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:
Empty. Calm. Perfect.
The sun setting on Maelstrom… Poetical and such
Empty. Calm. Perfect.
Empty. Calm. Perfect.
Empty. Calm. Perfect.
Empty. Calm. Perfect.
Empty. Calm. Perfect.
Empty. Calm. Perfect.
Empty. Calm. Perfect.
Empty. Calm. Perfect.
The sun setting on Maelstrom… Poetical and such
Doors closed.
The sun setting on Maelstrom… Poetical and such
Used to be SeaVenture… I wonder how much THAT sign sold for.
The front side of water!
It’s almost like the Aurora Borealis
Empty. Calm. Perfect.
Empty. Calm. Perfect.
Empty. Calm. Perfect.
One of my favorite shots ever.
Hans from the Southern Isles.
Spirits of Norway (this is full-res on my Flickr).
It’s made from melted Olaf.
Sepia-toned sadness.
The sun setting on Maelstrom… Poetical and such
Light details.
Warning: You may get rebranded.
I love these shops and facades.
Maelstrom queue and loading area:
THE MURAL!
that hair
I would buy a print of this map…
My spirit animal.
Your cruise director is brave and stoic
He’s all about that oil
More flags
DAT MURAL
Left to right, how Norway evolved.
World’s largest Viking
This kid is my Norwegian gangster spirit animal
That oil
I wonder what it looks like now
Some of her last riders…
See? Full of great info.
Flags, Norway Pavilion always displays these with such pride
Map full of great information about archaeological finds.
How Vikings saw the world.
A mural full of info… I loved reading about the historical finds.
Informative AND pretty
The boat is biting the owner of the fabulous coif.
Ride vehicles:
I just love the surfer hair.
They’re in awe of the hair.
He’s cringing about Frozen.
Pulling into unload
Pulling into unload
Empty longboat… forever.
On the ride:
Wheee!
I wish the ride explained this stuff more… I wanted more culture, just too short of a ride I guess…
Wasting away in Anna and Elsaville…
Hans?
Bye, now :(
Destination unknown :(
My twitter idol.
I hope they’re in a better place…
Frozen storyboards.
Setting sail
Another troll… probably on twitter.
My twitter idol.
Oil! Texas tea!
X marks the spot (for Olaf)…
My twitter idol.
Destination unknown
Puffins roost
Eye of Odin
I couldn’t get a decent shot of this.
Unexplained totems
The less-anorexic of the polar bears.
Bret and Mark enjoy trolling
POUND THE ALARM
#SelfieMagic
Wait for the drop!
EPCOT Fanboys bathing in the warm glow of Maelstrom’s presence
This guy’s definitely on twitter…
Okay bye!
Anorexibear
This room is a mix between Norway and Rainforest Cafe.
Back, back, over the falls!
This village later burned to the ground
Soon to be Elsa
Unload area and show:
I love this fishing village – so well done
I love this fishing village – so well done
Pulling into unload
Mark and Bret – Maelstrom superfans
Pulling into unload
I love this fishing village – so well done
Unload area building
Pulling into unload
The theater at the end of the ride
Best seats ever
Best seats ever
I love this fishing village – so well done
Best seats ever
I love this fishing village – so well done
A lamp inside one of the houses
I love this fishing village – so well done
Shores of the fishing village
I love this fishing village – so well done
The boat
I love this fishing village – so well done
Best seats ever
The ship will sail no more
I love this fishing village – so well done
This is clearly an exterior light… but it’s inside! Disney magic, folks!
I love this fishing village – so well done
I love this fishing village – so well done
A child in wonder
I love this fishing village – so well done
I love this fishing village – so well done
A different angle on the greatest seats in all the land
I love this fishing village – so well done
Pulling into unload
I love this fishing village – so well done
I love this fishing village – so well done
The child makes sweet, sweet contact with the boat
Pavilion interiors:
Lots of wood
Tourism posters in the exit area
Tourism poster
Lacy detail
Chandelier
Dedication plaque
Flags, Norway Pavilion always displays these with such pride
Poor homeless troll
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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.