Maelstrom (ride)

Ride Experience

Riders departed from a dock traveling by boat, which turned a corner into a dark tunnel and up the flume's lift hill. A voice tells riders that "those who seek the spirit of Norway face peril and adventure, but more often find beauty and charm." Arriving at the top of the hill, a lit face of the Germanic and Norse god Odin hovered above. Riders passed through scenes of seafarers and maritime villages depicting a mythological version of Norway's Viking days. Entering a marsh, the boat would come face to face with audio-animatronic depictions of a Nokken and a three-headed troll. The trolls, angered by the trespassing boat, cast a spell onto riders as the vehicle began to move backward rapidly, accelerated by hidden conveyor belts underneath the water's surface. The boats floated briskly past scenes of Atlantic puffins, polar bears and living trees, before coming to a stop on the edge of another waterfall, exposing the Norway pavilion's main thoroughfare. The backwards edge of the boat peeked out through the facade as the track pivoted to let the vehicle travel forward again. Correctly oriented, the boats plunged forward down a 28 ft flume into a stormy depiction of the North Sea. After passing very close to an oil rig, the ride came to an abrupt end in a calm harbor of a small village, where the narrator announced, "Norway's spirit has always been, and will always be adventure." As guests exited the ride, they had the option of watching a 5-minute 70mm tourism film, "The Spirit of Norway", which highlighted various attractions in Norway including skiing, hiking, and Kjerag mountain.

Hidden Mickeys on the ride included:

• In the ride's loading area, a large painted mural included many people and elements from Norway's history. Hidden in this painting was a Viking whose helmet had Mickey Mouse ears, and another figure wearing a Mickey Mouse watch.
• Inside the stave church, King Olaf II had a small Mickey embroidered on his tunic, near his right thigh.

References

References

1. "Maelstrom". Disney Parks.
2. "Vintage Walt Disney World: Looking Back at Epcot's Maelstrom".
3. (September 12, 2014). "'Frozen' Attraction Coming to Epcot". Disney Parks Blog.
4. (September 12, 2014). "Disney Adding 'Frozen' Attraction at Epcot". Variety.
5. Pallotta, Frank. (15 September 2014). "Yet another 'Frozen' spinoff: An Epcot theme park attraction". CNN Money.
6. (October 6, 2014). "Maelstrom at Epcot - The Final Moments (Last Ride, Last Film) 10/5/14".
7. "Maelstrom - Epcot Attractions - Walt Disney World Resort".
8. Sentinel, Orlando. (2016-05-20). "Disney: Opening dates for Frozen ride, Soarin', Star Wars fireworks, more".
9. (26 September 2014). "D-Tales #2: Historical details hidden in Maelstrom, as Frozen soon makes its move into more of Walt Disney World". Inside the Magic.