Five Lost WDW Rides from River Country to Mars (VIDEO)

[crazy4wdw]

From AOL Travel:

Five Lost Disney World Rides from River Country to Mars (VIDEO)

Walt Disney World in Florida might not have the same lengthy history as its California counterpart Disneyland, but it has seen its fair share of attractions come and go. As new technologies are introduced and new movies are released, the Mouse certainly feels the pressure to update – sometimes in spite of protests to the contrary. Here are five lost Disney World rides for a reminder of the good old days.

http://news.travel.aol.com/2011/04/...icid=main|htmlws-main-n|dl12|sec1_lnk3|208602

 

[nytimez]

Love this stuff -- thanks for the link.

 

[Disco]

Hmmm,
Don't remember if I did the Swan Boats or if they were gone before I went there. It would be cool if they brought them back though. Anything to eat up a few extra people and any place to have a long relaxing sit down. It would be like a large version of the TTA. I guess it might be a bit of a drawback being in the moat though, can’t see a lot from down there.
Mission to mars while fine at the time but it had no re-ridability to it. Did it once and I was good.
Mr. Toad was kinda more exciting than Pooh as you were going to crash into things. It wasn't a very well detailed ride though and a little on the cheap looking side so I understand why it was replaced.
I guess 20k is the one that doesn't make any sense to me. Themeing was superior to the DL version and being the newer ride you'd think maintenance and cost to operate would be lower. Why would they decide to keep the DL version and get rid of the WDW? Not to mention that the park has been incomplete since they shut it down.

 

[DCTooTall]

Oh wow... that has to be the best video I have EVER seen of the Swan Boats. Even more amazing... I didn't realize they went thru Adventureland and made the loop over near the jungle Cruise. (I knew the waterways connected, but i always thought it was simply a backstage connection to a common maintenance area.)

 

[skier_pete]

Actually, 20,000 Leagues supposedly had HUGE upkeep costs, and because of the difficulties of getting passengers on and off was very slow loading as well. In addition, they probably would have struggled with making it handicap accessible.(Also, I thought the DL version DID close down about the same time, only to more recently re-open with the Nemo theme.)


That said, of all the rides on the list, probably the one that was the most impressive and worthy of staying. While many miss Mr. Toad - I think even those that favored it would have a hard time arguing that it would be considered a great ride. One of the unique things about it is there were actually two independent tracks. It was too bad they didn't keep that aspect of it for the Pooh ride...

 

[Disco]

Sure they were both expensive to run but I'm just wagering that the WDW version was overall cheaper because it was newer.
I guess they both did close down at about the same time but why decide to pull the boats out of the WDW fill it in with dirt and not the older DL version?
Also, with DL having more rides, the closure wasn't nearly as crippling to the overall park experience.

 

[ChrisFL]

So they put in the Swan Boats but not Horizons?

 

[DCTooTall]

Sure they were both expensive to run but I'm just wagering that the WDW version was overall cheaper because it was newer.
I guess they both did close down at about the same time but why decide to pull the boats out of the WDW fill it in with dirt and not the older DL version?
Also, with DL having more rides, the closure wasn't nearly as crippling to the overall park experience.

I'm going to guess, in part, because the lagoon at DL would've been a bit more difficult to empty and fill in. i say that because of the way the Monorail and Peoplemover tracks are crossed by the lagoon.

And from how long the WDW lagoon stood silent, I'm guessing another reason was they wanted to get SOMETHING into the area. After all, as you said, DL has more rides, and with 20K non functional at WDW, it really did have an impact. Even though it was filled in for a play area, it did give fantasyland at least something more than an occasionally used M&G location that didn't even really theme well with the characters who met there.

So they put in the Swan Boats but not Horizons?

i'll give them the benefit of the doubt on this one. the 5 attractions could all be considered classic Magic Kingdom Attractions. I'm including River Country in that since it predates EPCOT and was a big part of "classic WDW" trips for many guests before the parks (and surrounding area) grew to the point that you had a million awesome hotel pools or water parks in the area to enjoy your fun in the sun.

 

[nytimez]

Instead of closing 20K they could have gone with the implementation used at DisneySea just a few years after the WDW ride closed -- it never actually goes underwater, but it feels like it does. I would assume in that case it's no more expensive to maintain and operate than any other ride.

 

[DCTooTall]

Instead of closing 20K they could have gone with the implementation used at DisneySea just a few years after the WDW ride closed -- it never actually goes underwater, but it feels like it does. I would assume in that case it's no more expensive to maintain and operate than any other ride.

Other than the drive thru the waterfall when transitioning into the show building, 20k (and i'm pretty sure the DL Sub voyage) never actually go underwater. The "dive" was done by driving thru a bubble zone, but the top of the sub and driver's position are always above the water.

The maintenance and operation costs I believe were much more due to the vehicles being partially submerged in the lagoon at all times.

Tokyo's version of the ride is an ENTIRELY different type of ride. in order to "convert" the WDW version into the Tokyo version, they would've needed to still fill in the lagoon and build an entirely new show building to contain the ride.

 

[jamie@dvcstore]

Hi crazy4wdw,
Thanks very much for sharing. That was awesome and brought back a lot of great memories.

 

[nytimez]

Other than the drive thru the waterfall when transitioning into the show building, 20k (and i'm pretty sure the DL Sub voyage) never actually go underwater. The "dive" was done by driving thru a bubble zone, but the top of the sub and driver's position are always above the water.

The maintenance and operation costs I believe were much more due to the vehicles being partially submerged in the lagoon at all times.

Tokyo's version of the ride is an ENTIRELY different type of ride. in order to "convert" the WDW version into the Tokyo version, they would've needed to still fill in the lagoon and build an entirely new show building to contain the ride.

I never used the word "convert." I know it's a different ride, but in the WDW one the "show" is all underwater along with the bulk of the ships that would ultimately need maintenance and constant repair.

But since they had to fill in the lagoon and are ultimately creating a new show building anyway, why not go with a theme so many people already love instead of more princess garbage?

DisneySea opened only six or seven years after 20K closed -- so the plans were probably on the drawing board around that time or not long after it.

 

[DCTooTall]

I never used the word "convert." I know it's a different ride, but in the WDW one the "show" is all underwater along with the bulk of the ships that would ultimately need maintenance and constant repair.

But since they had to fill in the lagoon and are ultimately creating a new show building anyway, why not go with a theme so many people already love instead of more princess garbage?

DisneySea opened only six or seven years after 20K closed -- so the plans were probably on the drawing board around that time or not long after it.

Ah... with that logic it makes more sense. That being said, i'm not sure if the Disney management at the time really would've been willing to put up the capital needed for that type of expansion at the time. (Remember, Tokyo Disney is a partnership between the Oriental Land Company and Disney, so Disney wasn't putting up all the funding for the park/ride).


I also have to wonder if the subject matter and theming really would've warrented the expense at WDW. This is purely my opinion.... But I wonder how much of 20k's "love" comes from us being nostalgic for our old ride vs the theme's staying power/relevance for today's audience. In many ways, the fantasyland lagoon was kind of out of place theme wise with it's surroundings, so building a new show building that would fit in would be a challenge in Florida. At Tokyo DisneySea though, the nautical theme fits in perfectly with the park's focus. (and they had more room to theme the surrounding area instead of just throwing you into a dark ride).

As for the current princess garbage.... Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast have shown that they have some staying power at this point, and are much more well known to kids and people today than the old Disney 20k movie. The princesses fit in much better in Fantasyland than another 20k ride would.


That being said.... considering tomorrowland's current "tomorrow that never was" theming, I COULD easy see a 20k ride fitting better in there.... which also would more closely coincide with DL's Sub Voyage attraction which was/is located in Tomorrowland as well.

 

[robertdangelo]

We took our DD to DL in 2009... she was 14 months old... enjoyed Mr. Toad's wild Ride and The Submarine Voyage. At least we have the option to see them there.

 

[nytimez]

Ah... with that logic it makes more sense. That being said, i'm not sure if the Disney management at the time really would've been willing to put up the capital needed for that type of expansion at the time. (Remember, Tokyo Disney is a partnership between the Oriental Land Company and Disney, so Disney wasn't putting up all the funding for the park/ride).


I also have to wonder if the subject matter and theming really would've warrented the expense at WDW. This is purely my opinion.... But I wonder how much of 20k's "love" comes from us being nostalgic for our old ride vs the theme's staying power/relevance for today's audience. In many ways, the fantasyland lagoon was kind of out of place theme wise with it's surroundings, so building a new show building that would fit in would be a challenge in Florida. At Tokyo DisneySea though, the nautical theme fits in perfectly with the park's focus. (and they had more room to theme the surrounding area instead of just throwing you into a dark ride).

As for the current princess garbage.... Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast have shown that they have some staying power at this point, and are much more well known to kids and people today than the old Disney 20k movie. The princesses fit in much better in Fantasyland than another 20k ride would.


That being said.... considering tomorrowland's current "tomorrow that never was" theming, I COULD easy see a 20k ride fitting better in there.... which also would more closely coincide with DL's Sub Voyage attraction which was/is located in Tomorrowland as well.

No doubt the princesses fit the theme -- I guess I'm just ticked that, until they announced the Snow White ride, the "big" project was just a Little Mermaid Omnimover ride... blech! The Snow White ride makes it a little easier to take. I should add that I don't have a problem with the princesses in general, they're part of the Disney tapestry -- I just want to see a little more imagination and invention than more omnimover rides, restaurants and meet-and-greets.

But I digress...

The themeing of 20K might seem out of place... but maybe look at it this way: When Mr. Toad was there, you had "Wind in the Willows," "Alice in Wonderland" and 20K all in Fantasyland -- not to mention Peter Pan. From a purely literary perspective, it was a nice blend. But 20K would also fit in Tomorrowland. Might actually have been better in place of the Speedway, which doesn't really fit either, as a bridge between the two lands.

That said, I'm not sentimental over Mr. Toad. But 20K? It would have been nice to see it revived in some way... but you hit the nail on the head: they didn't want to spend the money to reinvent the ride... and people like us who love the old ride are probably the minority of today's guests and the guests of the future.

 

[DCTooTall]

No doubt the princesses fit the theme -- I guess I'm just ticked that, until they announced the Snow White ride, the "big" project was just a Little Mermaid Omnimover ride... blech! The Snow White ride makes it a little easier to take. I should add that I don't have a problem with the princesses in general, they're part of the Disney tapestry -- I just want to see a little more imagination and invention than more omnimover rides, restaurants and meet-and-greets.

Honestly, I don't have a problem with a GOOD omnimover ride. IMHO, it's one of the things that set Disney apart from a park I could go to closer to home. I actually really miss WoM and Horizons which where 2 amazing omnimover type attractions which had that amazing Disney storytelling and humor in them that you just can't find anyplace else.

Now.... if the new omnimover ride was closer to the Seas w/ Nemo remake of Seabase Alpha.... That's just a joke.


I also don't have much of a problem with another restaurant in the expansion. With the crowds the MK pulls these days, the MK could use some more food choices to help spread the crowd. But then again, they could also afford to possibly reopen some of the restaurants that have been shuttered, such as the Adventureland Veranda.

But I do have the Admit.... the LARGE number of M&G's in the original expansion plans did kind of leave me wanting. I understand that people want to be able to see their favorite characters, and that the old method of them just appearing someplace just doesn't work today like it did in the past (due in part to the increased crowd sizes, and in part due to people today being very ME ME ME which keeps the old "they were here first" mentality which allowed everybody to meet the character in the old days without a que or mass chaos)..... But I did feel like too much real estate was being devoted to it. I kinda hate to see the existing Snow White attraction go, but I considering it a decent compromise to give the princesses a nice place to be met, while not over doing the amount of space given to that process.

The themeing of 20K might seem out of place... but maybe look at it this way: When Mr. Toad was there, you had "Wind in the Willows," "Alice in Wonderland" and 20K all in Fantasyland -- not to mention Peter Pan. From a purely literary perspective, it was a nice blend. But 20K would also fit in Tomorrowland. Might actually have been better in place of the Speedway, which doesn't really fit either, as a bridge between the two lands.

That said, I'm not sentimental over Mr. Toad. But 20K? It would have been nice to see it revived in some way... but you hit the nail on the head: they didn't want to spend the money to reinvent the ride... and people like us who love the old ride are probably the minority of today's guests and the guests of the future.

I honestly wouldn't mind seeing something like 20k revived for the simple reason that I do kind of miss having attractions in the MK that took you on a journey or adventure. As I'm writing this, I can kind of see that it's almost like in the past 20yrs we've seen a loss of the old style attractions which made you think, or which fed the imagination, and they've been replaced with more instant gratification or movie tie-in type attractions. (ah crap.... I'm turning into a "back in my day" type..... dammit! )


Tomorrowland i think would be a perfect example of this. we USED to have the Mission to Mars (oooo... an actual space flight to mars. that's cool!), the Circlevision theater (a fun journey in film!), and the airline ride which changed several times over the years. (a trip to places you may never get to go, or an adventure thru fantasy flight history). After the tomorrowland overhaul, we got Alien Encounter (a fun, and slightly scary experience than engaged the senses and your imagination) and the Timekeeper (a fun, and again, imaginative journey through time with 2 great authors).

and now? we have Stitch (ugh.... not much beyond a show and chili dog breath), and the Monsters inc laugh floor (I'll admit, it's amusing and I like it, but again, it's just a sit there type experience than doesn't really require much from the guest).

EPCOT has gone thru some of the same transformations with the removal or generic-ization of attractions that engaged the brain and imagination.


honestly..... I'm wondering if that could be part of the problem with Disney lately. Those of us who went years ago can have a very strong nostalgic attachment to the parks and our favorite attractions.... but those attractions were all of the type that we tended to leave with something. We may have seen things we don't see in our normal lives, or were left thinking about stuff that normally we may not have thought about. Either way, we weren't the same after the ride as we were before it.

Now, while I like Test Track, Soarin, and Mission Space.... I really don't feel the same type of attachment to them as I do the attractions they replaced....World of Motion, Food Rocks, and Horizons.

While a lot of our Disney Magic dosage we used to receive on the attractions, These days it seems more of the Magic burden has been placed on the Characters and your interaction with them..... hence the need for more M&G space.


Hmmmm... an interesting theory at the very least. And honestly, i guess that's why I have such high hopes for the Little Mermaid omnimover and for the new Snow White ride...... and why I'm really hoping it's more dark ride than coaster. (sort of like Mummy at Universal, which you get coaster elements, but you get an experience/story to go with it)

 

[rjb123]

Oh what a fun trip down memory lane. the only thing I don't remember from when I was a child was the swan boats. But I am sure my parents do! They started going to WDW the year it opened- I think that I was there in utero!
Funny about Mr. Toad- I burst out laughing at that one. When my brother was around 5 and I was around three (maybe four and six?) we were at DW and my brother and grandma got stuck in Mr. Toad in the chicken coop for an hour. It traumatized him and to this day he gets all twitchy if you mention that ride. I just remember eating ice cream while we were waiting on them to get out.
I also was just thinking about River country. I couldn't recall the name but was wondering what they did with the space. That is so sad it is still there in disrepair. Wish they would open it back up- I am sure a bunch of the nostalga type folks like me would drag their kids there- I sure would!
I was also wondering about Discovery Island (is that the right name?) the wildlife island in Bay lake. That just went poof a long time ago as well and I always wonder why and what they did with the space. It was such a nice little island- such a retreat from the crazyness of our trip to WDW.
Ah well, thanks for this trip down memory lane.

 

[lizabu]

This brings back memories.I remember Mr Toad being pretty cool but 20000 leagues seemed kind of ghetto even when I was a kid. It was creaky and I remember seeing a thin stream of water leaking from one of the port holes.I don't miss that one.

 

[umichigan10]

being someone who never experienced any of these rides, I wish they would bring back 20K leagues and Mr. Toads so I could atleast have an opinion.

 

[DCTooTall]

being someone who never experienced any of these rides, I wish they would bring back 20K leagues and Mr. Toads so I could atleast have an opinion.

go to Cali and you can still experience Mr. Toads Wild Ride, and a new updated "Nemo" version of the Submarine Voyage. I don't know how much the sub ride has in common though with the Florida version at this point.