“You are not the first to pass this way.  [But someone was] the last.”

We took our final journey on Epcot’s Norwegian adventure this past Saturday, one day before it entered retirement.

Maelstrom is, now, officially, for us, the first of the attractions that we really love that Disney has retired.  It was a true family favorite.

Wow! What a crowd!

We’ll miss Odin’s greeting. We’ll miss the trolls.

Yes, we’ll even miss “Troll Country!”

The polar bears were my favorite animatronics in any WDW attraction.

Do you know that part of the ride where you’d be sailing backwards past my polar bears to the point where the boat needs to pivot into place to descend into the North Sea?

Have you ever peaked back over your shoulder to catch a glimpse out the cavern’s opening at the pavilion below?

That was Mrs. All in WDW’s favorite part of the attraction, most of all.  On Saturday, she sadly noted, “My last time to look … ever.”

From the queue’s artwork to the 5 minute “travelogue” we all loved to dodge, we’ll miss our Maelstrom.

We understand progress.  Frozen’s popularity is undeniable.  Disney has to make changes in order to keep up (catch up?) with the local competition and their wizards and broomsticks.

But, having said that, Maelstrom’s demise makes us very sad, nonetheless.  Goodbye, old friend.  We’ll miss you!