Living Seas - What did we miss?

[BongoBetty]

?Living Seas - What did we miss?

We visited WDW for the first time last year and were not disappointed. It truly is a magical place and we have so many wonderful memories of our trip that when the opportunity arose to return this year we were knocking each other over in the rush.
Except for one attraction which has become the butt of many jokes - Living Seas. Compared with any other attraction we found this unworthy of the Disney name - lacking anything of real interest - in short, boring - real boring. The unanimous decision is that here is one attraction we shan't be bothering with.....Yet..the nagging thought remains with me - just what did we miss, for there MUST have been something else to this show to merit it's many admirers.

Please tell me someone.

BB

 

[slp87]

If you find out, let me know. I haven't been in since '97. I remember anxiously awaiting the opening of this attraction when I was younger, and I have to agree with you. It is soooo un-Disney.

 

[LovesHauntedMansion]

I also was very disappointed in Living Seas when I was there in March. There's hardly anything left to see. For one thing, they took out the ride. It used to be short, but was better than nothing. I didn't see the area where the manatees used to be either, but maybe I just missed it.

 

[jaysue]

I guess it depends upon what you are looking for. DS (3 1/2) and I like the Living Seas - a nice, calm area to escape to - see some neat sealife, look at the mini coral reefs etc. They should for starters have a staff member on hand to answer questions and provide some colour to the exhibit

Thanks
jaysue

 

[goofyernmost]

Living Seas was originally built as a educational/entertaining attraction. You have to love aquariums to find it overly entertaining but it is good for a few minutes. No, your heart won't start to race unless someone puts you in the shark tank, but, it is a pleasant little side trip. Speaking of wild and crazy, try watching the manatees for over three minutes and see if your brain doesn't go numb. It's like watching grass grow except that grass is faster and with much more movement. They could put a plastic manatee in there and I don't think anyone would tell the difference. However, it is very educational if you are interested in marine life. The excitement comes with the off chance that the elevators (I know they have another name but I can't remember it, hydro-something) will rise too fast and you will get the bends.

 

[BongoBetty]

Interesting to read your replies. It would appear that perhaps we didn't miss anything but that we had expected Disney to do it so much better than the world class marine attractions we have here in Scotland. After all everything else was just so wonderful. If anyone is interested just check out the website for Deep Sea World in Edinburgh to see what I mean.
http://www.deepseaworld.com/ and no I am not employed by the Scottish Tourist Board, just a proud Scot.

BB (We won't be doing Living Seas this year)

 

[kilee]

We have only been in it once, this past year. It was always overlooked one way or another in the past. Well we made a special trip back from the World Showcase because we forgot about the Living Seas (again). We were so disappointed. We saw the manatees. Then we saw one tank of sea life. Nothing too interesting either. I really think we missed someting, but we walked from one corner to another and up and down. There just wasn't anything to see!

 

[undertheradar]

If you are seeking shelter from the heat, this is a great place to do it. It is also a great place for napping infants: in the a/c and out of the sun.

 

[funhouse8]

We also were dsappointed with the living seas. We live in New york and nothing beats the New york aquarium in brooklyn. This has got to be the best aquarium around.
http://www.nyaquarium.com/

DON'T FORGET TO RIDE THE CYCLONE!

 

[PatriciaH]

I think it is sad that the fish, dolphins and manatees get no natural light in the Living Seas-at least I can't see any. After snorkeling in some beautiful coral reefs in Turks and Caicos and Mexico, the fake coral looks prety bad too.

I do like when the divers are in the tank. People who have done Dive Quest say it is a wonderful dive experience. Sometimes there are CM's on hand to answer questions and give presentations. We wandered in once at around 10am and they were doing a feeding of the sting rays. It was very cool. I also love when the dolphins are swiming about. Last time we were there the dolphins came right up to the glass and stayed there for a long time looking at us and 'talking." They would swim around for a while and kept coming back to my glass. After a while we had a group of kids hangng out at the same glass watching!

I guess I just do not like aquariums in general. I like to see fish and dolphins swiming in the wild. I have been to the NY aquarium many times-I am from NY and I hate the small area they keep the dolphins in. The Baltimore and Boston aquariums just depress me too.

 

[wdwguide]

The Living Seas is also one of my least favorites, but it's not beyond saving. If they updated the movie, re-opened the short ride, actually really themed the tanks (more realistic looking reefs, maybe a "shipwreck", deep sea vent, add some relief, etc), and updated the post-show area with some more inspired exhibits, it would be a much more immersive experience. The hydrolators could be replaced with a simulator ride in a small submersible down to Sea Base Alpha, which would not only give people the opportunity to see some spectacular sea life, but would also establish the concept that Sea Base Alpha is really supposed to be a research station at the bottom of the ocean. Mind you, this wouldn't have to be a thrill ride, but rather a family-friendly experience substituting thrills with beautiful sights and sounds.

But that will of course never happen...

 

[Crazy Kanga]

I agree that it needs some jazzing up. My autistic son really loves this place, but I dread wasting time there because it is so boring for the rest of us. If everyone who had this complaint would email Disney and let them know how they felt about it, maybe they would do something. Let's all do it. There's strength in numbers.

 

[wdwguide]

Originally posted by Crazy Kanga
I agree that it needs some jazzing up. My autistic son really loves this place, but I dread wasting time there because it is so boring for the rest of us. If everyone who had this complaint would email Disney and let them know how they felt about it, maybe they would do something. Let's all do it. There's strength in numbers.

Just be sure to simply state that TLS is boring and you are unhappy with it. As soon as you include even the slightest hint of a suggestion what they should do to improve it, your submission will be deleted and you'll receive a form letter from the legal department telling you to essentially mind your own business.

 

[Tink]

I wish that they would bring the ride back to this attraction. Our DD who is 4 loves the Livingh Seas. She is really into manatees and fish and loves to look at them. Like everyone else, we hit this at a hot point in the day to cool off. The Living Seas has a lot of potential. If they would just put a little money into it, it could be better.

 

[currycook]

This has been discussed many times on these boards. The overal concensus is the Living Seas has gone down steadily from when it opened. It needs a big loving care package from Disney.

 

[MouseClubMom]

I worked at Living Seas as a CM for years and loved it. In my opinion, the place started going downhill as soon as they added the gift shop to Seabase Alpha. The loss of the ride was a big blow too. The tank needs a major renovation and more fish. Anyone else remember the big grouper named Orson?

I can remember the days when Seas had a wait to get in. Sigh... I really hate to see WDW let this attraction get so rundown....

MCMom

 

[OneMoreTry]

If you like fish you'll love Living Seas. When I saw the brochure for Epcot in about 1980 before it opened, it was the attraction I was most anxious to see. I still love it.

If you don't like fish, you won't like it.

Maybe they'll make it more "Nemo" and then some non-fish lovers will like it. If Disney can afford to keep it, they really should. The sea is an incredibly important part of our future, and that's what Future world is about, even if some people don't get a thrill out of it.