The new Little Mermaid ride...why....

[minnie mum]

I was so disappointed in this ride. The Imagineers really ought to be embarrassed by the lack of attention that went into it. Was really impressed by the queue when we first rode it. The ride, not so much. So this spring we rode it again, thinking we must have been mistaken. Nope. I think a lot of guests feel the same way. So there isn't the demand for repeat rides the way there is for HM.

I dont think it has anything to do with being a kiddie ride. There are lots of kiddie rides that we do repeatedly. The finished product is just poorly done.

 

[PurpleKomodo]

When were these black light effects added? Just wondering if I rode the pre or post version at the end of July?

 

[Robo]

I was so disappointed in this ride. The Imagineers really ought to be embarrassed by the lack of attention that went into it. Was really impressed by the queue when we first rode it. The ride, not so much. So this spring we rode it again, thinking we must have been mistaken. Nope. I think a lot of guests feel the same way. So there isn't the demand for repeat rides the way there is for HM.

I dont think it has anything to do with being a kiddie ride. There are lots of kiddie rides that we do repeatedly. The finished product is just poorly done.

Same situation at DCA (Anaheim.)
They have the identical ride, and guests there are underwhelmed.
It's a walk-on all day long.

 

[elaine amj]

I'm a huge TLM fan and our family likes to repeat rides multiple times. We do Under the sea once each trip. I was surprised - but like others said, the ride somehow doesn't inspire multiple re-rides.

 

[bc7ate9]

I guess it depends on perspective. We ride the little mermaid multiple times each trip. We have a 3 year old and it is one of her faves, along with Nemo. I feel like all the adults hating on a kiddie ride might be expecting too much.The Little Mermaid is geared toward a younger set, as is the movie. If you are an adult looking to be wowed, ride things geared toward adults.

I wish my 37 year old husband realized that. He loves the Little Mermaid ride - we ride it multiple times per trip! (I think it's largely because he is very tall and it's a comfortable vehicle to get in and out of for him - and also it's very dark, cool, and relaxing.) It's one of my favorite movies and I like the ride too. Hopefully our future children will like it too.

 

[JimmyBean42]

I think it's a good ride that serves it's purpose. The detail to which they nailed Ursula is amazing. As for it's repeat-ability, if you have youngsters under 5 it definitely has that factor. Which is great when you have a 3 year old who wants to go on it again and again and again. At least little to no wait (unlike Peter Pan where you have to tell the young one - sorry maybe tomorrow).

 

[hakepb]

Same situation at DCA (Anaheim.)
They have the identical ride, and guests there are underwhelmed.
It's a walk-on all day long.

Although TSMM and Soarin have much shorter waits in DCA, too (because everyone is on RSR)

Personally, I think the Mermaid ride was about 20 years too late. The ride would have been loved more closer to its theatrical release.

 

[MischaOz]

I like The Little Mermaid ride. It's on par with Peter Pan for me. It's just a very different ride than 7DMT. I think the "thrill" rides will always tend to be more popular because people want to ride them more than once, plus 7DMT probably does appeal to a wider group.

 

[patdoc98]

I think it's a good ride that serves it's purpose. The detail to which they nailed Ursula is amazing. As for it's repeat-ability, if you have youngsters under 5 it definitely has that factor. Which is great when you have a 3 year old who wants to go on it again and again and again. At least little to no wait (unlike Peter Pan where you have to tell the young one - sorry maybe tomorrow).

Yep, our kids could walk through the queue and ride Under the Sea all day. Our then-three-year-old's favorite rides were Buzz, Under the Sea, Winnie the Pooh, and Mine Train, pretty much in that order. I think those were the only rides that topped the Dumbo play area for him. Of those rides, Under the Sea was the only one where you never really had to wait - with a 15-minute posted wait time, the queue moved constantly and quickly, so it didn't even feel like a wait to the kids.

As an adult, I think that all of Fantasyland is one-and-done at best, so it's hard to be too disappointed at Under the Sea.

 

[slickpoetry]

The ride even bored my children. I don't know if everyone has this experience, but the omniomover stopped multiple times on our ride (at least 6-7 times, and once was for a good five minutes) while announcements were made about the ride having some type of issue. It really turned the ride into a dreary experience for us. One and done with that ride.

 

[Robo]

The ride even bored my children. I don't know if everyone has this experience, but the omniomover stopped multiple times on our ride (at least 6-7 times, and once was for a good five minutes) while announcements were made about the ride having some type of issue. It really turned the ride into a dreary experience for us. One and done with that ride.

I've not read about this happening frequently on LM.

It IS a rather far-too-common situation at Haunted Mansion.

 

[Angel Ariel]

I guess it depends on perspective. We ride the little mermaid multiple times each trip. We have a 3 year old and it is one of her faves, along with Nemo. I feel like all the adults hating on a kiddie ride might be expecting too much.The Little Mermaid is geared toward a younger set, as is the movie. If you are an adult looking to be wowed, ride things geared toward adults.

I love dark rides. I love the little mermaid (clearly ). The little mermaid ride, though, was not done as well as it could be. It just doesn't meet the standard that other dark rides have set. I hope to find that the new lighting helps when we go to DL in the fall.

 

[bc7ate9]

I've not read about this happening frequently on LM.

It IS a rather far-too-common situation at Haunted Mansion.

I think that is often to accomodate people with disabilities. I could be wrong, though. Anyway, I use the opportunity to take photos and relax.

 

[slickpoetry]

I've not read about this happening frequently on LM.

It IS a rather far-too-common situation at Haunted Mansion.

And we didn't have that happen at all in HM last time. Every experience can be different I guess.

 

[hakepb]

As an adult, I think that all of Fantasyland is one-and-done at best, so it's hard to be too disappointed at Under the Sea.

That's a good point. DL's Fantasyland is really magical, not because of a few, draw-dropping rides; but because of the quantity and variety of classic rides.
Dumbo, teacups, carousel, PP, Mr Toad, Alice, Pinocchio, Snow White, Casey trains, Storybook boats...

WDW's fantasyland was really, really lacking in the quantity department before the expansion.

 

[WillAustin]

HM is a classic and has always been popular with likely higher demand, LM not so much.

This.

 

[godders]

I'm clearly in the minority but I loved that ride! I found it very cute and I enjoyed singing along to the classics. Felt like an updated Peter Pan with a hint of IASW. I could be biased because it came out about a month after I was born so I have grown up with it. I rode it 2 or 3 times every MK day I had because it was always a walk on and in the September heat that is lovely!

 

[courtneybeth]

the ride somehow doesn't inspire multiple re-rides.

We're multiple riders - guess we're exceptions to the rule. We sing along to the music and know the script by heart and act it out as we ride. And dance along to the "under the sea" scene. We ride it every time we go to California Adventure and Magic Kingdom.

 

[Happy_Haunt999]

It's a similar Omnimover type ride to the HM but that's where it ends. I can see where many say they can ride LM once and done.
I think it's different with the HM b/c the HM is so much more involved, you can ride it so many times and still not see everything.
That said I still love the LM ride b/c I love the music of the film and the Under the Sea scene in the ride makes the ride for me, it is much better now w/the blacklight effects (saw those in June) compared to when we were there last Sept and it had the warehouse effect lol!

 

[Happyinwonerland]

The ride even bored my children. I don't know if everyone has this experience, but the omniomover stopped multiple times on our ride (at least 6-7 times, and once was for a good five minutes) while announcements were made about the ride having some type of issue. It really turned the ride into a dreary experience for us. One and done with that ride.

were you there early august? We were there first week of august and the ride broke down multiple times to the point that they closed it and told everyone to leave the line. DD was crushed. Luckily we were able to ride it another day. and we will be back in december, so she can ride then