So Just What is the S.E.A.?
After the recent inclusion of the new Typhoon Lagoon raft ride into this multi-park backstory, an inquisitive @INTERCOT Twitter reader asked for more information on the S.E.A.
The S.E.A. (the Society of Explorers and Adventurers) is the spiritual continuation of the Adventurers Club, although thematically it is the Adventurers Club predecessor.
The backstory originated at Tokyo Disney Sea and has since spread to Hong Kong Disneyland, The Magic Kingdom Park, The Disney Cruise Line; and now Typhoon Lagoon.
The S.E.A. was originally developed as part of the theme for Fortress Explorations attraction and Magellan’s restaurant at Tokyo Disney Sea. Magellan’s could be considered the epicenter for this multi-park lore with its multiple S.E.A. logos spread throughout the restaurant and secret meeting (dining) room actually concealed behind a fully functioning faux-bookcase passageway. When Tokyo Disney Sea opened their Tower of Terror attraction, it introduced the first attraction with a S.E.A. member to be central to its theme with Harrison Hightower III.
A letter on S.E.A. letterhead (and multiple S.E.A. references) in the queue of the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at the Magic Kingdom helped tie the new backstory into the multi-park lore after the ride’s 2012 refurbishment.
The opening of Mystic Manor at Hong Kong Disneyland further incorporated the backstory of S.E.A. and provided a group portrait that has helped establish canon for the prominent S.E.A. members: Harrison Hightower III (Tower of Terror), Lord Henry Mystic (Mystic Manor), Barnabas T. Bullion (Big Thunder Mountain Railroad), and Mary Oceaneer (Oceaneer’s Lab and Miss Adventure Falls).
The Jungle Navigation Co. Ltd. Skipper Canteen has continued to integrate the backstory at the Magic Kingdom with the one of the three dining rooms being a former secret S.E.A meeting room and numbers of artifacts spread through-out the restaurant.
Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar in Disney Springs was recognized as part of the story in one of the location's first publicity releases:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Disney Parks & Resorts
... As a member of the Society of Explorers and Adventurers, Jock often welcomed his globetrotting friends to his hangar for a drink and fun times.
The introduction of Miss Adventure Falls has continued the inclusion of the S.E.A. lore primarily in the attraction’s marque, some queue items, and the first physical appearance of Salty the Parrot (Mary Oceaneer’s feathered companion).
The S.E.A. storylines are primarily set in the late 1800’s making its members approximately one generation prior to the eccentric explorers that Guests once found in the 1930’s era Adventurers Club.
While Disney has yet to widely publicize the S.E.A. stories it has interwoven through multiple theme park attractions and restaurants; it has helped add that level of detail and richness that has kept a devoted set of Disney Travelers to keep coming back.
