Frozen Ever After Review and Planning Info
Frozen Ever After opened on: June 21, 2016.
Pull up a list of all Epcot attraction planning reviews here.
Location: Frozen Ever After is located in the back of the Norway Pavilion, past Kringla Bakeri and Akershus Royal Banquet Hall.
Extra Magic Hours: Morning, Evening.
Ride Length: 5 minutes.
Type: Boat ride.
Similar To: A shorter, more Nordic Pirates of the Caribbean.
Requirements: None.
Scary Factor: Low. There are no lap bars, which typically means that you’re not going for much of a “ride.” The ride is dark, at times moves backwards, and there is a short drop at the end. It’s rare that the ride upsets anyone other than dad, who “waited three hours in line for this.”
What to Expect: Frozen Ever After is a quaint, slow-moving boat ride through the town of Arendelle. Everyone you would expect from the movie will be on hand for the Summer Snow Day Celebration. The ride uses the same boats as Maelstrom and follows the same track. So in a way, if you’ve been on Maelstrom, you’ve been on Frozen. You can watch a full ride-through video here.
Where to Sit: Each boat has four rows with up to four people fitting in each. You’re most likely to get wet in the front row or on the ends of the rows. For the best view, request the front row. If you’d like to potentially get less wet, request the back. Most of what’s happening takes place on the sides, so the view is similar from the middle rows. There’s more to see off to the right side of the boat.
FastPass+: Yes, it’s a high Tier 1 priority. Test Track FastPass+ are now in more limited supply and wait times there are higher. The race car simulator is also more likely to go down for technical trouble. Frozen is the next highest priority, above Soarin’.
What You Miss Using FastPass+:
You’ll miss walking through Oaken’s shop, which is a bit of a bummer because there are some interesting things to look at in there, in addition to a neat effect.
It is a big summer blowout, after all.
It’s not worth waiting an hour to see said blowout, though.
Total Average Experience Time with FastPass+: 15 minutes.
4th FastPass+ Availability: There is typically little to no day-of FastPass+ availability, though people do cancel/change their plans frequently. After Ratatouille opens, Frozen Ever After FastPass+ availability will likely improve.
Expect to Wait:
Wait times have come down considerably since Frozen Ever After opened, though they’re still longer than most people will want to wait during the majority of the day. Test Track currently pulls more guests at rope drop. Waits at the end of the night, when most people are waiting around the lagoon for the nighttime spectacular, are also typically short.
When to Go: Using FastPass+ in the late morning is your best bet. While Frozen Ever After and the Royal Sommerhus Meet and Greet with Anna and Elsa open with the Park, most of World Showcase does not. You can’t visit, or even walk through, China, Germany, Italy, etc. before 11am. If you visit Frozen first, then you’ll have to backtrack to Future World for most other attractions. Rope dropping is still viable with an easier and shorter route from the International Gateway entrance, which is where the Disney Skyliner gondola system will drop you off. Those who don’t mind missing the nighttime spectacular can also ride at the very end of the night with a wait that should be under 15 minutes.
Rating: 7/10
Josh’s Take: Given the constraints Disney put on themselves – using the exact same building, boats, and ride system as Maelstrom, Frozen Ever After is a triumph. Compared to the technology they’ve used elsewhere, the ride is probably on the disappointing side compared to something like Shanghai Pirates of the Caribbean. At a minimum, it’s inoffensive, even to those who typically get worked up by anything Frozen-related. The Audio-Animatronics should impress and the ride moves quickly enough that even if something isn’t currently happening, it’s probably about to.
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