Sailing into history

“You are not the first to pass this way,” – far ahead, a sliver of silver light glows. The sliver widens to reveal itself as an eye casting watery blue and white light throughout the darkness. As it undulates, it reveals ahead of you a dark waterfall – “nor shall you be the last.”

Your longboat engages with the waterfall – a conveyer belt in disguise – and begins to be hoisted up the ride’s thirty-foot tall lift hill, directly into the shimmering beam of the eye of Odin.

Image: Mark & Paul Luukkonen, Flickr (license)

“Those who seek the spirit of Norway face peril and adventure, but more often find beauty and charm.” Odin’s eye closes as the boat levels out, drifting softly into a peaceful river.

Ahead, torches signal the arrival of civilization as Odin’s voice continues. “We have always lived with the sea, so look first to the spirit of the seafarer.” Around the corner, the boat would pass through a seaside Viking village with Audio Animatronics Vikings preparing their ornate ships for exploration. Continuing on, the scene widens to reveal the ships distant at sea, setting sail for the unknown.

Troll Country

Image: Disney

“There are those who seek Norway’s spirit in the land of forests and mystery, where trolls still prowl the water’s edge.” Around another dark turn, the boat re-emerges in a dense, dark swamp. Those with watchful eyes will notice that they’re not the only ones making careful observations. The Nokken, a disguised river troll, blends effortlessly into the roots and stumps of the swamp, his glowing yellow eyes watching the boat as it passes.

Thick fog clings to the surface of the water, giving the impression that something unusual is about to happen in this mystical place.

Then comes the ride’s signature moment. The boat drifts ahead until its ornate dragon bow is face-to-face with a large forest boulder. From behind the rock rises an imposing Audio Animatronic figure: a three-headed troll, and not even one of the heads seemed pleased to see us.

“How dare you come here?”

“Invaders!”

“This is Troll Country!”

“Go away! Be gone!

“I’ll cast a spell… You’ll disappear!”

“Disappear! Disappear!”

Image: Disney

Above the boat, twinkling, sparkling lights shimmer as magic descends on the ship. “Back… back! Over the falls!”

The boat floats backwards under the twinkling stars as the trolls cackle, slipping down a churning slope backwards in a startling and laughter-inducing moment.

The Wonders of Norway

The boat continues its backwards journey past a final forest troll and the setting sun. Guests watch as sunset disappears behind them and the cool relief of dusk covers the snowy scenery and the icy walls.

Image: Disney

“Before the Odin time, Norway’s spirit roamed the seas of the far north and beyond!” Guests sail past numerous Animatronics figures of polar bears (and their adorable cubs) nestled into icy caverns and exploring against the yellow sunset. One unforgettable polar bear Animatronic stands on its hind-legs, ten feet tall, his paws swiping softly at the passing boats.

Leaving behind the frozen north, the boat retreats into a mountainous forested grotto where the sound of falling water echoes.

This elaborate room is lit by the very real light of day. In one of the ride’s more astounding moments, the longboat physically floats backwards until its rear end is positioned out of the showbuilding, exposed to the ride’s exterior.

The view from outside the ride. Image: Sam Howzit, Flickr (license)

Any guest walking around the Norway pavilion can look up and see the end of a longboat precariously perched atop a pounding waterfall... a most unsual sight!

Just when it seems that the boat may fall backwards out of the showbuilding, a large tree-stump troll ahead of guests awakens, its head lifting out of inconspicuous rockwork. It eyes guests and offers a gesture of good will: another act of magic. The boat slides to the right, aligning with a new, forward trajectory, and advances.

Image: Mark & Paul Luukkonen, Flickr (license)

Narrowly passing under a rocky outcropping and a thundering waterfall, the ship flies down the ride’s 28-foot drop, crashing with a splash in the dark North Sea where a bolt of lightning rips through the skies. The lightning strikes illuminate a massive, towering oilrig overhead.

In the distance, other rigs can be seen burning fuels into plumes of fire, the night sky filled with clouds. This striking finale room is of significant scale and impressive size, even if its atmosphere and message is unlikely to jive with modern audiences... 

Exiting the North Sea, the long boats make one final turn, revealing a life-sized Norwegian fishing village easily on the scale and detail of Disneyland’s Pirates of the Caribbean. The charming nighttime village might feel like the beginning of the meat of the ride, but the voice of Odin signals otherwise: “Norway’s spirit has always been – always will be – adventure.”

To the sound of seagulls and clanging buoy bells, the boat drifts forward to dock. 

As always, we'll leave you with an on-board point-of-view video that makes a great companion to the recollections above. We invite you to watch through the video if you'd like a visual reminder of the ride:

The post-show

After exiting the boat, guests could linger for a moment in the warmly-lit seaside village, perhaps admiring clever nods to the Norwegian companies who'd sponsored the rides so many years ago. At most, you might be trapped at the seaside dock for five minutes. It's likely to feel a lot longer given that there's not much to do. Finally, after a few minutes, the town’s doors would open, revealing a large theater beyond.

Image: Mark & Paul Luukkonen, Flickr (license)

This is Maelstrom's true finale: a chance to see the wonders of Norway via a 70mm film from the ride's opening year. Inside the theater, guests would sit in ornately carved wooden seats and watch The Spirit of Norway, a six-minute film that shares some of the industry, entertainment, and natural wonders of Norway that the brief, three-and-a-half minute ride was unable to convey. 

For most of Maelstrom’s life, guests exiting the ride accumulated in the fishing village until the theater doors swung open automatically. By 2008, the doors into – and out of – the theater remained open permanently, allowing guests to enter the continuous showing at any time, or opt to step through the theater and skip it altogether. By 2008, the twenty-year-old film had been seen by more than enough people to please the pavilion’s sponsors, and its information was far from current anyway. 

The end

Despite the ride’s brief runtime and its disjointed story, Maelstrom was a key addition to Epcot. Even if it didn’t require “the guts of a Viking,” it was Epcot’s first certifiable thrill and a turning point for World Showcase. While it spent most of its life slightly outdated, it was a brave effort: to create a classic-style dark ride using cutting edge technology given very strict story elements. And based on the reaction to the announcement of its removal, Maelstrom succeeded in making fans the world over.

But as we know, nothing good can stay (especially, evidence suggests, at Epcot). Maelstrom closed forever on October 5, 2014 despite protest from die-hard fans. Read on as we finish off the legend of Maelstrom by exploring the fate that befell Epcot’s Norway… or should we say, Arendelle?