A few notes:
There are two brand new beautiful Norwegian paintings as you exit the ride into the store on the right side. Whether these are reproductions or on loan to Disney not sure. They need more things like this especially in that big empty exit room with blank walls just before you reach the store....I dont get that part, they could do something more there its like they gave up.
Also why did they remove the ambient music inside the stave church? Just a missing detail that annoys me lol.
And finally got to ride for the first time today. It gets an A- for what it is, incredible animatronics and atmosphere, but too much blank space especially after the lift hill. I know your suppose to pay attention to the scenes on the right side but before there were layers and atmospheric depth with the woods on the left side...now its just blank flat walls on the left, with pretty but fairly empty scenes on the right....Everything was working except the doors into Elsa's scene were already open, kinda ruining the effect. I know some have said that they dont like the backwards scene as let it go plays, but I found it to be the highlight. You feel like your in a cathedral and the ceiling effects were well done. I was impressed and mesmerized for the most part, it just could have had some more set design than it does in a couple of the scenes on the second level. I saw the standby line go from 30min to 90 in an instant, so this has a huge constant shift it seems.
It was a bit weird to sit down again in the viking ship knowing I was in the old maelstrom space but now was not.
Overall while I will always disagree with the placement, I did not feel the pavilion lacks in or had its Norwegian identity ruined, everything has been well done from the new addition next door, and or maintained in what was there before. It just would have been nice to have some Norwegian references in the attraction, but we got to keep the viking ships and puffins, and it least it carries a Northern feel, even though really being a fantasyland ride.
