Changes

Of the three countries that were to make up the Scandinavian Showcase, only Norway provided the funding necessary to create the pavilion. Because of this, the focus of the pavilion shifted away from Scandinavia as a whole and solely to Norway. In order to fund the pavilion, an organization named NorShow as formed by the Norwegian companies: Aker, Norsk Data, Norway Foods, Den norske Creditbank, Det Norske Veritas, Frionor, Kosmos, Vesta Group, Selmer-Sande, SAS and VARD <ref name="Korkis"/>. Their funding, combined with contributions from the Norwegian government, raised $34 million dollars for the pavilion. This paid for more than two-thirds of the pavilion's cost, with Disney picking up the rest. The Norway pavilion was then designed and built by Walt Disney Imagineering, with the help of Scandinavian architects. One point of contention between Disney and NorShow, involved the pavilion's lighting. While the other World Showcase pavilions were wired to a grid that allowed them to light up during the park's nighttime firework show (at the time Laserphonic Fantasy, soon to be Illuminations). While NorShow believed that the spilled light from the [[Mexico]] and [[Canada]] would suffice, Disney knew better, but was unwilling to pickup the cost (assuming that NorShow would cave)<ref name= "Korkis"/>. With neither entity willing to budge, Norway was built without the nighttime lighting given to the other World Showcase pavilions.

{{Quotation|"Ladies and gentlemen, wishing the best of luck to Disney World and those who will be responsible for the operation of the pavilion, I hereby declare the Norway pavilion open. Thank you,"}}

When Norway opened, the pavilion featured 58,000 sq ft of interior space<ref name= "Martin> http://www.martinsvids.net/?p=648 </ref>. When complete, the Norway pavilion consisted of a Stave Church (which holds various exhibits), the original 1982 Denmark bathrooms, a counter service restaurant named [[Kringla Bakeri OG Kafe]], the table service [[Restaurant Akershus]], as well a series of interlinked stores including the Puffins Roost and Fjording<ref name= "Martin"/>. The star of the pavilion, however, was not yet operational. [[Maelstrom]]. , EPCOT Center's first thrill ride, would not welcome its first guests until July, 55th <ref> https://d23.com/a-to-z/maelstrom/ </ref>. Initially, the boat ride attraction was to be titled SeaVenture, and early in its development the plot was to focus d on Norway's mythology, as guests searched for a rainbow bridge to Valhalla. This concept was eventually broadened, so that Maelstrom instead took guests on a trip the country's history, beginning in folklore and ending in modern day Norway<ref name= "Martin"/>. After disembarking from [[Maelstrom]], guests could watch the [[Spirit of Norway]] film, before exiting into the pavilion's shops.