Is Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid Worth the Wait?

Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid is a slow-moving dark ride located in Fantasyland in the Magic Kingdom. Suitable for the whole family, the attraction allows Guests to board a clamshell to go under the sea and immerse themselves in the world of The Little Mermaid (1989).

This ride offers loads of fun for Guests of all ages, and especially for fans of The Little Mermaid, but is it worth a long wait in line? We’re here to help you decide!

Thankfully this ride is not one of the Park’s most popular attractions, so you will not often find it with very long wait times. The line can creep up for Under the Sea – Journey of The Little Mermaid, however, in the middle of the day and during any peak weeks at Walt Disney World the queue can become quite long.

The queue itself for this ride is long, but it is scenic and filled with lots of details, especially once Guests reach the scene with an Audio-Animatronic figure of Scuttle. Once on the ride though, the attraction is almost seven minutes long, which certainly helps with the wait time!

Each scene of the ride goes through iconic moments from the film. The musical sequence for Under the Sea is packed with all kinds of sealife seen in this part of the Disney animated movie, and the section featuring Poor Unfortunate Souls features an Audio-Animatronic of Ursula that is quite impressive.

Under the Sea – Journey of The Little Mermaid might be worth the wait for you if…

• You love The Little Mermaid. This is the only Little Mermaid-exclusive attraction open at Walt Disney World right now, while the show in Disney’s Hollywood Studios remains closed. If Ariel is your favorite Disney princess, you shouldn’t miss her ride.
• You are choosing rides the whole family can do. It’s slow-moving, and completely accessible (if you have a wheelchair or ECV in your party, there are even accessible ride vehicles.)

You may want to pass if…

• You are unfamiliar with The Little Mermaid. You really won’t be able to grasp the story from the ride alone, so it’s best to see the film first.
• You are prioritizing thrill rides. This ride is very slow-moving, with no drops, or thrilling scenes (save for the sight of Ursula).

Will you be riding during your next trip to the Magic Kingdom? Remember, you can always keep an eye on wait times and check for Disney Genie+ availability in the My Disney Experience app. Have a magical time!