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After guests have sated their exploration of the Ocean Floor Exhibits, and had a chance to meet Namor in his throne room, it's time to head to Shuri mobile under sea lab. Taking inspiration from the SeaCabs back in the original SeaBase Alpha attraction at the Seas in Epcot, Secret of the Seas will take guests on a trip through the "ocean" (through the aquarium) from Talokan to the lab. Unlike the SeaCabs though, this will not be an omnimover system. To keep the illusion of traveling freely through the ocean, the vehicles will be trackless, and allow for free movement. This - is the SeaSphere, an unused piece of technology from the cancelled Discovery Cove at Disneyland, which was replaced by Pandora. These clear streamline vehicles allow for 360 degree turns, and let guests look around.
The music reaches a grand crescendo. The SeaSphere sails out of the tube and into the first show scene; depicting an elaborate coral reef. Giant coral and underwater plantlife fill our field of vision. Through a mix of animatronics and projections, fish of all kinds swim past. Animatronic crabs scuttle past. Mollusks and sponges can be found in many locations. The light of the sun (or the moon, if you ride at night) shines down.
"Welcome to the Secret of the Seas Prepare to experience the seas like never before! This coral reef is home to a wide variety of creatures -- from fish to crustacean, from mollusk to sponge. Take a look around. You never know what you might see here in the reef!"
The SeaSphere gently cruises through the coral reef. The reef is only a taste of what riders will experience in this D-ticket. Each biome is replicated perfectly; to the Nth degree. These show scenes are some of the most elaborate Disney has ever created for any attraction.
Suddenly, the vehicles move out, right into the city of Talokan! Like a Mayan version of the Peoplemover, guests glide right over and enter the next building.
The next biome the SeaSphere encounters is a seagrass meadow. As guests glide through the gentle seagrass. Seahorses pop up from the grasses. Sea turtles swim past. More familiar sea creatures can be found, swimming past or poking out of the grass.
"This is a seagrass meadow; one of the more diverse undersea ecosystems. As you can see, there are plenty of animals to be found here -- not just the usual undersea menagerie, but turtles, mammals and even seabirds."
A seabird then appears, diving under the water in search of food.
"Just like that! Not only that, seagrass actually helps protect the ecosystem, and all its inhabitants, and helps combat climate change. It can store carbon dioxide in the ocean floor."
Next stop: a dense kelp forest. Kelp towers overhead, blotting out views of the light atop the water.
"Ooh...here we have a kelp forest. The jungle of the sea. Another thriving ecosystem, for fauna and for flora, as well. I know these kelp forests look intimidating, but we'll be out of here soon enough."
A wave from overhead rocks the SeaSpheres as they pass by, and they are "knocked off-course."
"Oh, no! That wave interfered with our computers! Don't worry, we'll try to correct things. Just hang in there. Hopefully, we'll get this fixed soon enough."
The kelp starts to "brush against" the SeaSphere as they pass by, blocking guests' vision. Descending down to a lower floor of the ride building, they enter the deep sea.
In a dark room, strange fish -- blacklit animatronics -- sail past. The music becomes sparse and eerily-scored.
"Oh, no... This is the deep sea. A place of mystery for all scientists. And look at all these bizarre creatures. The squid, the anglerfish, the tube worm. Now, I know these may not be as scary as what some people in town try to peddle to the tourists, but they're still rather freaky, in their own way. But don't worry -- they won't harm you. These creatures prey only on other fish. The natural cycle of life."
Suddenly, a bright orange light along the wall starts to glow faintly.
"Well, I'll be... I believe you've stumbled across a submarine volcano; or in other words, a volcano that is formed underwater. I don't think this particular volcano has been studied before."
The SeaSpheres do a semi-circular loop around a giant submarine volcano. It is a deep submarine volcano, so SeaSpheres actually look down upon it.
"Wow...this is quite the find. I've always found undersea volcanoes quite fascinating. I'll have to make a note of it so the research team can continue to investigate it later."
A rumbling fills the air.
"Uh-oh. We've gotta get you out of there before that volcano erupts!"
Bubbles shoot up all around the SeaSpheres as they head back into the Talokan central area.
In an elaborate setting, we see huge swarms of fish and marine creatures swimming past. All sorts of animals scuttling past. Plant life as beautiful as it can be. This truly is a thriving underwater ecosystem.
"You made it! And we've once again connected to your SeaSpheres! I'm sorry things went a little off-kilter, but frankly, it wouldn't be a good discovery if things didn't go a little wrong along the way. In a way, you have seen a whole lot more of the ocean than we would have shown you; and we hope that this journey has been eye-opening and breathtaking in more ways than one."
Another glass tube is at the end of this final coral reef.
Guests exit the ride and enter into Shuri's underwater lab.
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