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

[PamNC]

Have your ridden it since the black light effects were added? I'm hoping some of that warehouse feeling with be removed.

I'll know in 3 weeks!

We ride The Little Mermaid once each trip but have FP+ booked for all 4 days for SDMT! I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in this which is part of the reason SDMT has such long waits. Ride...and then ride again. Great family coaster!

Me too - 16 days for me

 

[VikingInMouseEars]

I can see where small children would really like The Little Mermaid ride, but it seems like the Imagineers just let a couple of interns order some florescent colored plastic and rubber, put together an old ride system, and play the LM soundtrack and call it good. I remember thinking at the end of the ride "Wow, this is it? This is from Disney?" At least the WDW version has the cool queue area, the DCA version was stuck in a building that was already there, I think.

 

[Robo]

the DCA version was stuck in a building that was already there, I think.

Pretty much.

It is in the same space as a different building that formerly housed the "Golden Dreams" (a history of California) multimedia attraction, starring Whoopi Goldberg.

 

[slickpoetry]

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

No, it was last October.

 

[wareagle57]

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

We got stopped twice in LM the one time we rode it last December. Once was for a very long time in the room with Ursula. I wish we could have stopped a few seconds earlier in the Under the Sea room.

But on HM, we never stopped in the 2-3 times we rode it. It just luck of the draw. Sometimes you'll have a guest with disabilities near you in line and others you won't. Though I suspect the longer delay on mermaid must have been something else.

 

[nat8199]

Did they like riding the shells at Epcot's "Nemo and Friends?"

We actually never made it to Nemo and friends last trip. We cancelled our second Epcot day to do a second at AK. I am really, really looking forward to it in Sept. Missing it is my one regret of the last trip, but the kids LOVED, LOVED, LOVED AK, so two days there was worth it.

 

[Robo]

the kids LOVED, LOVED, LOVED AK, so two days there was worth it.

We love it too.

 

[BrianL]

I still like this ride pretty well, though it's a tad on the short side. The lighting changes are an improvement though.

 

[branv]

Maybe one of the reasons people keep trying to get FPs for this one is TP. When playing around with personalizing a plan for our Nov trip, TP repeatedly kept trying to tell me I should consider getting a FP for it. Like over Winnie the Pooh, JC or PotC. And when I wouldn't assign it one, it wants to rearrange my touring plan to have me stop here as the first ride due to long wait times later. Errrrrr, no.

 

[epcotty]

Thrill rides will usually be the most popular new attractions. Also there's so much else to do at MK and as someone said it's been a long time since the movie was released (DW and me both saw it when it was in theatres). I think if this was in another park it'd be more popular. Anyway, we all really like both the TLM ride and 7DMT. Personally I think a lot of detail was put into TLM and it was done well

 

[larryz]

...are the wait times listed online always so short? While 7DMW is always close to an hour, every time I check Ariel's it's 15 minutes or less. I thought, with it being new as well, the demand for this would be close. So why isn't it? I haven't been there since both rides opened. Just curious.

I take it you have not yet been on this ride...

 

[3DisneyFanz]

Our 2 year old loves it and I don't mind the queue but have they fixed Ariel's eye in the Under the Sea scene? One wasn't working the last two times we rode it and it's kind of weird seeing Ariel with a lazy eye.

 

[reverie1729]

We just had our first trip to MK in June and this was my favorite ride. I am a HUGE Little Mermaid fan. And yes, I'm an adult lol. So I am in the minority here too.

 

[LOL!]

Funny how if you go back to when it first opened it was with as much anticipation as we saw with 7DMT and the lines were very long. But after a year or so interest dwindled and now like others have stated I believe it has less to do with ride capacity and more to do with it being a victim of it's own lack of innovation.

 

[tmj212]

Hi ScottLovesDisney--
If you love Ariel, then you'll love this ride. We rode 3 times without exiting during MVMCP last year then went to the Grotto and met Ariel. I agree with those that have said that the 7DMT is overrated. We rode it several times during our last visit with FP+ and during the party, but I would never do SB for it if were more than 15 minutes wait.

 

[bdiddy]

I was really disappointed in the ride as well. I felt like I was on the Nemo ride with different characters. I love Little Mermaid, in fact it's my favorite Disney movie and Princess but I feel like there are so many different things they could have done in that space instead.

 

[NDDisneydad]

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

I also rode the end if July and am wondering the same thing! Does anywhere know when they were added?

 

[Robo]

I also rode the end if July and am wondering the same thing!
Does anywhere know when they were added?

The new lighting debuted the second week of March, 2015 (this Spring.)

 

[MataHari22]

I have not seen it since they added the lights. Hoping that added a bit more to the ride. I agree that I was a little disappointed with most of the ride itself. I do like the "castle" outside and agree the queue is nicely themed, but I think that may have been the line I had a bit of trouble walking through, because it was hard for me to see. Guess I'll see in November if the new lighting made an improvement.

 

[scrapquitler]

Didn't know that, thanks. But isn't it the same kind of capacity ride as Haunted Mansion and the Doom Buggy? I'm seeing Haunted Mansion wait times usually doubled of those of Little Mermaid. Mind you, I'm not complaining as Little Mermaid is my fave Disney movie of all time (well, just behind Bambi but he's never getting an attraction NOR is he ever seen in the parks!) so when I DO go next year I'm hoping this trend continues as I will ride it over and over. But I'm just surprised a new ride doesn't have the Wait times compared to Haunted Mansion.

I think the difference in wait time between the two has to do with the preshow and the stretching room in HM. There is no preshow at LM, so it loads continuously. HM loads, then stops when the stretching room fills up, then loads again.