FNSV's lagoon needs some TLC - will history just repeat itself?

[pineapplewhipaddict]

It is no secret that I miss the original Submarine Voyage attraction and find the current Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage to be a letdown. I have mostly avoided the attraction unless a friend is with me and they haven't seen it yet or want to.

However, I saw the lovely subs gliding through liquid space yesterday and thought, "Well, it's not the old attraction, but the subs are still the same, and I want to take a ride in a submarine." So, to my boyfriend's surprise, I told him that I wanted to ride the attraction.

When the attraction opened in 2007, there was a lot of hoopla and information about how WDI was painting the update lagoon. They created a recyclable glass so that it was eco-friendly and would last much longer than the old paint did.

But when I went on the attraction yesterday, I was shocked to see that the lagoon was looking reminiscent of the way it did before the original attraction closed when it was in such a dilapidated state. The paint is dull, chipped and faded. Sea anemones have lost all of their tentacles. Fish are bleached.

It's been a little over 4 years since the attraction opened and it has never really gone down for a real refurb. In it's first few months of operation, it closed for a few days (reportedly for testing for those really amazing Angler fish we were supposed to get, but the KUKA arms apparently didn't fit in the dry boxes...biggest waste for that attraction's budget) - but that is the extent of it. Most of Disneyland's main E-tickets get a refurb in every now and then, but Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage hasn't for some reason.

The inside portion of the ride looks much better than the outside, though it could use a little TLC here and there as well. Is Disney just going to let history repeat itself in such a short period of time? The attraction isn't even 5 years old. The lagoon needs to be drained and cleaned up.

Has anyone heard of any potential refurbs coming up for the attraction?

[Eric5675]

That's a good point. I haven't thought about that. It really hasn't been down for a refurb since it opened. The lagoon gets drained every 5 years, right? Like ROA?

[Bronco21]

I also noticed on my latest trip that the lagoon is looking a little worn. With so many major projects down for refurbs/ construction and the mess that is Alice in Wonderland that is still waiting for its permanent up to code fix, I'm sure that as soon as some of the major projects get completed we will see the subs go down for a refurb sometime next year after Cars Land opens.

Disney knows that it is in need of repair but closing a ride for months is a big deal. It is an even bigger deal when rides like the Matterhorn and Alice in Wonderland are already going to be down for long periods of time. Disney is very good at keeping rides going in order to keep the attraction count up until they can afford to have the attractions down. Indiana Jones is another attraction that is in disrepair but because of other major refurbs has been postponed until other projects in the resort are completed.

I do not know when the subs will go down for a refurb, but as of right now I think I consider fading paint not near as bad as the ugly temporary scaffolding in Alice or the broken effects on Indi.

[pineapplewhipaddict]

^ Disney has certainly been good about refurbs for other attractions and making sure enough is open at the same time...what bothers me about this is that the attraction is still so young and is looking the way it is already.

[Ice101]

In MY opinion, Disneyland is fairly good about refurbs (certainly better than Disney World) however some rides are completely neglected (Indiana Jones, I'm looking at you.) Finding Nemo also falls in that category. Splash goes down seemingly every other year for a winter-long refurb, Mansion and Small World go down every year for their Holiday refurbs, and Pirates gets it's good refurb every few years as well. But then we have those few others: Indiana Jones, the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, and a few others that have obviously deteriorated over the years. Is Disneyland pretty good? Sure. Could they be better? Absolutely.

[disneylandfan95]

I've never seen too big a problem with FNSV. There is one sea anemone that is looking a bit tired, but I would never say neglected. Sure some of the coral isn't as vibrant as it was 4 years ago, but I wouldn't say it's in the same state as when the original closed. That's just absurd.

A lot of the fading happens because the show sets sit outdoors in very heavily chlorinated water. Could things be touched up? Absolutely. Is the attraction looking neglected and dilapidated? No way!

[Tigger_Twin89]

I feel like it is getting to the point now where Disney should just go down for a month or two and refurb everything, give it a fresh coat of paint and touch it up. But I agree the lagoon is looking a little sad.

[bamato]

The lagoon could definitely use some love. You can't really expect much life out of paint that's exposed to direct sunlight and chlorine all day.

[Druggas]

Time to paint it and "plus" it.

[FormerDiz]

Just FYI. The old Sub Voyage when it closed in 1998, hadn't had a dry rehab in 13 years.

[Mr Wiggins]

Just FYI. The old Sub Voyage when it closed in 1998, hadn't had a dry rehab in 13 years.

...and it showed. The old Sub Voyage was an advertisement for Disney's appalling lack of care and maintenance for a once-premiere attraction. Year after year, no upgrades, no fixes. Disney deliberately let it run down and become tired, worn and hopelessly out of date. Until...

They closed it, claiming there was (surprise, surprise) "lack of guest interest."

[Druggas]

...and it showed. The old Sub Voyage was an advertisement for Disney's appalling lack of care and maintenance for a once-premiere attraction. Year after year, no upgrades, no fixes. Disney deliberately let it run down and become hopelessly out of date. Until...

They closed it, claiming there was (surprise, surprise) "lack of guest interest."

And who was in charge when that happened?

[Mr Wiggins]

And who was in charge when that happened?

People who are now gone in body, but whose business philosophy and vision for Disneyland as a marketing mall remains.

Thankfully, Disneyland's maintenance budget is no longer in the Pressler toilet.

But anyone who thinks it couldn't happen again in Anaheim should take a long, hard look at what is happening now in Orlando.

[Seawolf]

...and it showed. The old Sub Voyage was an advertisement for Disney's appalling lack of care and maintenance for a once-premiere attraction. Year after year, no upgrades, no fixes. Disney deliberately let it run down and become tired, worn and hopelessly out of date. Until...

They closed it, claiming there was (surprise, surprise) "lack of guest interest."

Couldn't have said it better! The truth was Disney wasn't taking care of the original Subs and used its state of disrepair to influence guests that it was time for a retirement. The attraction theme was just as relevant as ever and could have been a huge hit if they had spent the 160 million dollar budget restoring the original concept and modernizing effects. There is also a part of me that questions if they even had the artistic ability to do so since all the molds had been practically destroyed.

[pineapplewhipaddict]

I still shake my head at the statement that there was a "lack of guest interest." I remember that line constantly being 30-45 minutes long. They just didn't want to pony up the money to actually take care of the attraction.

I have a piece of concept art that was from the Disney Gallery...it shows part of a concept developed in the late 80s to update the original subs. It was supposed to use modern (for that time) effects and have a spectacular scene with a mermaid parade. It would have looked fantastic with some very impressive lighting and effects...but they just didn't want to spend the money.

I would really like to see Disney do a nice refurb for this attraction before it's 5th anniversary...maybe even add in at least a few special effects that we were really supposed to have in the first place.

I don't know about you, but I feel like the lagoon looks so...sparse compared to the original. There was tons of eye-candy and animatronics in the original, and now there's very little "marine life" - if if is there, it is probably static.