Who STILL misses 20,000 Leagues?

Originally Posted By HauntedMansionFan

I was just thinking about the long gone 20,000 Leagues attraction...it's funny how I STILL miss it after 10+ years.

Yes, the effects were a little hokey, but it was classic Disney so I never minded. I think enough people were so nostalgic about the ride that good upgrade would've solved the problem rather nicely (as it did for Disneyland).

Even just having that lagoon located there was really wonderful...it brought some much-needed atmosphere to that part of the park. Even when the attraction ceased operation! Now it seems that Fantasyland is sorely lacking in the 'ambiance' department.

And it STILL makes me cringe that Winnie the Pooh has taken over that entire area with that God-awful playground. All of the wonderful Disney classics that are set in true "storybook" settings seem so much more appropriate for Fantasyland.

Sigh...who agrees with me????

 

Originally Posted By Sport Goofy

I don't miss the attraction aspect of 20,000 Leagues at all. But there's no mistaking that it brought some great atmosphere to that corner of Fantasyland.

 

Originally Posted By Witches of Morva

ORGOCH: Heck! I don't see how nobody could HELP but miss 20,000 Frog Legs Under the Sea--'spec'ly when ya take the time ta compare it ta the dang replacement--Whiney the Pooh!!

 

Originally Posted By RoadTrip

I don't miss it a bit. The diesel exhaust the subs emitted certainly didn't add to the magic of Fantasyland. It was one of the slowest loading attractions in existence.

The inside of the subs were claustrophobic and smelled of stinky tourist. The effects were cheesy and laughable.

The Pooh Playground isn't any better, but I'm not sure it is much worse either. At least it doesn't stink.

I hope someday they will put a REAL attraction in that space. But in the meantime, I don't miss the subs at all.

 

Originally Posted By demderedoseguys

I miss Mr Toad's Wild Ride waaay more! Short,sweet and more "repeatability". Is that even a word? The thought of no 20K is worse than it not being there.

 

Originally Posted By davewasbaloo

I miss the ambience of seeing the subs. I just wish they would bulldoze Fantasyland and come up with a better look (like they did with DL in 1983). Or at least gradually like TDL.

The MK just feels like a load of corridors (just like DHS).

Maybe that is why I prefer Epcot and DAK.

 

Originally Posted By Witches of Morva

ORGOCH: Well, maybe YER pooh don't stink, RoadTrip, but Whiney's sure the heck does!! Give me one a them sunken subs over a pile a pooh ANY day!!!

 

Originally Posted By hightp

Though I was only in WDW once, while the subs were running (October 1991), I greatly miss the ambiance. Not only did the water add a nice visual but the Victorian rock and steel of Vulcania, and the subs disappearing under the waterfall added a certain mystique to Fantasyland.
In later trips to WDW, the lagoon reminded me of the old Disney magic, but on our last trip, the Poo Playground just seemed to be out of place. The whole land is missing something, now.

 

Originally Posted By fkurucz

Apparently its counterpart was missed in Anaheim.

 

Originally Posted By Witches of Morva

ORWEN: I agree that 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea added a lot to Fantasyland. In it's place, we now have a barren wasteland that might be there longer than the original attracion was. How sad is THAT?!

ORDDU: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea could and should have been updated to meet the more modern tastes of a more modern guest and then it would be one more classic attraction that managed to stand the test of time--such as Haunted Mansion, Jungle Cruise, etc.

 

Originally Posted By FerretAfros

For what it's worth, I don't think that 20K was ever in Fantasyland. There was an issue of Disney Magazine a few years ago (obviously) that had a picture of it and said that it was in Tomorrowland. I wrote in to correct it, telling them that the Submarine Voyage in DL was in Tomorrowland, but 20K in WDW was in Fantasyland. I got a kind of snotty email back saying that they appreciated my reading the magazine, but that the location in Tomorrowland was not a mistake. I don't really understand how Tomorrowland could possibly stretch all the way from next to it's a small world, jump over the entrance to Mickey's Toontown Fair/Starland/Birthdayland and continue along with the Speedway, all before reaching the main part of TL. It just seems like somebody at the Magazine was trying to cover her butt!

 

Originally Posted By RoadTrip

The 1997 Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World lists 20K as being in Fantasyland.

That's good enough for me.

 

Originally Posted By brotherdave

20K was never listed in Tomorrowland in any guidebook or map I had ever seen. She was definitely wrong.

As for missing the ride, I do, for nostalgic reasons. I always loved how graceful the subs plied the waters in Fantasyland. Sure, the effects were 'cheesy', but the ride experience was certainly unique and very 'Disney'!

 

Originally Posted By butterbarre

Our prior trip before this Feb. was in 1994 - so I guess we were one of the last to ride 20K. I really missed it. Even if you didn't ride it, if was fun to look at. What they replaced it with has all the ambience of a McD's playground. 20K was distinctly Disney. You knew you could be nowhere else than the MK when you saw it. Oh well...I missed the skyway trams too.

 

Originally Posted By mickey_ring

I do miss it.

August, 1972. I was 7 years old on our first trip to WDW and I took that stuff seriously. Flight to the Moon too.

 

Originally Posted By mickeyboy43

I never rode it, but I did see it when it was the "Fantasyland Character Expo". It was better then than a playground, but I dunno. It was definitely a distinctly Disney ride.

ON the other hand, Skyway trams took away from the Disney feel for me.

If you miss 20 K, visit this site!

www.20kride.com

 

Originally Posted By tonyanton

I thought the skyway worked the best at WDW...they were too overpowering for the post '83 Fantasyland in DL, but somehow tied together the large expanse of Fantasyland (and TL) in WDW.

I miss the subs terribly!

 

Originally Posted By Disneymom443

I'm raising my hand.. I really miss it, I loved it as a kid and even as an adult.. It is said to know my kids will not be able to enjoy it as well.

 

Originally Posted By butterbarre

Thanks for the link, mickeyboy. It brought back so many memories. And it was most definitely in Fantasyland. If they had to remove a ride, I would rather it have been Jungle Cruise as the whole idea is better done in AK.

I also liked the bird's eye view the skytrams provided. They were part of the opening day vision of the MK and gave the place a more 3D feel. Also, I much preferred the skytram safari at Busch Gardens to the land tour at AK.

 

Originally Posted By butterbarre

One of the pictures on the link explained it all. Looong lines of people waiting for a hard-to-cycle ride. Lots of people not in stores buying stuff. No off-load trinket shop for tie-in merchandise. High maintenance expense on lots of property. Bottom-line ...20K ws doomed. I can almost imagine a grid where they keep track of ancillary income per suare foot of property. 20K had to be at the bottom, truly 20K leagues down in a sea of red ink. I don't think it ever functioned under fast-pass. That idea could have salvaged it. I do remember a couple of an hour and a half waits in the broiling sun where we had to take the monorail back to the Poly so we and our 4 and 6 year children could recuperate. That ride invariably made us plan on a siesta break.