Hallo og velkommen!
This is probably a pretty sad post for much of the Disney community. The loss of Maelstrom has been a hot topic for many moons on twitter, with most people expressing more attachment than I thought possible for this little boat ride in the corner of the World (Showcase). I didn’t ride Maelstrom as much as many rides – with it being so far from both of EPCOT’s gates, my disability made it difficult to get over there. I made sure to ride it a few weeks before its closure.
For the first time ever, this post has a recommended soundtrack. Lupe Fiasco’s “Never Forget You” (click to listen) fits the mood of this ride very well… Especially John Legend’s refrains:
Take me to that old familiar place
Take me to memories we won’t erase
Take me to all that we had
Good and the badI’ll never forget you
I’ll never let you go
I’ll never forget you
I’ll always remember, I hope you know…
Alright, enough waxing poetic about empty longboats sailing to distant shores unknown, and on with the pictures! I have to thank Amy for sharing so many pictures to fill in the gaps I had from my one night of shooting. Her photos are watermarked @AmyLPlant, and I highly recommend you follow her on twitter to see her awesome work. My fiancee threw in a great photo as well – thank you, love!
I’ve randomized the galleries below. I hope you enjoy them! You’ll find that there are many repeated shots from slightly different angles; that’s not accidental – I wanted to share as many shots of this now-closed ride as possible and really cover my bases.
I took these photos with a Canon 6D, using my 28mm f/1.8, 50mm f/1.4, and 8mm f/3.5 lenses. Amy shot her photos with her iPhone 5s.
Enjoy, and click to enlarge,
-ADA
@AtDisneyAgain
Norway Pavilion exterior:
One of my favorite shots ever.
The sun setting on Maelstrom… Poetical and such
The sun setting on Maelstrom… Poetical and such
Empty. Calm. Perfect.
Empty. Calm. Perfect.
The sun setting on Maelstrom… Poetical and such
Empty. Calm. Perfect.
Doors closed.
Empty. Calm. Perfect.
Used to be SeaVenture… I wonder how much THAT sign sold for.
Sepia-toned sadness.
Empty. Calm. Perfect.
Empty. Calm. Perfect.
It’s made from melted Olaf.
Empty. Calm. Perfect.
Empty. Calm. Perfect.
Empty. Calm. Perfect.
Empty. Calm. Perfect.
Empty. Calm. Perfect.
The sun setting on Maelstrom… Poetical and such
The front side of water!
Spirits of Norway (this is full-res on my Flickr).
Empty. Calm. Perfect.
Warning: You may get rebranded.
I love these shops and facades.
Hans from the Southern Isles.
Light details.
It’s almost like the Aurora Borealis
Maelstrom queue and loading area:
DAT MURAL
He’s all about that oil
The boat is biting the owner of the fabulous coif.
Left to right, how Norway evolved.
More flags
Flags, Norway Pavilion always displays these with such pride
How Vikings saw the world.
Your cruise director is brave and stoic
Some of her last riders…
This kid is my Norwegian gangster spirit animal
My spirit animal.
World’s largest Viking
THE MURAL!
That oil
I would buy a print of this map…
See? Full of great info.
A mural full of info… I loved reading about the historical finds.
that hair
Map full of great information about archaeological finds.
I wonder what it looks like now
Informative AND pretty
Ride vehicles:
Empty longboat… forever.
They’re in awe of the hair.
Pulling into unload
I just love the surfer hair.
Pulling into unload
He’s cringing about Frozen.
On the ride:
Anorexibear
This guy’s definitely on twitter…
This village later burned to the ground
X marks the spot (for Olaf)…
POUND THE ALARM
Another troll… probably on twitter.
Setting sail
Bye, now :(
Unexplained totems
Bret and Mark enjoy trolling
Destination unknown
The less-anorexic of the polar bears.
Oil! Texas tea!
My twitter idol.
Puffins roost
Soon to be Elsa
Hans?
Wait for the drop!
My twitter idol.
Wheee!
#SelfieMagic
I couldn’t get a decent shot of this.
Eye of Odin
Wasting away in Anna and Elsaville…
Okay bye!
This room is a mix between Norway and Rainforest Cafe.
EPCOT Fanboys bathing in the warm glow of Maelstrom’s presence
My twitter idol.
I hope they’re in a better place…
Frozen storyboards.
Back, back, over the falls!
Destination unknown :(
I wish the ride explained this stuff more… I wanted more culture, just too short of a ride I guess…
Unload area and show:
Best seats ever
I love this fishing village – so well done
The theater at the end of the ride
Best seats ever
Pulling into unload
I love this fishing village – so well done
I love this fishing village – so well done
I love this fishing village – so well done
Best seats ever
I love this fishing village – so well done
Pulling into unload
Pulling into unload
I love this fishing village – so well done
Best seats ever
The boat
This is clearly an exterior light… but it’s inside! Disney magic, folks!
Shores of the fishing village
I love this fishing village – so well done
The ship will sail no more
I love this fishing village – so well done
I love this fishing village – so well done
I love this fishing village – so well done
I love this fishing village – so well done
Mark and Bret – Maelstrom superfans
I love this fishing village – so well done
I love this fishing village – so well done
Pulling into unload
A child in wonder
The child makes sweet, sweet contact with the boat
I love this fishing village – so well done
I love this fishing village – so well done
I love this fishing village – so well done
Unload area building
A different angle on the greatest seats in all the land
A lamp inside one of the houses
Pavilion interiors:
Lots of wood
Lacy detail
Chandelier
Dedication plaque
Poor homeless troll
Tourism poster
Tourism posters in the exit area
Flags, Norway Pavilion always displays these with such pride
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Great post! Our trip was a couple weeks too late for one final ride on my favorite World Showcase attraction. The tears welled up as I walked around the exterior and the ride’s exit door into the gift shop. I wanted to open that door and peek inside. Hubby wore his Maelstrom shirt on our last day in the parks.