Subs....What was the excuse?

[circusfreak]

All right...Reading the Rocket Rod thread made me start to question other rides gone to yesterland.

Skyway- I understand....Great ride, full of liability from dillholes.

But, the Submarines? What excuse in the wide wide world of googlymoogly did they make in scrapping such a beautiful ride? Every time I go to DL I stare into the lagoon. Anyone? :monkey:

[CA_Man_In_HI]

Actually the title of this thread should be "Tomorrowland...What was the excuse?" Let's face it, it may have been a little outdated, but it was still the most popular land. If you want to know why Subs, the Peoplemover/RR or any other attraction left, I think the real answer is quickly summarized by just saying, Paul Pressler and Michael Eisner working together towards a common goal. Simple math teaches us a negative plus a negative equals a greater negative.

[Jspider]

what do you mean the most popular land :confused:

they closed it because it cost too much to keep up and pressler had just figured out that he could close small attractions without effecing attendance much

[Cousin Orville]

I think there is a needlepoint design in a frame somewhere at TD that says "Cheap is beautiful". End of story. The greatest risk of course, is not taking a risk at all.

[figment1986]

Hmm... let see... While TL was getting redone.. The attraction was left open due to they had money to run it... However if this attaraction was left open during a rehab of a land it was based in.. you will be able to tell.... this attraction might not last after opening....

[desertdweller]

The Subs

I rode the submarine attraction for the first time when it was brand new in June 1959. As a teenager we all thought it was spectacular and the live mermaids who perched on the rocks during the day were fun.

As the years went by the subs began losing their appeal. They smelled, were cramped and the lines could be very long. The effects weren't all that great once audio animatronics became the way to go with the newer attractions. I kept waiting for them to upgrade the ride in later years and add at least some animated critters and perhaps a frightening undersea creature that moved.

It's amazing that they've not redeveloped that large area that it occupies but I'm sure it has to do with the monorail supports. When they had to move one during the building of Downtown Disney I recall it cost a tremendous amount of money. Being a low capacity ride probably made it expendable, too and closed, maintenance was reduced to only having to keep the water clean.

[Malibu Minion]

What year did the subs close?

[figment1986]

It's amazing that they've not redeveloped that large area that it occupies but I'm sure it has to do with the monorail supports. When they had to move one during the building of Downtown Disney I recall it cost a tremendous amount of money. Being a low capacity ride probably made it expendable, too and closed, maintenance was reduced to only having to keep the water clean.

The monorail pylons & the fact autopis is sitting ontop of the show building and the olde People mover track goes of it too is why nothing has changed there.....

What year did the subs close?

I beliefve the subs closed either in 1997 or 1998.... I think it was the latter due to they closed when TL was finnished form it's extensive referbishment...

[Gemini Cricket]

According to MousePlanet. The subs just got the greenlight.
(??)

[Flint]

According to MousePlanet. The subs just got the greenlight.
(??)

Great, another crappy overlay of an ancient ride. There's imagination for you.

They should just drain the lagoon, tear down the show building, and think of something NEW for a change.
They could syncronize that with removing the Peoplemover track completely. The only negative I see is that the Monorail and Autopia would have to be down for a while as well, until they clear the area.

They should restore the motorboat cruise while they're at it...

[Fantasmic_Freak]

I think the Subs comming back is a step in the right direction . te finding nemo theme .. not so hot on that but it will be cool to have another attraction filling up the lagoon

[sediment]

According to MousePlanet. The subs just got the greenlight.
(??)

Is that from MP's update this week? Or were you thinking of Al's update of last week?

[Malibu Minion]

I saw it in MousePlanet's update today

[circusfreak]

Pressler...Figures.

Thank god he's gone! Money, figures....What a complete Dunderhead.

Thanks for the quick answers back!

Hopefully Nemo-ized Subs will be successfull! :monkey:

[SoCal]

Great, another crappy overlay of an ancient ride. There's imagination for you.

How do you know it is 'crappy'? Have you seen it? I am just happy they are going to bring back the subs so I can take my kids on a new ride (new for them). And after I see it for myself then I will make the decision if it is good or bad. But I am clueless as to how you can proclaim it is crappy when they have not showed any design ideas or even started to work on it.

Bringing the subs back is a great, positive step in the correct direction! I am sure my kids will love it - they are big Nemo fans.

[Flint]

When the basis for green-lighting something is "how cheaply can we get this done" instead of "how can we make this more entertaining"... yeah, I stick by my assertion.

[CyberCoyote]

Overlays and traditions

First off, I have to admit my extreme prejudice in favor of the subs. I grew up in SoCal, back when going to DL (even for locals) was a special occasion rather than a weekend time-filler. If my family ever lost track of me, they didn't need to go to the kiddy lost and found. They knew I would either be at the 20K exhibit or the subs. I never got tired of pretending I was exploring "the world of inner space." I have a framed full-size litho of the attraction in a prominent place in my home and have been known to listen to the soundtrack while driving around. Having said that, I have mixed feelings about its return. It did need an update (perhaps something like the DisneySea 20K ride, only wet) but I'm really not liking the current trend of DL/DCA/WDW park management to "refurbish" classic rides with Pixar or other currently popular films. It's very short-sited, and in the case of the Pixar properties a little mean-spirited in light of that soon-to-be-dissolved partnership (trying to squeeze $$$ out of a business arrangement that failed largely due to Eisner's hubris). I can't help but feel that the less tied to current trends and themes an attraction is, the more timeless it is. Look at what happened recently with the Stitch overlay of the generic Extra-Terror-estrial attraction at WDW: still too scary for the kiddies, apparantly. I rode it once and now wish I had been on it more. It was awesome!

[Importance]

One point that was made on another thread was that the new design will allow the ride to be updated and changed much easier, and for much less money. So, if you are a fan of the subs, this new update is good news regardless if you are a fan of Finding Nemo or not.

[mp3piratesavvy]

They should still have elements from the old ride, such as atlantis, mermaids, and those giant clams. You could work it out into the story. I was at the park (2/20/05) and they removed the barnacles from the loading station (where you would get on the sub, the first thing you saw were barnacles) so I wonder what they are planning....

[SoCal]

When the basis for green-lighting something is "how cheaply can we get this done" instead of "how can we make this more entertaining"... yeah, I stick by my assertion.

Hey cool - I had no idea you were in those meetings! :bow:

What would you rather have? A big pool of nothing? Or a ride the guests can go on maybe, juuuuuust maybe - have fun? I can tell you now my kids will like it, so I am excited for the return of the subs.