There are many sounds throughout Disney World that my family loves hearing. From the train to “hurry back” to “it’s out of this world!”. There is one in EPCOT, however, that the little and I constantly say to each other when we are not “home”.
MINE, MINE, MINE.
If you’ve ventured beyond Spaceship Earth you might have found yourself standing outside of a wonderfully blue building with rocks out front. On those rocks are three animatronic seagulls. Stand there long enough and you will hear them shouting MINE, MINE, MINE. Of course, you’ve made it to The Seas with Nemo and Friends.
Often just referred to as “the Nemo ride”, this is a reimagination of an older attraction called The Living Seas. Let’s step inside and do some exploring.
When you step into the building you will immediately notice that the lighting is dimmer and you seem surrounded by blue and coral formations. This makes you feel like you are under water. Look beneath your feet and you’ll see bubbles and the current. The queue is long and twisty, but don’t give up. Along the way you’ll see Cast Members encouraging you to “just keep swimming!”
Once you’ve reached the front of the queue you’ll see vehicles that might be familiar if you have visited Ariel in the Magic Kingdom. These are the clam mobiles, cute little buggies that look like giant clamshells in shades of pink and orange. Hop aboard and prepare to dive into the depths. As the ride begins, you see animation of Nemo, Marlin, and Dory, as well as other friends from the movie. You are whisked along as Marlin and Dory look for Nemo, but don’t worry, you always know where he is. The inside of this ride is cool, dark, and peaceful. Even when you come face-to-face with Bruce the shark, it’s not enough to be truly frightened. I love this ride as a chance to relax a little and decompress when I have gotten overwhelmed.
My favorite part of this ride comes when your vehicle arrives in a tunnel with a screen filled with bubbles. Crush and Squirt ride through the current and the animation gives you the sensation of riding right along with them. I have noticed that if I am feeling sensitive that day or have not eaten so I am already dizzy, this part can make me feel a little disoriented because of the juxtaposition of watching the wall move in the opposite direction that I am. If motion sickness is a problem for you, just be ready to close your eyes. Get going again and see the family reunited just in time for the fabulous finale. If I wasn’t counting the bubbles, this would be my favorite part of the ride.
Against the background of the characters singing “Big Blue World” your clam mobile glides in front of a glass wall to reveal your animated friends frolicking with actual sea creatures. It’s a fairly breathtaking moment that gets a touch of comic relief from Peach the Starfish stuck to the wall complaining about them singing the song nonstop. (“It’s a nice song, but they never stop singing it. Never. Never ever. Never ever ever never ever.”)
When your shell comes a rest, you can climb out and head into the huge aquarium viewing area to see the creatures you just met. Dolphins, rays, schools of fish, and even sea turtles glide along peacefully. Head upstairs to visit with manatees who were rescued after being injured. I adore manatees, so this is a place where I could just sit and hang out for hours. I have a little bit of kindred spirit thing going on with the somewhat awkward creatures that delirious sailors thought were mermaids but who actually just want to float around and eat lettuce.
The Seas with Nemo and Friends might not be a thrilling ride, but it is definitely one I look forward to every trip.
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Taryn was born and raised, and still lives in Richmond, Virginia. Neither she nor her husband ever had the opportunity to visit Walt Disney World when they were children, but when their daughter Avalon came along, they decided she was not going to follow in their footsteps. They brought Avalon for the first time when she was 3 and have been hooked ever since. Now along with Taryn’s mother and equally Disney-loving older brother, they go “home” at least once a year, and by the time she is staring longingly at Cinderella Castle from the ferry on their last night, Taryn is well on her way to planning the next trip. As a group consisting of two adults with Asperger’s, including one who is also vegan, a very accommodating husband, an only child, a senior, and a service dog, they are a pretty special family, but Taryn is excited to show that the World really is The Most Magical Place on Earth and that there is a place there for everyone. When she isn’t thinking about her next Disney adventure and trying to come up with a Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party costume that will beat her Oozma Kappa nerd look, she is a professional blogger and novelist, but Taryn also likes to indulge her Disney passion on her Etsy shop It’s Better in Vinyl.
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