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