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:

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:

It’s almost like the Aurora Borealis

Empty. Calm. Perfect.

The sun setting on Maelstrom… Poetical and such

Empty. Calm. Perfect.

Empty. Calm. Perfect.

It’s made from melted Olaf.

Empty. Calm. Perfect.

Spirits of Norway (this is full-res on my Flickr).

Empty. Calm. Perfect.

Light details.

The sun setting on Maelstrom… Poetical and such

Empty. Calm. Perfect.

Empty. Calm. Perfect.

I love these shops and facades.

Sepia-toned sadness.

Empty. Calm. Perfect.

Used to be SeaVenture… I wonder how much THAT sign sold for.

Hans from the Southern Isles.

One of my favorite shots ever.

Empty. Calm. Perfect.

The sun setting on Maelstrom… Poetical and such

Empty. Calm. Perfect.

Empty. Calm. Perfect.

Warning: You may get rebranded.

Doors closed.

The front side of water!

The sun setting on Maelstrom… Poetical and such

Empty. Calm. Perfect.

Maelstrom queue and loading area:

Map full of great information about archaeological finds.

A mural full of info… I loved reading about the historical finds.

Some of her last riders…

The boat is biting the owner of the fabulous coif.

I wonder what it looks like now

DAT MURAL

Left to right, how Norway evolved.

I would buy a print of this map…

Flags, Norway Pavilion always displays these with such pride

He’s all about that oil

World’s largest Viking

This kid is my Norwegian gangster spirit animal

Informative AND pretty

that hair

My spirit animal.

More flags

How Vikings saw the world.

That oil

See? Full of great info.

Your cruise director is brave and stoic

THE MURAL!

Ride vehicles:

Empty longboat… forever.

They’re in awe of the hair.

He’s cringing about Frozen.

Pulling into unload

I just love the surfer hair.

Pulling into unload

On the ride:

Frozen storyboards.

Wait for the drop!

Anorexibear

I wish the ride explained this stuff more… I wanted more culture, just too short of a ride I guess…

My twitter idol.

My twitter idol.

Okay bye!

Another troll… probably on twitter.

Back, back, over the falls!

Wheee!

Destination unknown :(

This guy’s definitely on twitter…

Unexplained totems

Wasting away in Anna and Elsaville…

Destination unknown

X marks the spot (for Olaf)…

POUND THE ALARM

This room is a mix between Norway and Rainforest Cafe.

My twitter idol.

Puffins roost

Eye of Odin

Hans?

I hope they’re in a better place…

The less-anorexic of the polar bears.

Bret and Mark enjoy trolling

Soon to be Elsa

EPCOT Fanboys bathing in the warm glow of Maelstrom’s presence

#SelfieMagic

Setting sail

This village later burned to the ground

Oil! Texas tea!

I couldn’t get a decent shot of this.

Bye, now :(

Unload area and show:

Pulling into unload

Shores of the fishing village

I love this fishing village – so well done

A lamp inside one of the houses

Best seats ever

I love this fishing village – so well done

The theater at the end of the ride

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

This is clearly an exterior light… but it’s inside! Disney magic, folks!

Best seats ever

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

Pulling into unload

The ship will sail no more

A child in wonder

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

Unload area building

I love this fishing village – so well done

Best seats ever

I love this fishing village – so well done

Pulling into unload

A different angle on the greatest seats in all the land

I love this fishing village – so well done

I love this fishing village – so well done

The boat

I love this fishing village – so well done

Best seats ever

Pavilion interiors:

Tourism posters in the exit area

Lots of wood

Flags, Norway Pavilion always displays these with such pride

Dedication plaque

Chandelier

Poor homeless troll

Lacy detail

Tourism poster