Maelstrom
By Pi
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At the center of the lagoon and at the heart of the World of Fantasy is Maelstrom Mountain. Which is, fittingly, the home of Maelstrom. This is largely a recreation of the EPCOT classic boat ride through Norse legends, but with a few minor tweaks. The biggest change being the ride vehicles being expanded to be slightly wider so they can fit more guests, raising capacity. Plus, the drops/lift hills will all be raised slightly higher so that the mountain can serve as a larger icon for the park. This will still be a pretty tame boat ride suitable for nearly all ages, just a small boost to the thrills. Also, the Spirit of Norway film will still be played at the exit (With roughly 1 minute added discussing the original Maelstrom in EPCOT), but in a smaller theater on a loop with a dedicated bypass for guests who just wish to leave.
Aside from some minor cosmetic touch ups here and there (although technology is kept simple with most of the animatronics and effects meant to recreate/preserve the original rather than improve it in keeping with the park as whole serving as both a boutique theme park and a theme park museum), the only other major changes have to do with the facade and the queue.
The ride, as mentioned earlier, is housed in Maelstrom Mountain with rockwork stylistically similar to that seen outside the original just on a larger scale rather than the Norwegian fishing village facade of the EPCOT version. Guests will cross a bridge over the lagoon to enter a cave where they can decide to either head towards the Skyway station, to skip the ride and just watch Spirit of Norway, or head right to the main event and join the queue for Maelstrom. The queue itself will actually be the first floor underneath the ride, winding through caves that feature carvings telling of Norse Myths and Legends. Slowly paintings are added to the mix alongside the carvings as guests eventually come to the ramp that takes them to the second floor where the ride begins with the iconic mural still greeting voyagers as the load their boats.
The reason for the reworked queue is not just for thematic reasons tying it better into the World of Fantasy better visually, but also for practical reasons. Maelstrom often had a line overflowing into the Norway Pavilion because it simply did not have a large enough queue, and that was with Maelstrom tucked in the back of the park. With the ride now front and center, a larger queue will be needed and having it be under the ride is a simple solution. Plus, it serves to further enhance the size of Maelstrom Mountain making it an even grander icon for the land, and the moment where you nearly tumble backwards over the falls even more thrilling from the increased height.
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