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