New Frozen ride

[NewDVCowner]

The new Frozen ride officially opened today. Just out of curiousity I went onto the MDE app to see what the wait time was and it shows up as temporarily closed. That had me thinking - was there ever a soft opening for this ride leading up to today? Or, did they just throw the doors open without a real test run which is causing it to be down now as bugs are shaken out? (I don't know how long it's been down today, I just checked one time and it said it was down.)

[brad192]

So, the Norway pavilion has degraded culturally into nothing more than a place to get Norwegian food (if you don't mind princesses), and a gift shop, which I'm certain will be at least halfway devoted to Frozen merchandise now that the ride is open.

No need to even stop there anymore.

[DonaldDuck1117]

Considering the 5 hour wait throughout the day I would say the public is very happy with the switch!

[brad192]

To follow up on my first post...

I watched the ride-thru video of this earlier today and was struck by a couple of things:

1. The ride is well done, with great animatronics, and will press all the buttons for Frozen fans (I'm obviously not one).

2. It has absolutely no tie-in to Norway, its people, or its culture. (My biggest complaint)

Personally, I wish they would have left things the way they were, and put this attraction where it would've been better suited - in MK or DHS.

5 hour waits? Get used to it folks, it's gonna be that way for a loooong while.

[BugeyedMuggy]

To follow up on my first post...

I watched the ride-thru video of this earlier today and was struck by a couple of things:

1. The ride is well done, with great animatronics, and will press all the buttons for Frozen fans (I'm obviously not one).

2. It has absolutely no tie-in to Norway, its people, or its culture. (My biggest complaint)

Personally, I wish they would have left things the way they were, and put this attraction where it would've been better suited - in MK or DHS.

5 hour waits? Get used to it folks, it's gonna be that way for a loooong while.

Well Said!

[Disney4us2]

From what I know it have seen, there was no soft opening. I was there last Friday and the walls were still up. There was a soft opening for the Anna and Elsa meet and greet. I was there for opening day. They did open the rideat 9am instead of 11am. The Mexico pavilion was also op en at 9am.

I was not there Saturday, Sunday or Monday. I have no idea if there was a soft opening on those days.

Despite the ride being down, I waited until it was reopened. I was not disappointed. It was done very well. I will always miss Maelstrom though.

[azcavalier]

I liked Frozen well enough (I thought that Tangled was a far better movie, though), and I look forward to riding the new ride in September. Though there is no way i'll wait five hours for it. Or even one hour. So maybe I won't be riding it in September. We'll see.

However, regarding the Norway pavilion not having much actual ties back to Norway anymore...isn't it true that the country doesn't actually sponsor the pavilion anymore? I had heard rumors of LEGO trying to get a Scandinavian consortium to sponsor the pavilion, but since there isn't a shred of LEGO branding anywhere, I'm assuming that never happened. And while it is part of the World Showcase, and you would want it to represent that part of the world, if those countries aren't interested in sponsoring it, then Disney has no responsibility to represent them or consult them. Do they?

[brad192]

...However, regarding the Norway pavilion not having much actual ties back to Norway anymore...isn't it true that the country doesn't actually sponsor the pavilion anymore? I had heard rumors of LEGO trying to get a Scandinavian consortium to sponsor the pavilion, but since there isn't a shred of LEGO branding anywhere, I'm assuming that never happened. And while it is part of the World Showcase, and you would want it to represent that part of the world, if those countries aren't interested in sponsoring it, then Disney has no responsibility to represent them or consult them. Do they?

I believe they do.. My point is while technically/legally they might not have a responsibility for representing that particular country, proper ethics and plain common sense says that they should. After all, it is the NORWAY pavilion, and should reflect the land, people, and culture of that country, not be a showcase for a fantasy cartoon with singing princesses and a talking snowman. If that's the case, just go ahead and rename it Frozenland, or something.

I will repeat myself - the whole Frozen thing would be better suited to MK or DHS.

[Stu29573]

Ok here are my thoughts (I'm sure everyone is relieved)...
1. I hated losing Maelstrom and the lesson it taught (however simple).
2. Frozen Ever After actually looks pretty good. At least they did a good job on the overlay.
3. It should be at a different park.
4. If they wanted to draw people into the World Showcase, a new ride at one of the other countries would have done it nicely while leaving Norway alone.
5. I will rate this as a "mild misstep" in the overall scheme of things. It could have been worse. Heck, it still could get worse.
6. The huge lines for a C ticket attraction show how hungry people are for new things at Disney.
7. Adding more new things instead of changing existing attractions is much smarter.
8. Disney is about a decade behind in this area.
There ya go!

[MNNHFLTX]

Considering the 5 hour wait throughout the day I would say the public is very happy with the switch!

Not necessarily. Whenever a new ride opens or has been extensively refurbished, curiosity probably fuels the length of the lines more than anything else. That's what I find so ironic--that people will wait for hours for a 5-10 minute attraction and then complain that it wasn't worth the wait.

[ransam]

So, the Norway pavilion has degraded culturally into nothing more than a place to get Norwegian food (if you don't mind princesses), and a gift shop, which I'm certain will be at least halfway devoted to Frozen merchandise now that the ride is open.

No need to even stop there anymore.

Cool, one less person i have to wait for.

[Daisy'sMom]

I agree with you. I just don't think Epcot is the right place for Frozen. It really makes me sad to see Disney forgetting what Walt had planned for Epcot. They now worship the mighty dollar.

[Altair]

It really makes me sad to see Disney forgetting what Walt had planned for Epcot. They now worship the mighty dollar.

EPCOT never was anything like what Walt envisioned. His plan was for a self sufficient city and not a theme park, but at least what we got was somewhat educational.

[wiltsan]

"You are not the first to pass this way, nor will you be the last..."
Just watched ride video with family and have to say that we were disappointed. The animatronics are undeniably incredible but too much wasted space (ala spaceship earth) in the area that is just screens after visiting Elsa's castle. Even my 11 year old daughter just said,"As much as I love Frozen, Maelstorm was better." And for the record, I am also a major fan of Frozen. We really enjoyed the former ride a lot and appreciated the culture/educational components of the pavilion. Now this has turned into a princess pavilion hawking merchandise. I get that they need to attract the 4-7 year old set to Epcot but think there could have been better ways than to desicrate a beloved (by my family) attraction. "Norway, it's spirit is in its people."

[i'm grumpy]

I liked Frozen well enough (I thought that Tangled was a far better movie, though), and I look forward to riding the new ride in September. Though there is no way i'll wait five hours for it. Or even one hour. So maybe I won't be riding it in September. We'll see.

However, regarding the Norway pavilion not having much actual ties back to Norway anymore...isn't it true that the country doesn't actually sponsor the pavilion anymore? I had heard rumors of LEGO trying to get a Scandinavian consortium to sponsor the pavilion, but since there isn't a shred of LEGO branding anywhere, I'm assuming that never happened. And while it is part of the World Showcase, and you would want it to represent that part of the world, if those countries aren't interested in sponsoring it, then Disney has no responsibility to represent them or consult them. Do they?

We LOVE Tangled. And UP.

[Zippy 1]

There was a soft opening on sunday. The walls were still up but they were taking people in through the doors for much of the day

[brad192]

"You are not the first to pass this way, nor will you be the last..."
Just watched ride video with family and have to say that we were disappointed. The animatronics are undeniably incredible but too much wasted space (ala spaceship earth) in the area that is just screens after visiting Elsa's castle. Even my 11 year old daughter just said,"As much as I love Frozen, Maelstorm was better." And for the record, I am also a major fan of Frozen. We really enjoyed the former ride a lot and appreciated the culture/educational components of the pavilion. Now this has turned into a princess pavilion hawking merchandise. I get that they need to attract the 4-7 year old set to Epcot but think there could have been better ways than to desicrate a beloved (by my family) attraction. "Norway, it's spirit is in its people."

Yes! But a better way to desicrate an attraction?? I don't think so...

[Terra]

I watched the POV video the day it opened. Love it, and so did my sons.
So sad that currently we are unable to go as usual [as per my thread in Mousellanous].
But watching it is enough until hopefully one day we can get back when my son is better and life is better. Changes at WDW are the least of my worries. I'd rather be there than going through what we are any day
I loved Maelstrom as well, but also love the update. Looks like they lengthened the ride a bit which is nice. Love the theming as well.

[Bass T-bone]

EPCOT never was anything like what Walt envisioned. His plan was for a self sufficient city and not a theme park, but at least what we got was somewhat educational.

Initially...

Seems to becoming just another 'theme park'

(Yes, I preferred the original EPCOT)

[DonaldDuck1117]

I think we are seeing the natural progression/evolution of Epcot. It's time Disney realizes that the park is no where near what the original purpose was: to be a permanent World's Fair.

Rededicate the park with a new purpose statement. Have the park be a spark of imagination for all who come. Make it show the sense of wonder and amazement the world has. Instead of actual education have the rides show the possibilities of the world and of the individual. It has been years since the park actually educated visitors and the only remaining attraction that does is Spaceship Earth. It's time to let that purpose die and reinvent the park.

After AK and Studios are done Epcot is in need of a make over. I really think this is the start of a new Epcot. I wouldn't be surprised if we get a Remy ride for France. That would fit nicely. They need to add another country. Australia would be great with a gamey restaurant and and E Ticket attraction about a walk about.

I don't see characters invading World Showcase as a bad thing. I think it would boost attendance and bring life back to a park that saw an almost zero increase in attendance figures.