If you find yourself feeling like there is a deficiency in the number of vikings at Epcot with Maelstrom gone, don’t fear, because the park recently introduced a pair of comedic barbarians for guests to interact with.
The pair can be found roaming the pavilion and promenade during the day, entertaining nearby guests as they pass by. Here’s a video of the pair out and about on Friday:
The wait is finally over, Frozen Ever After has opened in the Norway pavilion of World Showcase at Epcot. The ride utilizes what was the space occupied by the Maelstrom attraction, reusing boats and some sections of track, but that is where the similarities end. In what may be their finest feat in modern dark rides, the attraction is a marvelous combination of audio animatronics, projection technology, and beautiful backdrops.
The queue was completely rebuilt, you won’t find anything resembling Maelstrom here.
The queue is gorgeous, taking place in a small courtyard and through Oaken’s Sauna.
First off, the attraction is hard to photograph, as are most Disney dark rides. Your best bet for a good look at the ride will be our video later in this post.
The attraction begins with a walking, talking Olaf that has to be seen to be believed.
The trolls then make an appearance before the lift hill.
Upstairs, guests will find Anna, Kristoff, and Sven singing.
Guests then enter Elsa’s ice palace and watch as she transforms the room around them.
Guests then travel backwards and encounter Marshmallow and the Snowgies before taking the classic plunge.
Guests splashdown in fron of the kingdom, as icy magic happens around it.
Also, there are puffins from Maelstrom!
Anna, Elsa, and Olaf appear in the final scene to say goodbye to guests (it wasn’t working when we went through, but supposedly has been fixed already).
And now, here’s a full video of the queue and on-ride experience of Frozen Ever After:
Frozen Ever After is a masterpiece of modern Disney Imagineering. They took a very confined space and built one of their very best dark rides ever. The animatronics are stunning, the scenes are perfectly crafted, and it is sure to please guests of all ages. While the capacity may be a little low with the usage of the old Maelstrom boats and the attraction may not be the best fit for Epcot, the attraction otherwise excels in all areas. Frozen Ever After is certainly a must see at Epcot and will be for a long, long time to come.
Special thank to our sponsor Theme Park Connection for their help in covering this story today! Be sure to shop with them for Disney items featuring Frozen, Finding Dory, and more!
Well, I thought I would never see the day, but Walt Disney World is indeed introducing a refillable popcorn bucket offer…
As part of a limited time offering, guests at Walt Disney World’s theme parks, water parks, Disney Springs, and ESPN Wide World of Sports may purchase a refillable souvenir popcorn bucket for $10 and enjoy $1.50 refills for the remainder of the day. The offer is set to begin June 26th.
No other details are available at this time, but we will be sure to bring you more details on how this works once we know more.
With the opening of the Royal Sommerhus and Frozen Ever After at 9am, guests will now find the nearby Kringla Bakery og Cafe in the Norway pavilion open early in the morning as well. With the new extended hours and the extra attention, the classic Epcot bakery has received a number of new menu items, so we decided to try a few over the last few days:
The chefs even made a small version of the Royal Sommerhus to put in the display case.
A look at the options.
We decided to try the egg and leek pastry. It was very light and had a good flavor to it. The leek flavor is a bit strong and it would probably be fine with just the egg, but overall not a bad option.
We then came back to try the Frozen mini cupcakes, the Snowglobe, and the Fisherman’s Tasting Box.
The Fisherman’s Tasting Box is an odd addition, and even though we didn’t order it until around 1PM, it was clear we were the first people to ever order it. For $10.00, it isn’t very large, but at least it was fresh. Everything in it was good, and I’m a pretty big fan of Melba toast, so it won me over a bit (not enough to order it again, but at least enough to be OK with the existence of a strange $10.00 fish box).
The mini-cupcakes were pretty cute, even if they are just held in place by an upside down sauce cup.
All 4 cupcakes were a different flavor: vanilla, chocolate, carrot, and cookies & cream. The troll was my favorite as it was fun to look at and the cookies & cream frosting on chocolate cake made for the most interesting of the 4 cupcake flavors. None of them were bad and I think it’s a fun option for the Frozen fans in your group. It certainly will make a fun social media post for your trip.
The Snowglobe was pretty crazy looking, but ended up being delightful. It tasted like a cheesecake over a chocolate cake layer which made for a pleasant flavor. The blue clear portion ended up just being gelatin, a fairly flavorless variety that at least made the dessert look interesting.
There aren’t many desserts outside of the France bakery at Epcot that I really enjoy enough to weant to order again, but this would be one of them.
Of course the Kringla Bakery staples you’ve come to know and love are all here as well, and certainly being open next door to the immensely popular Frozen attraction will see a pleasant boost in traffic at the cafe. I would still choose the France bakery over this one time and time again, but there’s nothing wrong with occasionally ordering some school bread, rice cream, or a snowglobe. You really can’t go wrong with any of those options.
It’s finally happening: the Disney Vacation Club has run out of Deluxe Resorts to expand upon, so it looks like they may be turning their attention to their first moderate resort, which in fact, fittingly, was Disney World’s very first moderate resort.
The proposed new location at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort would be at the southern edge of the resort, wedged between the existing hotel and Disney’s Pop Century Resort along Victory Way.
It is unknown when construction might begin on the proposed project (it is still pending final approval at this time), but it is expected to be the next Disney Vacation Club resort constructed after the new expansion at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge.
With the conclusion of the investigation into the recent alligator attack at Walt Disney World, Disney has reopened the resort beaches that were closed off to guests after the incident.
Fences erected at Yacht and Beach Club while beach was closed
The beaches at the Grand Floridian, Polynesian Resort, and Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club Resorts reopened to guests today with the new fences still in place, but guests are free to roam the beach as they please.
Fences installed at the Polynesian while the beach was closed
A few months ago, we talked about rumors of a very expensive package Disney would be offering for Frozen – Live at the Hyperion at Disney California Adventure. Well, even though we were a little off on the price, reservations are now open for three pre-show packages that include priority seating at select performances plus special experiences before and after the show.
The Frozen Pre-Show Package commences at Stage 17, which has been transformed into a charming castle courtyard within the wintery world of Arendelle. Drift inside and let the glistening ambience enchant you with its beauty.
As you wander round, you’ll soon discover the following Frozen delights sprinkled throughout the sprawling space:
When this reception winds down and it comes time to move on to the main event, you’ll be whisked off to the nearby Hyperion Theater and land in your coveted, priority seats.
Price: $49 per person, plus tax
The Frozen Pre-Show Plus Lunch Package includes the pre-show experience and priority seating, plus a melt-in-your mouth dining experience at Carthay Circle Restaurant. You can savor a three-course meal that includes your choice of four stunning main course dishes. There’s also a special kids menu, but everyone big and small should save room for a sweet “Frozen”-inspired dessert.
Price: $99 per adult and $79 per child (ages 3 to 9), plus tax and gratuity
And for the ultimate viewing experience, go for the Frozen Signature Dining & Behind-The-Scenes Package. This is an incredible offering custom designed for the biggest “Frozen” fans, which includes not only the pre-show celebration and priority seating, but also an exclusive behind-the-scenes experience at the Hyperion Theater following the performance. You’ll then cap off the experience with an elegant four-course dinner at Carthay Circle Restaurant.
Price: $299 per person, plus tax and gratuity
For further details, availability dates, pricing and reservation information for each of these packages, visit the “Frozen – Live at the Hyperion” page on Disneyland.com.
Starting July 1-2, guests can purchase portable charging batteries at FuelRod kiosks that will be added to Walt Disney World theme parks, Disney Springs, and the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.
FuelRod kiosks dispense portable charging batteries for $30.00 each, which includes:
The purchase is not a rental, the charging device will belong to guest after purchase.
The kiosk will be located in the following locations:
The novel thing about the concept is that depleted batteries can be simply swapped out for fully charged ones at any of these kiosks. Depleted batteries can be swapped out for no added charge after purchase by guests, meaning they may never have to actually charge one themselves. Guests may also choose to charge the battery on their own with the included cable, of course.
Demolition continues at Disney’s Hollywood Studios as the park prepares for the construction of the Toy Story and Star Wars themed lands that will be added in the next few years. Today, we take you high above the demolition yet again to see the latest progress on the project:
The Premier Theater is gone, most of the Lights, Motors, Action! backdrop is history, and most of the land behind Toy Story Midway Mania is pretty clear. The entrance on Wodl Drive has lost a few lanes already, but no word yet on when they might actually close it.
Catastrophe Canyon was situated behind the LMA seating area, but as you can see there are little traces of it left.
Since I know we will be asked, let me tell you that the lights you are seeing in the picture are reflecting from inside of the helicopter…
Not much of the Streets of America has been touched at this point.
There is still a bit of demolition to do, but it should wrap up before Summer’s end. We expect vertical construction of the two lands to start in the Fall.
So, if you would like to see the progress with a little motion to it, we also have a video from the helicopter to share with you:
Thanks to our own Nick LoCicero for the photos and video!
On Friday, we gave you a bird’s eye view of the Star Wars land construction at Walt Disney World, so today we bring you to Anaheim, California to see the latest progress on the site of Star Wars land at Disneyland Park:
The long-standing Skyway chalet in Fantasyland was leveled in the last week, which likely means that all demolition in preparation for the project is now complete, and vertical construction can begin sooner rather than later.
Other than a few mounds of dirt, the land has been flattened and cleared in preparation.
We look forward to watching Star Wars land rise on this site over the next few years!
Thanks to Tim Alcoser and Conner Purzycki for the photos!
