Whether you loved the original Submarine Voyage or can’t wait to find Nemo in the current version, here are 5 things you may not know about this classic attraction.
1. When the Submarine Voyage debuted in the summer of 1959, it was one of the first “E-Ticket attractions”. Until that time, the Disneyland ticket books only went up to “D” tickets. When this new ticket was introduced, there were 14 attractions that warrentd the coveted E ticket. Of course, four of those were the four stops of the Santa Fe & Disneyland Railroad. Of the other 10, seven were promoted from “D” to “E” status, and three were brand new attractions.
2. Walt Disney called “the eighth-largest submarine fleet in the world.” Coincidentally, the Submarine Voyage had eight vessels when it opened.
3. Before it became the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, guests were always sure to see mermaids on their journey, but in the summers of 1965 – 1967, four hours each day guests could also see living mermaids greeting them on the rocks in the middle of the lagoon. These mermaids played on wooden lyres, swam down to greet subs as they went by, brushed their hair, and sunned themselves.
4. In the 1980’s, Disneyland had several special celebrations, and one of the most popular was the “Blast to the Past” in 1988-1989. Imagineers Kevin Rafferty and Kathy Magnum were tasked with coming up with something to tie the Submarine Voyage into the “Blast to the Past”. As they shared at the “Destination D: Disneyland 55” event, they used songs from the 1950’s & 1960’s in place of the Captain’s voice. The First Mate would make a statement or ask a question, and the Captain’s response was an excerpt from a song. Kathy’s statement at Destination D, tongue firmly in cheek (I think): “We’re very sorry.”
5. With the development of the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, Walt Disney Imagineering developed an innovative and environmentally friendly technique of “painting with glass.””They applied crushed stained glass to the rockwork and coral to provide brighter colors that would be much more durable than traditional painting methods. Kathy Mangum explained, “Over 30 tons of recycled glass, in over 40 different colors, were used. By using this glass, we managed to achieve an amazing underwater vibrancy that should last a lot longer than traditional underwater paint.”
For you to discover: Of the eight subs today, three have the same names as the originals, but only one has the same name for the same sub (the other two names belong to different subs than they originally did). Which one is it?
You can read more from Randy on his blog, Faith and the Magic Kingdom. Find him on Twitter (@Belgarion42) and on Facebook. Randy is also an independent Travel Consultant affiliated with CruisingCo.com and MouseEarVacations.com and would love to help you with any of your travel needs, for Disney destinations and beyond!
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