Malestrom Becomes "Frozen Ever After"

[Fantabulously Cherry]

I will always miss Maelstrom. HOWEVER, I am happy they are keeping the Vikings boats from the original ride. And given the fact my DD is such a huge fan of Elsa, Anna and Olaf, I'm kind of excited to ride it next year! Guess I'm just a big softy

 

[MKMomma]

Systems to handle crowds first, attractions second. New attractions will not solve the problem by itself and I think the system needed to be in place first.

Systems don't work if there isn't enough places to put people, ie attractions.

 

[cakebaker]

Systems don't work if there isn't enough places to put people, ie attractions.

One has to come first and I think the system first was the correct choice. You're free to disagree.

 

[cakebaker]

I see very little appreciable difference in this new system of which you speak. Are you really going to say a 10 minute reduction in standby wait time at Soarin' is a big deal, when in reality the FP return line is now longer than ever? What has changed in the ride capacities? Did FP+ suddenly make Test Track a 2000+ per hour people eater? I think not.

I have no intentions of getting into that tired, old argument about return lines being longer.

 

[MKMomma]

One has to come first and I think the system first was the correct choice. You're free to disagree.

Yes, I am free to disagree and I do.

 

[MikeandReneePlus5]

I will say that having been in the parks for 7 days in May, we didn't feel beaten over the head with Frozen.

We checked in a WL, went to MK that day, spent Day 2 mostly at Epcot, Day three was AK then hop to HS, Day 4 was resort lounging and on that day my wife remarked to me how she had not seen one single reference to Frozen.

Now we did eventually visit Anna and Elsa and we saw the Frozen show in DHS (which was actually pretty good the comedians are quite funny).

And they did push it a bit for the 24 hour party with Olaf here and there.

But it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.

We like the movie, it's ok. We like Tangled a lot more.

 

[Jaime4004]

My first thoughts that came to mind:

Yay, finally a new ride at Epcot!

I'm fine with it, never expected a whole lot from it, will ride it when we go back, will most likely enjoy it and it's something new. Never thought Maelstrom was all that great anyways.

I have all my hopes pinned on Avatar Land.....

I'm good with it too. And I like the World Showcase, but have no problem with it becoming more Disnified. Avatar land, i'm not a fan of, does not fit in my disney vision

 

[ucfknight]

I agree with you that Disney should do a Frozen ride. What bugs me is two things: 1. Putting the ride in EPCOT instead of the Hollywood Studios, which desperately needs attractions and more ride capacity. 2. The description of this attraction, which just feels lazy.

I know that it will be a huge hit, and I'll probably go on it with my daughters (who love Frozen), but I still feel like Disney could do a lot better in terms of where they put it and what they do. Frozen deserves more than a 4-minute ride in the middle of World Showcase.

From the original article:
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.

I think it is hilarious that Disney execs think 2+ years for a ride overlay is a "really audacious goal", but it is clear they wanted to open a Frozen ride as quickly as possible to "strike while the iron is hot". Plus it had the added bonus for them of being a whole lot cheaper than a brand new attraction. With the cost overruns of MM+, they seem to be wanting to control costs wherever they can.

 

[916chipndale]

Didn't see this in the article, but are they going to be hiring CMs from Arendelle's Universities to work the ride? I'd like to make sure I know what language to learn so I can speak to the CMs in their native tongue.

You will have to communicate through annoying songs.

 

[shepd]

I can't wait for Canada to feature the "history" of Winnie the Pooh and sport people from "The Little Mermaid".

(not really)

 

[Edgehopper]

Agree with the posters who are complaining not that it's replacing Maelstrom, but that it's nothing more than a ride overlay with improved animatronics. Sea World just put in a big Antarctica land with innovative trackless ride vehicles--Disney couldn't have gotten any ideas for Frozen from that technology? When the closest thing to a new E-Ticket in the last ten years is the Snow White kiddy coaster, Disney needs to step up its game.

Here's an idea: New Imagination ride using the Spider-Man/Transformers 3D motion simulator dark ride technology from Universal, themed to artistic and technological invention starring any of Disney's most well known creative characters: Roger from 101 Dalmations (a song writer), Maurice from Beauty and the Beast, Flik from A Bug's Life, Lewis from Meet the Robinsons, the full team from Big Hero 6, and of course Walt Disney himself. Make Syndrome from the Incredibles--an inventor gone wrong--the villain. Re-skin the Imagination building to be the San Fransokyo Institute of Technology on their science fair day. Throw in a hidden Figment somewhere for nostalgia. Go ahead, Imagineers, take this one for free.

Now, if Disney got rid of an outdated but nostalgic ride to put something like that in its place, would anyone other than a tiny minority complain about it? The problem is Disney's lack of ambition, not Frozen.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Not at all what he said.

Then he can clarify his remarks.

 

[Ambear]

Here's an idea: New Imagination ride using the Spider-Man/Transformers 3D motion simulator dark ride technology from Universal, themed to artistic and technological invention starring any of Disney's most well known creative characters: Roger from 101 Dalmations (a song writer), Maurice from Beauty and the Beast, Flik from A Bug's Life, Lewis from Meet the Robinsons, the full team from Big Hero 6, and of course Walt Disney himself. Make Syndrome from the Incredibles--an inventor gone wrong--the villain. Re-skin the Imagination building to be the San Fransokyo Institute of Technology on their science fair day. Throw in a hidden Figment somewhere for nostalgia. Go ahead, Imagineers, take this one for free.

How about instead of getting rid of Figment, he acts more like Donald from Philharmagic? Figment could go and see these other characters and learn about imagination from them. I mean isn't that why people hated the ride between the original and what we have now? Cause there was no Figment... I know this is just an idea but I love Figment lol.

 

[BebopBaloo]

Maelstrom had a height requirement, right? So, if it's the same track... how many little Frozen fans are going to be turned away?

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

How do you plan on dispersing crowds when everyone wants to ride the few major headliners that are left in the park? Both Epcot and DHS have the same problem.

Having those 3 attractions be tier 1 and having those 3 attractions being desired will disburse crowds. The proportion is unknown. But now instead of a set number of guests scurrying to 2 rides. They are now scurrying for 3 rides.

So long as we don't see an attendance jump, that is.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Maelstrom had a height requirement, right? So, if it's the same track... how many little Frozen fans are going to be turned away?

I could look further. But per this website, they had no minimum.

http://www.heightrequirements.com/rides/epcot

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I see very little appreciable difference in this new system of which you speak. Are you really going to say a 10 minute reduction in standby wait time at Soarin' is a big deal, when in reality the FP return line is now longer than ever? What has changed in the ride capacities? Did FP+ suddenly make Test Track a 2000+ per hour people eater? I think not.

If a 10 minute reduction isn't a big deal, then why are the 5-10 minute (alleged) increases earth shattering?

 

[ucfknight]

Maelstrom had a height requirement, right? So, if it's the same track... how many little Frozen fans are going to be turned away?

Nope. Maelstrom had no height requirement and Frozen won't have one either.

 

[BebopBaloo]

I could look further. But per this website, they had no minimum.

http://www.heightrequirements.com/rides/epcot

Okay cool, for some reason I had it in my head that there was a height requirement. I hope that site is correct because I can't imagine having to turn away the smallest of Frozen fans.

 

[jhaig]

So they will use the same track as Maelstrom? Perfect! I hereby vow, on this day, that whenever I ride this new ride, I will narrate the old Maelstrom ride as loudly and as thickly-accented as possible.