Everything You Need to Know About The Seas with Nemo & Friends

You’re going on vacation to Walt Disney World! The only problem? You’re not sure which attractions are right for you and your kiddos and you have questions. Which attractions are too intense for little ones? What rides do I really need a FastPass+ reservation for? What’s the disability access like for certain attractions? We’re answering all those questions and more in our Everything You Need to Know attraction series with today’s focus on The Seas with Nemo & Friends at Epcot!

What is The Seas with Nemo & Friends?

The Seas with Nemo & Friends is a slow-moving dark ride which uses technology to create the illusion the Finding Nemo fish are swimming in the pavilion’s actual aquarium.

Where is The Seas with Nemo & Friends?

The Seas with Nemo & Friends is located between Spaceship Earth and The Land pavilion at Epcot.

What is the History of The Seas with Nemo & Friends?

The Living Seas, Epcot’s original ocean-themed pavilion, first opened in 1986. At the time, it was home to the world’s largest saltwater tank. The story of the pavilion was that guests could travel in a Hydrolator (an elevator using simulation) to the ocean floor to explore Sea Base Alpha. There they could enjoy exhibits or board a SeaCab for a ride through the middle of the tank.

In 2001, the SeaCabs ceased operation. The pavilion began to undergo a transformation to showcase a Finding Nemo theme. It eventually reopened in 2005 as The Seas with Nemo & Friends. The SeaCabs have been overhauled into the “Clamobiles” for a Finding Nemo-themed ride  utilizing a special type of technology to create the look of animated fish in an actual tank.

What You Need to Know About the Queue

The queue for The Seas with Nemo & Friends is dark and cool and slowly transitions guests from a beach scene to the big blue world under the waves. While it may not be Disney’s best queue, the detail and designed atmosphere are worth noticing. It’s also known for it’s especially frigid A/C during the legendary Florida summers.

What You Need to Know About the Experience

Once aboard the “Clamobile,” guests see characters from Finding Nemo swim along with live fish in the pavilion’s aquarium, as well as familiar landmarks and scenes from the film. Upon exiting the ride, guests are deposited in the pavilion to check out Turtle Talk with Crush!, exhibits, and viewing areas.

What You Need to Know About the Ride Vehicles

Guests board slow-moving, clam-shaped ride vehicles or “Clamobiles.” Each ride vehicle has a single row and typically accommodates two guests. However, Cast Members will usually allow two adults and a small child or one adult and two small children. Larger adults may wish to ride alone.

Each “Clamobile” has a hard bench with a back but no lap bar or belt. Guests need to make a small step up from a moving walkway into the moving ride vehicle.

What You Need to Know About Accessibility

Guests must transfer to a wheelchair to experience The Seas with Nemo & Friends.

What You Need to Know About Health and Safety Warnings

There are no health and safety warnings for The Seas with Nemo & Friends! However, some parents have found the moments of darkness and a few scenes and effects a little scary at times for little ones.

What are the Height Requirements?

There is no height requirement to experience The Seas with Nemo & Friends!

Does The Seas with Nemo & Friends Offer FastPass+?

Yes. Epcot’s FastPass+ attractions are tiered, much like the FastPass+ attractions at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. This means attractions are placed into groups, and Disney limits how many FastPass+ reservations you can make for each group. Ticketed guests can generally make a maximum of THREE initial FastPass+ selections, and more (based on availability) once they have used those they have booked.

The Seas with Nemo & Friends belong in a tier along with Disney/Pixar Short Film Festival, Journey Into Imagination with Figment, Living with the Land, Spaceship Earth, Turtle Talk with Crush, and Mission: SPACE Green and Orange.

Does Weather Affect The Seas with Nemo & Friends?

Since The Seas with Nemo & Friends is an indoor attraction, inclement weather will not affect the ride’s operation.

What’s the Best Time of Day to Experience The Seas with Nemo & Friends?

The earlier you experience the ride the better; ditto for Turtle Talk with Crush. If waits are intolerable, come back after 3 p.m. or so, or use FastPass+.

This chart shows you roughly how long you’ll wait for The Seas with Nemo & Friends when you visit on a day with a given Epcot Crowd Level. The blue bars represent the average “peak” wait time (that is, how long the line will be at its busiest). The bottom and top black lines represent the range of peak wait times to expect (for you fellow nerds out there: it’s the 5th percentile and 95th percentile of peak wait times). Please note that these are estimates, and for a better forecast for your travel dates, see The Seas with Nemo & Friends Wait Times.

Did I answer all of your questions about The Seas with Nemo & Friends? Is this attraction at the top of your family’s vacation to-do list? Let us know in the comments.