I?m not going to go crazy and write a full review of Expedition Everest. Several other authors have already done this and are much better at it than I am anyway.
Instead, I?ll just share some thoughts and opinions on Disney Animal Kingdoms latest attraction and include some photos that aren?t completely identical to others I?ve already viewed online.
Let me start by saying this isn?t the type of attraction that will cause enthusiasts to flock to Disney World. Enthusiasts would probably be best to spend their vacation days running around the country to ride El Toro, Voyage, Kentucky Rumbler, Goliath and Tatsu (Sorry if I missed a few in the US that are worth visiting!)
EE is a coaster like The Mummy at Universal Studios in that it uses special effects, HEAVY theming and a story (or lack-there-of) to make it a complete attraction. Tourists will eat this up. I guarantee it. The level of detail here is simply unbelievable. I think what also impressed me is the level of quality I saw and felt in the coaster itself. The ride, the trains, the lap bars, the lift hills, and everything else that made it work had a certain precision quality about it that made you feel as though it was the Lexus of coasters. The Mummy and even some B&M?s didn?t even feel this solid. It will be interesting to see how this ?new? Vekoma holds up over time but they are really onto something here with their new track and wheel assembly design.
The ride itself was just that? a ride. I wished it was more thrilling and longer. But the average visitor will probably think it was too thrilling and LONG ENOUGH! The trick track that allows the train to travel in reverse can really catch you off-guard and the reverse fall is actually rather fun. In fact, the entire ride is FUN. Not overly thrilling but fun. The first encounter with the Yeti is through a projected shadow. I thought this would be cheesy but somehow, Disney even made this look impressive. THEN, the worlds largest animatronic attacks the train? THIS part is simply unreal. I can?t even fathom the amount of time and money that went into creating this Yeti. It?s just a shame you only see it for about 3 seconds.
I?ll post more thoughts as they come to me but feel free to ask away about anything else. As for the videos out there, don't even bother going by them. They simply cannot do this ride justice. Its a total experience that you have to be there for. Sorta like watching a video of Spiderman at IOA, pointless...
Here are a few photos I took while walking through the queue and after I exited the ride. I didn?t take any on-ride photos since I knew there were already plenty out there.
(Warning: these pictures are rather large and may take a while to load. They would also be easier to view in 1280x1024 res)
Here I am learning the night-modes on my new camera:
As you can see, the level of detail was sometimes a tad extreme:
Topic: Expedition Everest (Read 8670 times)
