways and learned their mistakes from alien encounter.

 

[PiratesMansion]

I like the sub ride. It's not the best ride ever. But it's enjoyable for me and brings me back a lot of happy memories. Really I like the nemo subs for sentimentality.
PS, I hated both previous sub rides, from what I've seen, they have not aged well at all.

But that's the crux of the issue. People feel little to no attachment to *the current version* of the ride. It is the epitome of "It's OK I guess." This is a stretch, but imagine if Disneyland closed Small World and left the building sitting there for 10 years. When they reopen it, it is revealed that Disney left the ride trough exactly the same, but got rid of the dolls, the song, the scenery, the sets, and replaced it with nothing but videos of Toy Story characters trying to get Buzz and Woody back to Andy's room. Would people like it "just because it's nice to be in the Small World building/trough again?" Doubtful. So why do people accept and enable the current situation with the Subs?

If they want to completely gut the Subs and replace it with something akin to DisneySea's 20,000 Leagues, be my guest. But it does no one any good to have the rotting husk of an old attraction around. Heck, based on what I've heard, I'd say many people have finally stopped going to Epcot. You can only pretend for so long.

 

[180º]

But that's the crux of the issue. People feel little to no attachment to *the current version* of the ride. It is the epitome of "It's OK I guess." This is a stretch, but imagine if Disneyland closed Small World and left the building sitting there for 10 years. When they reopen it, it is revealed that Disney left the ride trough exactly the same, but got rid of the dolls, the song, the scenery, the sets, and replaced it with nothing but videos of Toy Story characters trying to get Buzz and Woody back to Andy's room. Would people like it "just because it's nice to be in the Small World building/trough again?" Doubtful. So why do people accept and enable the current situation with the Subs?

If they want to completely gut the Subs and replace it with something akin to DisneySea's 20,000 Leagues, be my guest. But it does no one any good to have the rotting husk of an old attraction around. Heck, based on what I've heard, I'd say many people have finally stopped going to Epcot. You can only pretend for so long.

You raise an interesting point but IASW wouldn’t be the best comparison. Much of what makes the subs so iconic is...well, the subs. Small World has copies in every Castle Park save for Shanghai, and it shares its relatively common ride system with Pirates and a few other one-offs. Only the two original castle parks got Submarine rides, and both were seemingly closed forever in the ‘90s. It was a miracle that we got our subs back from the dead. Even considering the crappy Nemo content, to be able to take a Submarine Voyage at Disneyland again is a triumph of nostalgia. Not everyone would agree that’s enough of a reason to keep the subs around, but it does make it a different case than IASW and other, less novel attractions.

A better comparison may be Universe of Energy (RIP). It too had a novel ride system. You could argue that it’s the same basic system as the recent trackless dark rides, just as SVTLS/FNSV is the same basic system as Jungle Cruise. But just as the subs have the novelty of putting you half-underwater, UoE had the novelty of being a full-scale traveling theater. That novelty was a source of fondness for fans, even after the ride was downgraded to Ellen’s Energy Adventure. When GOTG was announced, many fans shrugged it off, quick to remind us that Universe of Energy was already butchered a long time ago. It seems to be the same point you’re making about the subs, and it’s a very good point in both cases. But as for myself and I suspect some others, I really miss it and wish Epcot could just still have a traveling theater in some form. Even a crappy traveling theater. Even a crappy Guardians of the Galaxy traveling theater! The traveling theater itself, as a format, was so novel and grand. So EPCOT.

I’d feel the same way if we were to lose the subs, for exactly the same reasons.

 

[PiratesMansion]

You raise an interesting point but IASW wouldn’t be the best comparison. Much of what makes the subs so iconic is...well, the subs. Small World has copies in every Castle Park save for Shanghai, and it shares its relatively common ride system with Pirates and a few other one-offs. Only the two original castle parks got Submarine rides, and both were seemingly closed forever in the ‘90s. It was a miracle that we got our subs back from the dead. Even considering the crappy Nemo content, to be able to take a Submarine Voyage at Disneyland again is a triumph of nostalgia. Not everyone would agree that’s enough of a reason to keep the subs around, but it does make it a different case than IASW and other, less novel attractions.

A better comparison may be Universe of Energy (RIP). It too had a novel ride system. You could argue that it’s the same basic system as the recent trackless dark rides, just as SVTLS/FNSV is the same basic system as Jungle Cruise. But just as the subs have the novelty of putting you half-underwater, UoE had the novelty of being a full-scale traveling theater. That novelty was a source of fondness for fans, even after the ride was downgraded to Ellen’s Energy Adventure. When GOTG was announced, many fans shrugged it off, quick to remind us that Universe of Energy was already butchered a long time ago. It seems to be the same point you’re making about the subs, and it’s a very good point in both cases. But as for myself and I suspect some others, I really miss it and wish Epcot could just still have a traveling theater in some form. Even a crappy traveling theater. Even a crappy Guardians of the Galaxy traveling theater! The traveling theater itself, as a format, was so novel and grand. So EPCOT.

I’d feel the same way if we were to lose the subs, for exactly the same reasons.

I'll grant you that there's nothing novel about SW's ride system; that was purely a hypothetical example. But I feel like my point stands; ride systems in and of itself can certainly be novel, but it's meaningless if the vehicle is the only, or even the primary reason for experiencing an attraction. The coolness of the UOE vehicles did not in and of itself make the attraction a satisfying experience (In fairness, I only saw the Ellen version in person, but I'm not convinced that the original attraction was anything great either). The vehicles and tech were cool, the dinosaurs were cool, but that was, what, five minutes or so of a forty-plus minute attraction?

I'm not thrilled by the Guardians coaster, but I think it would almost be more jarring if they tried to do Guardians in the UOE format. It would preserve the theater, sure, but would that really make for a satisfying experience for new visitors OR people accustomed to UOE? I don't think the Subs in their current state are doing much of anything for nostalgic longtime visitors or new guests. I appreciate the grandeur and the ambition of these ride systems, but I don't necessarily feel that that automatically justifies leaving them around if Disney isn't going to play to that ambition.

 

[EPCOTCenterLover]

^^ I've seen both several times. The Ellen version was no where near as impressive. In fact, the whole game show presentation removed much of the wow factor.

 

[Rich T]

That whole area is almost 9 acres of land! That would be amazing for new Tomorrowland Updates!

Kingdom Hearts. Seriously. They should build Traverse Town and a big KH dark ride. 9 acres of Steampunk Disney smoothly linking Fantasyland to Tomorrowland. Endless merchandising possibilities, huge appeal for kids, teens and young adults, and a place where any and all Disney characters can appear via the KH "Worlds Colliding" theme. Gimme a "P!" Gimme an "I"! Gimme a "P-I-P-E-D-R-E-A-M!"

 

[NateD1226]

Kingdom Hearts. Seriously. They should build Traverse Town and a big KH dark ride. 9 acres of Steampunk Disney smoothly linking Fantasyland to Tomorrowland. Endless merchandising possibilities, huge appeal for kids, teens and young adults, and a place where any and all Disney characters can appear via the KH "Worlds Colliding" theme. Gimme a "P!" Gimme an "I"! Gimme a "P-I-P-E-D-R-E-A-M!"
View attachment 295682

This whole area is 9.04 acres and gets rid of Autopia, Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, and Star Wars Launch Bay. It would be great for a KH expansion or anything else really!

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

No one knows what Kingdom Hearts is. If we're now building lands based on things with cult followings, where's the Return to Oz Land.

 

[NateD1226]

No one knows what Kingdom Hearts is. If we're now building lands based on things with cult followings, where's the Return to Oz Land.

I personally think that area can just be an area to improve Tommorowland. But Disney surprises us with random things that we don't really need. *cough* pixar pier *cough*

 

[Phroobar]

Kingdom Hearts. Seriously. They should build Traverse Town and a big KH dark ride. 9 acres of Steampunk Disney smoothly linking Fantasyland to Tomorrowland. Endless merchandising possibilities, huge appeal for kids, teens and young adults, and a place where any and all Disney characters can appear via the KH "Worlds Colliding" theme. Gimme a "P!" Gimme an "I"! Gimme a "P-I-P-E-D-R-E-A-M!"
View attachment 295682

That is exactly what Disney will do if a certain other video game franchise's theme park land is popular.

 

[TROR]

Video games are stupid.

 

[NateD1226]

Video games are stupid.

Yeah I don't like video games either but it would be interesting to see what Disney would do.