Maelstrom (ride)

Maelstrom
Entrance of the ride
Epcot
AreaWorld Showcase, Norway pavilion
Coordinates28°22′15″N 81°32′47″W / 28.37083°N 81.54639°W / 28.37083; -81.54639
StatusRemoved
Opening dateJuly 5, 1988
Closing dateOctober 5, 2014
Replaced byFrozen Ever After
Ride statistics
Attraction typeMusical Boat Cruise/Shoot the Chute
ManufacturerIntamin
DesignerWalt Disney Imagineering
ThemeHistory of mythological Norway
Drop28[1] ft (8.5 m)
Length964 ft (294 m)
Capacity1000 riders per hour
Vehicle typeViking boat
VehiclesViking boat
Riders per vehicle16
Rows4
Riders per row4
Duration4:27
Lift count1
Movie Length5:52 minutes
Number of drops1
FastPass+ was available
Assistive listening available

Maelstrom was a reversing Shoot the Chute dark ride attraction located in the Epcot theme park at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. Designed by Walt Disney Imagineering, the ride opened on July 5, 1988, in the Norway Pavilion of the park's World Showcase section. It was a mix between a log chute and a traditional film attraction. Visitors rode boats patterned after longships that passed through various scenes that featured audio-animatronic figures. The attraction was originally supposed to be called SeaVenture, with the entrance sign during construction even 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 on Disney's 2013 animated film Frozen.[3][4][5] Maelstrom's final day of operation was October 5, 2014.[6][7] Frozen Ever After opened on June 21, 2016.[8]

  1. ^ "Maelstrom". disneyworld.com. Disney Parks. Archived from the original on 5 October 2014. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  2. ^ "Vintage Walt Disney World: Looking Back at Epcot's Maelstrom". Disney Parks Blog.
  3. ^ Tom Staggs (September 12, 2014). "'Frozen' Attraction Coming to Epcot". Disney Parks Blog. Retrieved September 12, 2014.
  4. ^ McNary, Dave (September 12, 2014). "Disney Adding 'Frozen' Attraction at Epcot". Variety. Retrieved September 12, 2014.
  5. ^ Pallotta, Frank (15 September 2014). "Yet another 'Frozen' spinoff: An Epcot theme park attraction". CNN Money. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
  6. ^ "Maelstrom at Epcot - The Final Moments (Last Ride, Last Film) 10/5/14". October 6, 2014. Archived from the original on 2021-12-13 – via YouTube.
  7. ^ "Maelstrom - Epcot Attractions - Walt Disney World Resort". disney.go.com. Archived from the original on 5 October 2014. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
  8. ^ Sentinel, Orlando (2016-05-20). "Disney: Opening dates for Frozen ride, Soarin', Star Wars fireworks, more". OrlandoSentinel.com. Retrieved 2016-06-18.