Like many of you, I was SOOO tempted to look at the online videos and photos of Expedition Everest. (OK, gotta admit, I took a few very very quick peeks!)
Thank goodness I got the chance to ride Everest this week, before the video temptation overcame me! I don't think I could have made it another weekend without caving in!
Now that I've ridden it, I've gone back and looked at the online ride videos.
For those who won't be making it to Florida anytime soon, I don't think you'll "ruin" the experience by watching the videos. The reason?
The videos simply DO NOT give you any sense of what Everest really is. I promise! I was absolutely blown away by EE. But the reasons I loved it cannot be conveyed in jerky video.
First of all, the queue detail cannot be overstated. You can look at photos and videos of the queue. But until you're standing in the middle of it all, inhaling the damp, earthen-scented air, and looking at the 3-dimentional carvings and such, you have no idea how overwelming it all is.
The same goes for the ride. Even if you memorize the track layout from watching videos, it can't prepare you for that RUSH when the train leaves the station. Surprisingly, one of the most amazing parts of the ride is the slow trip through the bamboo forest at the beginning of the trip. The breeze on your face, the accelleration of the train, the landscaping, and the anticipation immediately make you forget everything else around you.
The ride videos cannot simply cannot recreate the stunning 360-degree view your own eyeballs can provide as the train wisks you up the main lift hill. It cannot replicate the cool mist on your face, the sheer thrill of cruising through that first snow-covered pathway, and the "oh yeahhhhh!!!!!" you can't help but scream as the train races around the outdoor double helix. Likewise, videos can't share the physical sensation of the train falling backwards (even if you know its coming!), and the head-spinning movements as the train speeds through the dark interior.
Clearly, the most "inaccurate" thing about the videos is how quick the yeti flies by. Don't get me wrong, it's still way too brief, my only major complaint about the ride (especially after later seeing the amazing detail of the yeti's face in the Jim Hill photograph. Speaking of which, I don't think it would hurt to "peek" at that photo, too, since you could never observe that detail during the ride.). But trust me-- YOU SEE THE YETI MUCH LONGER THAN THE VIDEOS SUGGEST. Have you ever taken a still photo of something, but were later disappointed that the image was so much smaller and less impressive on paper than it was to the naked eye? Same with the yeti videos. The camera cannot zoom in and focus on the creature in the same split-second way your eyes can.
Thank goodness I got the chance to ride Everest this week, before the video temptation overcame me! I don't think I could have made it another weekend without caving in!
Now that I've ridden it, I've gone back and looked at the online ride videos.
For those who won't be making it to Florida anytime soon, I don't think you'll "ruin" the experience by watching the videos. The reason?
The videos simply DO NOT give you any sense of what Everest really is. I promise! I was absolutely blown away by EE. But the reasons I loved it cannot be conveyed in jerky video.
First of all, the queue detail cannot be overstated. You can look at photos and videos of the queue. But until you're standing in the middle of it all, inhaling the damp, earthen-scented air, and looking at the 3-dimentional carvings and such, you have no idea how overwelming it all is.
The same goes for the ride. Even if you memorize the track layout from watching videos, it can't prepare you for that RUSH when the train leaves the station. Surprisingly, one of the most amazing parts of the ride is the slow trip through the bamboo forest at the beginning of the trip. The breeze on your face, the accelleration of the train, the landscaping, and the anticipation immediately make you forget everything else around you.
The ride videos cannot simply cannot recreate the stunning 360-degree view your own eyeballs can provide as the train wisks you up the main lift hill. It cannot replicate the cool mist on your face, the sheer thrill of cruising through that first snow-covered pathway, and the "oh yeahhhhh!!!!!" you can't help but scream as the train races around the outdoor double helix. Likewise, videos can't share the physical sensation of the train falling backwards (even if you know its coming!), and the head-spinning movements as the train speeds through the dark interior.
Clearly, the most "inaccurate" thing about the videos is how quick the yeti flies by. Don't get me wrong, it's still way too brief, my only major complaint about the ride (especially after later seeing the amazing detail of the yeti's face in the Jim Hill photograph. Speaking of which, I don't think it would hurt to "peek" at that photo, too, since you could never observe that detail during the ride.). But trust me-- YOU SEE THE YETI MUCH LONGER THAN THE VIDEOS SUGGEST. Have you ever taken a still photo of something, but were later disappointed that the image was so much smaller and less impressive on paper than it was to the naked eye? Same with the yeti videos. The camera cannot zoom in and focus on the creature in the same split-second way your eyes can.
