How many of you remember WDW’s “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” attraction?
Photo by Jeff Lange
That classic Magic Kingdom attraction that allowed you to board a scaled-down version of the Nautilus …
Photo by Jeff Lange
… and journey with Capt. Nemo to see the wondrous sights that were hidden away in the caverns that you’ll see below.
Photo by Jeff Lange
Most Disneyana fans have very fond memories of “20K.” But as for WDW’s operations staff … They absolutely hated this Fantasyland attraction. Why for? Because “20,000 Leagues” was a maintenance nightmare. Which had to be shut down for at least three months every year …
Photo by Jeff Lange
… So that the Fantasyland Lagoon could first be drained and scrubbed.
Photo by Jeff Lange
… Once all that work was completed, Disney World’s paint crews could then move in and begin repainting all of “20K” ‘s coral and rockwork. Making sure that Nemo’s undersea kingdom would look great for the next subload of tourists that experienced this Fantasyland attraction.
Photo by Jeff Lange
But after nearly 23 years of annually dealing with all of “20,000 Leagues” ‘s annual maintenance problems, the Operations staff at WDW’s Magic Kingdom had had enough. Which is why they connived in September of 1994 to permanently close this Fantasyland attraction.
So all 10 Subs were hauled out of the water. Which eventually allowed King Triton to replace Capt. Nemo as the all-mighty ruler of Fantasyland Lagoon.
Photo by Jeff Lange
But as to what actually became of that fleet of Nautiluses (Hmmn. That doesn’t sound right. Is the proper term for multiple Nautiluses “Nautili”? Anyway …) … Come back tomorrow and I’ll share the rest of this nautical tail …
Photo by Jeff Lange
… er … tale.
Jeff Lange is the staff photographer / archivist here at JHM. He recently launched his own series of unofficial Disney theme park DVDs. Which will soon include “Fantasyland Favorites.” If you’d like to learn more about this upcoming release and/or any of the other entertaining recordings that Mr. Lange has produced, we suggest that you follow this link.