WALT DISNEY WORLD FLORIDA
~Disney’s popular 20,000 Leagues
Submarine Ride~
There was
a time when you could board the NAUTILUS and journey to Atlantis….sort of.
The
attraction was built into a gigantic water tank that looked like this when it
was under construction…
…and like
this when it was filled with water and the subs were running.
When it
was down for maintenance, you could see the “subs” were actually a cross
between a boat and a bus that ran on a concrete track.
But when it
was running, it looked pretty convincing.
This
attraction was very popular, and the lines of people waiting to take the voyage
were usually long.
But once
inside 20,000 LEAGUES, you entered the ride vehicle through a hatch in the bow…
…and
stepped down into an interior decorated in NAUTILUS motif, where you had your
own seat and viewport.
Once
everyone was aboard, the hatch was closed and the sub was on its way.
Through the
viewport you could see wonders of the deep,
like sea creatures…
…sunken
ships, and animatronic divers like this one…
…working
and exploring at the bottom of the sea.
While this
NAUTILUS wasn’t an actual submarine, and never went completely under the water;
like other Disney submarine rides before this, it sure seemed to the passengers
like it did!
When the
ride was over, the NAUTILUS returned to the dock, and you could disembark, buy
another ride, and go again as often as you liked.
Until one
day the ride shut down, and the subs were sent to the Disney boneyard.
One of
them was put on display for a while, and some say one or two more met similar
fates….
But most
of them just ended up rotting away in the weather for a time.
Here’s a
look at the 20,000 LEAGUES Ghost Fleet: high-and-dry, and roasting in
the sun.
Kind of
sad, isn’t it? I’d bet there are
collectors out there who would have paid a good price for one of these. Think of what a great houseboat it
might have made! ;-) But no, they were all dismantled….
And
nowadays you occasionally see parts like the seats, or portholes like this one,
for sale on eBay.
This was
the 20,000 LEAGUES attraction poster. I
have one on my wall at home.
(Most images courtesy of Mike Prendergast
and Ty Bumgardner. Mahalo!)