Click here to see my review on yelp.
This is an excellent attraction, and probably one of the most innovative rides at Disney.
On a sadder note, this is one of the sole reasons I even bother going to the Animal Kingdom. The Animal Kingdom is probably my least favorite of the WDW parks. (And, I don’t think that the eventual adding of “Avatar Land” is going to make the draw that much more. I wonder if anyone will remember the movie Avatar when it’s added?)
Where to begin? Let’s start at the beginning.
-Fastpass usually works very well for this attraction. So does the single-rider line. If you have the means, I suggest you use them. If you don’t, arrive first thing in the morning and get your fill.
-If you don’t do Fastpass, the line for this ride is actually very cool. You walk through different rooms that really add to the ride. You walk through a general store, offering items for mountain climbers and items from this southern Asia themed region, you walk through a museum talking about the Yeti, and showing artifacts related to it, and other interesting settings.
-Regarding the theming on Expedition Everest in general: As Disney generally does, Disney spared no expense on this one. It’s a fact that this was the most expensive roller coaster ever built (and may very well still be.)
-Then, of course, the ride. When you arrive to the ride, they’ve made it look like an old rusty train. It’s very cool, and it’s a very smooth coaster. I don’t want to go into too much detail, but the ride is basically Disneyland’s Matterhorn Bobsleds on crack.
-The yeti operates in three modes.: A mode, B mode, and “off.” At some point in the ride, you should see a full animatronic yeti. “A-Mode” hasn’t been seen for quite some time, due to what I think is the degradation of the cement holding the Yeti in place. B-mode is probably what you’ll get… B-mode is also called “disco yeti” mode. You’ll see why. And of course, if you didn’t see it, the Yeti probably is in “off” mode. In the opinion of this yelp reviewer, if you didn’t see the yeti, you didn’t really get to ride the ride. (And you’ll know it when you see it. If a 22′ tall sasquatch-looking monster didn’t jump his happy ass out at you at sometime in the ride, the Yeti was off.)
If they’re ever able to turn “A-Mode” back on again, when you see the Yeti, you might crap your pants. Do yourself a huge favor–go on youtube and look up “Expedition Everest Yeti A-Mode.” The video will give you an idea, but doesn’t do it justice.
In any case, the ride is amazing, and a must-see at Disney. It’s one of the few reasons to go to the Animal Kingdom (in my opinion) and definitely the best ride there. Make sure to check it out–no trip to Disney World is complete without at least one Expedition Everest run.
