Maelstrom's Deplorable Condition

[rle4lunch]

The ride doesn't make sense, the country is okay, just very meh.
and there is no reason whatsoever why there should be any wait for that ride, ever ever ever. when we walk by it and see a line, we laugh at all the people that are being suckered onto that ride expecting anything worth anything. and that conservation video, gah... lol.

 

[DznyRktekt]

Dumbing down and cheesy was adding Donald to Mexico.

This!

 

[luv]

The true travesty is that this ride even exists. It's like it was an afterthought. It has to be the.most.ridiculous.ride in all the parks, and certainly nothing this cheesy and dumb belongs in Epcot. It truly dumbs down the experience of visiting the park. I wish they'd bulldoze that whole country and put something in there that actually makes sense. Back in the day it was just a cheap way for Norweigan cruise lines to show one of their boats floating by an oil rig.

We now only ride it because my wife hysterically laughs thru the whole thing because of how utterly dumb it is.

Back! Back! Back! to the crappy mind who thought up this shamble of a ride.

I really like Maelstrom. It's one of my favorite rides. I like the stave church a lot, too.

 

[muteki]

We have always loved the ride, though I wish the video was handled differently (either before the ride, or completely separate). Don't like being corralled through the expensive sweater shop either. The reason the line is always what it is simply has to do with the fact that it is one out of what 2 other rides in world showcase (not counting shows)? There should be a demand for more rides in WS not complaining about the slim pickens we have.

Like the ride though. Could be better of course, but it definitely has a place.

 

[MerlinTheGoat]

The only crime with the ride itself (IMO) is how incredibly short it is (well it's pretty rough as well). It's a classic though and the little that is there is really cool. Loved it as a kid, still love it now. Sad to hear it's in such a state of disrepair but not at all surprising. That "Spirited Change" cannot come soon enough. Hopefully well within the next few years we'll see a massive scale cleanup of WDW with a change in company heads.

 

[bigeternity]

It's truly sad to see the shape of some places at Disney. It was once a very clean, well-kept place.

I remember it when it was just that. Sad.

 

[Uddy]

How about a Somalia pirate ride!!! We're on a freight liner and they're trying to hijack the boat! Then the navy Seals come aboard and....Hahahaha! Welcome to 2012 real world rides

 

[bethymouse]

It's truly sad to see the shape of some places at Disney. It was once a very clean, well-kept place.

Yes. I noticed some rides that were sadly dirty. I also noticed places that needed a good paint job. Perhaps when FL expansion and GF DVC goes on sale/almost done, then Disney will attend to some of its "aging" issues, but then it may be too late! In terms of the Polynesian, I think they waited too long to decide to fix a very aging resort. Gee Whiz! It's been there sine 1971!

 

[ShookieJones]

Maelstrom is a great ride and it can use some love for sure.
The truth is they don't need a sponsor to get the money to do this they just need to sell two o those sweaters....good god.

 

[Prototype82]

This ticks me off because I love the model rigs... Other than some slight stiffness in that bear, I didn't notice the dilapidation of the ride over the summer. Not at all. Mind you, I had a coffee Margarita surging through me and I was elated for being back on the ride for the first time in years.

 

[ReganA]

I was sent a survey a few weks ago as a follow up to a WDW vacation earlier this year. In the comments I mentioned how badly this particular ride needed some serious attention. The queue was in shameful condition - not that there's much in the line besides some flags falling off the wall. I love the ride, but blow off the dust from the 80's already.

 

[Clever Name]

My favorite thing at the Norway pavilion was not the ride, but the fact that you could find King Oscar Sardines in the gift shop. Until a few years ago when Bumble Bee Foods took over distribution of King Oscar Products in the USA, it was sometimes difficult to find King Oscar Sardines in the USA. Also, back then King Oscar Sardines were very expensive because they are hand packed. Since Bumble Bee Foods took over their distribution, you can find them most anywhere in the USA (Walmart for example) and the price has gone down. However, you know where you can't find them any longer? The Norway pavilion.

 

[Magenta Panther]

Maelstrom is a minor gem - not a diamond but at least an opal, not an E-ride but with more charm than the late SWSA, in my opinion. It captures the oddness and eeriness of Norwegian folktales' icy magic. I love it. I'm so sorry to read that it's deteriorating. How bad is it? Has it reached "disco troll" levels yet?

 

[MarkTwain]

Interesting thought. How hard would it be to make it the Swedish pavilion or Danish? Estonian? Latvian? Are the cultures so different that a total re-work would be required? Perhaps just the threat to do such a think would bring the original sponsors back.

Except that the Stave church out front is staple of Norwegian architecture, and the Akershus castle is a Norwegian icon. The grass roofs are a feature of traditional Norwegian roof design. The truth is that retheming all of these large buildings would be far more expensive and effort intensive than keeping the ride well-maintained.

 

[Hobnail Boot]

Sad to hear the ride is in such sad shape. I rode it back in May and didn't really notice anything bad other than the queue. It's never been a favorite of mine, but my friends and I have good memories on it. Recently I recall someone saying the ride was being looked at for possible upgrades? I'll try to find the thread later, but that's all I really remember.

As for the pavilion itself, it's one of my favorites. It's small, but I like the architecture and environment. I've never eaten at Akershus, but I always stop by the Kringla Bakery for a sweet pretzel and a Carlsberg beer.

 

[AEfx]

I agree... it looks like some creepy abandoned building.... then again it really adds to the a great creepy ride experience. LOL

LOL, thank you - I thought I was the only one who thought that this was a creepy atmospheric ride masquerading as an Epcot-travelogue ride.

 

[flavious27]

It's still a fun ride...Just wish there was more to this than what it is...I mean if the Norwegian govt dropped off this Pavillion isn't there a way to I don't know...Retheme it as another country???

They could retheme it, the majority of the land is a showbuilding with a facade. I can see disney though not going down the retheming route though. If disney is able to successfully retheme the area, other countries would stop their funding and walk away without having anything held over their heads. The world showcase is a way to get tourists to visit their countries.

Norway will start to fund this land again and have it fixed up when they need to look for ways to boost their tourism.

 

[aladdin2007]

They could retheme it, the majority of the land is a showbuilding with a facade. I can see disney though not going down the retheming route though. If disney is able to successfully retheme the area, other countries would stop their funding and walk away without having anything held over their heads. The world showcase is a way to get tourists to visit their countries.

Norway will start to fund this land again and have it fixed up when they need to look for ways to boost their tourism.

Sadly Norway tried recently to come back onboard with funding but not going to happen now, ongoing talks came to an end, a bitter one at that between Disney and Norway. It all comes down to money of course.

 

[flavious27]

Sadly Norway tried recently to come back onboard with funding but not going to happen now, ongoing talks came to an end, a bitter one at that between Disney and Norway. It all comes down to money of course.

Hmm, well it does look like the tourism numbers brought norway back to the table. Well I am sure it came down to money. Both norway and disney have enough to make a winterland mk. I wouldn't be surprised that disney was having them pay $2 million to cover the last decade, and then split costs to upgrade.

To have norway come back on board, disney could also schedule to have dcl cruises that dock in oslo. There is already the mediterrean cruise, there could also be one on the North Sea. Guests can stop in the UK, France, Germany, and then Norway.

 

[aladdin2007]

Hmm, well it does look like the tourism numbers brought norway back to the table. Well I am sure it came down to money. Both norway and disney have enough to make a winterland mk. I wouldn't be surprised that disney was having them pay $2 million to cover the last decade, and then split costs to upgrade.

To have norway come back on board, disney could also schedule to have dcl cruises that dock in oslo. There is already the mediterrean cruise, there could also be one on the North Sea. Guests can stop in the UK, France, Germany, and then Norway.

Norway does still care about the pavilion, its just the amount Disney wants them to shell out (20 million NOK total, 5 million NOK from the government and the rest from Norwegian businesses, there were interested companies). They had a big debate about it in their parliament again last Dec