Disney rides of the past

[CalMeacham]

@garygnu

The flying saucers were the inspiration for Luigi’s Flying Tires in the Cars Land section of Disney California’s Adventure. It, too, is in danger of closing.

The submarines in Disneyland were never themed to 20,000 Leagues, that was in Florida. Again, the Finding Nemo Subs ate type for getting shuttered. It has extremely low capacity and extremely high maintenance costs.

.

I know this isn’t right – I remember them showcasing the 20,000 Leagues submarine ride when I was a kid, and there WAS no Disney park in Florida. I remember wanting to go on it, but thinking I never would, because I lived in the East Coast. (I did eventually, though, before the ride closed)

Here’s the Wikipedia page, confirming the existence of this in California:

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Submarine Voyage

[DrDeth]

@CalMeacham

I know this isn’t right – I remember them showcasing the 20,000 Leagues submarine ride when I was a kid, and there WAS no Disney park in Florida. I remember wanting to go on it, but thinking I never would, because I lived in the East Coast. (I did eventually, though, before the ride closed)

Here’s the Wikipedia page, confirming the existence of this in California:

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Submarine Voyage - Wikipedia

The link goes to the Magic Kingdom 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea attraction (which was 20000 Leagues themed) at DW, not DL

This issue may be confusing the Submarine ride with the 20000 Leagues walkthrough attraction which was at DL. The Submarine ride at DL was first Nuke sub themed, the yellow exploration themed.

[Fear_Itself]

@WOOKINPANUB

I believe it was closed in glass cubicles where you could “call” different Disney characters and hear a recording or some such. On the other hand, I have a vague recollection of calling a friend Long Distance! I can’t remember what the big deal was about it but me and my friends definitely checked it out.

AT&T demoed push-button phone technology there, as well as speaker phones.

[garygnu]

@DrDeth

The link goes to the Magic Kingdom 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea attraction (which was 20000 Leagues themed) at DW, not DL

This issue may be confusing the Submarine ride with the 20000 Leagues walkthrough attraction which was at DL. The Submarine ride at DL was first Nuke sub themed, the yellow exploration themed.

Yup, there were also plenty of references to the movie on the ride, but the theme of the Subs didn’t involve Nemo until the clownfish, just regular submarines. I swear by my tattoo.

[Johnny_L.A]

I remember when I was a kid, the Submarine Voyage had grey submarines that were on an exploration mission à la the voyage of Nautilus (SSN-571). I remember that one of the subs was named Nautilus, and there was a George Washington and an Ethan Allen. (I had models of all three when I was a kid.)

[Miller]

I remember going to Disneyland as a kid, and loving the submarine ride. Until one time I was on it with a friend, and he said something like, “Wouldn’t it be cool if the ride broke down, and we had to swim back to shore through that stuff?”

Now, I think he was just imaging the sub stopping, while the lights and all the other stuff kept working. But I immediately flashed on the whole ride going dead, and having to swim back out through a darkened grotto, in pitch-black water filled with lifeless, grinning mermaids and catching, snaring strands of seaweed.

Never went on that ride again.

[Sherrerd]

@garygnu

I swear by my tattoo.

…still my favorite Kirk Douglas song.

[Gatopescado]

Fucking “B” tickets…

[Yookeroo]

@WOOKINPANUB

**Johnny’s **thoughts pretty much mirror my own. I live in Florida and am constantly in a Disneyland v Disneyworld debate with anyone who has been lucky enough to have visited both.

Disneyland > Magic Kingdom
Walt Disney World >> The Disneyland Resort

@WOOKINPANUB

The only difference I’ve seen in THM in the last 40 years is the use of flourescent paint and black lighting toward the end I(think) in the graveyard, and that may be a Disneyland /World difference. For all I know both parks may use it now, but I thought it was a lot more effective without it.

The attic in Disneyland got a major rework several years ago. Pretty big change. In Walt Disney World, the hitchhiking ghosts got a big upgrade recently.

[kaylasdad99]

Also, Madame Leota (the disembodied head in the crystal ball conducting the seance) was changed from being Eleanor Audley to Jennifer Tilly (I’m just grateful they didn’t stick an animatronic Eddie Murphy into the attraction).

[Dung_Beetle]

@Dung_Beetle

As for me, I hope I don’t live long enough to see them make any changes to the Haunted Mansion.

I better amend this to say “any major changes”.

[garygnu]

@kaylasdad99

Also, Madame Leota (the disembodied head in the crystal ball conducting the seance) was changed from being Eleanor Audley to Jennifer Tilly (I’m just grateful they didn’t stick an animatronic Eddie Murphy into the attraction).

If they ever put Tilly into the ride itself, it was temporary. The Disneyland version’s holiday overlay, themed with Nightmare Before Christmas, does use a different voice, but it’s Susanne Blakeslee, who often voices Audley’s old roles in modern sequels.

Speaking of the holiday version, I do like the variety it provides, but I visit Disneyland most often in the fall and I kinda miss the normal version.

Another bit I miss is Tom Sawyer’s Island. Yeah it’s still there, but the fort was cordoned off for storage and now the treehouse is off-limits for safety. And they shrunk all the caves, it’s not just me growing up, I swear!

[Fear_Itself]

@garygnu

Another bit I miss is Tom Sawyer’s Island. Yeah it’s still there, but the fort was cordoned off for storage and now the treehouse is off-limits for safety. And they shrunk all the caves, it’s not just me growing up, I swear!

Do they still have the perpetually-burning settler’s cabin at the far end of the island, visible only when riding the Mark Twain Steamboat?

ETA: It appears the cabin remains, but it no longer burning:

As of now, the burn marks have been removed, the holes patched and the area cleaned up. The front lawn area now has a table, picnic-like decorations and clothes on a clothes line. What makes this odd is while the rest of Tom Sawyer Island appears as if it has been invaded by pirates, this part of the island is the only thing not pirate themed.

[interface2x]

The Disney World version made a lot of enhancements around 2007, my favorite of which is the MC Escher staircase room. Very cool effect. They also added some additional Bride stuff, extra ghosts in the cemetery, and the like. Overall, a very satisfying upgrade in keeping with the original spirit of the ride, in my opinion.

[Dendarii_Dame]

I don’t know if it’s in any other of the Disney parks, but apparently it’s no longer in Disney World, where I rode it: Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. I’ve never seen the cartoon, and I didn’t read the book until after going on the ride, but I enjoyed it a lot.

[Johnny_L.A]

Heck, I enjoyed Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride at Disneyland as an adult!

[zbuzz]

@Johnny_L.A

Tomorrowland. (See? I said I’d come back to it.) Disney envisioned the Future of 1986, and imagined it would have rapid transit in the form of monorails. No more railroad crossings and rattly trains! Smoothly glide over the city in speed and comfort! Decades later The Simpsons lampooned the idea. But how cool would it be to coomute by monorail? Another idea Disney had was the Peoplemover. As a ride, it wasn’t exciting. Great views, though. Even as a child I liked it. I imagined a future where city dwellers could move about without having to walk or get into their cars. (As a child living in San Diego, there was little utility for such a conveyance; but I watched enough TV to know that there were more densely-populated cities.) Unlike a train or a subway or a monorail, you didn’t have to wait in a station for a single train. The circular boarding platform was always moving, and you just walked into one of the endless stream of moving cars. I still think it would be a nice thing in Seattle or Portland or Las Vegas, where there are a lot of things to see and do. And then there was the Skyway To Tomorrowland/Skyway To Fantasyland. Not really futuristic, and not of any use in the real world. But it was a great way to get from one side of the park to the other during Disneyland’s interminable parades.

If you’re interested in monorails and peoplemovers, you might enjoy Walt’s original vision for the real planned city of EPCOT. The monorails and peoplemovers come in at about the 18 minute mark.

[Cheez_Whia]

Len Testa is a member here and co-author of The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World. One of my favorite quotes from it is that EPCOT really stands for “Every Person Comes Out Tired”. It’s a long damn way around World Showcase Lagoon.

[Hermione]

@Cheez_Whia

Len Testa is a member here and co-author of The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World. One of my favorite quotes from it is that EPCOT really stands for “Every Person Comes Out Tired”. It’s a long damn way around World Showcase Lagoon.

You’ve got THAT right. Disney Studios is at the opposite end of the spectrum…it’s more compact and many of the attractions are designed for prolonged sitting, so it’s much easier on the feet.

[DrDeth]

@Cheez_Whia

Len Testa is a member here and co-author of The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World. One of my favorite quotes from it is that EPCOT really stands for “Every Person Comes Out Tired”. It’s a long damn way around World Showcase Lagoon.

Yes, and he posts here once in a great while. He’s been nice enough to send me a few copies of his books for review.

I have always told people to actually get in shape for a DW vacation. Walks 1-2 hours a day.