Frozen

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I was in DW in January and the Norway pavilion had several large signs about how it was the "inspiration for Frozen!" So it seems like they've been working towards having the ride there for a while. And Maelstrom is not a popular ride. I went on it by myself because no one else in my family was interested, and there were only two other people on the ride with me. And this was on a Sunday afternoon. The poor Norwegian folks staffing the ride looked so bored. There are so few rides in Epcot compared to the other parks and almost none in the World Showcase, I can see where they think they need to step it up a bit.

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Actually the wait times for Maelstrom had gotten pretty crazy at times (for World Showcase)! It regularly had a 30-60 minute wait. The last time I was there, in February, I waited half an hour. Part of the reason the wait could be so long was that the ride was slow-loading, though. But yeah, they have been slowly adding Frozen into the Norway pavilion over time. They put a Frozen exhibit in the stave church and for awhile had the Anna and Elsa meet and greet in the gift shop area (which clogged up the pavilion with 5 to 6 hour wait times). I am just hoping against hope that they keep my beloved Kringla bakery so that I can still buy school bread, and I don't want it to be called Olaf bread either!

They have stepped up the Frozen presence in the Disney World parks a lot: the upcoming Frozen ride at Epcot, the Frozen sing-along, fireworks, and ice skating area at Hollywood Studios, the ridiculously popular Anna/Elsa meet and greet at Magic Kingdom, and this Christmas they are going to feature Frozen in the castle projection show at night at the Magic Kingdom. It seems like overkill to me, but I guess they are trying to milk it for all that it's worth! I just think a Frozen ride would be better suited to Hollywood Studios or Magic Kingdom.

[jynni]

If things were left to hardcore Disney fans, nothing in any of the parks would ever be updated and everything would be a perfectly preserved time capsule of opening day (or the first time they visited the parks).

I rode Maelstrom for the first time last year and thought it was pretty much the lamest thing I've ever been on in any Disney park and a complete waste of space. Thank goodness I had a Fast Pass for it as I would've been ticked waiting any longer than five minutes for that snooze fest. Not one of Disney's better dark rides and well past needing to be replaced. That said, I do think a Frozen ride would've been better suited to Fantasyland but I'm guessing they didn't want to do more construction there since the whole area just came out of a massive overhaul. Plus, Epcot is always in need of something to draw visitors since it generally has the rep of being the park you go to only if you've already done anything else (or are in the mood to drink).

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Oct 16, 2014 19:04:32 GMT -4 jynni said:

If things were left to hardcore Disney fans, nothing in any of the parks would ever be updated and everything would be a perfectly preserved time capsule of opening day (or the first time they visited the parks).

I rode Maelstrom for the first time last year and thought it was pretty much the lamest thing I've ever been on in any Disney park and a complete waste of space. Thank goodness I had a Fast Pass for it as I would've been ticked waiting any longer than five minutes for that snooze fest. Not one of Disney's better dark rides and well past needing to be replaced. That said, I do think a Frozen ride would've been better suited to Fantasyland but I'm guessing they didn't want to do more construction there since the whole area just came out of a massive overhaul. Plus, Epcot is always in need of something to draw visitors since it generally has the rep of being the park you go to only if you've already done anything else (or are in the mood to drink).

I disagree with what you said about hardcore Disney fans for sure (as I am one, and have lots of friends who are). I am generally excited about new stuff coming into the parks, and even about the older rides being refurbed. There are probably some who don't want anything to be changed, but I think that's a certain kind of fan (like, fanboys who have been going literally since WDW opened). The newer generations of fans are not like that at all, in my experience. And yes I post on Disney message boards and listen to multiple Disney podcasts per week...

As for Maelstrom, of course everyone will have different opinions, but I thought it was a charming little ride. It's not an E-ticket, but it's not supposed to be and it fit perfectly into World Showcase.

But I definitely think Frozen deserves representation in the parks.

[Mugsy]

Yeah, I'm a big Disney fan - I've been over a dozen times and did the behind-the-scenes tour (highly recommended). I like it when rides are changed or replaced. My kids liked Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, but couldn't relate it to anything they'd every seen. I prefer "experience" rides, as in reliving the movie as a participant; the new Little Mermaid ride is perfect. So when a movie is a hit, we always hope Disney will add an attraction-style ride that lets us relive that movie - still waiting for something Lion King-ish. So anything Frozen is welcome; might as well milk it, like others said.

I read the castle will be changed to a Frozen state during the nightly light show. It will be a temporary thing just during the show. During our backstage tour, the guide told us one of their biggest mistakes was changing Cinderella's castle in Disney World to a giant birthday cake for their 25th anniversary year. People complained a LOT - those who saved up for years for a once-in-a-lifetime trip wanted to take their pic with the castle, and it was gone! She said they'd never change the castle again.

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Oct 17, 2014 11:29:56 GMT -4 Mugsy said:

So when a movie is a hit, we always hope Disney will add an attraction-style ride that lets us relive that movie - still waiting for something Lion King-ish. So anything Frozen is welcome; might as well milk it, like others said.

I'm still waiting for something related to Beauty and the Beast aside from the stage show.

[Mugsy]

Ha, ain't it the truth. Well, they just built The Little Mermaid attraction, so they're only 25 years behind.

[chiqui]

They revamped the old submarine ride that was in Tomorrowland for that, no?

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Oct 17, 2014 13:34:13 GMT -4 @roisin54 said:

Oct 17, 2014 11:29:56 GMT -4 Mugsy said:

So when a movie is a hit, we always hope Disney will add an attraction-style ride that lets us relive that movie - still waiting for something Lion King-ish. So anything Frozen is welcome; might as well milk it, like others said.

I'm still waiting for something related to Beauty and the Beast aside from the stage show.

They have Be Our Guest restaurant, Gaston's Tavern, and Enchanted Tales with Belle in new Fantasyland.

I'm pretty sure the new Frozen ride will be a standard dark ride (which I like), kinda like Little Mermaid, yes, but I'm sure they will change the Maelstrom ride track from a water ride to an Omnimover, because they never put in new water rides anymore as they are notoriously difficult to maintain (although I think they are putting one in at Animal Kingdom for Avatarland). I'm actually quite partial to the water rides and that distinctive smell they all have.

[CyberCathy]

The Be Our Guest restaurant is really awesome for all of the attention to detail.

I'm not against a Frozen ride, but I do wish they would put it over at MGM. I like the slower pace of the World Showcase.