Little Mermaid – Ariel’s Undersea Adventure

One of our favorite rides on the California Adventure side. My preschooler loves it, the line is usually manageable, it’s cool inside on a hot day, and it’s just generally fun.
The crowning moment for both me and the boy is turning the corner and seeing (and hearing) Ursula. Every single time.

One of my favorite rides on the California Adventure side. My preschooler loves it, the line is usually manageable, it’s cool inside, and just generally fun.
The crowning moment for both me and the boy is turning the corner and seeing (and hearing) Ursula. Every time.

Great loading and unloading system that makes the line move really really fast. We rode six times in a row! This was my five year old’s favorite ride obviously lol. Very beautiful inside with lots to look at and great music. Fun for everyone! Very comfortable slow ride.

I can’ believe all the great reviews this ride gets. Yes there are very cool features but I personally can’t get over the fact there isn’t a drop of real water in the whole ride. I am a huge Disneyland fan, we go a few times a year. I will never spend my time on that ride. The Little Mermaid is one of the best Disney movies and this ride is an embarrassment to Disneyland, in my opinion. They spent a fortune on making Ariel look «real» but didn’t care there isn’t water for the «under the sea» adventure? I can go on and on and on butlets put it this way, I could have gotten off the ride when I saw the fish spitting plastic «water». If Mr. Disney was alive I doubt this would have happened. What happened to the imaginer’s, imagination?

For a 10-​minute wait during the crowded holiday season, this is a great ride to go on when you want to take a break from all the fast rides, or when you’re finding something to do between Fastpass wait times. Because this is a dark ride that follows the story of the movie, this ride also adds old-​school Disney charm to California Adventure that’s seriously lacking in this park. Sure, Disneyland is full of old-​school Disney charm, but when you’re only in Anaheim for one day and the Park Hopper ticket is just too expensive and not worth cramming both parks into one day, the Little Mermaid ride is the perfect addition in what I like to endearingly nickname «the fake Palace of Fine Arts.»
Whoever did the Sebastian imitation voice did a HORRIBLE job. I know it’s Sebastian who’s telling the riders about safety guidelines because of the Jamaican accent (or a horribly fake one in this case), but this poor imitation was very cringe-​worthy to listen to.
It’s a smooth, calming, and steady ride. The animatronics are very pretty and well-​done. Scuttle narrates the story of the Little Mermaid, and in the first part, you get to see Ariel singing «Part of Your World» in her grotto while holding the music box of the dancing couple. Keep an eye out for Sebastian opening the little chest he’s hiding in too. :)
We then transition to «Under the Sea,» which is very lively, though I wish this segment of the ride was more brightly lit, and more vibrantly colored to better reflect this colorful scene from the film.
The «Poor Unfortunate Souls» segment had Ursula singing and waving her hands over her enchanted globe. Then, we jump straight to the «Kiss the Girl» scene, which was very cute. Afterwards, there’s no giant battle against Ursula, nor is there Eric stabbing and killing Ursula with his ship. I was honestly looking forward to a giant Ursula ballooning to diabetic proportions before our eyes, and then a whirlpool and a battle to the death with Eric. C’mon, if kids can handle California Screamin and Tower of Terror, they can absolutely handle a bloody animatronic battle!
Instead of a battle scene, we jumped straight to the wedding that ends the movie. The End.

Another one of the classic sit down and enjoy the show rides while on a track. Nothing truly special, but entertaining nonetheless.
They brush through the story rather quickly, but there is practically no line to get on this ride and it lets you relax your feet if you’re getting tired.
I love seeing Disney characters in animatronic form, so as expected, I enjoyed this one.

There is NEVER a long line… well it’s technically a long line, but it moves so quickly. For the most part, I think they get the story line and there’s a good flow to the ride. Until the end, where it’s kind of abruptly over and Ariel is getting married.

Love this ride! They pay close attention to details here and everything down to the floor is themed and ties in perfectly with the whole «under the sea» theme. Usually not a long wait which I appreciate. It’s a good ride to come and cool off in when it’s hot outside. The little cars are conch shells and just like Haunted Mansion, never stop (unless for handicap riders) so it keeps things moving and you just walk right up to the ride and get in. Lots of interesting lighting effects, projections and bright, bold colors to keep you entertained.

I’ve only seen the Little Mermaid one or two times. That’s mostly because when the movie came out this girl in my elementary school said the movie was bullshit because Ariel didn’t die like in the book. She made it known to everyone that in the REAL Little Mermaid, Ariel turns into sea foam at the end. I think this little girl was the first ever hipster I encountered.
Anyway, she soured me on Little Mermaid so when I went on this ride, I didn’t really know what was going on. According to my girlfriend – who HAS seen the Little Mermaid numerous times – the ride skips a lot of plot points. Who are we kidding though. Do you really go on these rides expecting a coherent plot? Not really. So all I can say is the set pieces are well done, and the graphics pretty cool where they use them. The Ursula part is the best.

I love the little mermaid ride! The ride is super adorable. The ride moves quickly and it is relaxing and cool during hot days.

It’s a cute ride. The best part about this ride is: short line up and blasting AC. It’s a perfect break from the heat

My favorite ride in California Adventure for 2 reasons:
1) The line is always moving
2) They blast the AC. a nice delight during the summer months and everything is pretty much outside
Enjoy! :)

This has been my all time favorite Disney movie ever since it ever came out in 1989, when I was 5 years old.
I loved every moment of this ride, except the fact that I felt like it was a little too short. I really wished that it was as long as the «it’s a small world» ride. I do love the seashell seats though.
Either way, I would go on this ride again, again because it’s my favorite Disney movie of all time. #WeakHeart
This ride is also a slow one. The best time to go on this ride, is when your feet hurt! It’s a relaxing ride.

The Little Mermaid ride is one of my 3 year old daughter’s favorites, maybe because it’s one of the few in CA for which she meets the height requirement.
The line is generally short to nonexistent, so we usually walk on this ride a couple of times. When there is no line, the employees let us just stay on for another whimsical journey under the sea.
Truth be told, I’d bet money this ride won’t be here for very long. It combines video screens with animatronic characters to give a D+ book report of the movie. There’s a lot of colorful things moving around, music throughout, and a particularly scary Ursula. Other than that, the ride drives home the message that if you’re a girl, you should be wiling to trade your talents to get a handsome rich guy… Hardly the message I’d like to reinforce with my little girl. But she isn’t there yet, and she sorta just likes the mermaid/​princess motif… And I’m cool with that… For now.

Nice ride.
As the norm in both parks, the animatronics and ride here is well done and unique. Kids will love it and parents will appreciate it. Fans of the Little Mermaid of course will love it as it goes over the first Little Mermaid movie.
The ride stopped several times during the time I was on largely do to the constant movement of the belt with the cups and some having difficulty getting in or out with the constant motion, so be prepared for possible ride stoppage during a busy time. It’s not the only ride in both parks that do that, but this was the only one that stopped well more than once.
If you’re really hot, the first time the ride takes you into the «ocean», that blast of cool air will feel better than an orgasm.
There’s 2 entrances for this ride that meet in the middle (when I was there), so you can come in on the right or left provided it’s not overly crowded.
Located in California Adventure almost opposite the big wheel, it’s worth riding at least once.

Let me start this off by saying that Disney made a mistake in waiting 20+ years to add a ride based on the Little Mermaid. Automatically you’re gonna hype this ride up in your head, because if it took so long to make it must be spectacular. Right? Right???
Well…no. It’s another storybook ride, a la what you find in Disneyland’s Fantasyland. My first question is, why not a flume ride and add some water to this thing? But there’s no water in the mermaid ride. Life goes on.
This ride is simple and cutesy and good if you want to get on something without a crazy line. The line is almost always 5 minutes or fewer, and the little ones will love singing along. (Yes, I sing along too.) It’s pretty solid if you need to add another ride to the list, but don’t beat yourself up if you’re an out-​of-​towner and don’t make it on.

(California Adventures)
Extremely cute ride that tells the story of the Little Mermaid cartoon with the help of some projection images and animatronics. This a constantly moving ride in which you and 2 or 3 other people can hop in a moving carriage and be seated and watch the story unfold.
This is a perfect ride to plan for midday when you are looking for a quick cool down in the middle of summer. Appropriate for the little kids.

As The Little Mermaid is my favorite Disney movie, I have a very biased opinion of this ride! The ride takes you through the entire story of The Little Mermaid, starting off with submerging «under the sea» into Ariel’s world. The animatronics are fantastic, really making this ride come alive. Generally there is a short waiting line and you get to wait in air conditioning. Although this is a simple ride, it is fun and will bring a smile to your face!

Cute ride in California Adventure very reminiscent of all the quote-​unquote «dark» rides in Fantasyland. This ride is PERFECT for what used to be an empty spot in C.A. before Disney made the huge revamp.
Only three stars, though, since the art just isn’t QUITE on point with the art at the rides in Fantasyland. I feel like this ride is 90% there, but not quite 100%.

This ride is at Disney’s California Adventure. It is safe for riders of all ages.
To get into line, you just walk to the corner of the building where an employee will be standing. The first few times I walked by, I thought this was for a show, not a ride. I had no idea.
Come, step onto the moving platform and take a ride in the clamshell and go under the water with me!
As you walk up and down the roped walkways, look down and notice the embedded shells in the floor. Check out the beautiful painting of Ariel and see the various shades of green tiles & seaweed as you anticipate your little adventure.
The pluses of this ride are that you don’t have to wait very long, it is nice and cool inside the building, and you will get to rest your feet!
It is a cute ride, better suited for the younger audiences. During the ride, you will be taken through different scenes from the movie, of course. All the characters are very colorful! You’ll also hear music from the movie. This entertainment is full animatronic characters and projection type of images. I didn’t really know what to expect, so my expectations weren’t a factor. I will admit it, it is a little cheesey, but the Nemo submarine ride is as well!
A tiny bit off point:
My parents bought my daughter The Little Mermaid book with other stories in it. I am partial to this storyline because one of Ariel’s sister’s name is ALANA! Pretty cool!
I would and will ride this ride mainly to take a load off my feet and to cool off while taking in some cute sights.

Good place to seek relief when the SoCal climate gets too hot. The line moves along quickly and sometimes there’s hardly a line at all.
.
I’m bummed that the ride needed more things:
1. more Sebastian
2. more Ursula
3. the golden castle and other subliminal images
A fast moving line, smooth ride, great music, and cool animatronics all make for fine time with the family, especially Mini-​me, at Ariel’s Undersea Adventure ride.

Ariel’s Undersea Adventure feels like a ride right out of Disney’s Fantasyland only it’s located in the heart of Disney’s California Adventure Park instead. The ride typically has very short lines (10 – 15 minutes) and moves quickly as it utilizes the same non-​stop passenger loading system as the Haunted Mansion. Each clamshell vehicle comfortably holds two passengers (three if the third is a small child).
The ride progresses through the story of the movie by first going under the sea (in simulated fashion) and also features some animated scenes throughout to really add an added layer. The sculptures and animation are well done and the ride is a great way to kill some time or in the case of our most recent visit to beat the heat for a few minutes.
Although the ride is well done it is strictly geared toward small children and most adults would be bored after the initial ride. Out of all the rides I have been on in the Paradise Pier section of the park this is probably my least favorite but will still get the occasional ride due to the short wait times and its proximity to the nearby eateries and shows. If you have small children check it out if not I would skip this and stick with Toy Story Mania for a more entertaining ride experience