| Maelstrom | |
|---|---|
 Entrance of the ride | |
| Epcot | |
| Area | World Showcase,Norway pavilion |
| Coordinates | 28°22′15″N81°32′47″W / 28.37083°N 81.54639°W /28.37083; -81.54639 |
| Status | Removed |
| Opening date | July 5, 1988 |
| Closing date | October 5, 2014 |
| Replaced by | Frozen Ever After |
| Ride statistics | |
| Attraction type | Musical Boat Cruise/Shoot the Chute |
| Manufacturer | Intamin |
| Designer | Walt Disney Imagineering |
| Theme | History of mythologicalNorway |
| Drop | 28[1] ft (8.5 m) |
| Length | 964 ft (294 m) |
| Capacity | 1000 riders per hour |
| Vehicle type | Viking boat |
| Vehicles | Viking boat |
| Riders per vehicle | 16 |
| Rows | 4 |
| Riders per row | 4 |
| Duration | 4:27 |
| Lift count | 1 |
| Movie Length | 5:52 minutes |
| Number of drops | 1 |
 FastPass+ was available | |
 Assistive listening available | |
Maelstrom was areversingShoot the Chutedark ride attraction located in theEpcot theme park atWalt Disney World Resort in Florida. Designed byWalt Disney Imagineering, the ride opened on July 5, 1988, in theNorway Pavilion of the park'sWorld Showcase section. It was a mix between alog chute and a traditionalfilm attraction. Visitors rode boats patterned afterlongships that passed through various scenes that featuredAudio-Animatronics figures. The attraction was originally going to be called SeaVenture, with the entrance sign during construction displaying it as such. Sometime between March 1988 and the ride's opening, it was changed.[2]
In September 2014, it was announced that the ride would be replaced by an attraction based onDisney Animation's 2013 filmFrozen.[3][4][5] Maelstrom's final day of operation was October 5, 2014.[6][7]Frozen Ever After opened on June 21, 2016.[8]
Riders departed from a dock traveling by boat, which turned a corner into a dark tunnel and up the flume'slift hill. A voice tells riders that "those who seek the spirit of Norway face peril and adventure, but more often find beauty and charm." Arriving at the top of the hill, a lit face of theGermanic andNorse godOdin hovered above. Riders passed through scenes of seafarers and maritime villages depicting amythological version ofNorway'sViking days. Entering amarsh, the boat would come face to face withaudio-animatronic depictions of aNokken and a three-headed troll. Thetrolls, angered by the trespassing boat, cast a spell onto riders as the vehicle began to move backward rapidly, accelerated by hiddenconveyor belts underneath the water's surface. The boats floated briskly past scenes ofAtlantic puffins,polar bears and living trees, before coming to a stop on the edge of another waterfall, exposing the Norway pavilion's main thoroughfare. The backwards edge of the boat peeked out through the facade as the track pivoted to let the vehicle travel forward again. Correctly oriented, the boats plunged forward down a 28-foot (8.5 m) flume into a stormy depiction of theNorth Sea. After passing very close to anoil rig, the ride came to an abrupt end in a calmharbor of a smallvillage, where the narrator announced, "Norway's spirit has always been, and will always be adventure." As guests exited the ride, they had the option of watching a 5-minute70mm tourism film, "The Spirit of Norway", which highlighted various attractions inNorway including skiing, hiking, andKjerag mountain.
Hidden Mickeys on the ride included:
| World Celebration |  | |
|---|---|---|
| World Discovery | ||
| World Showcase | ||
| World Nature | ||
| Annual events | ||
| Other | ||
| Related | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
