Expedition Everest...I just don't get it!

[Jasonflz]

In my opinion it is a special type of thrill ride. The themeing is very good and adds on to the mountain. I will admit that while in the queue/ride I don't feel like I am in the himalayans but the experience is still just as fun and the yeti AA is the most amazing/teriffying thing that I have ever experienced in a theme park. On a scale from 1 to 10 this deserves an 8.

 

[Mstr Gra-c]

I really don't think you said that as a joke, and I don't blame you.

All his/her opinions do seem to be consistently negative and my common sense is telling me not to take his/her opinions seriously because they're more than likely on the biased side.:hammer:

I believe it is a reference to "Get Smart".

 

[Mstr Gra-c]

I am a HUGE...i mean HUGE coaster fanatic...I live within a short drive from Cedar Point and visit that park about 7-8 times a year. However, Disney is much different. I go to Cedar Point for the THRILL, the body sensations of positive and negative G-Force. I go to Disney for the detail, the theming, the overall experience. If you go to Disney for the physical thrill alone you will be disappointed...because disney strives to manipulate the emotional/intellectual as well.

 

[dolbyman]

Most of Jaws (at Universal Studios) takes place outdoors, with the effects being subject to wind/sun and rain. The technology to incorporate "weatherproof" show elements exists, just as it has for decades. Remind me, how old is Jungle Cruise again...?

well .. neither jungle cruise nor jaws feature eyedropping spuperfluid AA :shrug:

 

[daliseurat]

I suppose you either "get" Disney over all or you don't. Not sure how big of a fan you are but my friend went recently and announced "I just don't see how it was as thrilling as Six Flags or Cedar Point." He doesn't like Disney and sees it as weak because he is after thrills. A Disney nut, however, I think has just as much fun walking around in the parks and experiencing the environment.

I think you are correct. I now get FAR more enjoyment out of every park I go to because I no longer look for THRILLS alone. I love the environment of a well themed park. Disney, Universal, Busch Gardens do it right. But a traditional park can still (and SHOULD) have it's own charms. Kennywood and Knoebels give you thrills and LOADS of charm. As well as some of the best park food anywhere. But some folks only want thrills. Disney isn't really for them.

 

[Pete C]

Theming-wise, I think they spent too much money on the queue and not enough on the ride. If you wait in line, it moves so quickly you hardly have time to savor all the detail. Also, anyone who fastpasses will miss all of it. It's really amazing all that went into it, but I would have traded that for some more on-ride spending in a heartbeat.

My biggest complaint is the entire portion before the main lift is pointless. Why is it even there? You meander around a few boring turns with nothing to look at. This section needs to be enclosed so it is pitch black and have roaring sounds or something like that...maybe some scenes of fire immuminating the bones of dead explorers. Some excitement at least.

After the lift, you have another boring piece of track leading to the track switch. Up to this point, the pacing of the ride is really strange.

The backwards portion is good. For many people, this level of thrill is plenty especially since going backwards is disorienting. I think it should be darker though...you can see in the structure.

My next main complaint is that the cartoon Yeti is really lame...couldn't they produce a better shadow that looked real? Then they missed an opportunity for a launch out of the tunnel into the drop. The finale of helices is pretty good, with small doses of intensity, but not sustained enough for thrill seekers. The Yeti itself is awesome, I couldn't have been more impressed.

As a thrill ride I think they basically played it safe. It's probably a small notch below RnRC for intensity. I think Mission Space has scared Disney away from thrill rides. My fiancee was screaming her head off on EE...any more intense and it would have been unenjoyable for her.

However, as a themed ride it is still slightly lacking in a few on-ride sections like at the beginning and the yeti projection. Even though I am complaining about it, I still really like the ride though. I would never call it unimpressive.

 

[C&D]

The tame beginning is part of the theme. A normal 'train excursion' through the mountains suddenly goes wrong; it's part of the story.

 

[agent86]

Wow, I really expected to be almost completely in the minority in my opinion of EE. It is comforting (and a bit surprising) to see that I'm not the only one (far from it, it appears).

I totally agree with the posters who gave the Matterhorn and Big Thunder as examples for comparison. The Matterhorn was built in 1959 and upgraded in 1978. And it does a FAR better job of making you believe you are in a snowy mountain than EE does. Some may argue that the Abominable Snowman in the Matterhorn is nowhere near as elaborate or sophisticated (or as large) as the Yeti on EE, but does it really make much difference when we're flying past the Yeti so quickly? In fact, I find myself questioning just how "sophisticated" it really is when they barely let us get a look at it. It doesn't make sense to spend tons of money and technology on an AA and then only show it to us for a brief second.

Big Thunder, by comparison, was built in 1979 and is FAR more elaborate throughout the ride. There is tons more stuff to see.

To those who took my description as disliking EE strictly because it's not thrilling, you misunderstood me. The point I was making was that EE essentially has no redeeming characteristics. It sorely lacks this supposedly "amazing" theming that so many people refer to, which might be okay if the coaster itself made up for it by being more thrilling....but it isn't. RnRC is a good example of this. The "theming" on this ride is pretty laughable, but it's a fun thrilling ride. On the other hand, if EE had had lots of great theming, then a less thrilling coaster wouldn't have been a big deal. Once again, Big Thunder is a great example of an outstanding attraction that relies far more on theming and immersion than thrills. My point in mentioning the lack of thrills on EE was simply to say that this ride has neither great theming, nor great thrills to make up for the lack of theming. I was not simply saying that I was looking just for thrills alone.

To the posters that mentioned the boring start of the ride and also the fact that you can see building structure while inside the "mountain", great points! That part at the beginning is just pointless, and the light leaks are unacceptable.

One thing I will give EE, though, is that it does look impressive when viewing it from walking around AK. It is striking, and they did a great job of making it look like a real mountain. It's just a shame, and a huge disappointment, that the ride itself is so sad.

 

[C&D]

I've got no problem with your expression of opinion, as long as I take it as your opinion. Some of your statesments are very subjective though you state them as objective. Differences of opinion just make the world go round; tough sell, telling people what they should or should not like.

 

[Jasonflz]

Once I saw the mountain for the first time my mouth dropped open. It is very effective. The ride itself could be improved but it is still worth a visit.

 

[EpcotServo]

Well, from some of these posts...it seems like this is a sound thought when it comes to Disney rides...


You either die a hero...
(Horizons, World of Motion, 20K, Journey Into Imagination)

Or live long enough to see yourself become the villian...
(Dinosaur, Journey Into Imagination with Figment, Backlot Tour, Tiki Room Under New Management)

:dazzle:

 

[Texas84]

It is obviously a sad and pathetic coaster. Last time I rode it, there was a 70 minute standby wait, the FastPass return line was way out the door, and FastPasses were shut down by 2PM. In freaking December!

"Nobody goes there anymore; it's too crowded." - Yogi Berra

 

[EpcoTim]

I'm really glad they put a lot into the que, that always makes a ride much better. I do wish they would have make the ride itself longer, but like another poster said, I think thats just natural for most good rides. Overall I would give it a 3.7 out of 5. And I still wish they would have used Dom Deluise for the Yeti instead of making it an AA.

 

[DisneyPirate85]

I really like EE too. But I do get disappointed when the effects go up and down ALOT...but hey I'm at Disney so I deal with it could have been longer tho....:wave:

 

[WDWBlaze]

For all the people saying you must not "Get Disney" if you don't like EE, remember all the hate geared toward SGE. Does this make you all unDisney as well?

I happen to like SGE. Maybe I don't "get it".

I happen to think about of all the coasters at WDW I would only rate it above BSer and PW. I guess that is not really low. Just very middle of the pack.

 

[monorail_silver]

Drive up I-4 east a bit if you want metal monsters, EE is a great attraction telling a story with minor thrills thrown in.

 

[LoriMistress]

The attraction is wonderful, when it's fully working. There are times when the Yeti is completely working, in strobe-light setting, and just the "red dark eyes." I can understand why some people may not like it, and I've heard from others that they hate when you're waiting for the tracks to flip over.

 

[Jasonflz]

I happen to like SGE. Maybe I don't "get it".

You are not the only one. As bad as SGE is it still manages to fit in with Tomorrowland unlike Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor straight across. That ride is horrible and does not measure up to The Timekeeper. I would like it more if it was in the new Pixar Place in DHS. As for SGE I would like to see a new attraction come in.

 

[bingie]

The first time i rode it, I did it standby with a 60min wait, this was just around opening week. I thought it was fantastic!

But, 100+ rides later, I see a lot of "faults" as mentioned...

So, does alot of what we are complaining about get seen by the average day guest?

-> Yeti in perpetual "B Mode"
-> Lights sometimes on inside the mountain so you can see the support structure
-> Steam effect at load/unload/first track switch not working
-> Lame-______ cartoon Yeti ... why?!?!
-> Bird on stick at first track switch usually not working...
-> The (until recently) visible phone at the top of the "broken track" by the stuffed bird... compleatly un-theamed, at least it is painted now
-> etc...etc..

Does anyone but the "die-hards" notice this stuff? If not, i think it hit its mark. If so... fix it already.

Overall I would give it a 3.7 out of 5. And I still wish they would have used Dom Deluise for the Yeti instead of making it an AA.

They should have used Joe Rhode.

 

[daliseurat]

Something I just realized. I got to ride EE twice with a fastpass. No waiting. I lingered in the queue as long as I liked and just walked on. All the effects were on. So my experience was optimal. Not sure how I would rate it if I had to wait 60 minutes. But still, I really enjoyed it both times. And it is a coaster that the family can enjoy, which is rare. While I agree that Big Thunder is more successful at it theme, the Matterhorn desn't make me think I;m in a real mountain for a moment. I LOVE the Matterhorn. It's zippy, thrashy and nicely cheesy

If you really want to pick on an attraction, how about PRIMEVAL WHIRL? It's ugly, badly themed, and is just an off the shelf CRAZY MOUSE. Not an attraction that belongs in a DISNEY PARK. Actually the entire icky carnival that is in AK is bad news. And How about KALI RIVER RAPIDS? Dull, boring raft ride, and lackluster theming. Oh it's pretty, but the whole message is totally lost.