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Journey to Atlantis just slightly fell beneath my expectations. The actual ride part (both the flume and the coaster) was fun, but the storyline was practically incoherent. There was virtually no theming, and the story is simply broadcast via speakers that are set up all along the course. The problem is its difficult to hear what is being said over the noise of the coaster or the water. You begin by immediately climbing up a lift hill, then round a turn (on coaster track), then go down the 60-foot flume drop. This was a nice drop that provided a decent splash. You travel around on ground level next to guests watching the ride for a short while, which is really the only time youre in water rather than on a coaster track. The speakers say something about surviving our initial test, but the true test is yet to come. We then enter the only part of the ride that is indoors. We are secluded in a small tunnel-type room that serves as an elevator. The wall "windows" around us show scenes of Commersons dolphins, but then there is shattering of the glass and everything is in trouble. This part was actually quite cool, as the room had a claustrophobic feel and the boats rocked back and forth as they rose up in the elevator. The only problem was I still wasnt quite sure what was supposed to be happening. We then emerged to do the coaster portion of the ride, which has some nice swooping turns and drops, before the final splashdown into the water. The speakers then congratulated us on saving Atlantis (?). This was a very different experience than the Florida version of the ride, with much more to the coaster portion (all outdoors, by the way) and much less to the story (none of the initial seahorse / Sirens stuff at all). You should get reasonably wet, but not soaked. There is a very nice aquarium right at the entrance / exit with actual Commersons dolphins on display, and I cant think of anywhere else off hand where you can see these. All in all, I say a very fun ride, but with theming that is barely comprehensible.
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