7 Wonderful Former Disney Rides We Still Miss ...

This is one of the most wonderful former Disney rides that a lot of people miss today. It was actually inspired by the USS Nautilus (the first nuclear-powered submarine) and passengers could board that submarine for a recreation of the journey to the North Pole. Even though the submarine didn’t actually go underwater, kids could see turtles, sea monsters and even mermaids. This attraction reopened in 2007 and now operates as the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage.

This train ride went through the Living Desert (its scenery featured cartoonish cacti and interesting rock formations) and transported the passengers into the rainbow caverns, which were actually illuminated by beautifully colored lakes and waterfalls. This ride was expanded in 1960 and featured robotic animals, fossils and Cascade Peak, which was actually a large mountain complete with a beautiful waterfall. It was replaced in 1979 by the rollercoaster Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.

This fun ride was actually made to seem like the transportation mode of the future and took passengers on a 16-minute ride around the park. Once they got inside, the visitors got a nice view of Tomorrowland, yet the train cars never stopped and the doors closed automatically. In 1995 this wonderful ride was closed in an effort to save money but even though it’s not operating, this ride’s station and track infrastructure remain standing.

This ride took place beside the Moonliner (that giant spaceship in the middle of Tomorrowland) and it was previously called Rocket to the Moon. This park attraction was actually more like a simulation than a ride since passengers would sit in chairs surrounded by projectors and those chairs vibrated when images of the moon appeared on the screens. In 1975, this ride was changed to Mission to Mars.

This was an attraction in Disneyland’s Tomorrowland and it was the first attraction to utilize Disney’s Omnimover system, which is basically an amusement ride system used for Disney park theme attractions. Visitors would start by climbing into “Atommobiles,” which entered into a giant microscope, and after passing through it the passengers were then shot into a snowflake. This attraction was replaced in 1987 by George Lucas’s Star Tours attraction.

This ride is now called Journey into Imagination with Figment but in the original one, the passengers glided through something that seemed like clouds and a bearded man called “The Dreamfinder” would fly over to them. He drove a contraption which collected dreams and the visitors would come along for the ride.

This attraction was located in the center of Tomorrowland and it was basically a retro-futuristic ride that gave visitors a great view of the park. Each rocket was big enough for two riders and it came with a lever that made it go up or down. This ride returned in 1967 as the Rocket Jets and it remained open until 1997, when it closed for renovations with the rest of Tomorrowland.

There are a lot of Disney rides that close down and that a lot of people miss nowadays. I just mentioned a few in this little article but I’m sure that there are many more I could add to this list. Do you know any other wonderful former Disney rides? Please tell us about them in the comments section!

Sources: mentalfloss.com