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:

Light details.

The sun setting on Maelstrom… Poetical and such

Empty. Calm. Perfect.

Sepia-toned sadness.

The sun setting on Maelstrom… Poetical and such

Empty. Calm. Perfect.

Empty. Calm. Perfect.

I love these shops and facades.

Doors closed.

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

Empty. Calm. Perfect.

It’s almost like the Aurora Borealis

The sun setting on Maelstrom… Poetical and such

Empty. Calm. Perfect.

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

Warning: You may get rebranded.

The sun setting on Maelstrom… Poetical and such

It’s made from melted Olaf.

Empty. Calm. Perfect.

Hans from the Southern Isles.

Empty. Calm. Perfect.

Empty. Calm. Perfect.

The front side of water!

Empty. Calm. Perfect.

One of my favorite shots ever.

Empty. Calm. Perfect.

Empty. Calm. Perfect.

Empty. Calm. Perfect.

Maelstrom queue and loading area:

He’s all about that oil

More flags

Your cruise director is brave and stoic

Informative AND pretty

See? Full of great info.

My spirit animal.

That oil

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

Map full of great information about archaeological finds.

Flags, Norway Pavilion always displays these with such pride

Some of her last riders…

This kid is my Norwegian gangster spirit animal

THE MURAL!

How Vikings saw the world.

I would buy a print of this map…

I wonder what it looks like now

World’s largest Viking

that hair

DAT MURAL

The boat is biting the owner of the fabulous coif.

Left to right, how Norway evolved.

Ride vehicles:

He’s cringing about Frozen.

Empty longboat… forever.

Pulling into unload

I just love the surfer hair.

Pulling into unload

They’re in awe of the hair.

On the ride:

My twitter idol.

My twitter idol.

I hope they’re in a better place…

I couldn’t get a decent shot of this.

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

This room is a mix between Norway and Rainforest Cafe.

Wait for the drop!

My twitter idol.

Hans?

Setting sail

This guy’s definitely on twitter…

Bye, now :(

Anorexibear

Unexplained totems

POUND THE ALARM

#SelfieMagic

X marks the spot (for Olaf)…

Back, back, over the falls!

Bret and Mark enjoy trolling

Destination unknown :(

Frozen storyboards.

Wheee!

Wasting away in Anna and Elsaville…

This village later burned to the ground

Soon to be Elsa

Another troll… probably on twitter.

Destination unknown

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

Puffins roost

Oil! Texas tea!

Okay bye!

The less-anorexic of the polar bears.

Eye of Odin

Unload area and show:

Shores of the fishing village

Best seats ever

I love this fishing village – so well done

The theater at the end of the ride

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

Best seats ever

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!

Pulling into unload

I love this fishing village – so well done

The boat

I love this fishing village – so well done

I love this fishing village – so well done

Best seats ever

A child in wonder

Mark and Bret – Maelstrom superfans

Pulling into unload

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

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

A lamp inside one of the houses

Unload area building

Pavilion interiors:

Flags, Norway Pavilion always displays these with such pride

Poor homeless troll

Lots of wood

Tourism poster

Dedication plaque

Chandelier

Lacy detail

Tourism posters in the exit area