Who misses 20K leagues????

[Gringrinngghost]

That was my favorite ride at WDW, even though I rode it so much I figured out early on how to look past the water and scenery and figure out how things worked (I think that I believed that we were truly going underwater for the first 5 rides). As a little kid, one of my greatest fears was that the ride would break down and we would have to walk...or , worse yet, swim (don't forget, I was 8 or 9 then...lol) out of that ride...especailly if it broke down near the sea serpent!

Does anyone else miss this E-ticket?

 

[Jerm]

Not me....never rode it so I can't miss it But I do not miss the big lagoon that sat there for years teasing me with an attraction that is long gone.

I just think we all have to remember the good times we had with 20K and move on. It has moved to the happy theme park in the sky....letting go of it is the first step.

J

 

[wedance6]

I totally miss it! In fact, I think they should of incorporated Nemo and friends and little mermaid, it would of been very popular again.

 

[Lee]

:wave:
Yep...I miss it.

 

[wdwforus]

:wave: MEMEMEMEME!!!!!! I loved that ride as a kid and I think my kids would have enjoyed it.

 

[bryPOD]

Riding 20k as a 4 year old is one of my fondest memories. Second only to meeting Mickey for the first time.

 

[unkadug]

I do have some fond memories of the attraction.

However....

If the ride was still around today, most everyone on this board would be SCREAMING for a refurb !

 

[jedimaster1227]

I did miss it until I rode DisneySea's version. If the titled attraction were to ever return to WDW, I would pray that it would be done in a similar form to the version there...

 

[Jerm]

If the ride was still around today, most everyone on this board would be SCREAMING for a refurb !

BINGO!!!!! Everyone loves attractions that are gone, but when they are still around and breaking down or having sound problems all you hear is update it or change it for a new attraction.

I don't think Pooh's Thoughtful Spot is a good use of the area, but if I had to pick between Pooh and nothing? I would always take Pooh, kids love that area and it is a better place to have them run off that candy then in line for some other attraction.

J

 

[MKCP 1985]

My thoughts on 20K, as someone who saw this ride as a little kid, a teenager and an adult:

It was very cool to see the big Nautilus subs circling the lagoon, going under the waterfall, and watching the people loading and unloading through the hatch. And really, that was the biggest highlight of the whole thing.

The drawbacks were the slow loading and wait time beyond ridiculous, the obvious fakery of the plastic fish tethered in place by visible lines, and the stale (dare I say . . . stinky) air inside -- all were really "Mickey Mouse" in the worst possible meaning of that phrase.

I miss it . . . and I don't. My kids aren't deprived by not being able to experience it because much better rides have been put in to replace it across the four parks and there is no use going back.

It is great that there was once a 20K. I really look forward to someday seeing something good going into that empty space where the lagoon once was (and I don't mean the ankle biter playground).

 

[JustPlainBill]

I miss it...I first rode it in January 1972. At seven years old I thought everything I saw was real, the giant squid, the divers and of course the mermaids. MK was only 3-4 months old at the time so everything was in perfect condition. I didn't return to MK until I was in my early 20's 1987. One the the first rides I rode was 20K leagues. It wasn't the same, the ride was run down and it didn't seem to hold the same magic for me as an adult. As a kid I was familiar with the story, I'm not sure today's kids are. Perhaps I miss my childhood memories more than the actual ride itself.

 

[dave1105]

I definately miss it, went on it when I was a kid and loved it. Then next time I came back it had just closed. But at least I have to memory of it when I thought it was great.

 

[hooters dude]

As MKCP 1985 mentions is was really cool to see the subs circling the lagoon and dissappearing through the waterfall. One of the things I miss now is not so much riding it but seeing it there. As a child I remember the excitement of being actually able to go in a submarine (you know what I mean), where else could you board a vehicle submerged in water? Even though the effects were a little tame to say the least, I remember the tension and atmosphere of being underwater listening to Captain Nemo as you toured the lagoon. There was something "big time" about the way it looked as you walked past it, what other theme park would build and landscape a ride on such a scale?

Now I'm a littlle disappointed that a whole chunk of landscaping has dissappeared and that area feels so much smaller and less scenic when I walk through it. Even though I probably would only ride it if there was no queue were it still there, I miss it more for the feel of the look of it.

I also remember as a child never working out that it went into a ride building until I rode the skyway for the first time and saw the big warehouse type building (that looked less than impressive) that the subs entered as they passed through the waterfall. Also it was from the skyway that it became obvious the subs were actually on tracks, they stood out a mile.

Just wondering if anyone has any pictures from the skyway of this attraction?

 

[Rosenrot]

I was extremely little when I rode that one, but that is one of the few things I actually remember about that trip xD So it made at least some sort of impression on me...

...though I remember being very afraid xPP But I was afraid of everything, so that's no surprise.

I wish I could have actually ridden it when I was old enough to REALLY remember it...

 

[unkadug]

You might enjoy this site :wave:

 

[GoofyFan1]

I do. I rode it back in 1980 when my parents took me to WDW. When I made plans to take my two daughters, I couldn't wait to have them ride. Boy was I disappointed when I found out they closed it.

 

[KaliSplash]

Yes, I miss it. At least a little. It was one of the cheesiest of the rides at that wonderful place called Walt Disney World when I first visited in 1979. You could see the strings holding the fish, etc.

But I liked all the nautical talk. (One of the things I like about the Liberty Square River boat is listening to the instructions to the crew!)

But as an attraction, it was not the best. But it was far better than the hole left there for years and the playground it is now

 

[SnowFire]

I miss it. Sure it was slow loading and corny, but I remember the magic feeling of riding it as a kid. There was nothing better for this kid than being able to ride a submarine.

 

[MJMcBride]

The only reason I miss it it at all is that never really replaced it excpet with a Pooh playground and a meet&greet with Ariel. If they would they would have put a half way decent attraction there, I would have long forgotten that average ride.

 

[Emerald Rose]

Yes, I miss it a little too.