Opened: April 7, 2006
Location: Asia
Extra Magic Hours: Morning, Evening
FASTPASS: Yes
Type: Roller coaster
Similar To: Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster, only outside
Requirements: Must be 44” or taller to ride
Scary Factor: This section does contain spoilers after the second sentence. Medium. Along with Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster and the Tower of Terror, Expedition Everest is one of the most intense thrill rides at Disney World. There is a fairly substantial backwards drop through the dark and the ride is faster than any of the coasters at the Magic Kingdom. The Yeti also makes an appearance near the end of the ride, but he tends to malfunction and he usually isn’t lit up or even obviously present. If you don’t look up, you probably won’t even notice him.
Can My Kids and I Handle Expedition Everest? More Spoilers. Expedition Everest is intense for Disney World, but not compared to most of the coasters at Universal Studios, Six Flags, or other theme parks. If you enjoyed Tower of Tower, Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster, or any other “big coaster” at another theme park then you shouldn’t have a problem with Expedition Everest either. It is a step up in terms of intensity from Thunder Mountain Railroad or Space Mountain, but most riders enjoy Everest, even if they went in scared or weren’t expecting to enjoy it. There are no loops or inversions and the only real “uh oh” moment is when the coaster drops backwards. The other positive is that the ride is amazingly smooth. There is little jostling or jerkiness to be concerned about.
When To Go: Like all major attractions, the best time to ride is right after the Animal Kingdom opens, in the final hour of operation, with FASTPASS, or during the final hour of evening Extra Magic Hours.
Single Rider Line: Along with Test Track and Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster, Expedition Everest offers a “single rider line.” This line is used to fill ride vehicles that are mostly full, but have one or two odd spaces that need to be filled. Those spaces are filled by people in the single rider line. The benefit to the single rider line is that waits are usually much shorter than the regular standby line. If the wait at the regular standby line is 40 minutes, the wait for the single rider line may still be 15 minutes or less. On the downside, it is highly unlikely that you will be seated with other people in your group. If you don’t care or are riding alone, the single rider line may be your best bet if you’re in a hurry to get to another attraction and don’t want to return with FASTPASS.
Expect to Wait: Waits usually peak at about 35 minutes in the afternoon, though they may approach 50 minutes when Animal Kingdom is busier.
Length: 3 minutes
What to Expect: Along with the newer Kali River Rapids, Expedition Everest has one of the more interesting queue areas. There are many interesting artifacts that create the back story of the mysterious beast that resides in the mountain. After the queue is completed, riders are seated in one of six cars that are attached to each other to make one long train. Each car has three rows (except the last which has two) and can seat two people per row, for a total of 34 people per train. The Expedition begins and riders are taken through a number of high speed twists, turns, and drops before a final confrontation with the Yeti.
Rating: 9/10
Commentary: Although not on par with many of Universal Studio’s or Six Flags’ coasters as far as speed and intensity are concerned, Expedition Everest excels because of the story and the creativity that went into the ride. Disney is certainly capable of creating the world’s wildest coaster, but they simply don’t want to because it doesn’t really fit into what they do. What we do have is an excellent attraction that the entire family can enjoy. It’s not so intense that the younger crowd won’t want to ride it, but not so tame that teenagers and adults won’t be impressed. Expedition Everest is an excellent attraction and probably the second best ride at Animal Kingdom, slightly behind Kilimanjaro Safari.
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
WE SO LOVE THIS RIDE! We were lucky enough to be there with a DLR Cast Member during the Cast Member preview in Jan. 06 and got to experience it for the first time before most of the guests. I didn’t know much about the ride so it was mostly a surprise. My daughter (6 at the time) wasn’t tall enough to ride (I think the height limit was originally higher?) but when we came back in Sept. 06 she was tall enough and super excited. It is one of her favorite rides at WDW (mine too). We will ride it first thing in the a.m. and grab FP for later. We will usually grab more FP later in the day. We will also use Single Rider. We have been known to ride it 5, 6, or 7 times in one day. 3 or 4 times in a row. My mom, 71, is good for one ride.
Few years back my daughter and I went to AK after DHS closed (EMH p.m. at AK) and were were able to ride EE 4 or 5 times between like 7:40 and closing at 8 p.m. It was awesome and one of our favorite memories.