Frozen Ever After opening day

[Karakasa]

To be honest I understand the concerns of Frozen being in Norway, but... let's be honest, it's not the worst thing Disney's done lately, or hell, even the worst thing Disney's done in the World Showcase. As a result I'm getting tired of people kvetching about it from that perspective so darn much.

Should a Frozen ride have gone in Fantasyland instead? Yeah, probably. Was Maelstrom fine as it was, refurbishment issues notwithstanding? Yep. Is Frozen entirely unfitting for Norway? No, not really. The film is supposed to be set in a Norway-like country- yes yes I know the original story isn't, but I've long since accepted Frozen isn't really the Snow Queen at all. And before you act like it's appalling that a general "Nordic-esque" setting for a ride isn't okay for the Norway Pavillion- the pavillion has SWEDISH chocolate and freakin' SWEDISH FISH for sale, along with other miscellaneous Finnish and Swedish paraphernalia, and has since before Frozen was released.

I do agree the ride could've stood to be more educational, and that there were parts that needed improving as per my review earlier. But like I said- it's not like it's a big, bad horrible change- it's the way things have been going, and to be expected at this point. If you're going to complain about something, complain about the prohibitive prices (seriously, 50 bucks is enough for a single day- that much is obvious given how people who go multiple days CAN get tickets for that cheap), complain about cutting Hollywood Studios in ****ing half, complain about them plopping a Shanghai Disneyland infomercial into the China pavillion (that seriously es me off because it's so ****ing lazy and has nothing to do with actual Chinese culture besides that central garden area), complain about something other than Frozen in a place where it's a decent fit. Not the best fit, again, no, but, for criminy's sake, it's getting very old very quickly compared to actual problems at the resort. I don't see anyone complaining about Finding Nemo the Musical being in Dinoland!

Yes it's sad Maelstrom had to go. But let's be real, that ride had been going downhill in it's upkeep really bad for years, and I doubt even if Disney wasn't as money grubbing as they have been of late, they wouldn't have done much to improve it. People clamor far more about long gone Epcot rides and, say, Mr. Toad, than they did for Maelstrom. The demand just wasn't there. Heck, in regards to the so-called "Frozen expansion" to Norway fits aesthetically- it's entirely possible once/if the Frozen craze dies down those areas can be repurposed for other things quite easily.

tl;dr - It's a good ride, in a good place for it, and hurts nothing at WS beyond "removing" Maelstrom, which was a good ride.

 

[Captain Neo]

So I had a quick question. I was trying to set up Fastness + for my trip in late August but the days were faded out (I guess Disney hasnt opened those days for reservation yet?) however I noticed that all the way to August 10th it says Frozen fast pass+ is unavailable. Does this mean people have already booked it up to that day or is Disney not allowing Fastpass+ at this time?

 

[peter11435]

So I had a quick question. I was trying to set up Fastness + for my trip in late August but the days were faded out (I guess Disney hasnt opened those days for reservation yet?) however I noticed that all the way to August 10th it says Frozen fast pass+ is unavailable. Does this mean people have already booked it up to that day or is Disney not allowing Fastpass+ at this time?

Without a resort reservation you can only book fast passes 30 days out.

 

[SorcererMC]

Do you honestly think that they will build a Mary Poppins attraction based on a film they have not made yet, and have it up and running in 2 to three years from now?...Of course not.

Nope. Only Walt Disney would do that when he built Sleeping Beauty castle for Disneyland (1955) before Sleeping Beauty (1959).

Edit: I realize that you probably know this already, but that sequence of events is often forgotten in retrospect.

 

[Biff215]

Well, one certainly doesn't need to "appreciate" it if one finds a lot of problems with the entire concept (this does not mean that one has to completely down talk it or, more importantly, talk down people who like it), especially those of us who felt there was more to the Maelstrom/Spirit of Norway experience.

Beyond the problems I have concerning the overall theming of World Showcase being disrupted (along with the various issues others have been posting here concerning lack of cover and other logistical matters), I find the actual style of ride they put together pretty unimpressive. I've heard some say it would be a solid Fantasyland ride, and I'm not saying it would be bad or that it is bad, currently, but most of the classic Fantasyland dark rides based on IPs have focused on certain experiences tied into the films, not the plot content of the films themselves. The original Snow White ride focused on the scarier aspects of the film, Peter Pan focuses on the parts of the film that most highlight flying, Mr. Toad the madcap "mania" aspects, etc. This was by and large a byproduct of these rides being developed before the home video market, but it made sense, and falling back on "let's just tell the story of the movie" or "let's just play the songs from the movie in ride form" hurts re-rideability, as best I can tell, because would-be riders can simply go home and watch the film there to get a similar experience.

I know thinking these things won't change the ride back into a form I'd find more interesting, but, well, we're fans, and this is what we tend to do a lot.

IMO Peter Pan and Snow White rehash the storylines of their movies much more than Frozen does. They attempted to do something different here and I believe largely succeeded considering the existing building and short ride length they inherited. Elsa singing "Let It Go" clearly had to be included as the most iconic part of the movie.

I'm also interested to hear how things have been going operationally as of late. I imagine they have to be figuring out issues and limiting the downtime as each day goes on, or at least I'm hoping this is the case as I'll be on it in nine days!

 

[aladdin2007]

So I had a quick question. I was trying to set up Fastness + for my trip in late August but the days were faded out (I guess Disney hasnt opened those days for reservation yet?) however I noticed that all the way to August 10th it says Frozen fast pass+ is unavailable. Does this mean people have already booked it up to that day or is Disney not allowing Fastpass+ at this time?

Same here its all faded out, it doesn't even recognize our passes right now since they are blocked. In fact its telling me I dont have any passes. I hope this is just because of the summer block, never had a problem before. Same for you?

 

[RoysCabin]

IMO Peter Pan and Snow White rehash the storylines of their movies much more than Frozen does. They attempted to do something different here and I believe largely succeeded considering the existing building and short ride length they inherited. Elsa singing "Let It Go" clearly had to be included as the most iconic part of the movie.

I'm also interested to hear how things have been going operationally as of late. I imagine they have to be figuring out issues and limiting the downtime as each day goes on, or at least I'm hoping this is the case as I'll be on it in nine days!

How so? The original Snow White was essentially an entire ride of getting chased by the Witch, with the people on the ride actually cast as Snow White (which certainly perplexed many people at first); granted, you're right if you're referencing Snow White's Scary Adventure, when they updated the ride and basically made it into a plot rehash.

 

[Bocabear]

IMO Peter Pan and Snow White rehash the storylines of their movies much more than Frozen does. They attempted to do something different here and I believe largely succeeded considering the existing building and short ride length they inherited. Elsa singing "Let It Go" clearly had to be included as the most iconic part of the movie.

I'm also interested to hear how things have been going operationally as of late. I imagine they have to be figuring out issues and limiting the downtime as each day goes on, or at least I'm hoping this is the case as I'll be on it in nine days!

I actually think that the plotline staging of the new ride works very well..It is nice that they are not trying to retell the story and you just enjoy a little "visit" with the characters from the film...I think this works great. I wish Voyage Of The Little Mermaid had been more like this...

 

[ABQ]

Back to Frozen...

How has it been functioning lately? Is it still shutting down on a regular basis, or is it a little more consistent?

Hate to do one of those "This" posts, but THIS. At one time this thread was about the ride performance and inquiring minds would still like to know how it's operating.

 

[RSoxNo1]

To be honest I understand the concerns of Frozen being in Norway, but... let's be honest, it's not the worst thing Disney's done lately, or hell, even the worst thing Disney's done in the World Showcase. As a result I'm getting tired of people kvetching about it from that perspective so darn much.

Should a Frozen ride have gone in Fantasyland instead? Yeah, probably. Was Maelstrom fine as it was, refurbishment issues notwithstanding? Yep. Is Frozen entirely unfitting for Norway? No, not really. The film is supposed to be set in a Norway-like country- yes yes I know the original story isn't, but I've long since accepted Frozen isn't really the Snow Queen at all. And before you act like it's appalling that a general "Nordic-esque" setting for a ride isn't okay for the Norway Pavillion- the pavillion has SWEDISH chocolate and freakin' SWEDISH FISH for sale, along with other miscellaneous Finnish and Swedish paraphernalia, and has since before Frozen was released.

I do agree the ride could've stood to be more educational, and that there were parts that needed improving as per my review earlier. But like I said- it's not like it's a big, bad horrible change- it's the way things have been going, and to be expected at this point. If you're going to complain about something, complain about the prohibitive prices (seriously, 50 bucks is enough for a single day- that much is obvious given how people who go multiple days CAN get tickets for that cheap), complain about cutting Hollywood Studios in ****ing half, complain about them plopping a Shanghai Disneyland infomercial into the China pavillion (that seriously ****es me off because it's so ****ing lazy and has nothing to do with actual Chinese culture besides that central garden area), complain about something other than Frozen in a place where it's a decent fit. Not the best fit, again, no, but, for criminy's sake, it's getting very old very quickly compared to actual problems at the resort. I don't see anyone complaining about Finding Nemo the Musical being in Dinoland!

Yes it's sad Maelstrom had to go. But let's be real, that ride had been going downhill in it's upkeep really bad for years, and I doubt even if Disney wasn't as money grubbing as they have been of late, they wouldn't have done much to improve it. People clamor far more about long gone Epcot rides and, say, Mr. Toad, than they did for Maelstrom. The demand just wasn't there. Heck, in regards to the so-called "Frozen expansion" to Norway fits aesthetically- it's entirely possible once/if the Frozen craze dies down those areas can be repurposed for other things quite easily.

tl;dr - It's a good ride, in a good place for it, and hurts nothing at WS beyond "removing" Maelstrom, which was a good ride.

You can argue about the thematic issue all you want. I (and countless others) feel it's a horrible thematic fit. The other huge issue though is capacity. They underbuilt one of their biggest franchises and forced it into a ride profile that was never meant to handle this much demand.

By all accounts Imagineering did a very good job with the hand they were dealt, but they did nothing to increase capacity on the attraction and that in itself should have been a non-starter. If IPs are the new direction of Epcot, fine. I don't have to like that. But underbuilding an attraction's capacity is inexcusable. Less than a month before they fixed that mistake at Soarin' and Toy Story Mania and with Frozen Ever After they showed they haven't learned a thing. Any D or E-ticket has to have a capacity of 1800+ at the absolute minimum.

 

[Biff215]

How so? The original Snow White was essentially an entire ride of getting chased by the Witch, with the people on the ride actually cast as Snow White (which certainly perplexed many people at first); granted, you're right if you're referencing Snow White's Scary Adventure, when they updated the ride and basically made it into a plot rehash.

Yes, the updated version is all I can really remember.

 

[Biff215]

I actually think that the plotline staging of the new ride works very well..It is nice that they are not trying to retell the story and you just enjoy a little "visit" with the characters from the film...I think this works great. I wish Voyage Of The Little Mermaid had been more like this...

Agree completely.

 

[RoysCabin]

I actually think that the plotline staging of the new ride works very well..It is nice that they are not trying to retell the story and you just enjoy a little "visit" with the characters from the film...I think this works great. I wish Voyage Of The Little Mermaid had been more like this...

I certainly agree that it was better than attempting to do a rehash; as you say, the new Little Mermaid attraction might be the worst offender in this department. My chief complaint, however, is that you see the characters, and yet they're not doing anything they don't already do in the movie - they're essentially just singing the songs you already know, which to me makes it tough since I always viewed that as something I'd say "then why wouldn't I just watch the movie at home?" to. I know the building the ride is in likely wouldn't allow it, but I think it'd have been more interesting to take a concept from Frozen and expand on it and develop a ride around that concept, like maybe a ride navigating the big ice palace and sort of sledding around it (very basic idea I've put nearly no thought into, of course). I know folks would expect the songs, but it really does strike me as just taking what's already readily available in the movie and saying "here it is in ride form".

 

[Matt_Black]

I certainly agree that it was better than attempting to do a rehash; as you say, the new Little Mermaid attraction might be the worst offender in this department. My chief complaint, however, is that you see the characters, and yet they're not doing anything they don't already do in the movie - they're essentially just singing the songs you already know, which to me makes it tough since I always viewed that as something I'd say "then why wouldn't I just watch the movie at home?" to. I know the building the ride is in likely wouldn't allow it, but I think it'd have been more interesting to take a concept from Frozen and expand on it and develop a ride around that concept, like maybe a ride navigating the big ice palace and sort of sledding around it (very basic idea I've put nearly no thought into, of course). I know folks would expect the songs, but it really does strike me as just taking what's already readily available in the movie and saying "here it is in ride form".

To be fair, at least one of the songs has new lyrics to reflect that it's a follow-up.

 

[Goofyernmost]

I certainly agree that it was better than attempting to do a rehash; as you say, the new Little Mermaid attraction might be the worst offender in this department. My chief complaint, however, is that you see the characters, and yet they're not doing anything they don't already do in the movie - they're essentially just singing the songs you already know, which to me makes it tough since I always viewed that as something I'd say "then why wouldn't I just watch the movie at home?" to. I know the building the ride is in likely wouldn't allow it, but I think it'd have been more interesting to take a concept from Frozen and expand on it and develop a ride around that concept, like maybe a ride navigating the big ice palace and sort of sledding around it (very basic idea I've put nearly no thought into, of course). I know folks would expect the songs, but it really does strike me as just taking what's already readily available in the movie and saying "here it is in ride form".

If that were the standard logic, there would be no market for a meet and greet of college students dressed up as characters. It would be why not stay home and watch the movie instead of interact with them. Or even worse, if the only reason they spent $100.00 per ticket was to see Frozen and there is absolutely nothing else to see.

Seriously though, people, especially kids want to see something that they are familiar with. Something that they can identify with and be able to say that they saw it in 3D and not just on TV. You, personally, might want to see something different, but, let's face it, this wasn't built for the entertainment of adults. This is a kids heaven for the most part. However, as an adult, I can and do enjoy the mechanics (when it's working) and that is more the reason for the ride for me. I couldn't care less about the story line.

 

[RoysCabin]

If that were the standard logic, there would be no market for a meet and greet of college students dressed up as characters. It would be why not stay home and watch the movie instead of interact with them. Or even worse, if the only reason they spent $100.00 per ticket was to see Frozen and there is absolutely nothing else to see.

Seriously though, people, especially kids want to see something that they are familiar with. Something that they can identify with and be able to say that they saw it in 3D and not just on TV. You, personally, might want to see something different, but, let's face it, this wasn't built for the entertainment of adults. This is a kids heaven for the most part. However, as an adult, I can and do enjoy the mechanics (when it's working) and that is more the reason for the ride for me. I couldn't care less about the story line.

On the latter point, certainly, I'll always acknowledge that an attraction themed for Frozen isn't aimed at me, so it is what it is, but I don't really see the comparisons with the meet and greets; meet and greets are direct interactions, all the more personalized with the costumed CMs who get to speak to the kids, the definition of something you can't get at home just watching the DVD.

 

[Bocabear]

On the latter point, certainly, I'll always acknowledge that an attraction themed for Frozen isn't aimed at me, so it is what it is, but I don't really see the comparisons with the meet and greets; meet and greets are direct interactions, all the more personalized with the costumed CMs who get to speak to the kids, the definition of something you can't get at home just watching the DVD.

The Meet and Greets were always traditionally a little tiny part of the WDW experience...they free roamed the park when I was a kid, if you had an interaction with them, that was nice, but no one seemed to go there for that...it was just a nice little plus. I don't know when it happened that Meet And Greets became the same as an actual attraction, but it's a great racket...Why bother building a 200 million dollar ride when you can have your hospitality interior design department make up a plain meeting room for 40k and then staff it with minimum wage employees in costumes...add in a photographer that can sell the pictures and voila! an income producing :"attraction" for a fraction of the price...

 

[phi2134]

I feel like this ride has come and gone already with a whimper. Yes, it will be there for years to come and have pretty popular wait times, but I feel without these boards, I would have never been the least bit excited to even ride it.

 

[Bocabear]

I feel like this ride has come and gone already with a whimper. Yes, it will be there for years to come and have pretty popular wait times, but I feel without these boards, I would have never been the least bit excited to even ride it.

That is true... and the videos look nice. It is a very sweet little ride and looks to be beautifully done. I am glad that it is at least beautiful...

 

[wdisney9000]

I'm not saying that your observations of personalities are wrong, but, really if you think that Frozen is a step down from Maelstrom you have a serious problem with memory. They are having problems right now because technologically it is so much more complex then Maelstrom ever thought of being. Mediocrity, indeed! You look in the dictionary under the word mediocrity and there will be a picture of Maelstrom. If your only argument is with the fact that you don't like Frozen there, then you might have a point, not with me, but, with others and it also has nothing to do with quality, it has to do with perceived armchair imagineering and interpretation of what you think things should be like. It's done, it will not change back, how about appreciating the effort that has been put into it instead of constantly falsely attempting to undermine it.

If one simply compares FEA against what Tokyo is projected to have....then yes, mediocrity is definitely the correct word. I don't see where in @AJH219 post mentioning FEA vs Maelstrom. So why did you make that comparison? Does FEA have some more advanced AA's than Maelstrom? Of course. But does that make it WDI's best possible effort? Again.....see Tokyo plans. And yes, Tokyo isn't exactly operated by TWDC so no need to sight that. It actually is embarassing that they do a better job in most areas than WDW.