This is undoubtably a step up from the mediocre Wonder Mountain Guardian attraction, which I've perviously shared my thoughts on, but it is still unabashedly a budget attraction.
You won't find steampunk detail in the queue coming anywhere near the level found in the Nautilus window display. Instead, it looks more like a modern restaurant you'd find on a cruise ship (one might question whether or not Knott's even knows what 'steampunk' is if it weren't for the window display). Curiously, it seems as though most of the houses they introduced at Haunt last year featured much more detailed theming. At least those Haunt attractions had subtle use of storytelling through the environments, where as Voyage to the Iron Reef's storytelling is all directly conveyed through the televisions in the queue. Take away the direct storytelling the televisions provide and you're left with nothing, as I'm not even sure thematically what the queue is supposed to represent.
As for the ride portion itself, it still features animation that was probably acceptable a decade ago but is well below the standards of today and the story seems like something a PR group would come up with to connect a tie-in internet flash game to a pre-existing property. The ride vehicles are supposed to be bathyspheres and yet the only piece of theming on them are some tiny stickers slapped on the front panels. It's a cheaply made video game that puts storytelling dead last.
That said, this is a dark ride and despite it not living up to the legacy of the previous occupants, I encourage everyone to go and show Knott's your support. We want more dark rides and making this one a success is one of the best ways to tell Knott's that.
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