As initially conceived, the Submarine Voyage was to feature real fish and other sea creatures, though the idea proved to be unfeasible. A major portion of the ride simulated the voyage under the
Arctic Ocean's polar ice cap undertaken by the nuclear submarine on August 3, 1958.
Ride The submarines followed a long guide rail through the following sections of the ride:
Getting under way As the guest enters the submarine, taped narrations play that help create an illusion that the guest is actually getting ready to submerge in a submarine. The Captain gives the order to clear the bridge and secure hatches and vents. When the last guest boards, the dock operators raise the ramps and secure the hatches. As the submarine leaves the dock, the Captain gives the "all ahead one-third" order.
Diving and lagoon As the submarine leaves the dock, it dives below the surface to view the undersea life of a tropical lagoon. The diving effect is accomplished by a dense curtain of small bubbles rushing towards the surface on a slight angle, giving the feeling that the submarine is moving forward and down. Guests can view seaweed, coral reefs, rock formations, and mysterious caves. Some of the specific oceanic creatures on the voyage were: •
common octopus battling a
shark •
sea turtle •
ocean sunfish •
barracuda • battling
lobsters • battling
crabs •
grouper •
giant clam •
moray eel Graveyard of Lost Ships After a quiet cruise through the lagoon, the navigation room receives word of a surface storm ahead. The submarine begins a dive, which takes it to 250 feet, a point safely below the violence of the turbulent hurricane. The submarine passes through the wreckage of other ships that have not fared so well. Ships from many periods of history lie barnacle-covered and decayed, including
Greek,
Roman, and
Viking ships.
Great White Sharks guard a treasure chest in the hold of a
Venetian galley. Nearby, deep-sea divers work to carry other treasures to the surface.
North Pole Sonar detects a polar ice cap ahead, and the diving officer takes the ship deeper in order to clear the ice. The submarine travels directly beneath the
North Pole. This is a recreation of the historic voyage of when it left Hawaii on July 22, 1958, and set its course for the North Pole.
The Bottom of the Sea After passing beyond the polar region, the submarine journeys to deeper waters where sunlight has never penetrated. Strange creatures can be sighted, including a
giant squid and creatures that can change color at will.
Mermaids Mermaids can now be seen. The Captain does not believe it at first and asks for the air pressure to be checked, but it is in fine working condition. The Captain thinks the mermaids are a
hallucination and asks if it is possible that they are real, but then dismisses it.
Lost Continent of Atlantis The submarine continues and enters an area which the Captain believed to be the lost continent of
Atlantis. There is some
volcanic activity in this area, but the submarine travels safely between teetering columns.
Sea Serpent As the submarine safely leaves the area of volcanic disturbance, a
sea serpent is sighted. The Captain calls the crew to man their battle stations and stand by for action. He then becomes convinced that he has been at sea too long when the comical cross-eyed sea serpent appears.
Return to the surface As the submarine reaches the surface, preparations are made for entering port. When all lines are secured, the "All ashore" is given and guests depart the submarine.
Vehicles The hulls (eight in all) for "one of the world's largest peacetime submarine fleets" cost $80,000 each to build. They were fabricated at Todd Shipyards in
San Pedro, California, then transported to the "Disneyland Naval Yard" in Anaheim for outfitting under the direction of retired
Admiral Joe Fowler. Technical data and advice regarding the design were provided by
General Dynamics' Electric Boat Division, builder of the
U.S. Navy's nuclear-powered submarines, and the first company in the world to manufacture submarines. The windows in the submarines, or
portholes, were first cut out by hand—this cutout was then used to carve out the other windows on the submarine. which in 2018 dollars would be $13.15 an hour. In 2005, an auction took place at the Disneyland Resort, where several pieces of the original attraction's scenery were sold, such as the
shark fighting with the
octopus on a rock. They were removed from the lagoon prior to the auction so new scenery for the updated
Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage could be built into the lagoon.
Queue In and around 1982, the waiting line for the attraction had various spiels combined with
sea chanties as mood music. Some of these sea chanties were: • "
The Sailor's Hornpipe" (traditional, of
Popeye cartoon fame, or of
Mike Oldfield's album
Tubular Bells fame) • "A Whale of a Tale" (from the Disney film
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea) • "
What Shall We Do With the Drunken Sailor?" (traditional, played on harmonica in the spiel) ==Closure and reopening==