As many of you Disney fans probably know, Maelstrom in Epcot’s Norway pavilion closed on Sunday, October 5th, 2014. I was in Epcot that day and was lucky enough to ride it one last time. The lines were crazy long all day. I had originally made a fastpass, but due to being sick in the morning I slept through it. I ended up waiting over an hour to get on it later in the day, but it was definitely worth it.
What can one say about Maelstrom? It had a little bit of everything, really – boats, Vikings, polar bears, and trolls. While it wasn’t my favorite ride, it was one I enjoyed and one that I will definitely miss. While I do think a Frozen ride is something that Disney should have, I definitely don’t think that Norway is the place to put it. It definitely makes me sad to see Maelstrom gone.
A lot has been said on this topic. I enjoyed Frozen a lot. I a lot of people argue that it is a fad which will die out, and we don’t know yet if it will have staying power. But I don’t think that will be an issue – I really do think it will remain popular, as so many of the princess movies have. But I would’ve put it in Hollywood Studios, which could really use some more attractions, particularly for younger kids. Or even in Fantasyland, make room for something with the rest of the princesses. I wouldn’t have cared if they had announced a Frozen ride somewhere else. I wouldn’t really have minded if they replaced or updated Maelstrom with another Norwegian-culture ride. But I love the World Showcase and I’m sad to see this happen.
The following day I was in Epcot again, and I walked past the Norway pavilion. The sign was already down and the door closed. Norway was a sad sight indeed that day.
Will you miss Maelstrom? Or are you looking forward to the new Frozen ride?
I won’t miss Maelstrom too much. I feel the majority of people don’t even know it exists.
I actually felt like in some ways Malestrom got more attention than it might have otherwise because it was one of only two attractions in the World Showcase – people that were walking around and wanted to sit or do a ride didn’t have a lot of options. But on the other hand, people that mainly want to do rides probably skip World Showcase all together in Epcot. I’m sure that will all change with the new Frozen ride.