Does Everest have a secret faster setting for Extra Magic Hour nights?

ssidiouss@mac.c

ssidiouss@mac.c

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I was reading someones recent trip report here and they mentioned that they have been everest like a dozen times recently and that they swore that it seemed like Everest was running faster during their first extra magic hour trip to Animal Kingdom. Has anyone else noticed any difference on Everest during the extra magic hours at night?

I would have dismissed this right away but on my last trip in march me and my wife hit Animal Kingdom on wed night for the extra magic hours. We went on Everest which was like our 5th time since it opened and for the first time we were blown away. Everest which always seemed like an easy ride to us actually shook us up and I actually punked out after 2 rides of it on a dead night with no lines. I wondered at the time if they increased the ride speed or something from the previous years or if it was running faster at night. I totally forgot about this until I read this other guys trip report where he was wondering the same question.

Anyway.. I came up with a few possiblities.. and one was that we ate at Boma before heading over for the extra magic hours that night. Usually when we do Everest its first thing in the morning and we are usually on a mostly empty stomach. I wonder if having a ridiculously full stomach from a delicious meal at Boma before the ride could increase the feeling of the rides intensity that much. But thats my current theory anyway.
 
rainfully

rainfully

Well-Known Member
I'm not a physics major by any means... but I'm pretty sure it's impossible to make a roller coaster go any faster than it already does... unless you put boosters on it or something :lol: But for the most part it's all gravity.

Was it dark when you rode? Things always seem to be faster in the dark.
 
GymLeaderPhil

GymLeaderPhil

Well-Known Member
I can't find a link or a source, but I would assume that the colder temperatures might have an effect on the speed of the coaster. That or the coaster running all day might cause a slight increase in speed later on.
 
GenerationX

GenerationX

Well-Known Member
I believe the weight of the train will also affect its velocity. Maybe there were larger passengers on the ride which seemed faster.
 
Tom Morrow

Tom Morrow

Well-Known Member
^ Colder temperatures cause roller coasters to go slower, not faster.
rainfully said:
I'm not a physics major by any means... but I'm pretty sure it's impossible to make a roller coaster go any faster than it already does... unless you put boosters on it or something :lol: But for the most part it's all gravity.

Was it dark when you rode? Things always seem to be faster in the dark.
Click to expand...
Well, not necessarily. A lot of coasters operate with trim brakes normally turned on. Trim brakes are a set of brakes either somewhere on the track, or sometimes a mid-course brake run for emergency stop purposes doubles as a trim brake. They are there to maintain the speed of the coaster train.

Some coasters with trim brakes do not use them all the time, so if you get a ride without them, it is faster.

Anyway, I think you're right. Darkness makes any ride seem faster.
 
F

flscooman

Member
rollercoaster always seem faster in the dark. it is one of the reasons space mountain can be fun while only going 26 miles an hour. BTMRR is the same way at night.
 
primetime52

primetime52

Member
flscooman said:
rollercoaster always seem faster in the dark. it is one of the reasons space mountain can be fun while only going 26 miles an hour. BTMRR is the same way at night.
Click to expand...

That's exactly right. Being in the dark just makes it seem faster. You will notice the same phenomenon when you ride BTMRR at night.
 
krisrunsdisney

krisrunsdisney

New Member
Where on the coaster were you sitting? You feel slower in the front because of braking and the controls in place. Notice that when in the front, the train doesn't really let loose until you are already partly down the hill or around the curve. When in the back you get to go around the curve or down the hill at the full speed, making it feel faster in the same spot. So, seating makes a difference.

And yes, the rides seem faster in the dark as well.
 
TLS

TLS

Member
Wow...no coaster buffs here?

Coasters DO go faster at night. Well, cooler nights anyway. If its a hot day and it drops cooler at night, and the dew points are high, you will get condensation on the tracks. This condensation lessens the friction between the wheels and track. It is MUCH more noticeable on wooden coasters, but I've experienced it on many steel coasters. You mainly see this condition just after dusk/sunset.
 
wdwmagic

wdwmagic

Administrator
Moderator
Premium Member
It's all in the riders head. All coasters seem faster in the dark, indoors or outdoors. It all adds to the re-ridability, and why you should try ride them at different times of the day, and in the front, middle and back, and left and right side. :)
 
dxwwf3

dxwwf3

Well-Known Member
wdwmagic said:
It's all in the riders head. All coasters seem faster in the dark, indoors or outdoors. It all adds to the re-ridability, and why you should try ride them at different times of the day, and in the front, middle and back, and left and right side. :)
Click to expand...

Sorry Steve, but I have been on Everest enough times to know when something was different. I was the one who posted about it originally. We started out after the first, smaller lift faster than usual and I knew something was up. We went up the main lift hill a lot faster than usual as well. I have sat in just about every row on EE and I've been on at night 20+ times. I may not be a local, but I know that attraction and the way it normally runs. I'm at WDW right now and I have not experienced the ride in the same way I did that night. I think it may have to do with lower capacity. That night there wasn't many people there. I'm not sure what happened, but there WAS something different that night and it DID run faster than it normally does at night. I'm not talking about the sensation of it going faster because it is at night.

There are EMH at the AK tomorrow night and I'll be there. I doubt that it will run the way it did that night last month though. If it does, I'll try and ask some of the CM's if they know why.
 
wdwmagic

wdwmagic

Administrator
Moderator
Premium Member
dxwwf3 said:
Sorry Steve, but I have been on Everest enough times to know when something was different. I was the one who posted about it originally. We started out after the first, smaller lift faster than usual and I knew something was up. We went up the main lift hill a lot faster than usual as well.
Click to expand...

I'd be really surprised if a ride system of that accuracy would allow for the ride to go at different speeds. It opens up a whole rat's nest over safety approval and design limitations.

I dont know about what you experienced, but in general, anything to do with speed variations on these kind of ride systems is in people's head and down to how they perceive it during that ride.
 
dxwwf3

dxwwf3

Well-Known Member
wdwmagic said:
I'd be really surprised if a ride system of that accuracy would allow for the ride to go at different speeds. It opens up a whole rat's nest over safety approval and design limitations.

I dont know about what you experienced, but in general, anything to do with speed variations on these kind of ride systems is in people's head and down to how they perceive it during that ride.
Click to expand...


I see what you're saying, but I also must stress that this wasn't like the first time I have experienced the attraction at night. One of the biggest differences was going up the main lift hill. We were going up it very fast. And then we had no stopping time before the drop as well. As soon as the Yeti left the projection room, we were gone.

I also did say that we did EHM there a few nights later and it wasn't the same, but it was more crowded. I do not know if that is the reasoning or not.
 
Timekeeper

Timekeeper

Well-Known Member
Steve's right, it's psychological, or maybe more accurately, physiological. Everyone knows how hot it is during the day in Florida. In warmer climate, the blood vessels near the skin tend to dilate. The dilation will tend to mildly raise heart rate. The heart rate elevation will particularly occur if a person becomes somewhat dehydrated. (Theme park anybody?) A roller coaster will raise your heart rate. Thus, there will likely be a greater difference in your heart rate before/during/after a roller coaster at night time than during the day time, particularly in Florida's climate.

In other words, an air conditioned room will feel colder to someone coming in from under the sun than someone coming in from the shade; although the room temperature is exactly the same.

Tk :sohappy:
 
krankenstein

krankenstein

Well-Known Member
dxwwf3 said:
I see what you're saying, but I also must stress that this wasn't like the first time I have experienced the attraction at night. One of the biggest differences was going up the main lift hill. We were going up it very fast. And then we had no stopping time before the drop as well. As soon as the Yeti left the projection room, we were gone.

I also did say that we did EHM there a few nights later and it wasn't the same, but it was more crowded. I do not know if that is the reasoning or not.
Click to expand...

Perhaps they had a lower number of trains on the track since it was not as crowded.

Think about on Splash. When the logs are backed up, you sit in some show scenes longer than others.

Applying this to EE, if they tend to run 3 trains (random number) and reduce that number to 2 on a less crowded night, than you wouldn't have to wait as long for clearance up ahead. Thus, making the ride seem faster b/c you could leave the show scenes right time you where cleared.

Just a thought.
 
TLS

TLS

Member
No replies on my "dew on the tracks" comment?

While I'm not sure how much this affects EE, it DOES however affect other coasters quite noticeably.
 
PhotoDave219

PhotoDave219

Well-Known Member
I know people from the opening team.

I've been in the tower before. There are no special settings for "nighttime" beyond external lighting.
 

Register on WDWMAGIC. This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.

Back
Top Bottom