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 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
The sun setting on Maelstrom… Poetical and such
Hans from the Southern Isles.
Empty. Calm. Perfect.
Warning: You may get rebranded.
It’s almost like the Aurora Borealis
I love these shops and facades.
Light details.
Spirits of Norway (this is full-res on my Flickr).
Empty. Calm. Perfect.
Empty. Calm. Perfect.
Empty. Calm. Perfect.
Empty. Calm. Perfect.
Empty. Calm. Perfect.
Used to be SeaVenture… I wonder how much THAT sign sold for.
Empty. Calm. Perfect.
The sun setting on Maelstrom… Poetical and such
Empty. Calm. Perfect.
It’s made from melted Olaf.
Sepia-toned sadness.
Empty. Calm. Perfect.
Maelstrom queue and loading area:
Map full of great information about archaeological finds.
See? Full of great info.
That oil
Some of her last riders…
A mural full of info… I loved reading about the historical finds.
DAT MURAL
I would buy a print of this map…
Left to right, how Norway evolved.
The boat is biting the owner of the fabulous coif.
World’s largest Viking
Your cruise director is brave and stoic
Flags, Norway Pavilion always displays these with such pride
that hair
Informative AND pretty
My spirit animal.
THE MURAL!
He’s all about that oil
I wonder what it looks like now
How Vikings saw the world.
This kid is my Norwegian gangster spirit animal
More flags
Ride vehicles:
They’re in awe of the hair.
He’s cringing about Frozen.
I just love the surfer hair.
Empty longboat… forever.
Pulling into unload
Pulling into unload
On the ride:
EPCOT Fanboys bathing in the warm glow of Maelstrom’s presence
I wish the ride explained this stuff more… I wanted more culture, just too short of a ride I guess…
Wheee!
This room is a mix between Norway and Rainforest Cafe.
My twitter idol.
Unexplained totems
Another troll… probably on twitter.
Hans?
My twitter idol.
Bye, now :(
Oil! Texas tea!
Back, back, over the falls!
Wasting away in Anna and Elsaville…
This guy’s definitely on twitter…
The less-anorexic of the polar bears.
X marks the spot (for Olaf)…
POUND THE ALARM
I couldn’t get a decent shot of this.
Eye of Odin
This village later burned to the ground
#SelfieMagic
Puffins roost
Setting sail
Frozen storyboards.
Anorexibear
Soon to be Elsa
Wait for the drop!
Okay bye!
Bret and Mark enjoy trolling
Destination unknown
Destination unknown :(
I hope they’re in a better place…
My twitter idol.
Unload area and show:
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
Unload area building
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
I love this fishing village – so well done
A lamp inside one of the houses
Pulling into unload
I love this fishing village – so well done
I love this fishing village – so well done
The theater at the end of the ride
Best seats ever
I love this fishing village – so well done
The child makes sweet, sweet contact with the boat
Mark and Bret – Maelstrom superfans
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
Shores of the fishing village
Pulling into unload
This is clearly an exterior light… but it’s inside! Disney magic, folks!
I love this fishing village – so well done
The boat
Pulling into unload
Best seats ever
I love this fishing village – so well done
Best seats ever
A different angle on the greatest seats in all the land
A child in wonder
I love this fishing village – so well done
Pavilion interiors:
Poor homeless troll
Flags, Norway Pavilion always displays these with such pride
Chandelier
Dedication plaque
Tourism posters in the exit area
Lots of wood
Tourism poster
Lacy detail
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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.