Maelstrom->Frozen Maelstrom's FINAL voyage *IS* Oct 5 - CONFIRMED

I have a Sept 24-28 trip currently planned.

After reading the Maelstrom rumor in multiple places (being debunked/confirmed by multiple sources), someone posted here that Maelstrom was not a FPP option for Sept 28. Sure enough… it isn’t (just checked).

I can confirm that it is a FPP option for Sept 24, however I can’t check Sept 25-27 because I already have the FPPs I want at another park on those days & don’t want to risk losing them, nor can I check beyond Sept 28 (MDE won’t let me).

Can anyone confirm the FPP scenario/availability for Maelstrom for Sept 25-27, & 29 and beyond?
If so, this is a red flag that a Maelstrom closure/refurb is actually imminent.

UPDATE Aug 1:

Okay, I just got off the phone w/CM Jenny & the info is… interesting.

I asked about Maelstrom FPP availability for the week I’m there Sept 24-28.
I noted that it isn’t an option for Sept 28 & asked about availability the rest of the week.
I noted that it’s a low-crowd day & Soarin & Test Track are available.

She checked & sure enough, FPPs are available Sept 24-27, but not the 28th.
I asked if it was scheduled for refurb; she said she had no info on that & it wasn’t on the refurb schedule.
She then noted that if was being refurbed, it would show as greyed out.
However, in this case, it wasn’t greyed out… it was unavailable altogether.
It doesn’t even show as an option at all… which she thought was unusual.

She then postulated that it might be a system glitch, rather than a refurb.
She then checked for a number of dates subsequent to Sept 28, into October.
Nothing.

Then she asked, “Wait, Maelstrom’s in Norway, right?”
“Yes, indeed it is.”
“Then it might be the Frozen thing.”
(gulp)
“This is unconfirmed, but there was a meeting & were told that it might happen, that nothing is set in stone yet.”

Then I asked, “So if it’s greyed out, that means it’s a refurb, but if it’s unavailable altogether, that probably means that it’s being re-themed/discontinued altogether?”
She didn’t want to postulate on that, but said it was a reasonable assumption.
She then added that they were aware that something might be happening in Norway, but that nothing had been confirmed. There was a meeting about it. (I didn’t ask when that meeting was.)

She took my email address & said she’d follow up with her supervisor there later to confirm if the FPP situation is a system glitch, or on purpose, though evidence suggests… that they’re not allowing FPPs for a ride that won’t be there.

So that’s where it’s at as of now.
I may have to switch out my Epcot day & a MK day on my trip.
I hate possibly not being to get the FPPs I want, but Maelstrom is one of my family’s favs…
as is Carrousel of Progress, which re-opens on Sept 28 after a refurb.

UPDATE Sep 12:
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/attractions/epcot/maelstrom/
October 05 is the final voyage.
Thanks to @obsessedwiththe for the update.

4 Likes

There is no doubt they are going to do something with Maelstrom, the question is exactly what. A coworkers brother is an architect and the firm he works for bid on the Maelstrom project, but his firm didnt get the contract. Confidentiality agreements wouldn’t allow him to tell even his sister, my coworker, what the work was going to be.

His firm did get the contract for TSMM, so stay tuned.

@nailnole, thanks! Cool info. I’m not so much worried about what right now, as when. Sept 28 is my Epcot day. I’d hate to have to move stuff around at this point, too many other plans.

Hmm, wonder what they’ll be doing at TSMM? That will be a mess if they do a long refurb, lots of disappointed families to miss out in a ride.

1 Like

When I booked FPP for my August trip, I couldn’t get maelstrom for one of my days (like it didn’t exist) but was able to get it for the first day at EP! So, I def believe the rumors of a change, but mine eventually allowed me to book it

It is not an option for my Sept 29th thru Oct 7th trip. I tried to get a FP for it.

@Aces5, thanks for the update.

Red flag, eh? Rumors about a frozen ride might be true then.
I wrote to WDW help desk & got the following generic reply.
I’ll be following up by phone later, but we’ll see what they say.
I can get FPPs for Maelstrom Sept 24, not Sept 28, don’t want
to risk losing the TP-perfect FPs I have for 25-27, so I can’t see
those.

Thank you for contacting the Walt Disney World® Resort. I am so sorry
you are experiencing difficulties with your fastpass+ selections.
Normally, if an attraction does not show for fastpass selection, there
are no more available. If you feel this is incorrect, please log out of
My Disney Experience, clear your cache, log back in and see if the
selection for Maelstrom is there. If you continue to have problems,
please contact our Internet help desk at (407) 939-7765 and one of our
Internet specialists will be happy to assist you.

I will send some pixie dust your way in hopes that it all works out for
you. If you have questions or need further assistance, feel free to
contact us.

Sincerely,

eCommerce Sales and Service Team

FWIW, here’s what I wrote to them:

Hi,

There seems to be a system glitch with fastpass+.

I’m unable to make a fastpass+ reservation for Maelstrom on Sunday
September 28.  It did not even show as an option at 60-days.
By all accounts, this is a low-crowd day compared to other days,
and other popular rides like Soarin’ & Test Track are available
that day.  I find it hard to believe the system is out of
Maelstrom fast-passes.

Can this be fixed? Thanks!

Best regards,
ejj

Okay, I just got off the phone w/CM Jenny & the info is… interesting.

I asked about Maelstrom FPP availability for the week I’m there Sept 24-28.
I noted that it isn’t an option for Sept 28 & asked about availability the rest of the week.
I noted that it’s a low-crowd day & Soarin & Test Track are available.

She checked & sure enough, FPPs are available Sept 24-27, but not the 28th.
I asked if it was scheduled for refurb; she said she had no info on that & it wasn’t on the refurb schedule.
She then noted that if was being refurbed, it would show as greyed out.
However, in this case, it wasn’t greyed out… it was unavailable altogether.
It doesn’t even show as an option at all… which she thought was unusual.

She then postulated that it might be a system glitch, rather than a refurb.
She then checked for a number of dates subsequent to Sept 28, into October.
Nothing.

Then she asked, “Wait, Maelstrom’s in Norway, right?”
“Yes, indeed it is.”
“Then it might be the Frozen thing.”
(gulp)
“This is unconfirmed, but there was a meeting & were told that it might happen, that nothing is set in stone yet.”

Then I asked, “So if it’s greyed out, that means it’s a refurb, but if it’s unavailable altogether, that probably means that it’s being re-themed/discontinued altogether?”
She didn’t want to postulate on that, but said it was a reasonable assumption.
She then added that they were aware that something might be happening in Norway, but that nothing had been confirmed. There was a meeting about it. (I didn’t ask when that meeting was.)

She took my email address & said she’d follow up with her supervisor there later to confirm if the FPP situation is a system glitch, or on purpose, though evidence suggests… that they’re not allowing FPPs for a ride that won’t be there.

So that’s where it’s at as of now.
I may have to switch out my Epcot day & a MK day on my trip.
I hate possibly not being to get the FPPs I want, but Maelstrom is one of my family’s favs…
as is Carrousel of Progress, which re-opens on Sept 28 after a refurb.

2 Likes

Aarrgh! We were supposed to arrive the 27th but a work inventory pushed us out to the 28th…not a fpp option the 8 days we’re there. Thanks for posting your follow up!

Well, I just hope they have it planned right. If the Frozen overlay is decent I won’t mind

I’m surprised that they are daring to mess with such a sentimental & well loved attraction? Especially since they don’t yet know the longevity of Frozen mania. Here’s hoping that it will be more of an over-lay type thing as opposed to a full on reconstruction.

Right, kind of like John Depp at Pirates. One can only hope.

If they just put an Anna dress on the polar bear, it’ll be the best ride ever

11 Likes

As much as off shore drilling entices me to want to visit Norway, the ride needs updating. So many other rides have survived long after the movie was released (Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, lilo and stitch) that I don’t think frozen Mania really has to last long for an update to make sense.

3 Likes

Do you want to build a polar bear snowman?

1 Like

If I was reimagineering the ride to Frozen, this is what I would do. Get rid of the theater and turn it into queue space. Use the “dock” by the theater for both boarding and disembarking. Close in the current area and make an additional show scene. Re-theme the fishing village to Frozen town square. For the backwads part, instead of trolls Elsa would shoot ice at you, and as the boat moved backwards, via special effects, you would see things turned to ice. Once you went down the hill into the “North Sea”, instead of an oil rig, there would be the ice castle. But something tells me that Disney won’t do anything quite as grand…

12 Likes

I did my FPP selections through to October 13 and it was not even an option

1 Like

My boys are going to be upset that they didn’t listen to me last year when I told them that they should ride it with us. It is listed on their “must-ride” list for our upcoming trip. Oops.

So disappointed if this is true. Was really looking forward to taking my sis on Maelstrom during her first WDW trip 10/31-11/4. Just trying to describe that ride to people doesn’t do it justice.