Living Seas Hydrolators Open?

[Lorelai]

You don't mean HYDROLATORS, the elevators that fomerly took you "into" and "out of" the Living Seas exhibit (these have been removed).

You might mean the "SEA CABS" which are ride vehicles that used to (and maybe WILL) travel along a section of the aquarium viewing windows.

Yes, I meant to ask if the Hydrolators were open, because I thought that they were only closed because they were doing a re-hab to the ride through (sea-cab?) area. I had read that they weren't being used, but I didn't know that they are gone for good. I really liked that element of the Living Seas. Bummer. So then how do you enter and exit now?

Sorry for the confusion - I just made my first part of the Living Seas question the post title, and continued on to the ride through (sea-cab) in the post.

But I am glad to hear that the ride is maybe coming back. I loved that part.
Thanks.

 

[Robo]

So then how do you enter and exit now?

Well, NOW (before the rehab is done) you enter and exit thru the SAME set of doors.
They are where the EXIT Hydrolators USED to be (way off to the LEFT as you approach LS).

The doors are standard commerical glass doors (like at a K-Mart) but with "bubbles" etched into them.
I don't know (but guess) that the ENTRANCE doors will be similar in design, only they would be back over where the entrance always has been... after the rehab is done.

The Hydrolators, I'm sure, are gone forever.
These new doors are permanent and they offer no illiusion of being "below the surface".

 

[*NikkiBell*]

I had no idea that more re-hab was going on in The Living Seas. Instead of continuing on with the bantering, could anyone else comment on what is being done and by when it will be finished?

 

[All Aboard]

The attaction used to be a "story", now it's just an aquarium.

 

[safetymom]

No one has mentioned for sure what is being done behind the scene at Living Seas. There has been speculation but no hard facts on what is coming when they are done.

 

[WorldlyWise]

I guess it all comes down to whether you want to check off "attractions" or whether you want to be magically transported to a far off place - a real seabase Alpha. The dumbing down part is in skipping the history of undersea exploration (the serpentine que) and the informative film on the history of the sea and then the (fun - for want of another word) hydrolator experience.

I guess you are sorry they didn't pull it all out and slap in a roller coaster - they could always name it something nautical.

 

[Lorelai]

Well, NOW (before the rehab is done) you enter and exit thru the SAME set of doors.
They are where the EXIT Hydrolators USED to be (way off to the LEFT as you approach LS).

The doors are standard commerical glass doors (like at a K-Mart) but with "bubbles" etched into them.
I don't know (but guess) that the ENTRANCE doors will be similar in design, only they would be back over where the entrance always has been... after the rehab is done.

The Hydrolators, I'm sure, are gone forever.
These new doors are permanent and they offer no illiusion of being "below the surface".

Thanks for the info Robo.

I'm guessing that they'll no longer have that section in the old entrance where you come in and see all of the old fashioned versions of the underwater gear. That was always neat to see. I guess I'm just nostalgic.

I love the new Nemo stuff, but I still like alot of the old charm too. I guess they don't really fit together though. The "old" Living Seas had a very 20,000 Leagues feel to it.

 

[seashoreCM]

"The "Hot Ride Du Jour" will always be backed-up, regardless.
("Soarin' " holds that honor right now.)

But "forcing" me wait in a series of "DARK ROOMS" with no entertainment value (even when the attraction is NOT BUSY) is pointless.
I might as well be standing in a serpentine queue (and frequently AM).

... since you had to INVEST so much time GETTING IN... and its also a bit "difficult" (hydrolators) to exit... logic would tell you STAY LONGER and fill MORE SPACE with milling bodies...
because you won't want to have go throught this "maze of waiting" to attempt to "come back later".

I have to think that Turtle Talk will become a FP attraction.
If there was the former "maze of waiting" to enter the space, nobody would ever be able to time their enty to hit their FP "window".
.)

When it was not busy, there was no queue in waiting area #1 (the serpentine ramp with all the old SCUBA gear on display), except for a brief time (I don't recall) when people in waiting area #2 (the rotunda) were entering the theater.

Waiting area #2 prevented there from being too many milling bodies in Sea Base Alpha since the wait time could be adjusted to roughly match the rate of people's exiting.

By the time people had enjoyed part of Living Seas, they forgot about how long it took to "descend via hydrolator" so the exiting hydrolator ride was not considered a difficult exit.