Voyage of the Little Mermaid is done, won't reopen with the parks.

UNCgolf

UNCgolf

Well-Known Member
Castastone said:
The Mermaid ride was outdated the day it opened. We rode it maybe 6 times in September because my 1 year old LOVED it, and the more I rode it the more I hated how cheap it seemed. The Ariel AA is straight up terrifying. For those 6 rides I bet we waited a total of 10 minutes. Granted, September, but still.
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The one time I rode it was in February a couple of years back during one of the busy weeks. Most of the MK rides had 60+ minute waits. Little Mermaid had a posted wait of 30 minutes, but I couldn't see anyone in the queue and I wanted to check it out so I went ahead. There was no wait. I just walked through the queue and got on the ride.
 
disney4life2008

disney4life2008

Well-Known Member
UNCgolf said:
The one time I rode it was in February a couple of years back during one of the busy weeks. Most of the MK rides had 60+ minute waits. Little Mermaid had a posted wait of 30 minutes, but I couldn't see anyone in the queue and I wanted to check it out so I went ahead. There was no wait. I just walked through the queue and got on the ride.
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LOL it takes 30 minutes to get from the entrance to the ride
 
Kman101

Kman101

Well-Known Member
brb1006 said:
Same with Beauty and the Beast Live On Stage. Remember when BATB live was the only place guests were able to see Gaston before becoming a meetable character in the early 2010s?
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Yep. I still enjoy this show, but it's tired. I'd love an update if they're keeping it. But I'd rather have something new. They missed the boat not doing Tangled. I miss when they updated things or changed things because they could. I love Festival of Fantasy but add some floats ... replace Brave with Moana, etc. That's how you keep things around but it doesn't get stale.
 
jensenrick

jensenrick

Well-Known Member
LiterallyNobody said:
I mentioned a few months back that super high resolution pictures of the props from Voyage of the Little Mermaid we taken for archival purposes to prepare for the eventual closure. Just found out from the same source the plan is to not open it again once Hollywood Studios re-opens. It is done.

Sad that some castmembers won't be rehired for it, but the writing has been on the wall for a bit I think.
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I forgot it was there, that's how many years it's been since I set foot in it. I think I've seen it *twice* in my lifetime maybe?
 
TrainsOfDisney

TrainsOfDisney

Well-Known Member
Jwhee said:
Do any puppet shows remain in Orlando after this..?
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Lion King and Nemo.

Kman101 said:
But I'd rather have something new. They missed the boat not doing Tangled. I miss when they updated things or changed things because they could. I love Festival of Fantasy but add some floats ... replace Brave with Moana, etc. That's how
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Agreed. Ideally the mermaid and playhouse Disney buildings would both be black box theaters constantly updating along with Disney Theatrical releases. You would schedule them so 1 was always running and 2 were running during high demand seasons like Christmas / New Years.

bryanfze55 said:
Mickey and the Magical Map is a terrific show that would fit very nicely in DHS. But I’m guessing it’s expensive to run given the number of equity performers in the show.
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It would fit DHS nicely.. especially if the hat was still there. I’ve never been much of a fan, even though parts of the show are indeed enjoyable. To me, it and Tarzan rocks are the most “basic theme park” show I’ve seen Disney produce. I’ve seen it twice over the years.
 
MarvelCharacterNerd

MarvelCharacterNerd

Well-Known Member
I wonder if those who think this show is outdated are those who see it more often?

It may be because I so rarely get to WDW. It may also be because I have a soft spot in my heart for DHS because it is the sibling version of DCA as Magic Kingdom is to Disneyland. Though most likely it's just because my priority at any park is the entertainment.

But the reason I thoroughly enjoy DHS and the only reasons I would go to that park at all are because of Indy, B&TB stage show, Frozen Singalong and VotLM. Oh, and the evening light and fireworks shows are fun, too.

Not a Muppets fan, sorry, nor the DHS version of Fantasmic as I'm far too spoiled by the DL version. I don't do thrill rides so there isn't a single ride I've gone on in that park as I haven't been since MMRR opened and I'm not sure if I can ride that anyway. But NONE of the DHS shows I mentioned above seem outdated to me. I find them charming and utterly repeatable. But then again, I can't see them regularly. However, I would be sorry to see any of them go.
 
yensidtlaw1969

yensidtlaw1969

Well-Known Member
The problem with the Mermaid Ride is that it's all shine and no substance. It lacks genuine fun and clever showmanship - something the Mermaid Show actually has lots of, a bit dated though it is. There are reasons the Show has played basically unaltered for almost 30 years while the Ride got a correctional refurb barely 2 years after its opening. The show gets the job done.

They took a more Presentational approach to the design of the ride rather than a more Representational one, with the exception of a few animatronics designed to impress (though Ariel, as mentioned, misses the mark) and its seriously sculpted queue and facade. Otherwise, the ride does more to show you an illustration of Ariel's world than to ever make you feel like you're actually in it. Which is a choice, but a disappointing one given how rich Ariel's world is and how ripe it is for translating to an exciting dimensional environment.

Peter Pan's Flight takes up nearly 1/3rd the footprint of Mermaid, cost way less money, and features none of technological advances of the last 50 years, but it endures because of its engaging concept, clever conceit, and elemental execution. Mermaid the Show has much more in common with Peter Pan's Flight than it does with Mermaid the Ride, and that has always been to its credit.

It's always a shame to lose something after such a long run in the parks, especially if it's due to finanial reasons rather than creative ones. I won't pretend Mermaid didn't enjoy a longer life than perhaps it should have - I'm a total sucker for this kind of show, but I think in reality we should have seen other additions to the parks that took a page from its book instead of seeing this one hang around quite this long. Nemo and FotLK aren't really the same. I doubt we'll see the likes of this kind of show at WDW again anytime soon, and that's not even considering the present climate.

Hopefully if something really is working its way through the pipeline it's coming soon and will be a strong addition to the park. DHS certainly still needs more to do and not less, but the loss is always easier to forgive in the name of a worthy successor.
 
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disney4life2008

disney4life2008

Well-Known Member
yensidtlaw1969 said:
The problem with the Mermaid Ride is that it's all shine and no substance. It lacks genuine fun and clever showmanship - something the Mermaid Show actually has lots of, a bit dated though it is. There are reasons the Show has played basically unaltered for almost 30 years while the Ride got a correctional refurb barely 2 years after its opening. The show gets the job done.

They took a more Presentational approach to the design of the ride rather than a more Representational one, with the exception of a few animatronics designed to impress (though Ariel, as mentioned, misses the mark) and its seriously sculpted queue and facade. Otherwise, the ride does more to show you an illustration of Ariel's world than to ever make you feel like you're actually in it. Which is a choice, but a disappointing one given how rich Ariel's world is and how ripe it is for translating to an exciting dimensional environment.

Peter Pan's Flight takes up nearly 1/3rd the footprint of Mermaid, cost way less money, and features none of technological advances of the last 50 years, but it endures because of its engaging concept, clever conceit, and elemental execution. Mermaid the Show has much more in common with Peter Pan's Flight than it does with Mermaid the Ride, and that has always been to its credit.

It's always a shame to lose something after such a long run in the parks, especially if it's due to finanial reasons rather than creative ones. I won't pretend Mermaid didn't enjoy a longer life than perhaps it should have - I'm a total sucker for this kind of show, but I think in reality we should have seen other additions to the parks that took a page from its book instead of seeing this one hang around quite this long. Nemo and FotLK aren't really the same. I doubt we'll see the likes of this kind of show at WDW again anytime soon, and that's not even considering the present climate.

Hopefully if something really is working its way through the pipeline it's coming soon and will be a strong addition to the park. DHS certainly still needs more to do and not less, but the loss is always easier to forgive in the name of a worthy successor.
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I wonder though will Disney move away from shows. Outside of parades and fireworks, what was the last show Disney put at Disney world?
 
disney4life2008

disney4life2008

Well-Known Member
Movielover said:
The minimal use of Tangled in the parks is criminal. I get the cry of not wanting more IP but Tangled is such a perfect fit for theme park application that it's crazy that all we have is a appearance in a parade, a couple random meet and greets and a bathroom.
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Well it is a great bathroom lol. I remember when they opened the seating area with charging stations even that is dated now lol
 

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