What Is Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage?
Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage is a gentle underwater-themed attraction in Tomorrowland at Disneyland Park.
Your adventure begins by descending into a bright yellow research submarine operated by the fictional Nautical Exploration and Marine Observation Institute, appropriately abbreviated N.E.M.O.
Once aboard, guests sit facing individual portholes as the submarine travels through the lagoon. You’ll pass divers, coral formations and mysterious artifacts before familiar characters from Finding Nemo begin appearing beneath the surface.
The story sends Marlin and Dory searching for Nemo, with guests along for the expedition.
Which Finding Nemo Characters Will You See?
Nemo isn’t the only familiar face swimming through the attraction.
Disney currently lists characters including Marlin, Dory, Squirt, Crush, Bruce the shark, Mr. Ray, Gill, Bubbles, Pearl and Peach as part of the adventure.
The attraction combines physical underwater environments with animated characters, allowing Nemo and his friends to appear as though they’re swimming outside your submarine.
Sound is part of the illusion too. Disney’s fictional “sonar hydrophones” allow passengers to hear the characters as the story unfolds around them.
Because everyone is looking through a different porthole, your view isn’t exactly the same as the person sitting elsewhere in the submarine. Disney notes that one passenger may spot Nemo at a moment when someone else cannot, although everyone gets opportunities to see and hear him during the voyage.
Do the Disneyland Submarines Really Go Underwater?
This is one of the most interesting parts of the attraction.
When you board, you descend below the waterline into the passenger cabin. Once seated, you’re looking through portholes positioned beneath the surface of the lagoon.
The submarine itself follows its route through the water while the attraction’s environments and effects create the impression that you’re traveling deeper into an underwater world.
For a young child looking through the porthole, the technical distinction probably doesn’t matter much. It feels like you’ve boarded a submarine and headed beneath the sea with Nemo.
What Is It Like Inside the Submarine?
This is worth considering before getting in line because Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage has an unusual ride environment.
Passengers descend a narrow stairway into the submarine and sit on fold-down seats facing individual portholes. The interior is enclosed, and guests remain inside the submarine for the duration of the voyage.
For many visitors, that’s exactly what makes the attraction fun. Sitting below the waterline and peering through your own window helps sell the illusion of an undersea expedition.
Guests who are uncomfortable in tight or enclosed spaces may feel differently.
If someone in your group is concerned about the submarine environment, knowing what the interior is like before boarding can help avoid an unpleasant surprise.
There’s an Accessible Way to Experience the Voyage from Shore
The submarine’s narrow stairs aren’t accessible to everyone, but Disney provides an alternative experience.
Guests who are unable to navigate the stairway into the submarine can ask about the Observation Outpost located at the end of the dock.
The Observation Outpost presents a high-definition video version of the voyage using an onboard “SubCam,” allowing guests to follow the adventure without physically boarding the submarine.
This is also worth asking a Cast Member about if the physical submarine environment presents a concern for someone in your party.
Accessibility procedures can change, so speak with a Cast Member at the attraction for the current options available during your visit.
Is Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage Good for Young Children?
Disney lists the attraction for guests of any height, which makes it one of the Tomorrowland experiences families can enjoy with young children.
There are no roller coaster drops or high-speed launches. The submarine moves gently through the attraction while the adventure unfolds outside the portholes.
That doesn’t mean every child will react the same way.
Parts of the attraction are dark, and Bruce the shark and other moments in the story can feel more intense than the colorful outdoor lagoon suggests. The enclosed submarine environment may also be unfamiliar to very young riders.
Children who already love Finding Nemo may be so focused on spotting Nemo, Dory and the other characters that the unusual setting becomes part of the fun.
How Long Is the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage?
The voyage itself lasts roughly 12 minutes.
You’ll want to allow additional time for boarding and exiting because passengers need to move up and down the submarine’s stairway.
Wait times can also vary significantly throughout the day, so check the Disneyland app rather than assuming the line will be short because the attraction is gentle.
If Finding Nemo is important to your family, keep an eye on the wait while you’re already exploring Tomorrowland and choose a time that fits naturally into your day.
A Disneyland Attraction with Roots in 1959
Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage opened in 2007, but the attraction’s history stretches much farther back.
The original Submarine Voyage debuted at Disneyland in 1959. At the time, Disneyland described its futuristic submarines as taking guests through “liquid space.”
The attraction was loosely inspired by the real-world excitement surrounding submarine exploration during the era. The USS Nautilus, the world’s first nuclear-powered submarine, had completed its historic voyage beneath the North Pole the previous year.
Disneyland’s Submarine Voyage became one of the park’s original E-ticket attractions and operated for 39 years before closing in 1998.
When Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage debuted in 2007, Disney didn’t simply build a completely unrelated attraction in the same location. The reimagined experience brought the lagoon and submarines back into service with a new Pixar-inspired adventure.
Yes, These Submarines Have Been at Disneyland for Decades
One of the coolest details about Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage is hiding in plain sight.
The submarines used by the attraction trace their history back to the original Submarine Voyage. They were extensively updated for the Finding Nemo version, but today’s attraction maintains a physical connection to the Disneyland experience that began in 1959.
That gives Finding Nemo an unusual combination of old and new Disneyland.
Young visitors see Nemo, Dory and Crush swimming outside their portholes. Longtime Disneyland fans can appreciate that they’re riding through the same lagoon aboard submarines connected to one of Walt Disney’s classic Tomorrowland attractions.
Look for a Small Tribute to Tomorrowland History
Disneyland likes hiding historical references throughout its attractions, and the Finding Nemo queue contains one that’s easy to miss.
Look at the industrial-style pipes running overhead and you may spot the designation “TL59.”
The letters and numbers reference Tomorrowland and 1959, the year the original Submarine Voyage debuted.
It’s a tiny detail, but it’s a good example of how Disney Imagineers incorporated the history of the original attraction into the Finding Nemo version rather than pretending the lagoon’s earlier life never existed.
Tips for Riding Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage
- Check the Disneyland app for the current wait. Lines can vary considerably throughout the day.
- Know what you’re boarding. The passenger cabin is enclosed and reached by a narrow stairway.
- Ask about the Observation Outpost if needed. Disney provides an alternative experience for guests unable to navigate the submarine stairs.
- Let kids claim a porthole. Each passenger gets a slightly different perspective on the underwater scenes.
- Prepare sensitive children. The attraction is gentle, but there are dark environments and encounters with characters such as Bruce the shark.
- Don’t skip it just because you’ve seen the movie. The unusual submarine ride system is a major part of the experience.
- Look for “TL59” in the queue. It’s a tribute to the original Submarine Voyage and Tomorrowland’s 1959 expansion.
Is Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage Worth Riding?
If your family enjoys Finding Nemo, the answer is easy. Seeing Nemo, Dory, Marlin and their friends appear outside your submarine porthole gives the characters an environment that feels particularly appropriate.
But the attraction is also interesting even if Nemo isn’t your favorite Pixar character.
Disneyland has plenty of boat rides and dark rides, but climbing below the waterline into a submarine is a very different experience. The attraction’s connection to the original 1959 Submarine Voyage makes it even more unusual.
It’s especially worth considering for families with younger children who can’t yet ride some of Tomorrowland’s more intense attractions.
The main exception may be guests who strongly dislike confined spaces. In that case, ask about the Observation Outpost rather than forcing yourself through an experience you aren’t likely to enjoy.
Exploring Disneyland from Best Western Plus Stovall’s Inn
Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage can fit naturally into a larger Tomorrowland visit. Check the Disneyland app while you’re in the area and decide when the wait makes sense rather than crossing the park solely to ride at a predetermined time.
Guests staying at Best Western Plus Stovall’s Inn can make the attraction one part of a full Disneyland day before returning to the hotel when everyone is ready to recharge.
And while the characters and technology have changed over the decades, there’s something particularly fitting about exploring Tomorrowland aboard submarines whose Disneyland story began all the way back in 1959.
Learn more at: https://disneyland.disney.go.com/attractions/disneyland/finding-nemo-submarine-voyage/
