Florida Guide > Disney Parks
WORLD SHOWCASE – NORWAY
All around the shores of the beautiful World Showcase Lagoon are the eleven countries that make up the World Showcase at Epcot, Florida, Orlando. These form an integral part of the wonderful firework and laser show, ‘Reflections of Earth, ’ when they are plunged into darkness and then lit up by thousands of twinkling white lights during the performance. World Showcase is made up of Mexico, Norway, China, Germany, Italy, America, Japan, Morocco, France, the United Kingdom and Canada, and this area of Epcot opens each morning at 11. 00 am. It is a fascinating area, with restaurants, shops, exhibitions, boat rides, movies and displays.
The second country you reach as you stroll round the beautiful lake in a clockwise direction is Norway, which was added to World Showcase in 1988, and is one of our favourites. The Norway pavilion is 58, 000 sq ft and features one of the most popular rides at Epcot – Maelsrom. The area is very picturesque, and the town square represents such Norwegian towns as Oslo or Bergen.
Queues for Maelstrom are often very long at peak times, so use your fastpass, or try going later in the day, when the crowds have dispersed. Boarding a dragon headed boat which can carry 16 passengers, you are transported back to a 10th century Viking village. You then find yourself in a shadowy mythical Norwegian forest which is populated by trolls, one of whom casts a spell on the boat which makes it travel backwards, before splashing down a steep slope and through rapids, until you find yourself in the North Sea in stormy waters. The ride ends on a calmer note as your boat docks in a quaint fishing village where you disembark and enter a theatre where you can watch a movie which takes you on a tour of Norway. You can exit at this point if you don’t want to watch the movie.
Outside you will see Stave Church, which is a replica of a church found in the Norwegian Folk Museum in Oslo. It is cool inside and has an exhibit on Vikings with authentic weapons and artefacts.
There is also a restaurant, called the Akershus Royal Banqueting Hall, where you can east breakfast, lunch and dinner with the Disney princesses. Here you can meet Snow White, Belle, Jasmine, Sleeping Beauty, Mulan, Pocahontas and Ariel. Kringla Bakeri og Kafe sells pasties, and there is an outdoor deli counter.
Of course there is the inevitable shop, Puffin’s Roost, selling Norwegian souvenirs including trolls, books, sweets, chocolate, silver jewellery, Norwegian perfume, pewter, plus clothing for men, women and children.
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