Frozen Ride at Epcot

[luvmarypoppins]

Just wondering if the boats are going to be the old boats that would be recycled to use or are they going to make the ride/boats more handicapped accessible like It's a Small World.

We might be there in May when it possibly opens and I know if its like the old ride there will be no way with my knee issues that I could get into those boats again.

Any info, TIA.

 

[ENJDisneyFan]

I believe they are reusing the old boats from the Maelstrom ride.

 

[DisneyOma]

Just wondering if the boats are going to be the old boats that would be recycled to use or are they going to make the ride/boats more handicapped accessible like It's a Small World.

We might be there in May when it possibly opens and I know if its like the old ride there will be no way with my knee issues that I could get into those boats again.

Any info, TIA.

If they still have the drop, it would be very tricky to have an accessible boat designed like the Small World ones, with a spot for a wheelchair.

 

[zaksmom]

When I checked the official website, they had a "coming soon" entry under EPCOT attractions. The disability info said you may remain in your wheelchair. Even though they have updated other info about the ride, this has remained. It still may be a placeholder, but it does look official. Fingers crossed.

 

[BethCPTSD]

I honestly know nothing about this, nor was I ever on the Maelstrom ride. However, being that it is for "Frozen" I would think that they'd want to make it kid-friendly as possible, and would probably exclude any drops. Don't you think??

 

[SueM in MN]

I honestly know nothing about this, nor was I ever on the Maelstrom ride. However, being that it is for "Frozen" I would think that they'd want to make it kid-friendly as possible, and would probably exclude any drops. Don't you think??

No
Maelstrom had the drop and did not have any restrictions for children. Other than being a bit scary because of one scene with trolls, it was considered kid friendly.
Pirates has a drop and also doesn't have any height requirement.

There still is not a lot of information about the Frozen ride. I have read some things that say they are using the same ride track/ride layout. If that is true, I don't see how they could make it wheelchair accessible. That would be both because of the steep tract at the start of the ride and the drop.

The ADA would not require it to be wheelchair accessible, but if it's not, they would need to have some sort of transfer assist ride car that would allow for easier transfers. The 7 Dwarfs train car has a transfer assist vehicle that opens farther to allow for an easier transfer.

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

I was wondering this also! I really hope you can remain in your wheelchair like Jungle Cruise or IASW! Fingers crossed!

 

[BethCPTSD]

Yeah, I didn't really mean having a drop would make it literally not kid-friendly, in that kids wouldn't be allowed to ride it. I just meant, in my brain, I was thinking they would try to make it more along the lines of Fantasyland children's rides, since some kids might avoid any kind of stomach-dropping (at least I would have, as a kid -- and sometimes now!) But it sounds like you know more about what's actually going on with it!

I hope it is open sometime this year so that we can ride it next winter when DH, SD and I go! Have fun, OP!

 

[SueM in MN]

This blog post says the attraction will use the same ride path and logs:
http://www.disneydining.com/new-frozen-ride-details-announced/

The official Disney Blog shows pictures that look like the old boats:
https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/b...-royal-summerhus-details-renderings-released/

 

[zaksmom]

I checked the attractions page several times and I guess the accessibility info was just a placeholder because it now says "must transfer" oh well, fun to dream for a while about getting on this.

 

[SueM in MN]

And, yesterday a description was posted, which includes these details that show it will be including the lift and the drop from the old ride.

"The adventure begins on the docks of Arendelle, as seen in the classic animated film. After finding a seat aboard your boat, feel an Olaf-inspired smile frost across your face when the lapping waters take you right into the frozen willow forest.

Soon, you’ll be rubbing shoulders with some “boulders”—a.k.a. Kristoff’s family from Troll Valley—before bracing for the cold. High up in the icy blue world of the North Mountain, Queen Elsa’s enchanting ice palace awaits! Behold the wonder… and keep an eye out for a few more Frozen friends.
Finally, hang on tight as you glide back down into the Bay of Arendelle and conclude this “Summer Snow Day” celebration in style—complete with many of your favorite Frozen tunes!"

http://www.insidethemagic.net/2016/...-royal-sommerhus-attractions-coming-to-epcot/

 

[BethCPTSD]

Since it will basically ride the same way as the Maelstrom ride before it, would you guys say it's comparable to POTC?? Just wondering, as I don't like drops (as I said before) . Thanks.

 

[SueM in MN]

I would say it would be a bit steeper and a bit longer than Pirates.

 

[BethCPTSD]

Oh, okay! Good to know! Thanks, Sue! I would have been wondering!!

 

[SueM in MN]

I'm not sure where they got the measurement, but this Wikipedia page said the drop was a 28 foot flume. It doesn't say how long the initial lift was, but the lift was pretty steep.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maelstrom_(ride)

I've read Pirates is 14-20 feet, but I don't know for sure.

 

[BabyFu18]

It sucks they are reusing the same ride vehicles and tracks (though it does make sense) I don't like anything with a drop either and though I have been on POTC it's certainly not my favorite and not something I like to ride and if the drop in the frozen ride (I never rode Maelstrom) is steeper than POTC I doubt I'll being trying it. Thanks for the info about it though, much appreciated!

 

[MakiraMarlena]

They're removing the theater and it's possible they will now be having guests enter and exit the boats in the same area. The ride will be fractionally longer than Maelstrom was. Not sure how that would affect accessibility without transferring, because they are apparently using the same boats.

 

[SueM in MN]

They're removing the theater and it's possible they will now be having guests enter and exit the boats in the same area. The ride will be fractionally longer than Maelstrom was. Not sure how that would affect accessibility without transferring, because they are apparently using the same boats.

I have also read that the former theater would probably be either the entrance, the exit or have both in the same place (similar to how load and unload work for the Little Mermaid in New Fantasyland).

They are reportedly using the same boats and will require a transfer. Having the load and unload areas close to each other will be very helpful in that they won't need to be transferring wheelchairs/mobility devices from boarding yo exciting like they did in Maelstrom. We always felt it was a leap of faith to take DD on it because we were not ever entirely sure that her wheelchair would be there when we got off.
Hopefully, they will at least make a transfer assist boat that opens up on one side so that a transfer doesn't have to be made over the side of the boat.

 

[BillSears]

...Hopefully, they will at least make a transfer assist boat that opens up on one side so that a transfer doesn't have to be made over the side of the boat.

It's been many many years since I've ridden Maelstrom but from what I remember it was similar to Splash Mountain in that the boat sides were very low to the ground and you stepped down into the boat. But it's been so long I may not remember right. So I would think the open door wouldn't help me much. Not if they made the track rise up so the seat was at my seat height then the open door would be fantastic.

 

[SueM in MN]

The side of the boat at Maestrom was fairly similar to Splash Mountain, but I would consider Splash yo have a fairly high side. This is a picture from a bit above on Splash.

And this was from the boarding area