Five Things to Know About Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid

Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid is a fun, gentle, slow-moving dark ride that retells the story of the 1989 classic animated feature, “The Little Mermaid.” Read on to become part of this world, but if you prefer to dive right into the whys, wheres, and hows, here’s your shortcut.

1. The queue is filled with fun, fishy details.

There are so many details packed into this queue that it takes a whole grotto to hold them all! As you enter the attraction, look up to see Prince Eric’s castle – and be sure to look at the shipwreck, too.

The queue winds you around the base of the castle, past a waterfall and tide pools with pieces of ships lost at sea. Then you head into the grotto itself – filled with gadgets and gizmos aplenty!

There’s an interactive game along the way, too. Little crabs on different screens gather trash or treasures. Point at the items that don’t belong there, and the crabs will remove them. At the end, you’ll meet an audio-animatronic Scuttle who narrates the rest of your adventure.

2. You do go Under the Sea!

When it’s time to ride, you’ll board a clamshell. Next thing you know, you head beneath the waves to Ariel’s grotto and King Triton’s kingdom. You’ll ride through detailed 3D sets with audio-animatronic figures, and encounter the evil Ursula, who makes the deal with Ariel to allow her to become human. Soon, your clamshell takes you back to the surface world, where you watch Ariel meet Prince Eric and see their happy ending.

Of course there’s a soundtrack: as you ride, you’ll hear portions of the amazing and now-classic musical numbers from the film, including “Part of Your World,” “Under the Sea,” “Poor Unfortunate Souls,” and “Kiss the Girl.” Total time in your clamshell is about seven minutes.

To be honest, the attraction isn’t one of the most ambitious at Walt Disney World. Most of the figures you encounter (around 183 in total and most of those are in the “Under the Sea” scene) only spin in place, turn left and right, or move up and down. But the animatronics themselves are well done, if not among the finest the Imagineers have created; Ursula in particular is impressive at 7.5 feet tall and 12 feet wide!

3. It was a long time coming.

“The Little Mermaid” opened in 1989, beginning the great revival of Walt Disney’s animated features. This was due, in no small part, to the musical genius of Howard Ashman and Alan Menkin. (C’mon, who else could create the incredible tour de force “Under the Sea?”) The Imagineers wanted to create an attraction based on the smash hit, but for several reasons, it was delayed again and again. The first version of this attraction finally opened at Disney California Adventure on June 3, 2011 as The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Undersea Adventure. The Disney World version opened on December 6, 2012, as one of the first attractions in New Fantasyland.

Most of the audio-animatronic figures at Walt Disney World are either wearing clothes or covered with some sort of fur or feathers. But not when you’re under the sea. King Triton, Ariel, and Ursula are – to put it in the most family-friendly language – not overdressed.

So, the Imagineers had to put a lot of thought into how to create a whole new “skin” technology. It needed to look realistic as the figures’ bodies moved and gestured, without the camouflage of clothing to hide joints or connections. And they did a great job meeting the challenge. The figures do look remarkable.

4. There are Hidden Mickeys galore plus homages to what was before.

⭐ This attraction has one of the cleverest – if not THE most clever – hidden Mickey you’ll ever encounter. As the Imagineers built the queue’s castle and caverns, they positioned special rockwork so that only on Mickey’s birthday, November 18th at noon, Eastern Standard Time, the sun aligns with the gaps in the rocks to “project” a silhouette of Mickey’s head and ears into the queue. Sadly, if you’re visiting and it’s cloudy that day and time, you have to wait an entire year to try to see it again!

⭐ When you ride through the scene with the Under the Sea musical number, there’s a Hidden Mickey made of coral on the rocks.

⭐ In Kiss the Girl, there are two little frogs on lily pads. Each has spots on its back forming a Mickey (actually, there are two Mickeys on each).

⭐ This attraction is built where the ride 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was located. To pay homage to the former ride, the Imagineers placed the imprint of the Nautilus submarine in one of the queue’s rock formations. And playing in the queue’s music loop is the song A Whale of a Tale, also from that former attraction.

⭐ There’s also a link to the former attraction that you can’t see. When 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was shut down, Imagineers bottled some of the water before the remainder was drained. They stored it for 18 years, and when the new attraction opened, they poured the water into the lagoon in the new attraction’s queue.

⭐ Some say that a final homage to 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is in the name of the ride itself. It could have been called simply, “Journey of the Little Mermaid.” Instead, the name preserves part of the name of the former attraction by retaining “Under the Sea.” (Yes, I know that’s also the name of the musical number, but coincidence? I think not.)

5. The Nuts and Bolts.

Under the Sea – Journey of The Little Mermaid is located toward the rear of Fantasyland between Gaston’s Tavern and Ariel’s Grotto. This attraction is completely indoors and not affected by inclement weather. However, those waiting in the outdoor queue will be exposed to the elements. FWIW, while you do indeed go “under the sea,” there’s no actual water, and you won’t get wet.

The vehicles are large, colorful clam shells with a hard bench seat, a tall back, and a single pull-down safety bar. The clamshells seat 2 adults, but Cast Members often allow 2 adults and a small child or 1 adult and 2 small children. This is an Omnimover attraction, so you board your ride vehicle from a moving sidewalk; there will be a small step up.

Guests must transfer to a standard wheelchair to ride. Audio description devices and handheld captioning are available. There are no health or safety advisories, so this is one attraction that’s perfect for families and guests of all ages.

Under the Sea – Journey of The Little Mermaid is open for Early Theme Park Entry and Extended Evening Theme Park Hours. Although lines can build during the middle of the day, wait times tend to be relatively moderate. Alternatively, if this is on your must-do list, you can purchase either Lightning Lane Multi Pass or Lightning Lane Premier Pass.

The Bottom Line.

Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid is a fun ride for the whole family. It will mostly delight those who are fans of the 1989 movie, a category I fall into. Does it do justice to the genius of the film? Not really, but the littles who love all things mermaid (and anyone who enjoys a plethora of brightly colored things “dancing” around) will love it. And truth be told, it’s a fine way to take a break, get out of the weather, and spend a few minutes sitting down.

Have you gone Under the Sea? Who’s your favorite character? How many thingamabobs do YOU have? Let us know in the comments below!

(Originally published September 7, 2023. Last updated/republished October 30, 2025.)