What's 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea?

[Pabgo]

The subs, Matterhorn and monorail opened on the same day in DL in 1959, often considered the second opening. They closed in 1998(?) with a promised replacement that had not materialized. Rumours abounded of a makeover to the Atlantis movie, but apparently shelved when that one turned out to be a dud. They are currently in construction to add the Nemo theme, which will utilize some sets that are in dry boxes underwater. These are, I believe, how an attraction is done at TDS to give the illusion of being underwater, although that one has no actual water. One of the problems with the sub set pieces were chlorine damage and bleaching. I believe there will be a place for viewing the ride by video for those that can't descend the stairs.

I never rode 20K in WDW, but have seen the ride through video on the Extinct Attractions Club's DVD of the Sub Voyage. They were essentially the same ride except that the narrator at WDW was Capt. Nemo, and the subs were styled like the Nautalis. Other than that, the only differences were minor like the differences between the Haunted Mansions. The DVD is short but good; ride throughs of both are Fair to good in quality. There's also an issue of The E Ticket magazine devoted to the subs, and some good CM stories in the Mouse Tales Books.

My brother has told me that when he was almost 4 he was considerably impressed with my bravery in actually stepping into one of the subs. Can't wait for the return, myself.

If they do end up having a video for the people that can't make it down the steps, that won't be as cool as actually going on the ride though. But at least this time around they have something that the handicapped people can do instead of not even watching a video of the ride! I was thinking also that if there is videos of the ride, that'll give younger children a chance to see what it's like before they actually get on the ride. Though it's not a "thrill ride", it's still good to see if you can "handle" it!

 

[LaughingGravy]

20K .The real experience in writing.

(creak creak) Feelin' my age a bit when someone asks the question of what was 20K Leagues Under the Sea.

Why, I remember it like it was yesterday (swirling, flashback transition starts)

Hey, what's that long line for? What kind of ticket does it take? An E?
Wow. We have so few of those. The line is really long and it's hot outside.
Oh, 20K Leagues! We gotta go on that!!! What's a trip to WDW without going on 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea? They even made a board game we have at home based on this very ride!(see cool pics 1/2 way down page. Click to enlarge.) Who knows when we're coming back again? There are only 3 hotels (2 (Poly and Contemp) and a campground w/ pricey trailers if you don't want to camp) and they're booked all year. We were lucky to get these reservations about a year in advance just to stay on-site.

FF 20 minutes...
Well, the line is still really long, but at least we're in the shady part.

Where's a trash can so I can dump my (gasp!) paper cup and straw from the soda I bought for a reasonable price. :lol:
Oh, good there's one right here. Some things never change.

FF10 minutes...
Cool music while we're waiting on line, but it's still really hot out.
Gee...we're too far in to comfortably get out of line. Maybe it will move faster soon. At least we're in WDW. Gotta love the fully themed Vulcania iron look of the line area. We didn't call them ques back then. It was just a line.

FF20 more minutes...
Ooh, we're next. Cool costumes, with the striped shirts, round-topped sailor hats, and those cool Nemo navy pants with the laces up the back(or was it buttons?) and the buttoned triangle flap pockets in the front. Very cool. This is why we're here. Great attention to detail.
Son of a ....that sub just closed.


FF5 minutes...
Ok, we're definitely on this one.
C'mon people...up the stairs...what? You've never been up a staircase before?
C'mon...there are people waiting!

Finally. OK, across the little platform, down the steps...pick a side, left or right, but make sure your party/family stays with you. Right side is better. No left side. Oh, just pick. There are people behind you. Move all the way to the end, make room for everybody.....HEY! What's wrong with you!? Move down! Geez. OK...Ow! My shin!! (foldable metal circular seats/w red pad to be pulled down, but left down by the idiot in front of me)
Sit down. aaah. A place to sit. Very welcome after that line. The floor's a little wet. Well, you are in a submarine after all.
Wait for everyone else.
The hatch closes. It's now pretty dark in the sub as our eyes adjust to the lack of Florida sun.
We move forward a bit, a bit more.
The pseudo James Mason Capt. Nemo narration starts. We move ahead.
We see the things moving in the water, clearly low-tech, but fun because of the execution and theming.
Ooh, we're going "down", as they release bubbles to simulate the draining of the air tanks. We see ruins of Atlantis, more fish, an underwater volcano..
ooh..another sub from the Nemo fleet identical to ours caught by a giant squid......we could be next.
A sea serpent. (?) We must be hallucinating. Not enough oxygen. Time to surface.

As the ride winds down and we are clearly back to our starting point, we wait......and wait.....castmembers having a little trouble w/ the diesel powered sub, (BUT NO REASON TO CLOSE DOWN THE WHOLE RIDE! ...I digress)
Eventually, the hatch at the front opens up and we are instantly blinded by sunlight after being in the sub for at least 15 min.
As we go up the steps, other riders to be silently prompt us to Hurry up with the look on their faces. People were kinder back then.
We are helped out and told to watch our "headnstep" as we emerge from the darkness into the bright sunlight.

As we leave, we see the line is very short now.

What a great time!:sohappy: I miss it.

I might be wrong on the pick a right side or left when entering, can anyone clarify? Was the choice made before we entered the sub?
Any other details to be added would be greatly appreciated, and fun.

 

[Pabgo]

(creak creak) Feelin' my age a bit when someone asks the question of what was 20K Leagues Under the Sea.

Why, I remember it like it was yesterday (swirling, flashback transition starts)

Hey, what's that long line for? What kind of ticket does it take? An E?
Wow. We have so few of those. The line is really long and it's hot outside.
Oh, 20K Leagues! We gotta go on that!!! What's a trip to WDW without going on 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea? They even made a board game we have at home based on this very ride!(see cool pics 1/2 way down page. Click to enlarge.) Who knows when we're coming back again? There are only 3 hotels (2 (Poly and Contemp) and a campground w/ pricey trailers if you don't want to camp) and they're booked all year. We were lucky to get these reservations about a year in advance just to stay on-site.

FF 20 minutes...
Well, the line is still really long, but at least we're in the shady part.

Where's a trash can so I can dump my (gasp!) paper cup and straw from the soda I bought for a reasonable price. :lol:
Oh, good there's one right here. Some things never change.

FF10 minutes...
Cool music while we're waiting on line, but it's still really hot out.
Gee...we're too far in to comfortably get out of line. Maybe it will move faster soon. At least we're in WDW. Gotta love the fully themed Vulcania iron look of the line area. We didn't call them ques back then. It was just a line.

FF20 more minutes...
Ooh, we're next. Cool costumes, with the striped shirts, round-topped sailor hats, and those cool Nemo navy pants with the laces up the back(or was it buttons?) and the buttoned triangle flap pockets in the front. Very cool. This is why we're here. Great attention to detail.
Son of a ....that sub just closed.


FF5 minutes...
Ok, we're definitely on this one.
C'mon people...up the stairs...what? You've never been up a staircase before?
C'mon...there are people waiting!

Finally. OK, across the little platform, down the steps...pick a side, left or right, but make sure your party/family stays with you. Right side is better. No left side. Oh, just pick. There are people behind you. Move all the way to the end, make room for everybody.....HEY! What's wrong with you!? Move down! Geez. OK...Ow! My shin!! (foldable metal circular seats/w red pad to be pulled down, but left down by the idiot in front of me)
Sit down. aaah. A place to sit. Very welcome after that line.
Wait for everyone else.
The hatch closes. It's now pretty dark in the sub as our eyes adjust to the lack of Florida sun.
We move forward a bit, a bit more.
The pseudo James Mason Capt. Nemo narration starts. We move ahead.
We see the things moving in the water, clearly low-tech, but fun because of the execution and theming.
Ooh, we're going "down", as they release bubbles to simulate the draining of the air tanks. We see ruins of Atlantis, more fish, an underwater volcano..
ooh..another sub from the Nemo fleet identical to ours caught by a giant squid......we could be next.
A sea serpent. (?) We must be hallucinating. Not enough oxygen. Time to surface.

As the ride winds down and we are clearly back to our starting point, we wait......and wait.....castmembers having a little trouble w/ the diesel powered sub, (BUT NO REASON TO CLOSE DOWN THE WHOLE RIDE! ...I digress)
Eventually, the hatch at the front opens up and we are instantly blinded by sunlight after being in the sub for at least 15 min.
As we go up the steps, other riders to be silently prompt us to Hurry up with the look on their faces. People were kinder back then.
We are helped out and told to watch our "headnstep" as we emerge from the darkness into the bright sunlight.

As we leave, we see the line is very short now.

What a great time!:sohappy: I miss it.

I might be wrong on the pick a right side or left when entering, can anyone clarify? Was the choice made before we entered the sub?
Any other details to be added would be greatly appreciated, and fun.

You described it really well! :wave:

 

[LaughingGravy]

BigBird,
So, you were there? Please add.

 

[Pabgo]

BigBird,
So, you were there? Please add.

Actually, I never went on it. The ride closed before I was even born! I was just saying that you described it really well, even for me!

 

[CoffeeJedi]

ok, correct me if i'm wrong, but a sub would go into the cave rocks at the back of the lagoon, and it was timed so that another sub would be leaving the exit cave a few seconds later, making it look like it was the same sub?

i remember as a kid, i was amazed that they fit everything in the lagoon, i had no idea about the main show building. of course, it also never occured to me that there was a time discrepency between subs in the lagoon, and the length of the ride when i was on it!

 

[Master Yoda]

ok, correct me if i'm wrong, but a sub would go into the cave rocks at the back of the lagoon, and it was timed so that another sub would be leaving the exit cave a few seconds later, making it look like it was the same sub?

i remember as a kid, i was amazed that they fit everything in the lagoon, i had no idea about the main show building. of course, it also never occured to me that there was a time discrepency between subs in the lagoon, and the length of the ride when i was on it!

You aren't the only one. The idea of a behind the scenes show building never even occurred to me as a kid. I can remember looking at the lagoon while waiting to get on the ride and trying to spot the giant squid.

 

[LaughingGravy]

Actually, I never went on it. The ride closed before I was even born! I was just saying that you described it really well, even for me!

Nope. I certainly wasn't feeling old enough. Thanks a bunch!:wave::lol:

 

[Pabgo]

Nope. I certainly wasn't feeling old enough. Thanks a bunch!:wave::lol:

Sorry for making you feel old!

 

[LaughingGravy]

Back on topic...
Are there any former CM 20K attendants. sub captain, whatever you called yourselves, here to shed some light on any details, cool or otherwise?
If so, you should be, what? 60 now?

See, I can dish and take.

 

[Pabgo]

Yeah, any old CM's in here?

 

[Buried20KLeague]

Well, I just looked behind Soarin', and I didn't find anything that looked like the subs. How do you know it was there? And if it is there, how did you find it???

From what I understand, the sub behind Soarin' is used for photo ops for corporate engagements, etc... I don't think it moves from the spot it's in.

In fact, it MAY only be HALF a sub. sliced down the middle. I seem to remember reading that somewhere.

Another VERY interesting fact... 1 of the 20K subs still lurks below the ocean depths... At Castaway Cay on the Disney cruise. They have a huge area roped off for snorkeling, and WAY back in the back corner (I mean like maybe 1/4 mile out), there she is... Sitting on the ocean floor. It's so far out there, I don't think many people get out to see it. I was by FAR the only one around it, and it took me about 20 minutes to swim back to shore afterward. But there it was. It was HUGE... And it's under maybe 20 feet of water. You can swim right over the top of it. It makes you feel so small... To be honest, it was almost an eerie feeling hovering over it. The thing is the size of a tractor trailer. The coolest part was, there was a 6 foot barracuda just resting on top of it, and a lobster hanging out near the mast. It almost felt as if the sub was at home there. It also had netting over the whole thing... I wondered if it was to assist oceanlife to grow on it. Not sure.

I didn't have an unerwater camera, or trust me, I'd have taken about 50. And I haven't been able to find any pics on the net, either. But trust me. It was the coolest, especially for a fan like me... :sohappy: Notice the name and location on my post...

 

[kcnole]

Funny thing. Last time I rode this I was around 9. I still remember the first time I rode it when I was 5 I believe, I was terrified of being so far under water. Then my mom pointed up and I could see the top of the water just above our heads and I was ok.

For those who want to see this ride from a former captains perspective, this web page is chock full of behind the scenes detail.

http://home.cfl.rr.com/omniluxe/20K.htm

 

[Pabgo]

^ That's SOOOOO cool! I should go on a Disney Cruise sometime and check it out! What I'm wondering is, why did they just put it down there?

 

[Pabgo]

Funny thing. Last time I rode this I was around 9. I still remember the first time I rode it when I was 5 I believe, I was terrified of being so far under water. Then my mom pointed up and I could see the top of the water just above our heads and I was ok.

For those who want to see this ride from a former captains perspective, this web page is chock full of behind the scenes detail.

http://home.cfl.rr.com/omniluxe/20K.htm

That's cool too! It's gonna take me a LOOOOOOOONG time to finish reading all of that, but at least it has a lot of information instead of just a little!

 

[LilDucky]

Yeah, any old CM's in here?

Well, they cant be that old! :lol:

I think the one at MK closed in '94, and the one at DL closed in '98. I'm 20, but I remember the ride perfectly well.

So you must be like 12 or 11! You're just making us *look* old!

 

[Pabgo]

Well, they cant be that old! :lol:

I think the one at MK closed in '94, and the one at DL closed in '98. I'm 20, but I remember the ride perfectly well.

So you must be like 12 or 11! You're just making us *look* old!

Actually I am 11! I seem very smart for my age! LOL. I'm not kidding either! And in no way I wanted ya'll to feel old!

 

[Captain Hank]

From what I understand, the sub behind Soarin' is used for photo ops for corporate engagements, etc... I don't think it moves from the spot it's in.

In fact, it MAY only be HALF a sub. sliced down the middle. I seem to remember reading that somewhere.

You're half right--it is only half a sub, just the top half. It kind of looks like they sliced it along the water line, right as the theming stopped. I took a closer look today, and pretty much all of the theming looks intact, though it is a tad weathered.

It probably is used for special events (can't think of any other reason why it would be there), but it is definately set on top of a wheel base, so it looks fairly mobile.

And as for how I know it's there, I work in the Land greenhouses, and go past it many times a day.

 

[VacationMan]

Just Chiming In.

It was one of my Favorites in its day.... I can remember riding late at night... with the lights on, and few people in the sub, and it was truely a magical thing for a young kid.

 

[Pabgo]

You're half right--it is only half a sub, just the top half. It kind of looks like they sliced it along the water line, right as the theming stopped. I took a closer look today, and pretty much all of the theming looks intact, though it is a tad weathered.

It probably is used for special events (can't think of any other reason why it would be there), but it is definately set on top of a wheel base, so it looks fairly mobile.

And as for how I know it's there, I work in the Land greenhouses, and go past it many times a day.

Where can you see it from?