Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid

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What It Is
Track ride in the dark
Our Rating

Current Wait Time
Standby	Find Out
Lightning Lane	3:45pm

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Appeal By Age
Based our reader surveys. See our Ratings and Research page for details.
Preschool
Grade School
Teens
Young Adults
Over 30
Seniors

Touring Info
Loading speed	Fast
Wait per 100 people ahead	3 minutes
When to go Before 10:30 a.m., during the last 2 hours before closing.

General Info
Location	Fantasyland
Opening Date	December 6, 2012
Duration	7 minutes
Scope and Scale	Minor Attraction
Closures / Refurbishments

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Description And Comments

Under the Sea takes riders through almost a dozen scenes retelling the story of The Little Mermaid, with animatronics, video effects, and a vibrant 3-D set the size of a small theater.

Guests board a clamshell-shaped ride vehicle running along a continuously moving track (similar to Haunted Mansion's). Then the ride “descends” under water, past Ariel’s grotto and on to King Triton’s undersea kingdom. The most detailed animatronic is of Ursula, the octopus, and she’s a beauty. Other scenes hit the film’s highlights, including Ariel meeting Prince Eric, her deal with Ursula to become human, and, of course, the couple’s happy ending.

The attraction’s exterior is attractive, with detailed rock work, water, and story elements. (Our favorite effect is a “hidden Mickey”—the shape of Mickey’s head and ears—that is created through a special alignment of the sun’s shadow and the rock work, and only at noon on November 18, Mickey’s birthday.)

The ride isn’t Disney’s most ambitious: Most of the effects throughout the ride are simple and unimaginative, such as starfish that only spin or lobsters that simply turn left and right. Also, virtually the entire second half of the story is condensed into a handful of small scenes crammed together at the end, as if the budget ran out before the ride could be finished properly.

Touring Tips

This attraction offers Lightning Lane via Genie+.
Open for Early Theme Park Entry.
Open for Extended Evening Theme Park Hours.

Expect moderate waits most of the day. If you can, ride early in the morning or late at night.

Ride Through Video

Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid Wait Times

This chart shows you roughly how long you'll wait for Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid when you visit on a day with a given Magic Kingdom 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 Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid Wait Times.