Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid (Ride Guide)
Under the Sea-Journey of the Little Mermaid is an attraction in New Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom. Commonly known as The Little Mermaid Ride, this attraction allows guests to go under the sea and visit the world of the little mermaid.
This article discusses Under the Sea-Journey of the Little Mermaid in detail. We’ll look at how to make this attraction “part of your world” during your Walt Disney World vacation.
A beloved attraction, this is one that fans of The Little Mermaid won’t want to miss. Throughout the ride, you can expect to hear classic tunes, including Poor Unfortunate Souls. You’ll also encounter show scenes from the original movie with favorite characters like King Triton, Sebastian, and Scuttle. Each scene features audio animatronics that brings the ride to life!
Here’s a quick reference chart for the Journey of the Little Mermaid at Magic Kingdom.
| Under the Sea Journey of the Little Mermaid | Magic Kingdom |
|---|---|
Location: | New Fantasyland |
Height Requirement: | None |
Lightning Lane: | Yes, with Multi Pass (Tier 2 Category) |
Ride Type: | Omnimover Slow-Moving |
Seats Per Vehicle: | Up to three per clam shell |
Rider Switch: | None |
Early Theme Park Hours: | Yes |
Extended Evening Hours: | Yes |
Good For: | Little Mermaid Fans Small Children |
Scare Factor: | None |
Must-Do List: | Medium |
Perfect For: | All ages |
Special Mention: | Sebastian makes several appearances. |
Additional Info: Guests in ECVS must transfer to a wheelchair. This attraction has an audio description and handheld captioning.
Make sure to check our one-stop Lightning Lane Guide to plan your attractions.
Subscribe to the Resorts Gal newsletter and we’ll send you a copy of our complimentary planning spreadsheets.
Under the Sea Journey of the Little Mermaid Review
Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid debuted a decade ago during the New Fantasyland expansion. It is the only attraction representing The Little Mermaid at Magic Kingdom.
Journey of the Little Mermaid has an exceptionally long queue, so it’s difficult to gauge the length of the line from the ride’s entrance. However, posted wait times tend to be pretty accurate. Both Stand-By and Lightning Lane queues are available for this attraction. However, in most instances, you won’t need to use an individual Lightning Lane.
A shipwreck with Ariel at the helm sits outside the attraction’s entrance. Ariel’s Grotto, a character meet-and-greet, is available immediately next door. Guests have the opportunity to meet Ariel at her Grotto as a mermaid.
A few ride rules are posted outside the entrance.
Here is a photo of the entrance for the standby queue.
Prince Eric’s Castle sits in the background. You’ll pass by it as you journey through the queue to Ariel’s undersea adventure.
An interactive game is available for guests waiting in standby. Per the instructions, you help the crabs sort Scuttle’s collection of human stuff into piles.
It’s a well-themed queue, and the game helps keep children entertained.
You can see one of the blue crabs in the photo below.
Fun Fact: Every year, on Mickey’s birthday (November 18th), guests gather at the Journey of the Little Mermaid to see a unique hidden Mickey projected as a shadow when the sun hits a specific area at approximately noon.
Under the Sea Journey of the Little Mermaid uses an Omnimover ride system like Haunted Mansion and Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin. Guests step onto a slow-moving walkway to board a clamshell.
After securing a seat in your clamshell, you’ll pull the lap bar over you. A few minutes later, your clamshell rotates, and you’ll find yourself traveling backward under the sea.
First, you’ll encounter Ariel in her thingamabob place with Flounder. They are admiring Ariel’s treasures. She has whosits and whatsits galore!
Then, you’ll enter a large room of sea life as Under the Sea plays in the background.
Ariel makes another appearance as she dances along with the band.
Before long, you’ll enter Ursula’s lair. She’s up to no good like usual.
Unfortunately, Ariel made a terrible deal with Ursula, and you see her transform into a human. She didn’t know the human world was a mess!
Before long, the mood is set, and everyone’s waiting for Prince Eric to kiss the girl. Sha-la-la-la-la!
As most happy endings go, things have a way of working out. Meanwhile, the evil villain, Ursula, is left fuming in the background.
King Triton even throws in a few fireworks with his trident to celebrate.
And Ariel and Prince Eric live happily ever after.
Journey of the Little Mermaid is an excellent attraction to experience during the late afternoon or evening hours when wait times in this area are at their lowest. However, this ride is not a great escape from the rain. There’s no shelter near the entrance or the exit. So, if you were to exit in a downpour, you’ve got a decent walk to the next covered location.
Here are a few photos from the attraction.
The Resorts Gal Spin on Under the Sea-Journey of the Little Mermaid
Under the Sea-Journey of the Little Mermaid gets the green light. This attraction can be experienced almost anytime with minimal waits. However, if you’re at Magic Kingdom on a major holiday, it will have long waits like everything else.
Resorts Gal Traffic Signals
Green Light
We give an attraction the green light if we consider it a must-do, regardless of the posted wait. We also give the green light for attractions we deem suitable to experience anytime. For example, some attractions have high capacities. Therefore, the lines continuously move and you shouldn’t have a long wait unless the attraction experiences downtime.
Red Light
We recommend checking the posted wait times for red light attractions. Then, make a quick judgment call on whether to wait, skip it, or return later. We also red light some attractions that we feel might not be suitable based on our experience.
Final Thoughts
For more attractions, the following rides are located nearby Ariel’s ride:
- Enchanted Tales with Belle
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Review
- Walt Disney World’s Dumbo, the Flying Elephant
- Magic Kingdom’s The Barnstormer
- Peter Pan’s Flight
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Or you might enjoy the complete list of rides at Magic Kingdom.
For more information about planning a Disney World vacation, you might enjoy some of these resort-planning articles:
- Start Here For Our Disney World Vacation Planning Guide
- Disney World Hotel Reviews
- Best Off-Site Resorts Near Disney World
- Benefits of Staying at a Disney World Resort
If you plan to meet characters in the parks, we keep an updated list of Disney World Characters. That review links to every meet-and-greet available in each of the four parks.
In the Comments
Have you ridden Under the Sea Journey of the Little Mermaid? It’s one of my favorites. Leave a comment and let me know yours!
