Under The Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid Overview | Disney’s Magic Kingdom Attractions

Go on a journey with Ariel and friends. From under the sea, without getting wet of course, to her time on the land with legs, guests will encounter a grand musical adventure.

Attraction Overview

Under The Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid was a part of the Fantasyland expansion inside Magic Kingdom that took place between 2009 to 2012. This attraction officially opened on December 6, 2012.

The ride uses omni-mover clam shells to take guests through the story of the Little Mermaid. Guests will see scenes from the feature film The Little Mermaid, and even hear the voices of the original cast such as Jodi Benson, who played Ariel. The characters are all audio animatronics as well, creating an engaging experience.

This attraction begins with the wacky bird Scuttle greeting guests. He tries to tell everyone the love story of Ariel and Eric, but he can’t get it quite right. Guests are then rotated backwards and dipped down slightly to go “under water”. The effect of going under the sea is done via lights and cool fans. After the descending, guests see Ariel in her grotto of treasures singing the classic song “Part of Your World”. 

Further along guests will join Sebastian and his chorus of fish, mollusks, and shellfish friends as they sing “Under the Sea”. This portion of the ride is bright and fun with all the fish dancing and playing their instruments. As the clamshells leave this area, the ride goes dark and the music turns more suspenseful. Flotsam and Jetsam appear and coax Ariel over to a dark cave-like area. Ursula appears here for her rendition of “Poor, Unfortunate Souls”. 

When Ariel gets her legs and goes up to the land guests get to see Eric. Here is the famous scene with “Kiss the Girl”. Afterwards guests see Eric and Ariel married with all their fish friends and King Triton surrounding them with a rainbow. The ride finishes with one last appearance from Scuttle.

Map

Location & Wait Times

Guests will find Under The Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid situated in between Gaston’s Tavern and Storybook Circus. From Ariel’s Grotto and the queue for this attraction guests will be able to see the backside of the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. 

Wait times for this attraction are typically low. In the morning guests can practically walk right onto the ride. As the busy midday hits, guests are more likely to hit medium wait times. 

Queue Experience

The queue for Under The Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid is very immersive. Starting outside the attraction, guests see a giant shipwreck, with a statue of Ariel on the front. Moving past this area, the queue outside is lined with beach-like rocks and a waterfall with a little pond.

When guests enter the queue it is like being at the beach. They will walk through the rocks and see starfish and shells, even an appearance from Scuttle. There is driftwood as well with messages from Ariel and all of her treasures are able to be seen. The beach-like scene changes to look like a rocky castle. Here is where guests will enter their clamshell omni-movers.

Written by

Rachel Van Norman

 

Guest Author

Rachel fell deeply in love with all things Disney as a little girl. Now as a wife and a mother herself, she shares this Disney obsession with her son and everyone around her. From her love of princesses to eating all the Disney food, Rachel spends her time radiating Disney magic and keeping everyone up to date on Disney news.