#theme park ideas

[yuecrafter]

I dreamed that I went to a theme park restaurant, similar to the Toadstool Cafe inside Super Nintendo World, except it was all about Cole Escola. All the screens piped in a continuous “At Home with Amy Sedaris” set and there was a stage with a live Cole impersonator. I unfortunately don’t recall the names of dishes on the menu, just that there was a drink named after a wig. I was having the time of my life.

[s10127470]

DisneySea: (Part 5) Mythical Marina

For our fifth stop, we've come to Mythical Marina!

Here, guests find themselves flung back in time to Ancient Greece, when the country was still split into city-states and the mighty gods of Mount Olympus were still worshipped.

Making up the port of call is a seaside city-state on the coast of The Mediterranean Sea (drawing heavy inspiration from real-life city-states like Athens, Corinth and Sparta)

Travel along stone-paved pathways accompanied by olive and cypress trees, marble statues, and classic architecture of the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian orders.

The centerpiece of this land is The Temple of Poseidon, a slightly-sized down replica of the real-life temple of the same name found in Cape Sounion.

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/rc64vfugnxrfwc9n0345u/odysseus_by_montjart-daqibnn.jpg?rlkey=otcuas0hjfl4m15w5bc6atz9f&raw=1

This land offers two attractions for guests to experience, both of which based off the expansive lore of Greek mythology.

The first one is The Odyssey.

On this Audio-Animatronic ride, guests get the chance to experience the legendary poem by Homer.

Just like in the poem, the story sees the war hero Odysseus embarking on a voyage just after The Trojan War to his home Ithaca, where his wife Penelope and their son Telemachus are awaiting his return.

But little did he know that his voyage would be easier said than done.

As through his journey, Odysseus finds himself having to endure the wrath of the god of the sea himself, Poseidon, and facing the many hardships he's placed on his path.

This includes getting captured by Calypso (who wanted to make him her lover), braving through a massive storm casted by Poseidon himself, being tempted by the food of The Lotus Eaters, battling the cyclops Polyphemus, escaping the cannibal-like Laestrygonians, avoiding Circe and her army of pig-men, navigating through the depths of the underworld to meet with the blind prophet Tiresias, ignoring the luring song of the sirens, and fighting the sea monster and living whirlpool Scylla and Charybdis.

The second attraction is Journey of the Hippocampus.

On this indoor rollercoaster ride, guests can hope aboard cars modeled after the legendary sea creature the ride is named after.

Soon enough, guests find themselves zooming through the underwater world of The Mediterranean, encountering coral reefs, sunken ruins, shipwrecks, and even volcanic chasms.

In terms of dining, this land has one restaurant: The Olive Tree.

Set in a replica of an ancient Greek courtyard with a massive olive tree at the center of it, this restaurant serves dishes dating back to the days of Ancient Greece such as wine-dipped barley bread, teganites, Greek salad (made with lettuce, asparagus, cucumber, onion, olives, olive oil and vinegar), a cheese and olive platter (consisting of feta, kasseri, kefalograviera, manouri, graviera, and kefalotyri), figs, a nut mix (consisting of pistachios, walnuts, almonds, sesame and chestnuts), a Greek fruit salad (made with figs, pomegranates, apples, pears, cherries and grapes), roasted fish, fried fish skewers, roasted octopus, fried squid, lentil soups, pastilli, a choice of either honey-drizzled cheese, figs or olives, and a wide selection of wine to choose from.

For shopping, we have The Agora. 

Named after and set in a replica of the ancient Greek marketplace of the same name, this establishment sells items such as Greek dolls, Greek Orthodox Iconography, leather goods, and evil eye charms.

There's also two smaller shops within this massive shop.

First there's Θησαυροί της Ελλάδας (“Treasures of Greece”), which sells Greek masks, carvings, statuettes, paintings, pottery, miniature mosaics and stories on scrolls, and Νέκταρ των Θεών (“Nectar of the Gods”), which sells food items, like Kalamata olives, olive oil, and traditional Greek spices.

As for entertainment, there's The Players of Dionysus.

Based in a replica of an ancient Greek theater, this group performs somewhat condensed versions of classic Greek theater productions such as Medea, Oedipus Rex, The Frogs, and even Disney's very own adaptation of Hercules.

And finally for character greetings, we have Hercules, Pegasus, Philoctetes, Megara, Hades, Zeus and Hermes.

[frozentoastsmile]

Third up we got attractions, games and such. I have been henceforth banned from project moon, (though I did manage to convince teach to do it one more time for costumes), so its time for stardew valley! We got three this time, The Iridium Test of Strength, Junimo Harvest, and Shanes chicken count. First one is a test of strength, second is a custom game that I describe in the thumbnail, and the third is like that counting game from mario party where you have to get the right number as whatever creature goes across.

I got just a liiittlee to ambitious and didnt end up fully finishing the last one but I still like em. Thumbnails included

[poke--park]

For my next randomly generated Pokemon, I got Munchlax! For Munchlax, I decided to make a food stand that serves onigiri with umeboshi (pickled plum) as the filling. As most things are named after moves, the onigiri is named Munchlax’s Swallow.

[spam-monster]

Ideas for a 5th Disney World Park (becasue DSNY newscast made a vid on it so why not):

I'm not sure what the theme of the new park would even be frankly, since all the existing parks cover so much* but I do have ideas for what lands could be in it though: 

- A villains land; it would be central like how Fantasyland is for Magic Kingdom and have a big spooky castle. Ride ideas could be something like Snow White’s Scary Adventure where you play the protagonists and have encounters with the villains, a Captain Hook-themed water ride, maybe a Maleficent rose/thorn maze, villain themed shows - bring over the Tokyo Disney Villain Recruters! (the only problem I could see with this is that it could take away from Mickey’s Not So Scary around Halloween time)   

- A land incorporating all the unused ideas for Beastly Kingdom; give me the giant awesome dragon animatronics we deserve Disney. And unicorns and griffins and if you wanted some IP in there you could totally incorporate the upcoming Raya and the Last Dragon.

- A steampunk Jules Verne-type area taking inspiration from Disneyland Paris' Tommorowland and Tokyo DisneySea's Mysterious Island(...actually DisneySea has a lot of cool stuff that I'd really like to come here). With the awesome DisneySea fort! And bringing back 20,000 Leagues! And references to the Society of Explorers and Adventures, tying it into Adventureland. And maybe a new Indiana Jones ride?  

- Marvel once they finally get the IP for it...this is pretty self-explanatory because they’re already planning a lot of the attractions. For unique attractions, I would really love a simulator ride based in Asgard - maybe Thor’s showing you around but Loki keeps trying to mess with the tour, and then in the end they have to team up to save you? Or a Thor Ragnarok-based one where your spaceship ends up in Sakaar and you fly around the arena and have to follow the heroes through the Anus wormhole to escape? (look Loki is very popular you want an excuse to give him more of a presence at the parks disney)  

- Maybe do like Universal did with Harry Potter and have a second Star Wars area based on a more industrial/city planet like Coruscant - that would also give them another "shore leave" area for the Star Wars hotel if nothing else. Maybe a “Space Mountain” type roller coaster, incorporating the new storytelling tech from the upcoming Guardians coaster at Epcot?

I guess you could go with like a spooky/monster/thrills/adventure theme? Maybe? Mostly because I’ve also had an idea for a “haunted” hotel that they could add next to it - one where portraits change and objects move in the lobby, the main dinning area has a “ghostly” dinner show with magic acts and special effects, there’s a “ghost tour” walkthrough area where you go thought haunted hotel rooms...none of the actual guest room areas would be “haunted” because people would probably be unhappy if Disney did stuff like play spooky footstep noises at 3 in the morning, so it’s all the excitement of staying at a haunted hotel without any of the actual creepy! 

*Magic Kingdom has classic appeal plus old-timey Americana, westerns, tropical adventures, fantasy and sci-fi; Epcot has technology and real-world science plus other countries and culture, Hollywood Studios has everything movie and media related, and Animal Kingdom has all of the natural world plus some cultural experiences that Epcot doesn't cover (Africa and other parts of Asia).

[s10127470]

DisneySea: (Part 2) The Lost Empire

For our second stop, we come to one of the only two ports of call themed exclusively around an IP, The Lost Empire, themed after the 2001 Walt Disney Feature Animation film Atlantis: The Lost Empire. 

This land is depicted as a replica of the legendary city from the film, but obviously scaled down in order to fit in a theme park, based in the middle of a lake that can only be reached by bridge.

The design of Atlantis is very similar to how it appears in the movie: a tiered city structure surrounded by water with architecture that draws heavy influence from Southeast Asian cultures and the Mayan civilization. Waterfalls run down rocky formations on the edge of the land, flowing into the lake. The Guardians of Atlantis, giant stone sculptures, encircle Atlantis, protecting it from any grave danger. Above the highest peak of Atlantis (forced-perspective), The Heart of Atlantis – the very lifeblood of the Lost City – provides its power.

And all over this land, you'll find various signs and ruins bearing the Atlantean language created by Marc Okrand.

Sub-areas here include The Harbor, The Atlantean Royal Palace, and The Caves. 

Deep in The Caves, we'll find two of the three attractions this land has to offer. 

The first (and biggest one) is Atlantis: Trial by Fire and Ice.

In this rollercoaster and 4D-ride hybrid, we join Milo and Kida on an all-new adventure!

Recently, they've discovered a mysterious chamber that can only be unlocked by the Fire and Ice Gems, a pair of mystical gems that reside in the Fire Trial and Ice Trial respectively, a series of lava-filled and snow and ice-filled caverns.

Aboard a Martag (the flying fish-shaped vehicles from the film), we join Milo and Kida as they fly through the two elemental trials to retrieve the gems.

But it's not gonna be easy.

In addition to the lava and ice, we'll also have to watch out for rock golems, lava monsters, pyreflies, a lava whale, yetis, icy wolves, ice apes and a giant mammoth.

The second attraction is The Secret Swim. 

It's essentially a play-area of sorts. Here, guests can swim through a maze of underwater caverns (with air pockets areas obviously), filled with ruins and ancient murals.

Back in The City itself, we find our third and final attraction, The Atlantean Zoo.

Here, guests can get to know about the strange wildlife that reside here, featuring Audio-Animatronics depictions of various Atlantean animals: parrot-lizards, pyreflies, Bahadmok tigers, lava-whales and other such fantastical creatures.

As for dining, we have The Explorers' Hall.

Set in a huge army tent, guests can experience cuisine that's a fusion between American and Atlantean flavors.

And by Atlantean, we mean Southeast Asian.

Dishes you can expect for find here include salted, cheesy congee, bird's eye chili cornbread, johnnycakes that come in coconut and banana flavors, pork belly skewers, citrus-flavored roasted chicken, vegetable stir fry, spicy collared greens, char siu bacon cheeseburgers, sambal fries, frozen coffee, bubble soft drinks, coconut milkshakes and dragonfruit pie.

As for shopping, we have two options.

The first and biggest one is The Atlantean Marketplace, which sells Atlantean trinkets, toy weapons (such as spears and daggers), and all kinds of jewelry.

The second is a gift shop known as Hearts of Atlantis, which sells Atlantis-themed memorabilia and has different sections of products set up by the expedition crew.

Moliere has put out crystals, rare rocks, and a colored magic sand pit, Audrey sells mechanical devices and toys, Cookie sells cookbooks and food products, Sweet sells cosmetic appliances such as lotions and ointments, and Vinny sells firecrackers and fireworks.

As for entertainment, we have The Atlantean Royal Band, who perform traditional Gamelan music, the same kind that can be heard in the film.

Along with that, they’ll also perform Gamelan version of various tracks from the film as well.

Finally for character greetings, we’ve got Milo, Kida, Sweet, Vinny, Moliere, Audrey, Cookie, Ms. Packard, Rourke, Helga and even Preston Whitmore.

[s10127470]

DisneySea: (Part 3) The Mysterious Island

Here we have one of the two carryovers from the original Tokyo DisneySea and the other land based around an IP.

That being The Mysterious Island.

Just like it's Japanese counterpart, this port of call takes us into the world of one of the founding fathers of science fiction and the steampunk genre, Jules Verne.

Here, guest find themselves on an island in The Pacific Ocean that's home to the dormant volcano known as Mount Prometheus. 

Deep within the caldera of the volcano lies Vulcania, the base of Captain Nemo.

This land also has a story to it.

In contrast to the original story, Nemo did not destroy the island, but instead had a change of heart and decided to opened Vulcania to the scientific community, hoping his technology could be used for the betterment of mankind and not for war and destruction.

Here, guests can explore a harbor that's perfect blend between Victorian and steampunk architecture. 

Along with that, they can also spot various pieces of Nemo's technology including a giant crane machine, a drilling machine, and of course, his famous submarine, The Nautilus.

This land has two attractions for guests to ride, both of which are based off Verne's most famous works 

The first one is 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. 

In contrast to the ride of the same name from Tokyo DisneySea, this one is essentially a revival of the other ride of the same name that once resided in Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom from 1971 to 1994.

Here, guests are taken on a journey through the depths of the ocean aboard the Nautilus, all while Captain Nemo guides us.

First we start off in the middle of a tropical coral reef, where we see all kinds of sea life included giant sea bass, sea turtles, fighting lobsters, giant clams, algae, seaweed, a shark fighting an octopus, a pod of blue whales, a moray eel, and a school of jellyfish.

We also see some of Nemo's own crew, doing research while in diving suits.

We then transition to The Graveyard of Lost Ships, which as the name suggests, is an underwater boneyard filled with the wrecked remains of ships from all across the ages.

One scene from this section includes some divers finding some treasure in a pirate ship getting into a tug-of-war with an octopus.

Out next destination is beneath The South Pole, where we find ourselves navigating through a field of iceberg bottoms, marveling at the strange sea creatures that reside where the sun doesn't shine, and of course, running into a giant squid.

We then arrive at the sunken ruins of the fabled lost city, Atlantis, which is now swarming with mermen and mermaids.

But soon enough, we find ourselves having to surface when an series of undersea volcanoes start to go off. 

And right before making it to the surface, we come face-to-face with a comical, cross-eyed sea serpent.

The second attraction here is Journey to the Center of the Earth.

On this Audio Animatronic ride, guests hop aboard a series of steam-powered mine vehicles as they're taken on an expedition to the heart of our very planet, all while being guided by Professor Otto Lidenbrock.

First we start off in the caverns of the Iceland volcano Snæfellsjökull, where must endure falling stalactites, a icy pathways, and the harsh frigid winds of a sub-polar tornado. 

After all that, we then experience a mighty drop.

Soon enough, we find ourselves sailing across an underground ocean with a vast ceiling of clouds above us, with a permanent Aurora giving light.

But immediately upon reaching the ocean, a lightning storm kicks in and soon we find ourselves having to endure rough waves, turbulent winds and lightning bolts striking all around.

But if that wasn't bad enough, we also have to avoid the likes of sharks, Pterodactyls, and a fight between an Ichthyosaurus and a Plesiosaurus.

But soon enough, we make it to dry land and find ourselves in the middle of a lush tropical jungle filled with giant trees, ferns and even mushrooms!

But that's not all! We also encounter a variety of dinosaurs, prehistoric mammals, birds and reptiles.

These include the likes of a herd of Brontosaurus, a Stegosaurus, a herd of Triceratops, a herd of Saurolophus, a pack of Velociraptor, an Ankylosaurus, a bask of crocodiles, a giant python, a mammoth, a giant ground sloth, Glyptodons, a woolly rhino, a pack of dire wolves, a terror bird, a herd of wild boars, a troop of apes, all kinds of tropical birds, a giant vulture, and a pack of sabre-tooth tigers.

But we eventually come across a rather unnerving sight hiding in the underbrush.

That sight being this strange human-like creature that's about 9-feet tall, wearing actual clothing made from animal skins, and holding a spear.

But before we could even dwell on that, we find ourselves having to flee from a stampeding herd of mastodons. 

Luckily, we manage to escape the stampede by taking shelter in a cave.

Unfortunately, the trembling caused by the stampede results in a cave-in.

As we search for a way out, we notice that cave starting to get hotter and hotter.

Soon enough, lava starts to shoot out of the ground. And it’s at that moment when we realize we’re in the middle of an erupting volcano!

We soon find ourselves fleeing for our lives, dodging lava spouts and falling rocks.

Eventually, we reach a huge circular stone platform at the heart of the volcano, which ends up being our one-way ticket to the surface thanks to the rapidly rising lava.

For dining, this land gives us two options.

The first one is The Vulcania Restaurant.

Here, guests can dine in a steampunk-themed dining room.

As for the menu, it serves all kinds of delicacies from across The South Pacific.

Some dishes you can expect include the likes of raw fish with coconut milk, roasted pork, roasted mahi mahi, roasted chicken, roasted taro, roasted vegetable medley, fe'i, fafaru, po'e, tropical fruit salad, chow mein, poi, fried uru, firi firi, coconut bread, banana crepes, and a variety of wines, cocktails and other tropical non-alcoholic drinks.

The second restaurant is The Nautilus Galley.

Here, guest can dine in a recreation of the dining room of the submarine it's named after.

The menu consists of what would you expect to find from your average seafood restaurant.

This includes the likes of fried fish, boiled crab, boiled lobster, fried shrimp, fried clams, calamari, seafood boil, French fries, coleslaw, fried okra, and all kinds of cakes.

For shopping, we have a gift shop called Nautilus Gifts, which sells all sorts of Jules Verne-themed memorabilia, including telescopes, maps, diving suits, and even mini-replicas of the Nautilus itself!

As for entertainment, we have The Whalers, a folk music group that perform all kinds of famous sea shanties such as "The Drunker Sailor", "Blow the Man Down", and even "A Whale of a Tale" from Walt Disney's 1954 live-action adaptation of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

Finally for character greetings, we have only Nemo and Otto themselves.

[s10127470]

DisneySea: (Part 1) Overview and Oceana

(I know I did share this post via Archive of Our Own back in September, but I figure I'd just copy-paste the whole thing here so my followers can have the full experience. Plus as I'm sure many of you know, sharing links to AO3 here recently have been a pain in the ass.)

I'm sure many of you are familiar with the theme park Tokyo DisneySea.

It's the eighth-most visited theme park in the world and the third-most visited in Japan.

Not only that, but among the Disney theme parks, it's often regarded as the best of them all.

And perhaps the biggest reason for that is the theming and atmosphere.

The Disney parks have always been known for having incredibly strong theming, but Tokyo DisneySea takes it to the next level!

The overall theming of the park, if you couldn't tell from its name, is nautical.

And the park itself is split into seven themed lands (known as "ports of call") that each fit with the overarching nautical tone in unique ways.

There's Mediterranean Harbor, the entrance/main port of call that's themed around an Italian port city inspired by real-world ones such as Genova, Portofino and Venice.

The Mysterious Island, located within the park's icon, the fictional volcano Mount Prometheus, which features a base themed around the works of the French scientific-fiction writer Jules Verne.

Mermaid Lagoon, which is literally themed around The Little Mermaid.

Arabian Coast, which is themed around harbors commonly found along The Arabian Sea (along with its contemporaries The Red Sea and The Persian Gulf) and the enchanted tales of the 1001 Nights.

The Lost River Delta, which is themed around a 1930s archeological excavation set deep in the jungles of Central America, with plenty of Mayan ruins to boot.

Port Discovery, which is themed around the retro-futuristic base of the fictional Marine Life Institute.

And American Waterfront, which is themed around the seaboard of the Northeastern United States during the early 20th century, with one half being themed to New York City during that time, and the other half being themed to Cape Cod.

All these lands are incredible immersive and truly make you feel like your in the settings they represent.

Another reason why people love this park is funnily enough, the lack of IPs.

Yeah, Tokyo DisneySea doesn’t exactly have a whole lot of IP-themed anything when compared to the other Disney Parks, especially the ones from Walt Disney World.

Granted, it does have a few.

Mermaid Lagoon as I previously mentioned is heavily themed around The Little Mermaid.

Arabian Coast has a few attractions based on Aladdin.

There’s two attractions based on Finding Nemo, one in American Waterfront and the other in Port Discovery.

Lost River Delta has an attraction based on Indiana Jones.

And The Mysterious Island, as I also previously mentioned, is based on Jules Vernes, and the two attractions featured here are based on two of his most notable works: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Journey to the Center of the Earth.

But given how incredibly IP-focused/based the Disney Parks (mainly Disney World, and I’ll touch on that soon) have become, this park is breath of fresh air.

But while many people know about Tokyo DisneySea, not a whole lot of them know about the history of the park.  Not only was Tokyo DisneySea a decade in the making, but it wasn’t even meant to be in Japan!

Originally known as just DisneySea, the park was conceived all the way back in the summer of 1990 as part of a planned complex known as Port Disney, which was gonna be based in Long Beach, California.

The complex was gonna feature a marina, a cruise ship port, a specialty retail and entertainment area, hotel accommodations, and of course, the aforementioned DisneySea.

As for the what park would've been like. There was.....

-Oceana: A two-story aquarium built in a large spherical structure that would've served as the centerpiece of the park ala Epcot's Spaceship Earth.

-The Future Research Center: Based in Oceana, this would've featured interactive exhibits (teaching visitors about the ocean) and a working laboratory. It would've been similar to The Living Seas from Epcot.

-The Mysterious Island: This one was kind of all over the place when it came to theming. The planned themes included a being based around the lost legendary city of Atlantis, a pirate theme, and being themed to the works of Jules Verne.

-Heroes' Harbor: This would've been themed around sailors from legends and folklore such as Sinbad the Sailor and Ulysses.

-Boardwalk and Fleets of Fantasy: The first one would've been a boardwalk reminiscent of Long Beach's very own The Pike and the second one would've been a harbor featuring rides and dining onboard historical replica ships.

-Venture Reefs: This would've featured a plethora of themed environments based on cultures associated with water included a Grecian village, an Asian water market, and a Caribbean lagoon.

Unfortunately, the theme park plans were met with backlash from multiple parties, including locals of Long Beach, and was limited by prohibitions listed in The California Coastal Act. Port Disney was also speculated to be a $2.8 billion project, which was out of Disney's league. Because of such barriers, in December 1991, plans for DisneySea ceased.

However, the concept would be revisited in the late 90s as Disney planned to add a second park to accompany Tokyo Disneyland.

And thus, Tokyo DisneySea was born!

After I read about this a few years ago, I've always wondered what an American version of Tokyo DisneySea would've been like if it was allowed to be mean..

And with summer now here, I figured now was the perfect time to share my idea.

So in this eight part mini-series, I'll be taking you on an adventure through the nautical realms of.....DISNEYSEA!

But first off, we need to establish the location this park. 

Although the original concept was rejected from Long Beach, given that its now been more then 30 years since then, maybe they're willing to allow it this time.

Or if not, the park would definitely need to be somewhere close to Disneyland, which is located in Anaheim, which is just outside of Los Angeles.

So probably either Santa Monica, Oceanside (heh) or San Diego.

As for the ports of calls.....

Here we have the first port of call (and the centerpiece) of the park, Oceana!

Similar to The Living Seas pavilion from Epcot, this land is dedicated to the awareness and conversation to our world's ocean and our history with it.

And just like The Living Seas, this land takes on the appearance of a high-tech sea base with slick white and orange architecture, automatic doors and many water-filled tubes, chambers and spheres all around.

The base itself is known as Sea Base Alpha and belongs to the fictional Marine Life Institute.

Like in the original 1990 plan, this land is based within a large spherical build surrounded by a multiple fountains, rock formations with waterfalls, and palm trees.

The sphere itself will be made with thick and sturdy water-textured glass to fit with the ocean theming.

Our first attraction here is The Ocean Zones, which is the main aquarium that spans all stories of the building.

In contrast to most other aquariums, this one goes up and down, as it features five sections, with each one representing one of the five zones of the ocean.

The uppermost section is The Photic Zone, where you'll find sea urchins, starfish, sea anemones, moorish idols, flying fish, rays like mantas and spotted eagles, sunfish, sea turtles, bottlenose dolphins, sea turtles,  jellyfish, sea lions, lionfish, humphead wrasses, clams, lobsters, crabs, sharks like great whites and tigers, tuna, sea otters, sea horses, dugongs, sea sponges, pufferfish, chambered nautiluses and blue whales. There's also a tropical coral reef as well.

The second uppermost section is The Twilight Zone, where you'll find comb jellies, tiger prawns, giant octopuses, humpback whales, coelacanths, sea lampreys, hatchefish, moray eels and swordfish.

The middle section is The Midnight Zone, where you'll find deep-sea spider crabs, lanternfish, hagfish, viperfish, goblin sharks, sperm whales and giant squids.

The second lowest section is The Abyss Zone, where you’ll oarfish, sea spiders, anglerfish, gulper eels, dumbo octopuses, fangtooths, benthocodons, rattail fish, spookfish and snailfish.

And the lowest level is The Hadal Zone, where you’ll find brittle stars, stalked cirnoid, giant tube worms, black swallowers, vampire squids, black dragonfish, giant red shrimps, isopods, tripod fish, giant amphipods and basket sponges.

And just like the actual ocean, the lighting for each exhibit dims the lower you go.

Our next stop is Sea Life, a series of exhibits that showcases the nature of the ocean apart from its wildlife.

These include….

.The Waves: Which teaches guests about how waves work, and has a large kinetic wave machine as its centerpiece. Guests move a lever to control currents under the water, thus creating waves visible through Plexiglas walls. This is a dynamic, easy-to-grasp depiction of fluid dynamics.

.Plant Life: Which showcases the flora that resides in the ocean. And it features not only live tank displays of the oceans’ plants, divided by region, it also features a coral reef-inspired playground. Young guests can race through undulating floor-to-ceiling seaweed strands. Guests can explore a massive coral play structure. They can bounce inside spongy anemones, or cause sea flowers to bloom using motion sensors.

.The Seabed: Which spotlights all the substances found at the ocean floor. The exhibit spotlights sedimentary soil samples of the sea surface supremely suited for sensory stimulation. Guests can feel all manner of clays & silts & sands.

.The Plate Tectonics: Which spotlights the very Earth found in the ocean. The section features moving cutaway models of the Earth’s crust, demonstrating how these moving shelves may interact with the oceans. Guests can crank open volcanic fissures in the ocean floor to expose magma and activate sea vents.

This land also features two rides. The first one is an audio-animatronic ride called Waves of Time.

Here, guests hop aboard a plethora of mini-replicas of vessels through the ages (ranging from ancient canoes to 15th century galleons) as they’re sent on a expedition through time. 

Waves of Time teaches guests about the history of the ocean and features scenes pulled from its 3.8 billion years worth of existence.

These include the likes of…..

-The creation of the ocean

-The first life-forms within the ocean

-The ocean during the Age of the Dinosaurs

-Mankind’s first encounter with the ocean

-The naval fleets of the mighty ancient civilizations such as Egypt, Greece and Rome

-The ways of seafarers such as the ancient Polynesians, the Vikings and the Caribbean pirates

-The expeditions during the Age of Discovery from the likes of Christopher Columbus, James Cook and Ferdinand Magellan

-The maritime trading routes of the Silk Road

-The journey of immigrants to America during the 19th century

-The naval battles of World War II 

-Rise of luxury liners

The second ride is Storm Chaser.

This an indoor spinning ride that’s meant to replicate the feeling of being inside a tropical storm. 

As guests take their seats, they’re find themselves being spun at a speeds of 37 mph (roughly around the same speed as the winds found in a tropical storm).

And the feeling of being in the eye of a tropical storm is replicated through the use of air vents (to give them feeling of strong winds), misting systems (to simulate the feeling of rain) and surround sound audio systems (to spread the roaring of thunder and lightning throughout the ride).

In terms of dining, this land has one restaurant. That restaurant being The Seven Seas Restaurant. 

Located on the same floor as The Photic Zone, guest are able to dine alongside the beautiful scenery of an underwater setting.

As for the menu, it's a seafood restaurant featuring dishes from all around the world.

Some dishes you can expect include sushi, sashimi, fish and chips, crab cakes, paella de marisco, grilled octopus, jambalaya, surf and turf, ceviche, lobster rolls, bouillabaisse, chowder and seafood pasta.

As for shopping, there's Diver's Point, a gift shop that sells nautical-themed goodies as such sea-life toys and plushies, model ships and even snorkeling gear!

And finally for characters greetings, you'll meet The Sensational Six, all dressed in sailor attire, seemingly ready for the nautical adventure that awaits.

You'll also meet Nemo, Marlin and Dory (represented via puppets similar to the stage musical Finding Nemo: The Big Blue... and Beyond!).