29yrswithaGApass Posted September 13, 2014 Report Share Posted September 13, 2014 Source: Miama Herald Epcot’s Maelstrom will close, be replaced by ‘Frozen’ rideFriday September 12. 2014 Walt Disney World Resorts is shutting down the Maelstrom ride in the Norway Pavilion at Epcot and replacing it with a ride inspired by the movie Frozen, the park announced Friday. Last day for Maelstrom — a ride through the perils of the North Sea in a 10th-century-style warrior’s longship that opened in 1988 — will be Oct. 5. Disney did not give a timeline for the new attraction or much in the way of detail. Fan sites reported that Disney told travel agents the new ride would open in early 2016. Tom Staggs, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, who announced the Frozen ride on the Disney Parks blog, said it “will take our guests to Arendelle and immerse them in many of their favorite moments and music from the film. The pavilion will also include a royal greeting location where Anna and Elsa can meet our guests.” Staggs quoted Walt Disney’s famous line that Disneyland would never be completed as long as there is imagination left in the world, and added that the company has extended that promise to all its parks. “This year, one particular product of imagination — Disney Animation’s blockbuster hit Frozen — captured the hearts and minds of people around the world and gave us a new opportunity to make good on Walt’s pledge,” he said. Meeting Frozen’s heroines Anna and Elsa in Princess Fairytale Hall has been hugely popular — the wait time for guests who didn’t schedule FastPasses in advance has run as long as five hours. Disney also added some Frozen-related activities at its Hollywood Studios park this summer, and Staggs said Friday that one of them, a singalong with Anna and Elsa, will be extended into the holiday season. Seems like they are dumbing down EPCOT more and more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew M Posted September 13, 2014 Report Share Posted September 13, 2014 Oh no!!! The Maelstrom is one of my favorite rides.... Are they keeping it the same ride just retheming it to Frozen, or just building an entire new ride? I mean come on.. its Disney you know they have enough money to build a whole new attraction, or a whole Frozen area if they really wanted to. It's a shame to see Maelstrom go. I agree.. I feel like a Frozen ride would be more suitable to Magic Kingdom or Disney Studios not EPCOT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yoshi Posted September 13, 2014 Report Share Posted September 13, 2014 There are so many reasons I am disappointed with this. Frozen doesn't take place in Norway and Disney characters really don't fit in with rides in World Showcase (I don't like how Donald was added to the boat ride in Mexico either). I have no interest in Frozen and know it's popular and can see why they wanted to add a Frozen ride but why not at Hollywood Studios where the park is lacking rides, especially family friendly rides. If it had to be built at Epcot, I don't like how they are removing Maelstrom for it. With the crowds the parks get, they should be adding new rides and not removing old ones. I guess on the plus side, it should help with lines for Soarin' and Test Track since so many people are going to be running to this ride at opening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdc12192 Posted September 13, 2014 Report Share Posted September 13, 2014 Womp womp, it'll be closing about a month before I go there,and having never been, guess ill never experience it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coasterharrison'98 Posted September 13, 2014 Report Share Posted September 13, 2014 Disney just needs to "Let it Go!!" with all this frozen nonsense. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pineracer Posted September 14, 2014 Report Share Posted September 14, 2014 I did ride it my last(and only) visit to WDW, I am going back in December for the school music department and we sing at epcot; too bad that it will already be closed. the ride already has trolls, just needs frozen stuff. thought=neutral Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Master Posted September 14, 2014 Report Share Posted September 14, 2014 That is sad to hear, I enjoy Maelstrom for being such a different ride. Frozen would be a better fit over in Studios, but I can see why they want to put it i Epcot, to attract more people to the park they let become outdated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
errico5errico Posted September 15, 2014 Report Share Posted September 15, 2014 I'm going right after Christmas for two weeks. The last time I went on it was in January. It was a pretty good but probably a lot better then what Frozen would be. The only thing I didn't like about Maelstrom was that it was such a short ride and it would always have a long line. I get to go to Disney and Universal a lot because I have family that lives right outside of Orlando. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GAcoaster Posted September 15, 2014 Report Share Posted September 15, 2014 Maelstrom was by no means my favorite ride, but it was a good ride and I am saddened by the further dumbing down of EPCOT with characters. One thing I have learned about this is that the ride system for Maelstrom has been problematic since day one, so it's not too surprising they're replacing it, just disappointing. At this point I think almost all those reversing flumes from INTAMIN have been removed because they were so problematic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Master Posted September 15, 2014 Report Share Posted September 15, 2014 Will it be a complete ride replacement or just a retheme of the current ride system? I kind of think it will just be a retheme, maybe they might remove the reversing section. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scott Posted September 15, 2014 Report Share Posted September 15, 2014 I was assuming it will be a new ride because it seems like a lot of downtime for a retheme. Then again I have never been on it so I don't know how much work a retheme would be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GAcoaster Posted September 15, 2014 Report Share Posted September 15, 2014 I've heard conflicting reports about the ride system being replaced or just the theme elements being replaced and modifications being made. I think it's being replaced, but that's just a hunch based on the problems with the existing ride system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Master Posted January 25, 2015 Report Share Posted January 25, 2015 Maelstrom isn't the only Disney attraction being replaced with Frozen. Out in DCA, their Muppet Vision has been replaced with a Frozen sing along show. While over in Disneyland, the Old Mill section of the Storybook Boats has been replaced with a Frozen section. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThemeParkRider Posted January 25, 2015 Report Share Posted January 25, 2015 From what I've heard there will be major changes to the queue area and the ride system itself. At one point I heard, and I can't remember where from, that the actual route of the ride would be reversed. All the negative things have been said already (and I agree with them) however I'm always excited for almost anything Disney works on, regardless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yoshi Posted January 25, 2015 Report Share Posted January 25, 2015 Maelstrom isn't the only Disney attraction being replaced with Frozen. Out in DCA, their Muppet Vision has been replaced with a Frozen sing along show. While over in Disneyland, the Old Mill section of the Storybook Boats has been replaced with a Frozen section. I really don't like how Frozen is taking over the parks especially at the expense of other attractions. I think the holiday castle lighting at Magic Kingdom was taken for by Frozen are month as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GAcoaster Posted January 25, 2015 Report Share Posted January 25, 2015 So the other day Disney filed permits for an Arendelle "country" being added to World Showcase, basically filling in between Mexico and Norway. It will be a HUGE building housing the Frozen meet and greets as well as expanding the restrooms that are already there. So it sounds like the country of Norway in World Showcase will be more or less untouched, with the entrance to the attraction and all the meet and greets in its own area so the old attraction entrance would either become the exit or just incorporated into the rest of the attraction/show building. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
29yrswithaGApass Posted January 26, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2015 The World Showcase has always had a long standing rule that each country (besides the USA) has the same lagoon footage as the other international pavilions. Sadly, I think this expansion proves that this is no longer the case and we can pretty much forget about Disney attracting additional foreign sponsors. What makes matters worse is we all know that it is almost a given that Disney won't invest their own money to add a new country to the World Showcase leaving this half of EPCOT permanently stuck with this "Small World". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yoshi Posted January 26, 2015 Report Share Posted January 26, 2015 (edited) I have hoped to see new countries for years and I agree it seems unlikely. I'd even be happy to see some new rides added to World Showcase and Future World that are brand new and not replacing removed rides. Something like the Rhine River boat ride that I thought already had the show building built would be good. Even that doesn't seem like it will happen though since they already have all those unused spaces with Wonders of Life, Millennium Village, Odyssey, 2nd floor of Imagination and probably more I am forgetting. Edited January 26, 2015 by Yoshi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Master Posted January 27, 2015 Report Share Posted January 27, 2015 It is almost sickening about all the unused space at Epcot, it is probably one of the most poorly utilized Disney parks anymore. With all these permits for new buildings, I wonder if they are going to copy some of the stuff they have in DCA, like Olaf's snowfest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yoshi Posted January 28, 2015 Report Share Posted January 28, 2015 I think they had something similar in Hollywood Studios recently, they had a snow play area, ice skating and a couple of other things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GAcoaster Posted January 30, 2015 Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 The plans for DHS are MUCH bigger including a name change and update to be more like DCA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RC98 Posted January 30, 2015 Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 ^ Can you give any more details on that? I'm curious now... Personally I'd love to see Disney make a top-notch Star Wars land with an attraction that could be a true counter to Universal's new technologies in rides (harry potter stuff, spiderman/transformers, etc.). Something groundbreaking and unique to Disney Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
29yrswithaGApass Posted January 31, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2015 I wonder how much the advent of cell phones (with cameras) has driven the huge expansion of character meet and greets at Disney parks? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GAcoaster Posted January 31, 2015 Report Share Posted January 31, 2015 ^ Can you give any more details on that? I'm curious now... Personally I'd love to see Disney make a top-notch Star Wars land with an attraction that could be a true counter to Universal's new technologies in rides (harry potter stuff, spiderman/transformers, etc.). Something groundbreaking and unique to Disney Rumor is that DHS is becoming Disney's Hollywood Adventure, adding a clone of Radiator Springs Racers, and Flo's V8 Cafe as well as an entire Star Wars themed area, but also many other updates to the park to make it more like DCA all around since the response to DCA has been so positive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Master Posted February 2, 2015 Report Share Posted February 2, 2015 (edited) I really disliked what they did to the main entrance and Paradise Pier at DCA. The old entrance with the mosaic tile mountains and the Golden Gate Bridge spanning them was nicer that the current copy of the DHS entrance. The old Orange Stinger was nicer and I miss Maliboomer. Car's Land is really nice. However they really give their Muppets 3D, the shaft in recent years. Edited February 2, 2015 by The Master Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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