The Maelstrom

[WhoFramedLGraves]

What kind of ride is it? I know it involves a boat of some kind, but it is a river rapid sort of ride or a gentle ride? Also, how long is the ride and how popular is it?

I have never ridden it and I'm trying to find new things to do at Epcot.

Thanks! :thanks:

[Narawen]

It's a fairly gentle ride- there are two short drops, one forward and one backward but they're less intense than the one on POTC. It's about 2-3 mins and has a 10-15 min film following. You can skip the film but if your boat arrives right after the film has started you have to wait until that show's over before you can walk through. I've never seen the line be more than 45 mins, and they have a fastpass.

[Polynesian Dweller]

For the most part this is a gentle ride (the lack of restraints and bench seats is the give away) but there is a fairly significant jolt before the second waterfall. At that point are going backward and come to an abrupt stop so the boat can be repositioned. For some reason this always gets my back, not badly but gives it a good twinge.

[Tink#64]

Oh DH & I just love this attraction! The ride has been described very well in previous posts, but adding to that, DS's were so scared of the troll when they were younger! Of course youngest was only 4 for our 1st visit! Now they love it too! I could ride this one over & over! :thumbsup:

[mouseketeer mom]

My kids hate the troll. We went on this ride one time. That was IT! They are older now and still refuse to go on and see that troll again. Silly kids, they go on everything else, but I guess the troll is too much to handle!

[Von-Drake]

The ride is pretty smooth for the most part. 2 Short drops, but not bad at all.
This is one of my wife's favorites rides, and my son loves the trolls, especially the one in the shop after the ride.

[bruin1344]

my favorite attraction in world showcase, its a pretty tamed ride with a few small drops, none close to splash mountain drops, waits are usually long for it but it does have fast past, i usually skip the video at the end because ive seen it a number of times

[KineGirl]

Ive never ridden this ride because drops freak me out! But Id like to. I can handle POTC though - so just to clarify - the drops are NOT as intense as POTC? (I know I know... POTC drop isnt intense but Im a sissy and thats about all I can tolerate). Ive only ridden splash one time because of that drop!!

[baby minnie's mommy]

We really like this ride! If you are nervous about a ride that drops, the beginning part may scare you because the boat goes up, up, up, and you think "eventually we have to go down!"
But the down part is a piece of cake. :mickey: Like POTC.
It's a short ride, but worth a bit of a wait in line.

On a side note - didn't the boat usually go farther out towards the waterfall? Or is it just my imagination?

[Narawen]

My kids hate the troll. We went on this ride one time. That was IT! They are older now and still refuse to go on and see that troll again. Silly kids, they go on everything else, but I guess the troll is too much to handle!

I forgot about those trolls....when I was 4 I went on it and got scared of the troll that comes out of the ground....didn't ride again till I was 15 :blush:

[Nascfan]

Oh DH & I just love this attraction! The ride has been described very well in previous posts, but adding to that, DS's were so scared of the troll when they were younger! Of course youngest was only 4 for our 1st visit! Now they love it too! I could ride this one over & over! :thumbsup:

Heck, I was scared of the troll the first time! :D

Great ride though, I highly recommend it. :thumbsup:

[KineGirl]

Does the troll jump out scary like ? Like the dinosaur on Dinosaur?? LOL Im such a chicken.. Im starting to embarrass myself:blush:

[LauraF]

Nope, it just has a really big head and eyes that follow you. Very Mike W. come to think of it. :D Definitely no scarier than an HM sort of thing.

I find this ride very charming (since I love the myths) and a nice rest from the outside. The jerk of the boat someone mentioned is startling but once you realize what it is, it's fine.

And the drop is no more than POTC - it's very slight.

[KineGirl]

OK ! Yall have talked me into and chalk it up to yet another "first time" after 20 something trips to the World!! :cloud9: Is there a tshirt in the gift shop that says "I survived Maelstrom!" LOL

Hey! Cut me some slack.. I DID ride Goofys Barnstormer :D

[NJGIRL]

We love the ride but after seeing the movie so many times we now skip it.

[jrkcr]

HAHA-I also collect "I survived...." things.

But this ride is really not at all scary, except maybe to young kids, and the drops are the same as POTC.

I've taken my kids on this since they were really young, and just snuggled up with them(it is very dark), and helped to cover their eyes to keep from seeing the trolls...:hide:

[WhoFramedLGraves]

It sounds like my type of ride. I can't believe I've never been on it after so many trips. :blush: But hey can't fit everything in one or mutiple trips.

Thanks so much for the info. :thanks:

[KineGirl]

It sounds like my type of ride. I can't believe I've never been on it after so many trips. :blush: But hey can't fit everything in one or mutiple trips.

Thanks so much for the info. :thanks:

you and me both! When are you going? Maybe we'll be first timers together :mickey:

[snerd475]

This is a fun ride, but two things:

1) I always skip the movie. You can just sneak out by scooting right through the theater.

2) This is one of the worst queues in all The World. I will not wait if stand-by is longer than 5 minutes. It's worth the Fastpass. The queue is very humid and claustrophobic to me. ( I don't mind SM, PoTC or any other one, but this one bugs me, for some reason.)

[tjstrike]

Has anyone mentioned that it's a norwegian history tour from the time when the vikings sailed the oceans to current times ? That's where the trolls come in. The most I've waited on this ride was about 20 minutes.

[SFTrny]

Dark areas with loud noise, creepy trolls, and a short backward drop freaked out our youngest the first time. But that didn't stop us from riding it again! She still liked it. But I don't think we'd be disappointed if we missed it.

[Jeri Lynn]

I love the ride, nothing intense and I would recommend watching the movie, I think it's worth watching all the movies offered in the countries at least once. The scenery is beautiful.

[EvilQueen2006]

I really like Maelstrom. Its one of my favorite Epcot atractions. The drops are very similar to POTC. The trolls are cool, its a little educational, and an all around great ride. I usually do skip the movie though.

[Capt. Sparrow]

Its a nice, gentle ride but I would not reccomend waiting in a long line for this...

[Young@Heart]

We love this ride, but were okay with skipping it last trip due to time constraints. We're hoping to catch it this year. It will be DD's first time, and I just hope she'll be okay w/ the trolls. :secret:

[kbean]

I enjoy this ride. It's is short and mild, but very fun. And the film is worth watching once.

[Ropachs]

I'm sure I'm in the minority, but I love that little movie! Seen it many times, it's short, so at least watch it once!

[kathymk616]

I like the movie, too. It's short (albeit quite dated) and interesting. If you've never seen it, it's worth it.

The last time I went on the ride, we were in a boat with a family where they had obviously lied to the mom and told her it was a big flume. When it seemed as though we were about to go "over the falls", the woman was screaming in utter terror and the kids were laughing. It was hilarious. After the tiny drop, she was laughing at herself, too.

[Dickson Thunder]

My kids hate the troll. We went on this ride one time. That was IT! They are older now and still refuse to go on and see that troll again. Silly kids, they go on everything else, but I guess the troll is too much to handle!

My daughter hated the trolls too the first time but about two visits later decided to try the ride again and absolutely loves it. It is in her top five rides at WDW now.

:cool:

[stitcherbelle]

This ride is gentle and is not like u get splashed! Very much anyways! It is about 2-3 minutes and u can skip the film and go straight to the store after words! I think it is about a 30 minute wait is the longest I have seen it! It is just a ride in Norway in the World Showcase and i think it is meant to give u a bit of a rest! It is a cute little ride though!:joy:

[RBrooksC]

It is an enjoyable ride but I haven't ridden it the last couple times I have been there. The wait was long and the FastPass wasn't worth getting IMHO. I would ride it again next time because it will have been many years since I last rode it.

It is an unassuming flume ride with a decent drop at the end. We also did not watch the film.

To be honest, I haven't done any of the films or rides, except the Mexican one in the last few years I have been to WDW.

[Gator]

I've seen a few posters say that they skip the film once you get off the boat. But I say don't miss it. Norway, after the USA, is the most naturally beautiful country in the world and the film really captures it. It's only 10 minutes and it'll make you want to take a real cruise to Norway.

[brad192]

The scariest part of the ride is in the gift shop afterwards. ;) Take a look at the prices on those wonderful sweaters they sell - you'll run screaming from the building! :D

[Mousemates]

Its a tame boat ride (not as tame as the Land though :bored: ), with the only exception being the backward drop, but the scare factor for the mild descent is minimal after the first time you ride it.

[devoted93]

I've seen a few posters say that they skip the film once you get off the boat. But I say don't miss it. Norway, after the USA, is the most naturally beautiful country in the world and the film really captures it. It's only 10 minutes and it'll make you want to take a real cruise to Norway. I agree, I love the film. And it's not even 10 minutes, it's only 5 minutes! It's not like it'll take up half your day ... give it a try!

[Kenny1113]

2) This is one of the worst queues in all The World. I will not wait if stand-by is longer than 5 minutes. It's worth the Fastpass. The queue is very humid and claustrophobic to me. ( I don't mind SM, PoTC or any other one, but this one bugs me, for some reason.)
:ditto:


It sounds like my type of ride. I can't believe I've never been on it after so many trips. :blush: But hey can't fit everything in one or mutiple trips.

Thanks so much for the info. :thanks:

One item not mentioned ( I caught this on my 2nd time riding...pretty cool). When the boat stops for a second after going backward for some time, ( I believe it is before you go forward again) look back and you can see outside over Norway.

[thrillme]

Wait times vary for this ride...I'd rather save the use of the fast pass for Test Track or Mission Space.

THat doesn't mean MISS this ride. I think it's a cute little ride. I really didn't see any threat by the trolls and neithr did my DS. I really have never experienced much of a wait. IF there is a long wait it's either because something broke or there's a BIG tour group that got there first.

I've waited about 20 minutes and I've also just walked on the ride. A confused :confused: looking cast member actually walked out and started coaxing people to come in. He said he didn't have a clue why people weren't riding it. AND...this was in JULY heavy season.

[LudwigVonDrake]

I haven't ridden this ride in a bunch of years. I may have to give it a whirl next month.

[Stu29573]

This is my favorite World Showcase attraction, actually. I DO wish it were a bit longer, and I did skip the movie the last couple of times I was there.
I would say the drops are actually less intense than POTC, simply because you aren't in complete darkness.
The line can be very boring, however. There really isn't much themeing to speak of (other than a mural). It's just your standard wait your turn affair.
Still, it's worth it if you don't ait more than 20 minutes or so...:mickey:

[mickeys_princess_mom]

2) This is one of the worst queues in all The World. I will not wait if stand-by is longer than 5 minutes. It's worth the Fastpass. The queue is very humid and claustrophobic to me. ( I don't mind SM, PoTC or any other one, but this one bugs me, for some reason.)
Luckily it usually seems like the line moves pretty fast....

[Disneyexpert15]

The last 2 visits to WDW I went it towards closing time. We were lucky enough that weren't running the movie. I was glad I didn't see the movie.

[Texas Tinkerbell Too]

We love the ride but after seeing the movie so many times we now skip it.

We love the ride and don't care to watch the movie again. So. we just skip the movie.