Norway – WDWNT Archive

Tom Corless’ 1/30/15 Epcot Photo Report (Recalled Mug, Frozen, New Merchandise, ETC.)

WDWNT on February 26, 2015

I visited Epcot on Sunday afternoon and have some newsworthy photos from my trip to share with you today:

Welcome to Epcot

The now-pulled Epcot Starbucks mug was on shelves when I visited Sunday

And it was never seen again…

A mug with a different color monorail will eventually be made

If you look closely, you can see construction vehicles out behind The Land at Epcot, rumor has it additional Soarin’ theaters may be constructed

The “healthy” food cart between The Land and Imagination! recently got a new menu

In Canada, the Lumberjack show is making some modifications for a log rolling act

The seating area from Brazil at the Food and Wine Festival was kept as a nice spot for guests to relax

The new group in Morocco was out as I passed by

Some walls are up in the gardens in Japan

New Disney villains pins recently were released

Also, this really neat Dug pin

The front section of the Puffin’s Roost, which was once the Frozen meet and greet, is once again shop space

No visible progress on the Frozen attraction

The future site if the Frozen meet and greet building

Walls up outside of the Mexico pavilion for some reason

Several new shirts can be found at MouseGear

This Minnie Mouse shirt was in the men’s section, which might be a first

Kid’s shirts

Several new iPhone 6 cases were released, all in new, slimmer packaging

The old packaging can still be found

Figment iPhone 5 case

I’m not certain, but these princess pillows looked new

A new popcorn bucket featuring Test Track is now available

PHOTOS: Maelstrom Attraction Currently Being Gutted, FROZEN Ride at Epcot Is More Than An Overlay

WDWNT on December 30, 2014

If you had your doubts about the budget or just how extensive the work on the new Frozen attraction at Epcot might be, you may want to look at this…

Photos from @JohnCFSS on twitter

Photos from @JohnCFSS on twitter

The photos above were taken under the door at the attraction’s entrance, the former lobby of the Maelstrom ride in Norway of Epcot’s World Showcase. The word demolition comes to mind as it looks like they have in many places ripped walls out or at least stripped them down to the structural steel.

Since the announcement of the ride earlier this year, there has been much debate about the budget and how extensive the attraction update might be. These photos are the first real proof that at least the entrance and exit of the ride will be vastly different from Maelstrom. It is still unknown if the boat flume will remain, but some sources have claimed that the ride will be entirely new, and these photos may make that easier to believe. However, it is still possible that a boat ride is behind these walls. Only time will tell.

Photos from @JohnCFSS on twitter.

Joe Hogarty’s 12/5/14 Epcot Photo Report (Holidays Around the World, Frozen Ride, New Spice Road Menu, ETC.)

WDWNT on December 30, 2014

WDWNT Reporter Joe Hogarty visited Epcot this week to check out Holidays Around the World and he has a number of photos from his trip to share with us:

Â The lumberjacks are on hiatus for the holidays

The Canadian Holiday Voyagers are currently using the stage

Half of Off Kilter?

The cool ornamant displays in France are back this year

After months of dismal attendance, Spice Road Table launched a new menu recently that actually has entrees

Precious Moments dolls are being sold at the American Adventure during the event

The gingerbread display at Epcot this year is the Capitol

Joyful is still a thing… very talented but oh so out of place

Please stop…

Cute holiday iPhone case available at MouseGear

The vintage-style holiday merchandise seems to be a real hit this year

SANTA DUFFY!

No visible progress on the Frozen attraction, but they decorated the facade

The Norway stage actually in use

Another look at the gingerbread Capitol building

Tom Corless & Dirk Wallen’s 10/17/14 WDW Photo Report (Epcot, Magic Kingdom, & Polynesian Village Resort)

WDWNT on October 24, 2014

Myself and WDWNT Reporter Dirk Wallen visited Epcot and the Magic Kingdom this week and has some newsworthy photos to share with you from our trips, so let’s take a look at what’s new:

Maelstrom is closed for conversion into a Frozen attraction

The sign is gone

Curtains behind all of the doors and windows

The door where the attraction exited into The Fjording is closed

The old Frozen meet and greet once again went behind walls, so we assume this is being converted into a new permanent home for Anna and Else

The Puffin’s Roost sign did return, but has since been taken down

Some new t-shirts for sale at MouseGear

Selfie?

A shirt of hats…

Guests… guests need pants

An iPhone 5 case was released with the vintage EPCOT Center artwork

The Art of Disney now has plated ticket collectibles: The Haunted Mansion E-Ticket

The Jungle Cruise E-Ticket (which has been out for a while)…

And the Magic Kingdom ticket book… there is also a Transportation Ticket, but it was sold out

New holiday big fig

More signature puzzles have been rolled out

New Star Wars laser cels

Now, Dirk takes us to the Polynesian Village Resort

The DVC bungalows are coming along nicely

The DVC wing should open by March 2015

Our latest look at the work in the hub at the Magic Kingdom

Haunted Mansion Dooney & Bourke bags are now readily available at the park

As are these strange shirts in Frontierland…

PHOTOS, VIDEO, REVIEW: Experience the Final Moments of Norway’s Maelstrom at Epcot

WDWNT on October 24, 2014

Goodbye viking, cruise director, and scary fish-gutting boy…

I have attended some emotional farewells in my time visiting the Disney Parks, but last night was certainly one of the most memorable. I can’t recall the amount of crying, anger, joy, and excitement for the farewell of Main Street Electrical Parade (circa 2001), Snow White’s Scary Adventures, or the Studio Backlot Tour reaching the levels they were at for the closure of Maelstrom at Epcot on Sunday, October 5th. Last week’s Off Kilter final performance was certainly rowdy and over-crowded, but the crowd of fans for the 26-year-old Norwegian boat ride were every bit as electrifying and probably way more emotionally overwhelmed.

Long lines for the attraction were a constant through all of the day. The very back of the line at 11:00AM when the attraction opened was about a 45 minute wait, and wait times continued to soar to around 85 minutes by the mid-afternoon. In the attraction’s final hour, the stand-by wait time sign read 130 minutes. I’m fairly certain that in all of the time Maelstrom has had an electronic wait time system, those numbers had never flipped so high.

85 minute wait, but the amount of FastPass+ being used certainly slowed down the stand-by queue

Before I talk about the final hour-or-so of the attraction, I want to first commend the wonderful Norwegian cast members who have gone out of their way the last few weeks since the closure was announced to make sure every guest got a proper final farewell. While I can’t get into many specifics as I’m afraid I might get someone in trouble, I saw many excited guests get to do some out-of-the-ordinary things both yesterday and over the last few weeks. Nothing illegal or unsafe, just things that some manager at Walt Disney World might frown upon. Regardless, these young people represented their country and the Disney company in a way that restores a lot of my faith in front-of-the-line cast members. I think some of these cast members were among the finest to ever wear the Disney name tag.

So, on to the final moments of the attraction… While the wait time was posted at 130 minutes, I don’t believe anyone actually waited that long. By 9:30, the final boat was making its way through the attraction, so at most, I think some guests towards the end may have waited a little over an hour. Many guests waited outside of the queue until just before 9:00PM, just so they could be in the very last or near the last boat of the night. To the best of my knowledge, there was no fighting between guests as to who would be last, which was somewhat surprising given how rowdy the crowd had gotten at that point. In the end, rumor had it that some group of guests had demanded by mid-day that they be the last guests, and for some reason, they were appeased and given the right to be last. If it were a less emotional evening, I’m sure someone would have argued with those who felt they were more entitled than the rest of us, but everyone decided it best to just enjoy their final moments in the attraction. It may have been some low-level park manager and their family from why I could deduce, but I figure no one in Norway wanted to get in trouble for denying them the last boat.

If you were in the queue by 9:00PM, you were treated to a special announcement from a Norway cast member, something that had been a joke made by most fans of the attraction leading up to the final days:

At the time of our final ride at 9:25PM, we ended up being in the 5th-to-last boat of the night. I know it may make me sound like a bit of a fanboy, but being able to ride so close to the end of this attraction that I grew up with was an honor and really made my day.

The ride it self was the same as always, but I certainly took time to soak in all of my favorite sights one last time (mostly the three headed troll and one last opportunity to yell “back, back, over the falls!”). When we reached the unload area, the pandemonium began. As we started clapping for Maelstrom as we reached the Norwegian fishing village, a dock filled with hundreds of guests who had just completed their final rides began to cheer as well. This continued for every boat after us as well. Eventually, once boats filled with cast members started to emerge, all of the guests were pushed into the theater for the final showing of “The Spirit of Norway”.

For the first time, a packed theater of guests sat and watched the 5-minute film, rather than racing past it to get to another Epcot attraction or a dining reservation. The crowd was captivated, knowing these would be the final moments they would have inside of the attraction. When the film ended, the applause was thunderous and there was even some chanting. Finally, managers started to politely wrangle guests toward the doors and out of the building. When the doors closed, a small crowd remained behind and took pictures with the shuttered facade and said their final goodbyes. Yes, many were caught in the moments and shed tears for the loss of Maelstrom. This may seem trivial to some, but I also found myself overcome a few times while watching boats dock at the unloading area.

If you could not be there to live the final night of Maelstrom, we invite you to watch our video of the events which includes 17 minutes of highlights including our last ride on the attraction and the very last showing ever of “The Spirit of Norway”:

Last night was definitely one of those special evenings at Epcot I’ll never forget, which is fitting, because I don’t think any of us will ever forget Maelstrom. It wasn’t exactly a great attraction, but was so unique, strange, and irreverent that you just couldn’t help but like it. For 26 years, guests were confused yet entertained by this short boat ride and ran through the theater to exit the building, but it was an important part of the fabric of the park that we will certainly remember for the rest of our lives.

“Norway’s spirit has always been, will always be… ADVENTURE!”
-Maelstrom, 1988-2014

Photo taken right after the doors had closed and the final guests were loading onto the ride

How Maelstrom Spurred An Actual Vacation to Norway

WDWNT on September 30, 2014

In August 2013, my father turned 65 years old and to celebrate, the whole Ellis clan descended on Walt Disney World to celebrate Mickey style. It was a great summer holiday spent with my parents, boyfriend, brothers and ten-year-old niece.

I’m an Epcot junkie so a few days in Future World and World Showcase were definitely on the agenda, particularly as I knew that my boyfriend, David would really enjoy the mix of edutainment and world culture. David had never been to Walt Disney World before, but had been to Disneyland Paris many times in his role as a high school teacher – he’d supervised many school trips!

I love Disneyland Paris – but Walt Disney World just does things a little bit different and a bit bigger – and as I mention, Epcot is just THE place on earth that makes me super happy. And I was right, David loved exploring Epcot with me and one of the parts we loved the most was the Norway Pavilion of World Showcase.

Now, let me just remind you that this was August 2013 (our first visit to Epcot in the two week holiday was Monday 19 August 2013) so this was all BF – before Frozen! We loved the Stave Church, enjoying sampling Aquavit and exploring the stores and looking at the crazily expensive (and warm!) woollen clothing! We also loved Maelstrom and I was really sad to hear that it was shortly to be replaced to house a Frozen ride.

Maelstrom was important as it was just a really fun ride, but also included a brief video segment at the end. I was always really annoyed to see people ride the ride and just skip out on the video. Okay, I know all the videos at Epcot, Soarin’ included, could do with a HD upgrade, but they’re super well produced and a nice little snippet of a different culture. And it got us – it really got us!

So much so that we came out thinking, wow, we should go to Norway!

“The fjords looks amazing!”

“The painted houses of Bergen are just, wow, pretty!”

So as we returned to Autumnal England in September we had this thought in the back of our mind. It was kinda cemented by a trip drinking around the world in Epcot on Friday 30 August 2013 (Mmmmm, Aquavit!) but it was just there at the back of our mind – and then, in December 2013, Disney magic! Snow! Ice! Frozen released, and Disney had the biggest hit on their hands in almost 20 years.

As a 31 year old man, I’m not embarrassed to admit that I loved Frozen or Disney (the Disney Infinity Elsa figure my boyfriend David brought me on Christmas Day 2013 was the perfect present!) so David and I watched Frozen at the cinema plenty of times. I still remember the goosebumps I felt when I first heard “Love is an Open Door” and leaning over to David in the cinema to whisper, “oh my god, this is a masterpiece!” when Elsa ran into the mountains and built herself an ice castle through the most amazing Disney song since “Beauty and the Beast”.

And as we left the cinema, that thought returned to my head. Arendelle looked gorgeous, and familiar – it looked like World Showcase and the video we sat through when we left the brilliant Maelstrom. So we decided – lets go to Norway in 2014. Let’s go see how the land that inspired Frozen!

We traveled to Norway in August 2014 on Holland America Line on part of a week’s cruise from Dover, UK. We’d leave Dover on the Saturday and spend Sunday cruising towards the arctic circle and Norway up the north sea and then we’d have four great days in towns and cities throughout Norway – Bergen (which the Norway Pavillion most accurately riffs on), Geiranger, Ålesund and Eidfjord, and then on the Friday we’d start our trip back to the United Kingdom past off-shore wind farms and oil platforms.

We were expecting to most enjoy Bergen, as we knew it would look just like the Norway Pavillion, but interestingly we found that the Epcot version of it was less tourist trap and expensive and overall more “controlled” and enjoyable to walk around. Still, it was a beautiful city.

The painted store fronts of Bergen, Norway.

The cruise was our first cruise too and we enjoyed the ms Ryndam’s many bars, restaurants and clubs and particularly loved formal evenings (how often do you get to dress like James Bond for dinner?!)

“The name’s Ellis…Antony Ellis!”

Tuesday saw us drop anger in Geiranger. A beautiful little town set against some steep hills and cliffs that housed approximately 240 residents. It had a long history in clifftop farming but as it became more dangerous to farm on the sheer cliffs due to rockfalls the town reinvented itself as a tourist haven. David and I hiked up to the highest viewing platform in the town to get a great view of the fjords and the views were stunning. Other than Eidfjord, this was the landscape that most screamed Arendelle to us.

Geiranger or is it Arendelle?

Ålesund was the third city on our trip and this was probably my favourite. It felt less touristy than anywhere we’d been so far, and more lived-in than Bergen and Geiranger. It was a beautiful lived-in city and it was definitely the highlight of my trip. But it wasn’t very Frozen.

However, it seems that Holland America Line saved Arendelle to the last stop, or more accurately, Eidfjord. Just look at it – beautiful:

Eidfjord – land of trolls…or troll rocks!

If you’ve ever cruised before you’ll understand that you enjoy yourself a bit too much with great food and drink, so Geiranger and Eidfjord were great opportunities to walk off a few martinis or that extra slice of cake. Eidfjord was beautiful to walk around, with a gorgeous little church and a viking burial mound just outside of town on a well marked hiking trail. It was great to spot the landscapes that inspired Frozen too. We even saw Kristoff’s love expert family!

Troll rocks!

So we had one last night in Norway on the ship and then sailed back to England with some amazing pictures and great memories. We really were thankful to the Disney Company too for encouraging us to the do this trip with Frozen and Maelstrom. They set up our expectations and Norway delivered. A gorgeous and interesting country which I’d encourage you all to visit if you can.

We’re already planning our next holiday (honeymoon actually) to New Orleans, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Anaheim (yes, Disneyland!) for Spring 2015, but we’ll really fondly remember our Disney holiday without Disney. I’m kind of sad that Maelstrom will soon be no more – but I’m just pleased I got to ride it one last time last year and have a wonderful experience in Norway by taking the time to sit and watch the video showcasing more of the beautiful country. If you’ve got a trip planned in the next few weeks or a Fastpass reservation, I can understand that the temptation is there to rush onto the next attraction or sight, but please, watch that video. Enjoy those scenes. Norway will thank you for it.

If you are interested and want to see the rest of my vacation pictures, you can access them from here.

RUMOR: Maelstrom at Epcot Closing September 28th for FROZEN Attraction?

WDWNT on August 7, 2014

Maelstrom may be the most beloved “cult” attraction in Walt Disney World, but it may also be weeks away from closing forever…

Cheesy dialogue, a poor representation of Norwegian culture, and a post-show film that people avoid like the plague pretty much sums up Epcot’s Norway pavilion boat ride. The pavilion ended up being funded by Disney almost since it opened in 1988 and Disney has tried on several occasions to find some sponsor to breathe life into the attraction for the most part of the last 25 years. It has seemed for many years as though Maelstrom would survive forever based on the inability to find funding or anything that made sense for that attraction space. Then Frozen was released in theaters…

In the last 8 months, Frozen has taken over Walt Disney World, being hastily rushed into parades, providing the longest meet and greet wait times ever posted, and selling merchandise faster than any property ever has at the Disney Parks. Needless to say, rumors have been swirling that Frozen attractions are in the works for the Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resorts and are fast-tracked to be constructed and open as quickly as possible (albeit with a high-quality standard you’d expect based on more recent Disney World and Disneyland additions like Seven Dwarfs Mine Train & Radiator Springs Racers). Here’s where Maelstrom comes in.

Frozen is based on Norwegian culture and folklore, arguably a better representation of it than the horn-blowing bearded Viking and awkward standing polar bear that currently inhabit the second floor of the Maelstrom show building. Giving the Norway pavilion a Frozen ride would be a big boost to Epcot, a park that hasn’t seen a dramatic attendance rise from a new attraction since the late-1990’s. Hopefully, a new Frozen attraction would simply take over the space of Maelstrom and not simply be an overlay of the existing ride.

All of this is pure speculation at this point, but rumors indicate Maelstrom may close forever on September 28th, 2014 as no FastPass + booking for the attraction is available from that date forward. This could just be a glitch, but more likely it’s the end of the fan favorite, Maelstrom.

Stay tuned to WDW News Today as more information becomes available on this story.

Frozen Meet and Greet with Anna and Elsa Moving to Magic Kingdom April 20

WDWNT on March 31, 2014

It’s no secret that the meant-to-be-temporary Frozen meet and greet in the Norway pavilion at Epcot ended up a huge success with lines ranging anywhere up to 4 or 5 hours in length sometimes, so with the hotter months in central Florida coming up fast and the lengthy queue being outdoors, Disney seems to have decided a move to the Magic Kingdom is the best solution to the problem…

Starting April 20th, Walt Disney World’s website has listed that you can meet Anna and Elsa as well as a visiting princess at Magic Kingdom’s Princess Fairytale Hall.

It appears Rapunzel and Cinderella will be paired off in the second meet and greet inside the hall. Obviously, Disney has not entered any more information on the meet and greet as there are not even pictures or a description of the attraction on the site yet, but it seems they are getting ready by adding it to the entertainment schedule.

Now, whether or not this is a permanent addition remains to be seen. Rumors indicate further modifications could be on the way to Norway to make room for a larger Frozen meet and greet with an indoor queue (as well as a Frozen attraction somewhere down the line). So, for just how long Anna and Elsa take over a room at Fairytale Hall remains to be seen.

It’s also worth noting that Princess Fairytale Hall features nods to all 11 Disney princesses that existed prior to its opening in 2013. There are currently no references to Frozen’s 2 princesses anywhere in the building. I’m curious to see if some decorative shields or portraits of the sisters end up there sometime soon…

Until any announcement from Disney, this meet and greet is purely speculation, but this slip by the official site makes it highly likely.

UPDATE: Disney has confirmed these changes will be taking place starting April 20th, 2014. The Norway meet and greet will be discontinued at that time, but it is unclear what will come of the shop space that was converted for the meet and greet.

PHOTOS & VIDEO: Frozen Characters Anna & Elsa Debut in Norway at Epcot

WDWNT on December 4, 2013

Over the weekend, Anna and Elsa from Disney’s upcoming animated film Frozen began greeting guests in some former shop space in the Norway pavilion at Epcot:

The new exhibit in the stave church is still not open

Windows of the Norway shops are filled with Frozen merchandise

The entrance being used for the meet and greet

Anna and Elsa

Here’s a short video of the duo in action:

Guests get a gift (while supplies last)

After you meet the sisters, you can buy all kids of Frozen merchandise

So, there is a little less shopping to do in the Norway pavilion as the front of the store has been made into the meet and greet. Also, the former perfume room is now being utilized for Frozen items.

So, what do you think? Are you excited to meet Anna and Elsa from Frozen?

Joe Hogarty’s 11/29/13 Epcot Photo Report

WDWNT on December 4, 2013

WDWNT Reporter Joe Hogarty went to Epcot on Friday to experience the first day of Holidays Around the world and he has a ton of newsworthy photos to share with us, so let’s take a look: