A little disappointed with new Little Mermaid ride....

[phillymummer]

I am an adult and I thoroughly enjoyed it! I guess I can agree that there was nothing "spectacular" about it, but I don't need "hi-tech" stuff to enjoy a ride. My daughter and I had a blast dancing in our seats to "Under the Sea". It is what you make of it.

 

[JZCubed]

Yes! Take pirates for example. When I'm on that ride I actually FEEL like I am being transported to a new place. I will never forget the first time riding pirates I was amazed how it felt like you were taken to a night when pirates pillaged a town. The smells. The details!

This sort of felt chuck e cheese for me. Don't get me wrong, I will find a place in my heart for little mermaid, but I can't immerse myself in it like I can the other rides. Kids will love it though.

My wife enjoyed the ride, but I too felt it was lacking. Of course, our toddler loved it (except the scary part with Ursula).

I found the attraction a cross between Nemo and Small World.

As to feeling as if you're Under the Sea - you start the ride by going backwards through a waterfall, but never feel as if you're beneath water at any other time...nor feel as if you've come back out of the water at the end.

So I am in agreement with those who suggest the ride is nothing new, but rather a new version of time-tested ideas that work at Disney.

Maybe the best description I've read, "Not an E-ticket ride."

 

[Magpie]

Those "wow" moments everyone wants often make small children cry. This is a slow moving dark ride, designed to be ridden by the entire family, not just grownups/older kids who want every new ride to show them something they've never seen before. When you're three, everything's new!

The Little Mermaid ride is basically the sequel to Snow White, and will eventually become just as beloved as families grow up riding it. I think it does exactly what it's intended to do, with style, and with a catchy song you can sing along to.

Sorry some folks were disappointed. My husband and I quite enjoyed the experience, especially the big "Under the Sea" musical room. So much to see! But then again, we also think the Nemo ride in Epcot is sweet, fun and romantic.

 

[Goofy_Girl]

After watching the trackless Winnie the Pooh ride they have in WDW Japan on youtube it makes me envious and wishing they would bring a ride like that to WDW in the US. Though I am still excited to ride TLM since I know it will be full of that Disney feeling =]

 

[kamik86]

My biggest problem with the little mermaid ride (I found it disappointing too) is that it seemed they didn't do a great job at hiding some of the mechanics. There is a spot with ariel as a mermaid that is you can see the mechanism attaching her to the coral and it looks really ugly, because you turn right in front of it.

I thought it the wedding scene that King Triton also didn't look right, it almost looked like where he met the water the paint was chipping.. and this was on Dec 5th that we rode so if they ever wanted the ride to look good it would have been those days with all the media around.

I also agree with with water thing... why did they not follow through with going out of the water? I actually have this same problem with enchanted tales with belle. You step through a magic mirror to get to this new place and time and then when its over you just leave... REally you couldn't have put some fog in a hallway or another mirror door to send people back?

 

[DaisyD]

I agree, was boring. It was the Nemo ride but with the mermaid in it instead. I kind of think Nemo has more to offer. I was really hoping for something new and fresh.

 

[DaisyD]

Everyone one is making me worried about the Little Mermaid as I will ride it the first time in a few weeks. It looks like a decent ride, I was thinking the queue might be the best part of it maybe. Was the part where it looks like you are going "under the sea" kinda cool or ? Other than that, a small world-ish ride?

Its more of a nemo ride if anything. Small world is a different type. The underwater part was just bubbles on wall sort of like they do in the mermaid show. Was no big deal. I thought the overuse of big plastic statues really made the ride cheesy.

 

[AlohaAnnie]

We like the Nemo ride, it is really fun. So I am sure we will enjoy the new little mermaid.

 

[DaisyD]

Well, it's too bad that the imagineers didn't produce a ride that adults would like. Fantasyland at Disney World shouldn't target the kid audience apparently.

Really people, you are complaining about a ride that is supposed to produce a smile on kid's faces and transport them to that world. It wasn't designed to be Expedition Everest.

Also, it's a dark ride that has been imagineered in the Disney tradition. If you look at the other dark rides in the Magic Kingdom it's easily #1 or #2, maybe only behind Pirates. Definitely better than Peter Pan, Haunted Mansion, Pooh, IASW, and Splash. This was not designed as an E ticket attraction.

As for my opinion of it, and I'm a 44 year old father of two teen daughters, I love the ride. Very fun and upbeat, and the Ursula animatronic is amazing. Love the music and all the details, if you look for them. It's a great dark ride.

Maybe I'm misunderstanding you but the new Mermaid ride is nowhere near #1 or #2. It is at the end. It can't begin to compare to Splash, IASW or any other.
Last I checked WDW was for everyone, not just kids. Seeing the parents pay for the trip, it would be nice if they put a little effort and thought and money into new attractions. It's what keeps me and my money coming back. I love WDW but the new Fantasyland as a whole was not even that impressive.

 

[WillAustin]

Definitely better than Peter Pan, Haunted Mansion, Pooh, IASW, and Splash.

Personally, I'd put it below everything on that list but IASW.

 

[davedmaine]

Don't get me wrong. It was cute. I just felt with all the amazing technologies we have today they really implemented none of it. Same ole animatronics, projectors, and wheels and pulleys spinning things about. No doubt a disney classic but I wish the imagineers would be more imaginative.

Me personally I would have done something epic with the end Ursula whirlpool scene. Maybe my imagination isn't in the budget.

The whole expansion is a disappointment. Harry Potter at universal is a vacation destination for many. Disney tried a loose copy (including a nasty butter beer) and failed. It's nice but could have been so much better

 

[Melodious]

I really enjoyed the ride and kept going back to ride it (before 'unofficial opening' so no long lines). I think it will soon be a classic like Peter Pan

 

[mad madam mim78]

Well, it's too bad that the imagineers didn't produce a ride that adults would like. Fantasyland at Disney World shouldn't target the kid audience apparently.

Really people, you are complaining about a ride that is supposed to produce a smile on kid's faces and transport them to that world. It wasn't designed to be Expedition Everest.

Also, it's a dark ride that has been imagineered in the Disney tradition. If you look at the other dark rides in the Magic Kingdom it's easily #1 or #2, maybe only behind Pirates. Definitely better than Peter Pan, Haunted Mansion, Pooh, IASW, and Splash. This was not designed as an E ticket attraction.

As for my opinion of it, and I'm a 44 year old father of two teen daughters, I love the ride. Very fun and upbeat, and the Ursula animatronic is amazing. Love the music and all the details, if you look for them. It's a great dark ride.

I politely disagree with what you refer to as disney tradition. Walt disney was always fascinated with technology and what the future had in store for us. The animatronics we see in pirates and carousel of progress were ahead of its time. I don't believe disney was ever old fashioned or played it safe.

Like I said it is cute. They can make things technologically advanced without making them scary. I love disney because its always wowed and amazed me. If they continue to produce "safe" people eater rides with 50s technology they might as well start digging their own grave.

 

[KorieDWnut]

Don't get me wrong. It was cute. I just felt with all the amazing technologies we have today they really implemented none of it. Same ole animatronics, projectors, and wheels and pulleys spinning things about. No doubt a disney classic but I wish the imagineers would be more imaginative.

Me personally I would have done something epic with the end Ursula whirlpool scene. Maybe my imagination isn't in the budget.

I went on it last week and thought the same. I was thinking...wow...they could have done SOOOO much more with this!! But, it was cute. My kids ages 9, 11 and 13 didn't care to go on again. They said it was probably even more boring than IASM, but I do LOVE The Little Mermaid and was happy they at least did SOMETHING ride like for it.

 

[jtowntoflorida]

I am an adult and I thoroughly enjoyed it! I guess I can agree that there was nothing "spectacular" about it, but I don't need "hi-tech" stuff to enjoy a ride. My daughter and I had a blast dancing in our seats to "Under the Sea". It is what you make of it.

Could not agree more! We were there in October during dress rehearsal time so we got to ride it a couple of times. The kids loved it and they're still saying they want to go back and ride the mermaid ride!

Personally, I don't need to be WOWd by new technology. I'm just here to have some fun that will stand the test of time.

 

[bladiator]

I politely disagree with what you refer to as disney tradition. Walt disney was always fascinated with technology and what the future had in store for us. The animatronics we see in pirates and carousel of progress were ahead of its time. I don't believe disney was ever old fashioned or played it safe.

Like I said it is cute. They can make things technologically advanced without making them scary. I love disney because its always wowed and amazed me. If they continue to produce "safe" people eater rides with 50s technology they might as well start digging their own grave.

I'm pretty torn on this one. I do like the idea behind doing rides the way that Disney has done them in the past, although I think they could have done a little more with this one. I was hoping for a big ending, you know, an Ursula killing room that swirled and that's where the "new" technology got implemented. But as soon as I turned the corner and saw them kissing, I was like "oh yeah, that part was scary for kids". I thought flabby animatronic Ursula was awesome though.

On the other hand, after looking at the Winnie the Pooh Japan ride, I see the point here. They took something that we already have and made it better. It was the same ride but built on what technology we have now. Grrrrr, so confused.

That being said, I'm not sure why people are putting this below Peter Pan. Don't get me wrong, I ride it everytime I go to WDW, but mostly cause I ride everything. Is Peter Pan better because it "flies"? Cause I would definitely put TLM ahead of PP for sheer interest and magnitude.

 

[loveshak22]

I politely disagree with what you refer to as disney tradition. Walt disney was always fascinated with technology and what the future had in store for us. The animatronics we see in pirates and carousel of progress were ahead of its time. I don't believe disney was ever old fashioned or played it safe.

Like I said it is cute. They can make things technologically advanced without making them scary. I love disney because its always wowed and amazed me. If they continue to produce "safe" people eater rides with 50s technology they might as well start digging their own grave.

I agree with this!! We have so many versions of this ride - take a seat, put it on a conveyor belt, and move it past some animatronic scenes. I love PP myself and Pooh and Snow White and Haunted Mansion all of these are classics. But with all the money and creativity at Disney lets do something new! It doesn't have to be a roller coaster but there are in-betweens. What about making it like you were in a bubble that descneded into the ocean and you were really in a tunnel like at many aquariums where the ocean life is all around you. And you could see through the top of the bubble and all the sides and it moved through this tunnel. Although to you you didn't see the tunnel because it felt like it was just the bubble protecting you from the water. Then Aerial could swim around you on the top and sides (animatronic or real underwater actresses with oxygen hoses). Then there could be real fish and fake ones and as the bubble moved different scenes played out above, below, and around you! Maybe at one point an animatronic octopus could wrap tentacles around your bubble and rock it back and forth. It could get dark and you'd go through with glowing eel eyes (but not too dark because we don't want scary). At the end you'd ascend out of the ocean amid some surf sounds and your bubble would open and there'd be the wedding scene...I don't know I'm no Imaginner but there's got to be something better!

 

[Disneybuckeye]

Put me in the underwhelmed category. I also thought the Ariel at the left hand turn was really creepy looking. Her eyes seemed off. The lack of water also bothered me.

I am glad so many people like it and are not in front on me when I am riding all of the other dark rides at MK that I think are much better.

 

[Jerzeegator]

I was also underwhelmed when I got the chance to ride in early November, I do think the little ones will enjoy it.

 

[tiffjoy]

It's cute. My three year old enjoys it. But I expected more. We have only done the DLR version so far, but my understanding is the queue is all that's different at WDW.

Even on a busy day at DCA, we always walked on this ride.

I had expected water. I mean, water is kinda a key part of an undersea life. It was just so so.