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:

The front side of water!

Empty. Calm. Perfect.

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

I love these shops and facades.

Empty. Calm. Perfect.

Warning: You may get rebranded.

Empty. Calm. Perfect.

One of my favorite shots ever.

Sepia-toned sadness.

Empty. Calm. Perfect.

Empty. Calm. Perfect.

Empty. Calm. Perfect.

The sun setting on Maelstrom… Poetical and such

The sun setting on Maelstrom… Poetical and such

Empty. Calm. Perfect.

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

It’s almost like the Aurora Borealis

The sun setting on Maelstrom… Poetical and such

Empty. Calm. Perfect.

It’s made from melted Olaf.

Light details.

Doors closed.

Empty. Calm. Perfect.

Hans from the Southern Isles.

Empty. Calm. Perfect.

Empty. Calm. Perfect.

The sun setting on Maelstrom… Poetical and such

Empty. Calm. Perfect.

Maelstrom queue and loading area:

World’s largest Viking

This kid is my Norwegian gangster spirit animal

More flags

I wonder what it looks like now

THE MURAL!

Map full of great information about archaeological finds.

My spirit animal.

How Vikings saw the world.

The boat is biting the owner of the fabulous coif.

He’s all about that oil

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

Some of her last riders…

That oil

DAT MURAL

Your cruise director is brave and stoic

See? Full of great info.

I would buy a print of this map…

Informative AND pretty

Left to right, how Norway evolved.

that hair

Flags, Norway Pavilion always displays these with such pride

Ride vehicles:

Pulling into unload

I just love the surfer hair.

Pulling into unload

They’re in awe of the hair.

Empty longboat… forever.

He’s cringing about Frozen.

On the ride:

My twitter idol.

Soon to be Elsa

This room is a mix between Norway and Rainforest Cafe.

Frozen storyboards.

Oil! Texas tea!

Puffins roost

Setting sail

Back, back, over the falls!

Wheee!

POUND THE ALARM

My twitter idol.

X marks the spot (for Olaf)…

Okay bye!

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

Wait for the drop!

This guy’s definitely on twitter…

My twitter idol.

Bret and Mark enjoy trolling

Another troll… probably on twitter.

This village later burned to the ground

Wasting away in Anna and Elsaville…

Anorexibear

Eye of Odin

Hans?

Destination unknown

Bye, now :(

I hope they’re in a better place…

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

#SelfieMagic

The less-anorexic of the polar bears.

Destination unknown :(

Unexplained totems

I couldn’t get a decent shot of this.

Unload area and show:

Pulling into unload

A child in wonder

I love this fishing village – so well done

Best seats ever

The boat

I love this fishing village – so well done

Pulling into unload

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

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

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

Pulling into unload

Best seats ever

Unload area building

Shores of the fishing village

I love this fishing village – so well done

Mark and Bret – Maelstrom superfans

I love this fishing village – so well done

The ship will sail no more

I love this fishing village – so well done

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

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!

Pavilion interiors:

Tourism posters in the exit area

Poor homeless troll

Flags, Norway Pavilion always displays these with such pride

Dedication plaque

Chandelier

Lots of wood

Lacy detail

Tourism poster