The Ship at West Edmonton Mall - Best Edmonton Mall
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- Опубликовано: 8 сен 2024
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The Ship, formerly known as "The Santa Maria", at West Edmonton Mall, Alberta, Canada, has been sitting in the middle of the World's Largest Indoor Lake for over 30 years. Let's explore the history of this iconic Edmonton landmark.
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You should make a video on all the underground tunnels in WEM, how there used to be a school down there, how there might be (but probably isn't) a pre-made LRT station down there. Stuff like that.
The basement of WEM is another world.
A school???
Please please do this
Wasn't there a store that was downstairs near where HMV was? Maybe I'm misremembering or confusing it with somewhere else.
It was unbelieveable down there! There was a beat up 90's Maroon Chevy S10 (manual tranny...2 wheel drive) that we would borrow from "Maintenance", and load up with our garbage to take to the trash compactor. It was the best when it was icy and you had the whole parking lot to yourself! My point is we used to drive down under the mall all the time. I only remember the first 3 or 4 turns. I wanna say my old boss took me all the way through to a dock by Eatons, starting at the dock by the waterpark once, but I couldn't draw it out if I tried. All the doors down there were metal and painted pink. You had to have a keycard that you swiped to get through, and depending on which department you worked at, your keycard would only open certain doors down there. After all these years, I still sometimes have dreams about the downstairs. Our offices were all down there. We had showers with lockers. There were nights where it was easier to grab something to eat, watch a hockey game on Bourbon street, and sleep down there until the next day! Those were the days!!!
Definitely...try to do this. It was (and probably still is) an amazing labyrinth of concrete and doors!
A friend in high school noticed that it looks like a ship in a bottle (when you look at the domed ceiling and the railing shape on the 2nd floor). I've always looked at it differently since then.
I've always been really jealous of the kids who had their birthday parties on the Santa Maria. Now I just kind of wish I had an excuse to have book a party on it.
Sounds like the perfect venue for a Best Edmonton Mall channel subscriber meet and greet.
Curtis Mitchell no doubt!
You can book a wedding on it, if you ever plan on getting married.
I had a bday party on the ship when i was younger. It was pretty cool
WHOO! yes!. You are doing real good work my friend. Future people could use your Vids to see how this mall has grown. I am glad you took this on, especially as an Edmontonian!. I'm proud you're Doing this frankly.
I don’t live in Edmonton but I go there at least 6 times a year and for my birthday next week I’m going to the mall to shop and go to the water park and stay in the awesome theme room in fantasy land.IM SO EXCITED
It’s always cool to see birthday parties and weddings on the Santa Maria.
I read the title “What Happened to The Santa Maria” and flipped my lid! I thought they got rid of it or something and I was like HELL NO
Interesting you should make this comment. I have heard rumors for a few years of exactly that - removing the Santa Maria from the mall - but what would be achieved? It is an iconic symbol of Phase 3.
Same lol
Damn @@LakeNipissing , this is the first I've heard of that! I would be surprised, however... not the first time they've gotten rid of a tourist favourite in place of pushy vendors...
Probably because the thumbnail still has "what happened to" in it. Strange that...
Lake Nipissing its actually been bought by a guy from the states from what I’ve heard.
You've got the best voice for this kind of thing. Feels like I'm listening to someone from the 80s. Awesome.
Totally agree. Matt does *excellent* voiceover / narration.
I was one of the builders of this replica. Your story is mostly correct. These are a few corrections. The "Gallion" as we called it was built by Arkworks Boatbuilding and Repair at the time located in Granville Island's Maritime Market. There was no connection to Expo86*. It was a joint venture with two movie set design companys. Arkworks designed the structure and while it was being built the others fabricated what was called the "rock and roll". This included cannons, anchors, masts and rigging and all other ornamental attachments including the back windows. They are mostly made of cast foam. The boat was assembled twice. Once on Granville Island in whats known as "the big red barn". It was constucted in 39 days. We worked six days a week with 10 hour days. (we beat Noah by a day). It was then dis-assembled and transported to a vacant lot at 3rd and Burrard and re-assembled, painted and finished. 7 tracter trailer loads for the first move and 10 for the shift to Edmonton. Height was critical to first to get off Granville island and for the many tunnels through the Rockies. The Vancouver Province newspaper did two stories on the project. It is a ship only in shape. The construction was a combination of 2x6 truces doubled at the cutlines. The curved rib sections were sawn from 2x12's and the planking 1x12 tongue and groove red cedar 20 ft planks. All in all it was one of our more interesting projects.
(*) As an aside we did get a contract with Expo86 putting together the "International Harbour" as a result of this project. It is chronicled at 86expo.ca
You should do a video on the history or building of the world water park
YESSSSS. I live in Edmonton and I was born in 96, and I remember my fascination about this ship during my childhood.
I love this channel.
As always, love the videos.
I remember in the summer of '99, when "Survivor" first premiered and became a pop culture phenomenon, Power 92 (now Chuck FM) did their own version of "Survivor" in the mall. The ship served as the desert island that the contestants were stranded on. It was a variation on the "heavy hands" contests that many radio stations do: all the contestants had to keep their hand on the railing, once you gave up and let go, you were out. Last one hanging on won.
Makes me so salty every time I watch these videos... born in 1990 in Edmonton and never got to go on them submarines. I always enjoyed sitting and watching them lower and come up from under the water. so salt E
I never knew it was only $2 to go on; always thought it'd be way overpriced or something, so never even looked into it 😂
For a long time it was not accessible to the public, only rented for groups, weddings etc.
Luke Rinderknecht me too!! Lol! I thought it would be atleast 20-30 bucks 😂
West Edmonton Mall shared this video on their Facebook page nice
The mall is so fascinating
It's not a Best Edmonton Mall video without a reference to the fire breathing dragon
I seem to remember seeing a wedding or two on the boat when i was a kid.
I really want to go to this mall
Man this is such an underrated youtube channel. Good stuff, as always
I live in Edmonton and I worked in the mall for many many years and I never knew this-subscribed!
i took this place for granted most of my youth. now that i’ve moved away and look back on those days. wow we were spoiled.
Excellent video for the Amazing ship - SANTA MARIA - and the BEST Mall - WEST EDMONTON MALL of Edmonton.👌🎈✨⛳
Seeing that area makes me homesick! I used to go to the Booster Juice then go play Tekken at the Playdium till a movie I was going to see was starting upstairs!
I’ve always been curious about the lake area. Even the sea lions have two other large pools that cannot be seen to the public, it would be cool to see some behind the scenes footage of that. I would have never known their were aquariums underneath the Santa Maria, so fascinating!
Any time my girlfriend and I go to west ed, its on a saturday to watch the opera show on the santa maria.
I always thought that access to the ship was restricted to weddings and such. Thanks for the clarification on access to the ship.
That's a change. It used to be restricted for group rental.
I grew up in Edmonton and lived there for 20 years through the 70s, 80s, and into the 90s before moving away for school. The imagery of WEM is fixed in my mind from the 80s and early 90s with its gleaming brass, slightly tacky interior, and all the attractions that sadly now seem to be gone. This is a great channel about things I never even knew about it even when I was in Edmonton!
Back in 2007 , they offered a snuba time under water and you had to board the Santa Maria and go in and changed to go underwater. I got to see the dolphin pool from underneath the water and was able to see the aquarium’s under the water. Had a few pics taken under the water as well. Can’t remember how much it cost but was definitely fun then
Another excellent video. Keep up the great work!
Thanks for the awesome information! I have always wondered what was behind the doors... who would have expected change rooms and showers! I had guessed it might have been toilets for when they used to rent the deck space out for group events / parties exclusively.
Me and this ship are almost the same age - I was born Decemer 1986! One of the many facts I didn't know but now do! Thank you! I've walked passed/stared at/etc this ship a thousand times and have always been sooooo curious to know what was through the doors - went on the ship once and was bored 2 seconds later, the space we're allowed to walk in is so limited... so yeah, thank you for letting us see! (... I never did get to go on the submarines before they took them away *crying* and I still miss the dolphins...)
I got to scuba dive in that lake twice around 2000. It was a pretty awesome experience. The dolphins would play with you with just an invisible layer of glass between you. I think I remember the sharks too but it can't have been all that memorable. I think they'd decomissioned the subs by the time I went but it was still neat so see all the infrastructure down there related to their operation.
I'm jealous!!
My favourite mall still number one to me
It is great, but it is hard to describe just how unbelievably awesome it was to enter the mall through entrance 52 by the FLH in 1986 and be blown away by consecutive sights... the Santa Maria, the Dolphin Show, the Submarines, the huge *_unobstructed_* window view of the World Waterpark, the bronze Whale, the Ice Palace and then Fantasyland... all gleaming brand new!! Bird displays, aquariums, fountains, ball machines, even a car dealership... it was overwhelming. There was no way to get a preview on the internet of what to expect prior to arriving.
man oh man do I miss all the marine life that was in all those aquariums. there are tanks under the booster juice and cinozs as well FYI
i am absolutely adding this to my want to do list
I didn't know you could board the ship. Cool
Thanks for the info! Will take a walk on it Friday October 6th, 2023. Super bummed mindbender is gone, drop of doom is gone and the submarines are gone too! Last time I was there was 1988. 😔
My sister had her wedding photography done on the boat as well as along Europa boulevard.
The door in the middle of the ship would also lead down onto a walkway floating in the aquarium I think they had a sea turtle named mini in there haha. When was little my parents put me in a kids camp that was centred around marine biology at west Edmonton mall back when they had the subs running so we got a background tour of all the aquariums etc. Still one my favourite gifts I ever got.
I love your channel. It is so info and entertaining all in one.
I FINALLY was able to go onto the Santa Maria a couple years ago, after a lifetime of wanting to. I was surprised at how much of it was fibreglass.
I miss HMV and Woodwards was a nice place to shop. I never knew you could go on the ship. I still have the poster the Oilers took on the ship dressed in pirate gear
I currently work at Marine Life, and I didn't know about the perspective of the decommissioned tanks from the ship! That is very cool😁
I remember riding on those submarines and seeing that aquarium back when I was in 2002 when I was in the first grade and we went there on a field trip.
I still wanna go on it. Love your WEM videos man.
your videos are amazing! being from alberta this mall has always made me curious about its history because it truly is a very unique place! it's sad to see the mall turn into a more modern theme/style but your videos bring me back to better days there. again amazing work my friend.
I have been on there a couple times, also did the guided diving attraction that had those big smelly diving helmets.
Also they need to replace the foot bridge over 170. Never forget.
2:45 sorry I had to
I was watching your Christmas in wonderland vid and at the start it showed u guys in a building with a amazing view of the city, is that ur place? If it is can we see a tour please
Love these vids!
Ive started to wonder they got that ship inside the mall. Havent thought about it at all until now
As someone who does contract work for the exhaust systems throughout the mall, I find these videos incredibly fascinating
Thanks!
They used it for the toy drive at Christmas. It look so cool when its fulled with toys for children.
I love your videos on this Mall even though I’ve never been there. Cheers buddy
I have and I plan to next month!
I remember this Mall since the first time either December 2004 or January 2005
There actually used to be an attraction on the ship. It was like a diving thing off the side of the ship. You'd stick like a helmet on and walk around on the floor of the lake. You could see the aquariums for the submarine and sea life caverns down there. It was actually kind of freaky because you couldn't see the glass separating you from the fish so it seemed like the fish could swim towards you. Also, though you weren't supposed to, you could find money on the ground, my friend picked up like a few dollars in change while down there. They stopped doing it pretty quickly though.
I worked for WEM in 2000's as a diver and I was the last to work on the subs as I use to move them and refloat them if flooded or came off the tracks . I also did other maint. work on them as a diver. Live shark feeding shows by a diver in the aquarium was also one of my daily jobs. There are many tanks in WEM that people may not know exist and they also have animals that the mall patrons do not see. If you would like to do a video on what it was like as a diver at WEM I could give you my experience(s). I can also find some video and pictures I could donate to you if you were to make a new video. I enjoy your videos to eminence a little of my time spent living in Edmonton, AB and working at WEM.
That would be VERY cool! Can you send me a Facebook message at BestEdMall
That’s so cool! I’m going to go on there next time I’m at the mall! I always thought it was smaller than what the actual Santa Maria would’ve been! But you’re saying it’s actually supposed to be a replica?!
born and raised in edmonton, 19 years old, never been on it lol was always jealous of the kids who got to have their birthday parties on it haha
Love this channel.
I've never been on the Santa Maria, but I want to someday! I didn't realize you could just walk onto it for $2.00 - I thought it was just meant for events like birthdays or weddings.
where did you have to go to find old pics and footage? I wish I could find pics or video or Heritage Mall. I miss that place
Pretty much every time I go there my first stop is to go by the ship then get a cinnamon bun before I go on my adventure
I almost rented it for my wedding this upcoming summer but I had to many guests to comfortably accommodate everybody plus there’s no way of getting my manual wheelchair on board so I haven’t been on-board and sadly never got to ride deep sea adventure or itleast I don’t remember doing so when I was a kid
I have been on it👍🏼
Around Animethon/Taste time, cosplayers tend to use the ship as a photo shoot location. That's always fun to see.
You should do a video of the West Edmonton Mall outdoor walkway over 178st. Are they rebuilding it? I heard there is a legal battle going on with the city...
Nice to see Science World Vancouver before it became Science World. It is the dome thing you see in the Expo clips. Also one of the most iconic buildings in Vancouver.
I would have loved to see mention of the short lived SNUBA attraction that was run off of the same dive platform! Do you think that you'll explore that in a future video?
We had our weddings pictures taken on the Santa Maria
Video idea : why isn’t the bungee jumping in west Ed water park in use
The answer is probably as uninteresting as it was deemed unsafe to have it so close to the zip lines.
Damn only 2 bucks. Why did I think it was more? I’m gonna have to go next time I’m there
I actually didn't know you could just pay 2 bucks to walk on to it. Though it was only for parties or something. Might have to go check it out now.
Do you remember the boats with the water guns (they were put in place after the submarines were removed) I once went on them with my mum and she fell in the water and had to walk half way across the mall soaking wet to get to the parking lot 🤣
The Deep Sea Derby!
Way back (circa 1989 to 1994), I wanna say access to the aqurium below was through a locked hatch on the floor of the ship. Maybe someone else remembers and can confirm ?
Sooo... how about a best Edmonton mall meetup aboard the Santa Maria?!
Next time I go to the mall I’ll be taking my daughter on the Santa Maria , i has no idea you could go walk on it.
If you haven't already thought of it, a video on Playdium would be really cool. Or maybe you've done it already.
would it be possible to find a playlist of the music the mall plays on the speakers please?
I proposed to my wife on there
That is cool.
I’m planning on filming some music videos on that ship.
I really hope they don't remove it like they have done to so many other WEM treasures!
It's like an age in the myst game.
I LOVE Myst. You just hit me in the feels.
Have you seen the movie Paper Marriage by Sammo Hung? It was filmed in Edmonton in 1988 and featured a series of fight scene in WEM, in the Water Park and on the Santa Maria en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper_Marriage
I would like to let you that by the Cinnabon stand in the lake, there is a passage in the lake where the subs would go through. In that passage there looks to be a old submarine that is in that passage way. It could possibly be one of the submarines that was used when the submarines were a attraction. If you have a chance, you should go take a look. Thank you.
It's just a decoration from when the ride was still in operation.
Good to know. Thank you.
What happened to skuba diving in West ed, you'd come out the side of the ship into the "pond"
I bin to Edmonton
Greetings from the international space station!
Please do basement
Did you partner up with WEM on this video since they let you in the non public areas of the ship?
Ohh I miss the fire breathing dragon 🐉
The mall, could've made a show, that used the ship
You can also rent it for party's.
Did you yourself get the downstairs footage and paddle boat footage?
I did!
Best Edmonton Mall How did you get permission to go through the doors? Did you just ask the person who rents out the ship for 2$?
$40 bucks for a sweater at Woodwards? I only pay $30 for a sweater now!
Cashmere is expensive.
What type of editor do you have?
My grade 5 teacher told the class he saw the ship being built
The last time I went to wem on a random weekday I got on the ship for free?😭