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

[Fade_to_Blah]

I got a feeling that this Yeti will be broken down more and more often as time goes by. It's only been what, 2 years old? I hope the Yeti won't end up like the walking Carnotaurus in Dinosaur. (I have never seen it chasing guests)

Theres a walking Carnotaurus in Dinosaur!?

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

Theres a walking Carnotaurus in Dinosaur!?

Yes it was told not to run indoors

 

[krankenstein]

I hope the Yeti won't end up like the walking Carnotaurus in Dinosaur. (I have never seen it chasing guests)

He was chasing after us in early July. Actually, I think he has worked everytime I have visited.

 

[hauntdmansion79]

A Disney nut, however, I think has just as much fun walking around in the parks and experiencing the environment.

So True. In fact, I think I enjoy that more than any individual attraction.

 

[hokielutz]

This just seems like a very convenient excuse to get away with going cheap on an attraction.

Following this logic, the Haunted Mansion should also feature nothing more than very brief glimpses of ghosts, and few (if any) should be full on apparitions. The rest should be nothing more than a few glowing "orbs" and maybe some cold spots and odd noises thrown in. This would be "staying true to the legend" of most alleged ghost sightings.

Sigh.... :brick:

Its not an excuse... as all the work leading through the development and production of the attraction shows there was a ton of research performed on this creature and legend. All one has to do is go back and look at the Discovery/travel Channel specials that focused on the Imagineering team's travel and work that went into this and what they learned. Now some could frame this as a propaganda conspiracy by Disney, that they knew in advance that this attraction would blow and needed a cover story to point to when reviews of the attraction were poor. Highly unlikely and if anyone runs with that angle... well... I won't say it.

I don't think there was anything that was cheap about this attraction. Sometimes what looks good on paper may not work well when put into action. I would like to see all of the original effects working 100% of the time, or at least more often than not. But that will continue to be my wish and I will enjoy all of the effects that are working.

The Haunted Mansion comparison makes no sense at all. HM is not based on an actual legend. It is 999 happy haunts have retired to this estate, but they are always looking for one more to make an even thousand. Ghost host guides you through the mansion in doom buggies, watch out for hitchhiking ghosts, bring your death certificate, etc. Fun but spooky at the same time.
Sorry... not a good example for arguing your point.

But we can agree that we disagree on whether we think EE is a good attraction. We just have different basis for our disagreements. That is why I argue that because of the Yeti legend and stories, you don't see more of the Yeti than you do in this ride.

 

[hokielutz]

I want to see the darn Yeti work. I moved to FL a few weeks ago, have been multiple times and apparently he's been broken for weeks. I casually asked the CM if the yeti was working yesterday, and to my surprise he said the AA had been down for quite a while because it was discovered the yeti cracked it's foundation! (You would think it would have to be big to be down for so long during peak times)

This is quite a revelation. hope they are working to repair this major issue if it is true. If it is the foundation, I would imagine they would have to shut down the ride for at least a week to repair/repour the footings and the foundation supports.

 

[Peabody]

Well, I don't know a darn thing about foundation repair, but they don't take down your house to fix a cracked foundation, so I imagine it wouldn't be too terribly invasive. (Of course a house doesn't have a robot with the force of a 747 in it!) They have to have good access in the back of the mountain for all things coaster and yeti inside. Anyone know anything about foundation repair?

 

[jaredliu]

Well I guess I just had bad luck. But I had better luck at EE where 3 out of 4 times I rode the Yeti was in A mode. Maybe its just about luck rather than a big operational problem.

 

[Legacy]

If the foundation is cracked under the yeti, they would possibly have to raise it off the foundation (ie, crack open the top of the mountain and lift the yeti up) in order to properly fix it. With the amount of vibrations that an animatronic like him would force, a simply patch job (like what's done on a house) wouldn't do any good. The crack would reappear in a weak.

I can't imagine that replacing the foundation would take less than a month, possibly closer to two.

 

[Llamaface]

If the foundation is cracked under the yeti, they would possibly have to raise it off the foundation (ie, crack open the top of the mountain and lift the yeti up) in order to properly fix it. With the amount of vibrations that an animatronic like him would force, a simply patch job (like what's done on a house) wouldn't do any good. The crack would reappear in a weak.

I can't imagine that replacing the foundation would take less than a month, possibly closer to two.

OK, so who else wants to ride while they're doing this!?! Now we're talking scary theming! Rawr!

 

[Peabody]

If the foundation is cracked under the yeti, they would possibly have to raise it off the foundation (ie, crack open the top of the mountain and lift the yeti up) in order to properly fix it. With the amount of vibrations that an animatronic like him would force, a simply patch job (like what's done on a house) wouldn't do any good. The crack would reappear in a weak.

I can't imagine that replacing the foundation would take less than a month, possibly closer to two.

THey didn't build the mountain around the yeti. (That wouldn't make sense). He was installed after the track and mountain were complete, and was shipped after he had already been built and programmed out in CA. Will it be a simple job to take him out, no, but he can be removed without too much headache. It would be absolute foolishness otherwise.

 

[bingie]

The whole "back side" of the mountain (that you can see from the parking lot) is un-theamed, and has many access points to the inside the mountain, including behind the Yeti... That's how he got in there, and how he can be taken out... if need be. :drevil:

 

[agent86]

The whole "back side" of the mountain (that you can see from the parking lot) is un-theamed, and has many access points to the inside the mountain, including behind the Yeti... That's how he got in there, and how he can be taken out... if need be. :drevil:

This is another thing about this attraction that I've always found very lame. I can't believe they built the biggest visual magnet of this park (and really one of the biggest at any Disney park) and then didn't bother to completely theme it on all sides from which it can clearly be seen by guests....like the parking lot. :hammer:

 

[the-reason14]

I can kinda see why some folk dont like E:E. As a coaster, it isnt all that. And I know that all disney coasters couldnt really stand alone as a coaster, its the themes and effects that add to the overall experience. And that is true.

One thing, after riding E:E many many times, I think the whole backwards part is pretty pointless. Yea, its thrilling. But the part in the dark is kinda dumb esp. when you can see the inside of the structure destroying the illusion of going on an expedition to everest. I also think it is somewhat of a cop out. The part where you are waiting for the track to switch, you are sitting there looking at a broken track for what was suppose to be, I believe, 6 seconds. Now since they have all these extra trains, I believe its more than that. The waiting is no biggie for me, its just that nothing is happening. Its really no reason to be waiting, looking at a broken track for that long with no action. I remember reading that originally, the yeti was suppose to pick up the track with his hand and cause you to go backwards. That right there, would have been cool, and imo a reason to make the ride go backwards. I see the whole backwards part as a way to rival the mummy at Universal in saying, "Hey look, ours can go backwards too."

And like many have said, the yeti itself can be a letdown. You only see the thing for what 5 seconds, or is that too much? And all the time I was there for 2wks, it wasnt even working in A mode.

I do enjoy riding E:E, its the best part of AK imo. These are a few things Ive noticed after so many trips. And in a way, I think if it didnt go backwards it would be better. The ride is about 4 min. long I think, and that includes the long waits that you have to go through for both tracks to switch. If it had no switches and went forward all the way through and was 4 min. that would be an amazing coaster imo. Well it already is, but more than it is now. I think the whole backwards thing is something they did to make this mt. different then all the others at the other WDW theme parks and the other disney resorts. I also think it was done because Uni's the mummy does it also, never been on it, but I heard it was amazing. And these are just some of my thoughts.

 

[firemandisney]

I love a good coaster and consider the BEAST at Kings Island to be by far the best.
E.E. is a fine roller coaster, I honestly dont see how one cant "get it":shrug:

 

[ryguy]

I find that the going backwards part is what ruins the ride for me. I don't find that thrilling. Overall EE is a disappointment. Actually Joe Rhodes is the disappointment to me,everything he works on is just alright. People around here act like he's the second coming, I just don't get it or him. :shrug:

 

[agent86]

I love a good coaster and consider the BEAST at Kings Island to be by far the best.
E.E. is a fine roller coaster, I honestly dont see how one cant "get it":shrug:

When I said in the thread title that I "just don't get it", I was not saying that I don't "get" the attraction itself. I do understand what the whole "story" is supposed to be with the attraction. What I meant was that I don't get why so many people on this website seem to go so gaga over it and rank it among their favorite attractions ever. When you look at Disney's amazing lineup of great attractions, I just don't get why someone would think this one even remotely ranks up there with the others.

 

[agent86]

And I know that all disney coasters couldnt really stand alone as a coaster, its the themes and effects that add to the overall experience.

Exactly! People assumed that just because many of us don't consider EE to be that great of an attraction, that that must mean we're looking for Six Flags type of thrills. Those people have missed the point of what I said in the opening post of this thread. What I said then was that EE has neither great thrills nor great theming going for it. Most Disney coasters, as you mentioned, would not stand alone as great coasters. It's the theming, effects and overall immersion into the storyline that make Space Mountain, Big Thunder, the Matterhorn, Tower of Terror and other Disney thrill rides such great attractions. Everest, though, doesn't really have any of these things to make up for the fact that it's also a lackluster coaster ride.

 

[CProgression]

EE: This IS a cool attraction because it thins things out at Kali and Dinosaur (Ok not during peak times, but I live in Florida and go to the parks all the time during the OFF-PEAK seasons). In March I rode Kali 7 times in a row (from 7pm until they removed me from the ride) without having to get off AT ALL.

On the down side: The broken tracks (outside) imitates that found in BTM RxR and the giant attacking Yeti mimics the Dinosaur experience. The single forward plunge is a let down not because of its effect, THAT is great, but because it would be nice if Disney could create a double or triple plunge thill ride... Or at least one that lasts five minutes instead of just a couple (Space Mountain & RnRc). Perhaps recreating the thrills from extravagant yesteryear coasters would be a new venture worth exploring. People travel from all over the world to ride the most extravagant coasters... and that explains my love for Rock 'n' Roller Coaster over everything else. The inversions sold me on my very first ride!

 

[disneymyway]

Just taking a brief look around roller coaster site that rate not just but including Disney rides, EE gets pretty high ratings.

I get that you don't like it - I think Test Track is boring and I'm in the minority on that. But I think that EE is extremely well themed - my husband commented on the "landscaping" of a roller coaster being so cool.

Not everyone loves every ride and I respect your feelings, but I disagree that it is a dismal failure. I've been on it many times and everyone in the crowd is smiling and laughing when we get off.