A busy morning in EPCOT just became more complicated for thousands of guests entering the World Showcase. Ongoing construction in the Norway Pavilion has created a new bottleneck, forcing visitors to reroute around one of the most popular areas in the second Walt Disney World Resort theme park.
Norway often sees heavy foot traffic at rope drop because it features Frozen Ever After, the Anna and Elsa meet-and-greet, School Bread from Kringla Bakeri og Kafe, and the Disney Princess character dining experience at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall. Many guests head straight there in hopes of being first in line for the Frozen (2013) attractions.
The disruption has now grown as construction walls have expanded to cover a larger section of Norway’s central walkway. According to WDWNT, the temporary barriers originally surrounded the beverage kiosk near Royal Sommerhus. Those walls now extend across the main path that leads to the restrooms. Guests can still reach the bathrooms, but they must take a detour through the smaller walkway that runs behind the Royal Sommerhus.
Barriers Impact Guest Flow Around Frozen Offerings
Anna and Elsa continue to greet guests as scheduled at Royal Sommerhus. However, the courtyard near the building, which sometimes hosts Frozen-themed topiaries during seasonal events, is now closed off behind the construction walls. The barriers stretch toward the State Church building and connect to a section of green scrim behind it. The shift in available pathways concentrates crowds into tighter spaces and alters the normal flow that families use when moving between Norway’s attractions.
The Norway Holiday Storytellers, who entertain visitors each year during the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays, have also moved from their usual stage to an alternate location. The ongoing work directly affects performance space and foot traffic during one of the most popular seasonal celebrations at EPCOT.
More Construction Projects Across the EPCOT World Showcase
Walt Disney World Resort has not issued any official statements about the Norway project. The work started in September and is expected to replace or improve the existing beverage kiosk.
The construction comes amid several other recent improvements across the EPCOT World Showcase. Crews recently completed a Disney Vacation Club lounge in the Canada Pavilion and added a Gachapon mystery capsule toy kiosk to the Japan Pavilion.
Has construction ever impacted your visit to Walt Disney World Resort or Disneyland Resort? Share your experience with Disney Fanatic in the comments!
