It's no secret that Frozen Ever After is (somewhat ironically) the hottest attraction at Epcot, regularly commanding wait times in excess of three hours. After shuffling along this attraction’s queue for a good percentage of your park day, its easy to feel a little bit anxious when you finally get to the loading area and board that boat. Will you be able to truly appreciate the three minute ride you just waited several hours for? Will it be as magical as you hoped? Will you miss something if you even blink once?

Well, we’ve been on Frozen Ever After a number of times, and can tell you exactly what details to look for and what you can’t miss on this new attraction. And, believe us, the impact of these effects is truly impressive.

Olaf and Sven welcome you to Frozen Ever After 

This scene is one dark ride aficionados will recognize right off the bat. Olaf and Sven are setting the scene for us, and are telling us why we’re on a boat headed to see Anna and Elsa. It’s a Summer Snow Day in Arendelle, and you’re going to see Anna and Elsa as part of the celebration. Yay!

In this scene, guests will want to look exclusively to the right, as Sven and Olaf are the only occupants in this room. And you’ll definitely want to keep your eye on the Olaf animatronic as he bounces around his platform, showing off a wide range of movement and following your boat, just until you make a turn to see…

Trolls, trolls and more trolls!

Though the former Maelstrom ride featured a number of trolls behaving badly, the only trolls you’ll find in Frozen Ever After are the nice “fixer upper” kind. There are a mixture of animated and static trolls, and eagle-eyed riders will want to keep their gaze to the left on Grand Pabbie as he regales younger trolls with the story of Anna and Elsa. Some projected images from the Frozen film will grace the space next to the trolls, but these aren’t really that important to see, so don’t bother squirming in your boat if your neighbor is blocking your view.

Time to climb the mountain…

From here your boat will ascend a lift hill into Elsa’s ice palace. There’s not much to see here, but you can see a miniature version of the castle at the top of the hill as you get ready to go see the star of the show.

But first, supporting characters!

Though you make it to the top of the mountain with record speed, it’s not quite time to see Elsa yet, as Olaf will great you while ice skating. Though this animatronic isn’t as impressive as the Olaf seen earlier in the ride, the way he glides around effortlessly is definitely worth a look. 

Olaf will start off in front of the boat and then as you turn the bend you’ll be able to get a closer look before heading in to see Kristoff, Anna and Sven, again on the right side of the boat. Both human characters are singing a reprise of For the First Time in Forever, with lyrics that have been changed for the ride. As your boat glides forward you’ll finally be ready for this attraction's big moment...