Norway Pavilion Frozen construction - Frozen Ever After ride

[Mike S]

More info on the ride
http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2015...xclusive-look-at-disneys-upcoming-attraction/

Here's some of my thoughts....

Maelstrom, on which visitors ride a floating log on a tour through Norwegian mythology

They were Viking ships, and from the art it looks like they're still Viking ships. Why can't they ever get their facts straight?

Disney executives and designers started discussing a “Frozen” ride before the film even came out, said chief operating officer Tom Staggs, who ran the theme park unit until February. But “our urgency grew as the film really took off,” he said, and “we purposefully set a really audacious goal to get this thing done.” That’s one of the reasons why it’s a makeover of Maelstrom, rather than an entirely new attraction that would take longer to build.

Jaws closure: January 2nd, 2012
Diagon Alley opening: July 8th, 2014
Time: 2 years, 6 months, 6 days (thanks Siri)

Maelstrom closure: October 5th, 2014
Frostrom opening: Possibly May 1st, 2016 based on recent info
Time: 1 year, 6 months, 26 days (thanks again Siri)

So, 20 days shy of a full year taken off or 345 days. This is for a makeover of a ride the size of Maelstrom compared to a whole land that includes incredible detail, a big headliner, and a train to the other park. Doesn't seem like they're in that much of a rush even with a makeover. How long did the Mine Train or Mermaid take as brand new rides?

 

[wdwmagic]

From the article:

If they are using the same flume layout, isn't that quite a lot to cram into the short space between loading the boats, and going up that lift hill?

It will be using the old queue area as a show scene.

 

[Pirouline]

It will be using the old queue area as a show scene.

Any art or drawings of it?

 

[wdwmagic]

Any art work or drawings of it?

Nope nothing yet.

 

[Goofywilliam]

Nothing about this ride makes sense design wise. Here are a few points I can think of off the top of my head...

1. The capacity sucks. For a property that is so popular, wouldn't you think more capacity per hour would be needed?!?
2. It makes no sense to use a flume ride system. Correct me if I'm wrong but I did not see any rivers flowing through Arendalle and I certainly don't understand how the rivers are so melted when there is a massive blizzard going on. Also, how do boats end up in ice palaces?
3. What's up with the story. I read the article and I'm already confused on what's suppose to be going on during this ride.

 

[danlb_2000]

Here's some of my thoughts....
They were Viking ships, and from the art it looks like they're still Viking ships. Why can't they ever get their facts straight?

Jaws closure: January 2nd, 2012
Diagon Alley opening: July 8th, 2014
Time: 2 years, 6 months, 6 days (thanks Siri)

Maelstrom closure: October 5th, 2014
Frostrom opening: Possibly May 1st, 2016 based on recent info
Time: 1 year, 6 months, 26 days (thanks again Siri)

So, 20 days shy of a full year taken off or 345 days. This is for a makeover of a ride the size of Maelstrom compared to a whole land that includes incredible detail, a big headliner, and a train to the other park. Doesn't seem like they're in that much of a rush even with a makeover. How long did the Mine Train or Mermaid take as brand new rides?

BatB/Little Mermaid Section of FLE 2/10/2010 12/6/2012 34
Mine Ride 10/1/2011 4/30/2014 30

 

[FettFan]

How long did the Mine Train or Mermaid take as brand new rides?

Mine Train was a little over three years.
It was announced in January 2011, grand opening was May 28, 2014.

 

[SJN1279]

The capacity is a concern, but the ride looks to be a lot of fun. Betting on 90 to 120 minute waits on average. Have to head their on opening or near closing.

 

[danlb_2000]

Mine Train was a little over three years.
It was announced in January 2011, grand opening was May 28, 2014.

It was announced in Jan, but they didn't start construction until Sept or Oct of that year. So it was about 30 months construction time.

 

[wdwmagic]

The capacity is a concern, but the ride looks to be a lot of fun. Betting on 90 to 120 minute waits on average. Have to head their on opening or near closing.

That sounds extremely optimistic. Maelstrom routinely had 60min waits. I would expect to see 200min+ be very common.

 

[Arthur Wellesley]

Also how do boats end up in ice palaces?

I found that part of the ride's "story" to be sloppy as well, and really lacking in logic. At least in POTC, Splash, and IASW it makes sense to be in a boat/river.

Heck, even Six Flags in Atlanta, yes..Six Flags...makes better logic out of a flume story. In Monster Mansion, you start out going through the Mansion's interior/corridors. So what do they do? They make the story so that it's flooded. You have floating furniture, and the hostess monster who greets you is standing on a staircase to be staying dry. It's a goofy premise, sure. But makes a lot better sense that a random boat ride into Elsa's ice castle.

 

[SoupBone]

The amount of comments bashing this ride & location compared to the comments praising it are at least 3 to 1. So happy the public, and not just the WDW magic public, are expressing their disdain for Disney's current decisions.

Time to drop the DHS news Disney.. you need to come up out of the gutter.

This is simply the continued dumbing down of the Disney Parks. Instead of re-envisioning and re-creating the magic of Norway, they're adding Frozen. And I don't care what anyone says, EPCOT has no business being dumbed down. Are we really at a point that something can't be both educational AND fun? The bickering on the book of faces today was hilarious with people smack talking on both sides. It's clear that the Frozeniacs and the anti-Frozites weren't budging either.

 

[SoupBone]

That sounds extremely optimistic. Maelstrom routinely had 60min waits. I would expect to see 200min+ be very common.

If you read the Frozeniacs comments on the book of faces, Maelstrom was a ghost town all day long, which is ridiculous. They use it as justification for the complete removal of Norway from the ride.

 

[Hakunamatata]

I found that part of the ride's "story" to be sloppy as well, and really lacking in logic. At least in POTC, Splash, and IASW it makes sense to be in a boat/river.

Heck, even Six Flags in Atlanta, yes..Six Flags...makes better logic out of a flume story. In Monster Mansion, you start out going through the Mansion's interior/corridors. So what do they do? They make the story so that it's flooded. You have floating furniture, and the hostess monster who greets you is standing on a staircase to be staying dry. It's a goofy premise, sure. But makes a lot better sense that a random boat ride into Elsa's ice castle.

Maybe they are going to change the song to Let it Flow.

 

[Mike S]

BatB/Little Mermaid Section of FLE 2/10/2010 12/6/2012 34
Mine Ride 10/1/2011 4/30/2014 30

So 2 years, 10 months, and 4 days for NFL phase 1 and SDMT took 2 years, 6 months, and 29 days (thanks once again Siri). They both actually took longer than Diagon Alley

 

[Wikkler]

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...-ever-after-at-epcot/comment-page-2/#comments
#58

Scott from IL on June 9th, 2015 at 5:27 pm
I can’t believe how much hate this ride is getting. It’s Frozen! Everyone loves Frozen!
So what if it’s not based on a real country. Why is that a first? Like Morocco is a real country. It was just made up so that Mo’Rockin had a place to play!
So what if there will seemingly not be much of Norway left in the pavilion? Princesses are real, I saw that one was just born in London, and that’s Europe, and all of Europe is the same thing anyway!
So what if the story of this attraction seems to not be a real story, and instead just a ride past our favorite characters? Who rides rides for stories anyway? If I want a story, I’ll turn on Reading Rainbow!
So what if an expansion pad is being turned into a giant meet and greet? Meet and Greets are just the interactive cosplay attraction of the future, allowing fans to interact with franchise characters and build their bond with the brands they love!
Let it Go all you h8ters, thaw your Frozen Heart! For the First Time In Forever, Disney is tearing down an existing attraction to build a new one. Maelstrom was always a bit of a Fixer Upper anyway. This place is going to be a madhouse, and who doesn’t Wanna Build a Snowman In Summer? Look deep inside think about the new ride and realize that Reindeers are better than People. I for one cannot wait for this attraction to finish and I can prove that Love is an Open Door to the new Frozen Ever After ride!

 

[SJN1279]

That sounds extremely optimistic. Maelstrom routinely had 60min waits. I would expect to see 200min+ be very common.

Do any rides in Disney/Universal have common waits of 200+ waits outside of Christmas and Easter? I seriously doubt it will be that high at all.

Maelstorm typically was at 25-45 minutes in my experience.

 

[hopemax]

So if we take our 360/hr for M&g and add it to the 900/hr for Frozenstrom, you get 15,000/day, assuming 9-9.

Oh dear god. This just wasn't thought through with any sort of operational reality, was it?

And let's refresh... 2014 attendance 11,454,000 or 31,380 per day average. And Disney management is expecting this to grow attendance. I guess if people really come for the booze, there will be enough space for all the Princesses to ride...maybe...re-rides...well...

EDIT: Guess I should have finished reading...

Like I wondered months ago, marketing is going to go nuts with this...what's the plan when they all show up? Do we get Frozen packages with extra, extra magic hours, like Harry Potter. Buy a package, get a golden FP for Frozen?

 

[wdwmagic]

Do any rides in Disney/Universal have common waits of 200+ waits outside of Christmas and Easter? I seriously doubt it will be that high at all.

Have you ever seen meet and greets with 5 hour waits on a daily basis? I hadn't until Frozen in Norway.

 

[WDW1974]

Spirited Frozen Ever After Musings:

First, let's talk about the Big Picture stuff, the stuff you don't know and that a good 14% won't believe on principle and another four percent simply because it is coming from moi.

I and at LEAST three other members of this forum (two who post regularly, one who lurks) have been in contact with Ben Fritz of the Wall Street Journal about our concerns and issues with what is and isn't being reported from Shanghai regarding Disney's developments in the Chinese Mainland. He has been very professional. He has taken as much information as he could possibly gather. He has said all the right things. ...

And then he went directly to Disney in Burbank, likely to the Zenia Mucha level, brought the issues up, suggested that he might be interested in writing about them and ... and ... then he was offered a Frozen Ever After exclusive (yes, Disney leaked the story before it appeared on their own blog). Now, I'm sure the 'anti-reality' crowd will point out that this was coincidental and can easily be explained away. And that Disney, which is so secretive it won't release any details at all on what is being built in Shanghai Disneyland, only the most important P&R development of the century, or what's going to be in Pandora ... or what the company will be building based on Star Wars on both coasts or Marvel in Anaheim or pretty much anything else anywhere somehow saw the need to DESCRIBE THE ENTIRE RIDE (every scene) to the Wall Street Freaking Journal.

(BTW, the show by show scene component is STILL an exclusive to the WSJ as Disney hasn't put it on its own Blog.)

When has that ever happened? Seriously? When has Disney given the WSJ of all organizations (or any for that matter) a blow by blow complete description of a new attraction? And you really think your other ''I don't hate Iger, so I see this clearly unlike the Spirit'' theory holds enough water to put into a thimble? Don't waste your breath.

To my friends who have been in contact with Big Tool Ben, be grateful that you helped him get an exclusive after all. And likely a free Disney vacation for him and his family ...maybe a future one-on-one with Bob before Star Wars opens in December too. No, I never said you wouldn't get results. You did! How does it make you feel?

Like I've said umpteenth times, that's what journalism is in the 21st century. Regardless of who signs his paychecks, Ben Fritz works for The Walt Disney Company.

Now, I read all of those funny comments (except one or two by some crazy Phil character) on Cupcake's Disney Parks Blog. No, I don't think they left an intern in charge. I think they flat out let the comments in to sorta shut up the weak folks on the ropes about whether Disney plays dirty (filthy would be more like it). The thinking goes ''See, Disney is letting all these EPCOT fanbois stuck in the 80s say whatever they want. They don't censor anything there anymore than Bob had his wife censor that Redstone Disney-Hater in the HuffPo.''

Yes, I REALLY believe that. I get how these companies operate, while the naivete of some here is astounding.

What else can be said? I guess I could rip the ride for being exactly what I expected, exactly what I told you it would be -- a cheap overlay with LET IT GO played loudly over and over. But why? It will drastically cut the waits for Soarin come next year. It will move even more crap merchandise.

I also can't help but feel that certain events ... well, let's just say that school is out for summer and it shows as much as a melting snowman and a planted story growing in clickcounts (ones that the WSJ would never get) as the night goes on.

***Felt like this belongs here, but I'm not discussing it here. Feel free to drop into the Spirited Realm to discuss if you wish. Otherwise, you just got part of the real story behind the story.***