Disneyland Review: Finding Nemo Submarines

Stars: 4 out of 5
Pros: Fun retheming of a classic attraction for modern kids

Cons: Long lines, not as magical for adults

The Bottom Line:

Not worth a long weight

But your children will love it

Nods to classic, too

Come Find Nemo on a Yellow Submarine

I can remember riding the old submarines at Disneyland when I was a kid.  And I thought it was so cool getting to dive down under the water.  As I got older, I realized some of the trickery involved, but I still absolutely enjoyed the ride.  In 1998, the old attraction closed, and after 9 long years, it reopened as the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage.  I was thrilled, although my memory of the old ride is slightly better than how the new ride feels.

The subs are located in the lagoon that boarders Tomorrowland and Fantasyland in Disneyland.  The lagoon is right across from the Matterhorn, and the loading area is under the monorail station, techically making it a Tomorrowland attraction.  Why exactly it is in Tomorrowland, I'll never know, but with how close it is to Fantasyland, I'll let this one slide.

The line for this attraction is still quite long, even after having been open for two years.  Every time I walk by, it's normally in the hour range, but sometimes even longer.  On my last trip, I found it at 35 minutes during the fireworks, but it had ballooned to close to an hour by the time we boarded our sub.  Unlike other popular attractions, this one doesn't have fast pass.  And the line you must wait in winds around outside with very little to occupy you.  The seagulls on the buoy in the lagoon do say, "Mine, Mine, Mine" occasionally, but that's about it.

The old submarines have been painted yellow and are quite easy to spot.  They seat 40 passengers, 20 loading from the front and 20 from the back.  Everyone gets their own porthole and seat, although small kids can sit on their parent's lap.  Climbing down into the sub can be a little tricky thanks to the steep spiral staircases at either end.

Once you are underway, your captain comes on and welcomes you aboard, explaining that we are off to explore an ancient under water volcano near Australia.  We dive down (thanks to a curtain of bubbles) and start exploring.  We see several (models of) fish floating through coral, clams opening and closing their shells, and even some ancient ruins.  We also see the diver and his niece from Finding Nemo.

As a storm rages on the surface, we dive further down, and the captain switches on the experimental sonar hydrophones that theoretically will allow us to hear fish talking to each other.  And what do you know, they work!  Next thing we know, we hear Marlin panicking because once again, he can't find Nemo.  Poor Dory can't even remember their first adventure.  Then we see Nemo.  He's decided to go exploring with his turtle pal Squirt.  We flip back and forth between these two duos as we, too, ride the EAC (East Australian Current), encounter the sharks in fish rehab, and sink down to the dark depths where predator fish await.  We even get swallowed by a whale before returning to the surface, at which point the captain swears us to secrecy.  If we told anyone about this, we'd be called crazy.

The story in this part is told with a combination of models and animation.  The dialogue is over our speakers at all times, but we only see the characters as our porthole passes by certain areas.  It's enough to follow the story, although sometimes when you are sitting in the back of the sub, it can get a little frustrating waiting for your turn to see the action.

There are two parts that might scare young kids.  At one point, we hit one of the landmines like in the movie, causing explosions and darkness.  That's followed by the creepy fish from the movie with the light in front of them that attack once you touch them.  Outside of those two moments, most kids will be fine with what happens here.

And fans of the movie Finding Nemo will definitely love it.  They manage to give everyone from the movie a cameo, even the fish from the dentist office fish tank.  The story is just new enough that it will keep your interested even if it is only a slight variation on the movie.

Actually, I can remember the last time I rode the original submarines not enjoying them as much as I used to.  And I think that holds true for this version as well.  It's still fun, and at 15 minutes, you certainly get a lot of ride for your time.  But it's not quite the same as it was as a child.  As much as I can still enjoy many of the other attractions in the park, this one isn't a must do every time.  But that's an adult talking.  Kids will absolutely eat this up, especially if they love the movie it is based on.

So the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage is fun but not necessarily a must do.  If you are going with kids, you'll want to brave the line.  They'll love it.  If the group is made up of just adults and you feel a burning desire to ride it, try to catch the line when it is shortest so you can still enjoy it without waiting too long.