Waiting for Disneyland’s Finding Nemo submarine ride?
Most days at Disneyland the line for the new Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage averages about one to two hours. So far I’ve passed on the ride, delaying my virgin voyage until the wait drops to a more tolerable 30 minutes or less (my personal rule).
Disneyland cast members suggest getting in the Nemo line at 11:59 p.m. (or just before the park closes on any given night). Once you’re in line, you’re guaranteed to get on the ride (park policy, barring breakdown). At that hour, the queue is often reduced to an almost endurable 45 minutes and you’re not missing out on any other attractions.
I found the old sub ride to be a creaky yet charming snooze. A year ago during a pre-water press tour of the lagoon and caverns, I was impressed by the massiveness of the attraction (the journey clocks in at 12 minutes, a lifetime for a Disney ride), but underwhelmed by the $100-million cosmetic makeover.
You tell me: Was Nemo worth the wait? Snarky comments that begin with “How can you judge a ride you haven’t ridden…” will be posted first.
—Brady MacDonald, L.A. Times Staff Writer Amusement & Theme Parks Sleuth
Photo: (Don Kelsen / Los Angeles Times)
[Editor's note: Today we launch a regular, first-person series about Southern California's famous theme and amusement parks, from the insider's perspective of a frequent, long-time visitor. Let us know what topics you'd like to see addressed in the Comment section below.]
5 Comments on “Waiting for Disneyland’s Finding Nemo submarine ride?”
Leave a Comment
If you are under 13 years of age you may read this blog, but you may not participate. Here's the full legal spiel.
Comments are moderated, and will not appear on this blog until the author has approved them.
All fields are required
Advertisement
SUBSCRIBE TO THIS BLOG
Click the logo below to subscribe to news from this blog:
Or add this feed to your favorite RSS reader:
more
Or add this feed to your favorite RSS reader:
more
Advertisement
September 13th, 2007 at 5:32 am
Nemo is a 1-2 hour wait? The wait was up to 3 hours most of the summer. I saw if after the peak season ended in 2 hours. I’ll wait until the lines goes down before I ride it again, believe me. What about the proposed changes to the California Adventure Park?
September 13th, 2007 at 8:12 am
I waited an hour in line with my five year old nice. Surprisingly, she was more than happy to wait in line just to see Nemo. We got on just as the fireworks started and honestly, by that point after being in the park for 9 hours I was happy to sit down for 14 minutes. The ride I found boring, but my niece seemed to really enjoy it. I liked the fact that it gave me a chance to relax and sit down, and watching my nice get excited is what the ride is all about. Bottom line, kids love it but I wouldn’t get on it again. Unless my niece wants to!
September 13th, 2007 at 10:50 am
Steve is right. During the summer, the Nemo line absolutely stretched to three hours, what Disneyland euphemistically calls 180 minutes.
Disneyland staffers told me they had contingency plans to snake the Nemo line throughout the park, down Main Street USA and out to the front gate if the queue stretched to four-plus hours. To the best of my knowledge, that never happened.
Thanks for sharing your experiences, guys.
—Brady MacDonald, L.A. Times Staff Writer + Amusement & Theme Parks Blogger
September 18th, 2007 at 10:24 am
Altho we noticed the line for Nemo was 180 minutes most of our trip August 4-9. We entered Disneyland when it opened at 8:00 AM Wednesday August 8 and were getting into the Nemo Submarine at 8:22 AM and climbing out of the submarine at 8:41 AM..
There was NO EARLY ENTRY on Wednesday August 8.
It is a nice ride but NOT worth waiting in line 3 hours.
September 20th, 2007 at 12:36 am
I went the day after Labor day, and rode Nemo twice (once in the daytime and once at night), both times with waits of about 45 minutes.
Although flawed, I think that this is still quite a good ride. Some of the “wet for dry” effects in the caves are good as are the projections, I think that there needs to be more unification between the parallel plots of the ride (being the sub’s journey, and the nemo stuff) which makes the ride feel disjunct.
Otherwise, do try to ride it at night, as the underwater lighting makes the exterior scenes much more stunning, and also make sure you’re towards the front of the boat, for better syncronazation of the visual effects.