Nautilus Sighting!

[MrToadsWildRide]

So I was leaving the Poly the other morning, after what was my first ever visit to Ohana's (the highly sought after Irish-Polynesian cuisine) when I spotted the Nautilus. You know, the one from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea attraction. The attraction everyone hated, so Disney got rid of. Or was it the one everyone loved, so Disney got rid of it?

Either way, I'm headed down Floridian Way, coming up on the Speedway gas station and here comes the Nautilus, headed the other way, making the turn south onto Bear Island Road.

It was one of those slow motion, Inception-like, dream within a dream moments.

I could hear myself (in that slow motion, under water voice) saying "It's the Nautilus!"

As I'm reaching for my phone with one hand to snap a photo and simultaneously text all my Nautilus friends I yank hard on the wheel with the other hand and everyone in the car shouts, "Nooooo!" Apparently, I was being an un-safe driver. Like that's a thing here is Central Florida.

I did hit the breaks, in hopes of pulling an "allegedly" illegal u-turn, when the Disney bus behind me actually starts honking. You know everyone on the bus is like, "It's the Nautilus! Bus driver, turns us around. Turn us around! Follow that submarine!"

As for all you skeptics who are like, "Hey Mr. Toad. That's impossible. Submarines can't drive on roads." True. It was sitting on a flat bed, being hauled by a semi. I was so focused on the Nautilus, I didn't think to check out who was driving. I literally could have found (captain) Nemo.

All I have are questions.

Why did they keep it?
Where did it come from?
Where is it going?
Why are they moving it around?
It's headed to AK, are they going to put it River's Of Light?
(who wouldn't love to watch the Nautilus sink a few floats?)

And why for the love of Pete, did they not have the decency to cover it up? Thanks to extensive therapy sessions, I was finally over that attraction. Seeing and now knowing that the Nautilus still lives, all the memories have come flooding back. (drum, cymbal crash)

What's next?

Watching them drive Dream Finder around the World?

Where's my laser disc copy of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. (yes, I have one. no the player doesn't work)

 

[KenHutch]

Cool sighting and don't feel bad about the laserdisks I still have over 800 in my movie collection at home. I have had luck with players from South Korea.

 

[nllmncsu]

I am probably one of the few that liked that ride. I thought it was a cool idea and so did my girls when they were smaller and still talk about it.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

It was just used during the WDW marathon... they set it up as a "MK graveyard"... for lack of a better word....as a photo op along the route. They had the Nautilus, a Mr. Toad vehicle, a sky bucket (forget the technical name), maybe something else. I suspect they were moving it back to wherever it came from.

 

[mom2rtk]

I know the feeling.

We saw a Nemo sub on a flat bed traveling through the desert out west years ago leading up to the new sub attraction opening at DL. I'm the one in the family who is quick on the draw with the camera, but was driving. So no photo. And no U-turn to even consider on the on the interstate in the middle of the desert. Still, it was a pretty cool sight.

 

[OldSlowGoofyGuy]

@GADisneyDad14 is correct. Here's a pic I found (not mine):




From the website:

Pictured above are the Nautilus from 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, the Skyway cart, and the original ride vehicles from Snow White’s Scary Adventures, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, and the Astro Orbiters.

 

[BrianL]

I LOVE the Nautilus! I would've been just like you, trying to follow it. Oh, I hope they do something with it, even if it's just decor somewhere.

 

[dreiwhit]

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was one of my favorites, along with Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. Its a shame they got rid of them.

 

[MicroBeta]

I thought it was a popular ride but it was expensive to maintain and very low rider capacity per day versus other rides. I thought that plus the fact that they would have had to make it ADA compliant was why it was decommissioned,...I could be wrong.


Mike

 

[goofyernmost]

I thought it was a popular ride but it was expensive to maintain and very low rider capacity per day versus other rides. I thought that plus the fact that they would have had to make it ADA compliant was why it was decommissioned,...I could be wrong.


Mike

All of what you said probably had some validity except the ADA compliance. Things in place before ADA are grandfathered so that unless they redid the ride... did new subs it wouldn't matter. I'm not sure because I haven't ridden it, but, wasn't the ride in Disneyland redone? I think that they are still not ADA complaint.