Memory 098 – Voyage of The Little Mermaid

Come and join us for another installment of the WDW-Memories podcast, where I try to make it possible for you relive your Walt Disney World Memories when you can’t actually be there.

I can’t believe it’s July already. By the time this comes out, we will have celebrated our Independence Day here in the United States, and are now looking at upcoming summer vacations. Me, I’m not traveling again, not till the unofficial end of summer in September, but that’s fine with me. I’ve had 3 road trips over the last 4 weekends and I’m content to have a nice quiet weekend at home with the family right now. In September though, we’re planning our annual pilgrimage to Florida to spend time with our family and go to the beach in Clearwater. And if you’re in Florida, why would you not also go to Walt Disney World right? That’s right, we’re going to try to get over to Orlando for a day (maybe 2) and have some fun with the kids. I can’t wait to see how different it will be with our kids this time. Each time we go, they’re a little older, and understand the stories a little more. Stories such as the one we’re featuring in today’s memory. Today we’re going to catch a showing of Voyage of The Little Mermaid in Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Our request today came to me this week in an email from Samantha in Boston, MA. She wrote:

A couple friends and I are heading down to Disney World in July and our recent planning has brought up some conversation regarding attractions that we don’t normally make a priority to see every trip but that do hold special places in our hearts. Since deciding to stay at the new Art of Animation resort I couldn’t help but think how great it would be to hear some audio from the Voyage of the Little Mermaid at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. I’ve heard so many rumors lately that this attraction may potentially be removed to make room for something new especially since the growing popularity of the new Under the Seas with Ariel attraction in New Fantasyland and I think it’s such a great show that it would definitely be worth having on the podcast. I can already feel the nautical ambiance as you walk into the holding room. The sounds of the waves crashing and the smell of the attraction itself all bring back some great memories for me. Its a great show to catch on a hot Florida day (like July) and enjoy the air conditioner. It would be really if you could play some audio from the new attraction in New Fantasyland and maybe we could compare the two? I know it’s a relatively new attraction but I figured it would be worth a shot.

First off, thanks Samantha for emailing. Till your request came in, I didn’t know what was going to be featured in our next memory. I have been waiting for someone to request this classic stage show. That said, I don’t think I’ve seen it more than 5 times in my life. It’s always one of those that had a long line, mostly because of capacity. I always thought the theater was too small for such a show. The cool mist, the laser effects really date the attraction, especially in our age of high definition projection. But I have yet to hear Ariel not hit a note or fail to stand out as great performer. I will always say you should try to catch this show, especially as Samantha suggested in the middle of a warm summer day. Sadly, I haven’t been to New Fantasyland yet, but I hope to remedy that in September. Maybe then I’ll be able to share a memory of the new Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid.

As per usual, I tossed the idea out on social media and got the following responses:

On Facebook, Daniel wrote:

This is one of those cant miss classics at HS! We look forward to this attraction every year. It never gets old. I love watching other peoples face who’s never seen it before during the show!

And… that’s it. Apparently this attraction is not as popular as some others. Maybe, like Flights of Wonder, folks just haven’t given it a chance and are missing out. I can’t tell you how many folks have said they will now make a point of catching Flights of Wonder on their next trip because of my memories. Hopefully the same will happen with Voyage of The Little Mermaid

So today’s memory is from 2006, and sadly is the only recording I have of this attraction. I’ve been Orlando for work now for a couple of days, and this evening I’ve gone over to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. On this trip, I’ve managed to get a stay at a Disney Hotel, which has afforded me the benefit of Extra Magic Hours in the evening. The park is closing in on midnight, so it’s pretty much empty by now. I’ve actually just happened by as they were opening up the doors to the main theater, so we won’t catch much of the ambient sounds in the waiting area. We’re ushered into the main theater and there we wait for almost 5 minutes before the show begins. One unfortunate thing happens, I was recording the audio with my old Video recorder using my binaural microphones, but unfortunately, I ran out of tape right in the middle of the show, so the audio will cut out for a second as I switched tapes and started back up, but we won’t loose much audio in the transition.

Today’s memory is in binaural, so I’d suggest putting those headphones on to fully immerse yourself in the memory.

Now sit back. Relax. Close your eyes. And come with me as we relive some of the best musical moments from Disney’s hit film starring a little red-headed mermaid.