VERY Detailed EE review

[LandBoatride]

I realize there are videos out there now but I'll post this very deatiled review here anyway, as I did in the official Review page for Everest. This is based on many ridings yesterday.


First off, the queue is nice but overhyped. If you like the queue at Kali River Rapids, you'll like this too, very similar in my opinion. But it is less spectacular or "magical" than say Dueling Dragons at IOA but interesting nonetheless. As there wasnt much line during this preview, i didnt linger to soak it all in. Im sure it is more interesting if you are forced to wait in it.

As for the ride, very very cool and an instant Disney classic. More than the Mummy, Everest reminds me of thunder mountain, as it is a trainride mostly outside. The thrill level is certainly greater than Big Thunder Mtn though.

As others have said, the train toots as it leaves the station and you are off on the journey. A clever trick provides a puff of steam that seems to come from the back of the train. The track banks to the right for the 1st lift hill (small, about Barn Stormer size if that). The train goes down a short dip banking to the left and we have a calm outside section of the ride with another small dip. The area is freshly landscaped and we hear bird sounds from speakers. We bank to the left again and up the main lift we go, through the Yeti shrine and to the mountain. The lift is very smooth and extremely quiet after the initial hooking on of the train to the lift chain. Once the train clears the lift, we are "in the mountain" but still outside (kind of on the moutain I guess, not in it). We bank to the left again and go up an incline to see mangled tracks. The train stops and a falcon-like bird appears (it didnt seem to work right it kinda hides and moves up and down). The pause is about 10-15 seconds while the track behind us (the switchgate) repositions. Meanwhile, we hear ominous sound effects.

Next, the train takes off backwards and we go inside the mountain into darkness, banking back and to the left. This section is longer than the Mummy backwards section, about 20-25 seconds long I'd say. It creates good forces, as we careen in the dark seemingly up a banked hill. Finally, the train comes to rest in the mountain and again the track switchgate resets (this time in front of us). Up above, a shadowy Yeti figure is projected (very sharp and crisp). He tears up some track and darts off in a King Kong-like manner as our train darts forward too.

The train flies out of the mountain over the big drop and then back into the mountain. Once inside, there is another small banked dip to the right before racing out the back of the mountain for some tight banked left turns. A few seconds later we are back in the mountain for the finale.

The train plunges into darkness, slows a tad before picking up speed for this final scene. The train banks to the right and we see the very tall Yeti up ahead. He is brown in color and quickly we realize we are headed right under him as we gather modest speed. The Yeti swoops his arm right at the front cars of the train, very quick and very scary if you are in the front. He re-swoops for the back of the train too. Quickly we leave the mountain and see the unload station ahead.

Overall, the ride is extremely cool and fun. The hill is not as big a drop as I expected, literally not much more sensation than the biggest drop of Space Mountain (serious). The backwards section actually is the most thrilling in terms of forces and sensations (heightened by the darkness of it).

The encounter with the Yeti is VERY brief. At first I thought that was lame, but then I realized it kind of preserved the mystery of the Yeti, almost like real explorers who wondered if they really saw what they thought they saw. Anyways, your visual time with this Animotronic is under 5 seconds.

Perhaps the coolest part of the ride is the AWESOME view offered by its height. During the first lift hill, if you look out in front of you, you can easily spot AK Lodge and the Highway 192 West area of town. If you turn around on the big lift hill, you can see the Contemporary Resort and Space Mtn in the distance.

Around the corner at the mangled track, the front 2 or 3 rows get a GREAT view of Epcot and MGM - any further back in the train cannot see this though.

Lastly, on repeat visits, try to sit in the front o get a great view of the switchgate track repositioning (during the projected Yeti sequence just before the big drop). Rather than a traditional switchgate like Norway's, the track flips 180 degrees so that the track you first crossed on is now under the new track, which takes you ina different direction. It is hard to describe but neat to see. (You can also see it if you ride in the back and at the mangled track scene, simply turn around and watch for it).

In summary, this ride is a great addition to Animal Kingdom. Disney's single-word description of AK is adventure (MK is fantasy, Epcot is Discovery, etc) and EE absolutely adds to the feeling of adventure at AK. My biggest complaints would be the shortness of the ride (shorter than Big Thunder) and the overhyped queue, which while interesting, just does not live up to the endless hype offered by a certain imagineer.

 

[BRER STITCH]

Nice Job, LANDBOATRIDE!!!

Thanks for sharing your experience!
I can't wait to check it out!

:sohappy: :sohappy: :sohappy: :sohappy:

 

[DisneyDellsDude]

Thanks for the awesome review! Can't wait to ride in December!:sohappy: :xmas:

 

[peter11435]

and the overhyped queue, which while interesting, just does not live up to the endless hype offered by a certain imagineer.

Are you sure you saw the entire thing. I thought I had heard that they were not yet using the entire queue for the previews.

Thanks that was a great review.

 

[Heatherbell]

Thank you very much for the report. Great job! You soothed my anxieties about the hill. If it scares the living out of me I'm coming to get you!!!! LOL, just kidding.

I am such a chicken, I am going for EE previews and I am so nervous about it, it's crazy!!!:lol:

 

[missionspace]

could you tell us more about the effects like cold,snow etc.

 

[SirGoofy]

Great review! Just one question, when you say that we see the Yeti up ahead before we pass under it, do you actually see it a little infront of you and get bigger as you get closer?

 

[elle72688]

Thanks for a great detailed report...I can hardly wait to ride it on my next trip

 

[DigitalDisney]

I agree with missionspace.

I'd love to hear about the other sensory aspects as well. Were there sections of fog, cold areas, any smells, track shaking, etc?

Thanks!

 

[LandBoatride]

To answer some questions:

There actually aren't a lot of "sensory" effects, surprisingly. There is fog at one point, I think just after the big lift hill. It isnt blinding fog though.

There were no "cold" effects that I recall - there may have been a mild wind effect at the mangled track part, or maybe it was just windy, i can't recall. For some reason, I can't remember if the track rattles. At the mangled track part, there are rattling noises maybe? I did too much talking at that part usually (laughing at the falcon or discussing the great view, etc.) to remember everything, lol. Sorry.

There is definitely no audio in the cars, but there are speakers and ominous sounds throughout the ride. There is no music anywhere in the ride that I recall. No distinct smells that i recall either.

Of course, this is cats previews and little sensory effects can easily be added.

As for the Yeti, you see him up ahead so he definitely gets bigger as you go under him. However, as I stated before, the train is picking up speed once you see him, and the total time he is in view is not more than 5 seconds max. I rode it 5 or 6 times and still cannot tell you much about the Yeti, other than he was really big and brown, and his arm swoops perilously close to the train in a very quick but fluid motion. You'll understand how tough it is to describe him once you ride, that part goes by very quick.

About the queue, dont get me wrong. It is very detailed and Im sure if I had to wait in line, Id be much more appreciative of it. But when given the option of walking on the new ride or just reading stuff in the queue, the ride seemed more exciting. It is quite possible that all of the queue was not open. Still, the queue is not breathtakingly original IMO, much like Kali River Rapids. You start with a reservation booking desk, pass some Buddhist-looking shrine stuff (sound like Kali??) go back inside and see backpacks and canned goods (diced pears, etc.) see newspaper clippings and books and stories of the Yeti, etc etc. I think there is animall doo-doo in there too, lol. On second thought, maybe this queue is interesting!

Oddly, as you approach the load station before boarding, the voice that greets you has an Austrian/German accent (like the Matterhorn). (Such as "Keep ze hands in ze car at all times"). I don't know if this is suppose to be our tour guide or what, but it definitely is not a Tibet/Asian voice. This will not help with comparisons to Matterhorn!

One last tidbit. In the review, I compare the ride to Big Thunder but a bit more thrilling. Keep in mind that like Big Thunder, where you sit determines your thrill. The front is slowest coming down the big drop and off the chain lifts (you have to wait for the whole train to get over the edge before you accelerate), but it is the "fastest" seat for the backwards sections. The front seat is DEFINITELY the scariest as far as Yeti goes, and also the best view of both the drop and of Epcot/MGM at the mangled track scene.

 

[Merlin]

Perhaps the coolest part of the ride is the AWESOME view offered by its height. During the first lift hill, if you look out in front of you, you can easily spot AK Lodge and the Highway 192 West area of town. If you turn around on the big lift hill, you can see the Contemporary Resort and Space Mtn in the distance.

Thanks for the great review! It does sound like a fun ride, but it's kind of sad that the "coolest part of the ride" has nothing to do with the thrills, effects, Yeti, etc., but rather it's the view from the lift hill. Heck, they could have just built a big roller coaster with no themeing if the feature that stands out the most is the view from the lift hill. Plus, it's sad that part of that view is of stuff that's off property. Must ruin the illusion a little, huh?

 

[ToTBellHop]

There are supposed to be snow effects, though I have not heard anyone noticing them yet. Maybe they haven't gotten the kinks worked out on that system yet.

 

[LouDisney]

Great review, thanks

 

[dolbyman]

judging from the videos I've seen .. I'd say you see the yeti less then 2 sec

hope to see some better shots of it soon

 

[maelstrom]

Thanks for the great review! I still haven't decided if I want to go on it, though. I'm afraid I'll be very scared.

 

[LandBoatride]

Thanks for the great review! It does sound like a fun ride, but it's kind of sad that the "coolest part of the ride" has nothing to do with the thrills, effects, Yeti, etc., but rather it's the view from the lift hill. Heck, they could have just built a big roller coaster with no themeing if the feature that stands out the most is the view from the lift hill. Plus, it's sad that part of that view is of stuff that's off property. Must ruin the illusion a little, huh?

Haha, very true. This probably isnt really the "coolest" part of the ride, but rather the biggest surprise for me. I had read all internet spoilers, so I knew I would see the Yeti and that he was very big and quick, i knew there was a big hill, I knew the ride went backwards, etc. etc. What wasnt reported was stuff like this - like being able to see Epcot from a certain seat, Epcot being a couple miles away. This was the coolest thing to me that wasn't "spoiled" on the internet up until now.

I dont think it "ruins" the illusion. I mean the fact that after the big hill on Splash Mountain I can see tourists on the sidewalk eating a turkey leg does not ruin that ride for me. Rather, the great views offer heighten the sense of thrill - you FEEL like you are very high up (as you should feel if you climb a mountain).

 

[MagliteL13]

I realize there are videos out there now but I'll post this very deatiled review here anyway, as I did in the official Review page for Everest. This is based on many ridings yesterday.

My comments are also based on many ridings yesterday from different views.

First off, the queue is nice but overhyped. If you like the queue at Kali River Rapids, you'll like this too, very similar in my opinion. But it is less spectacular or "magical" than say Dueling Dragons at IOA but interesting nonetheless. As there wasnt much line during this preview, i didnt linger to soak it all in. Im sure it is more interesting if you are forced to wait in it.

I have to disagree. The queue is incredible. It was definetly obvious that there's still work going on. After the 'passport office' part at the very beginning, you work your way around a yeti shrine. Above the queue are bells--easily within reach--which lots of people rang. At first I thought this was pretty annoying but one of the CMs in front of us in line (who worked at Everest) said Joe wanted guests to ring them--kinda like interactive queue music I guess. The extended queue takes you out into a tea garden. Not a whole lot to see, but looked cool. Back inside you enter a shop and then the yeti museum. The museum itself had tons of different pictures, books, artifacts, etc... After the museum is the merge area which is pretty much on the platform. A couple things about the queue. Hidden Mickeys...yes. We found two. I'm not gonna give em away. Also, for fans of the Adventurer's Club at PI, we picked out a couple of masks on the walls (one in Standby, one in Fastpass) that look like masks from the AdvClub.

As others have said, the train toots as it leaves the station and you are off on the journey. A clever trick provides a puff of steam that seems to come from the back of the train.

This is actually kinda cool. Such a small effect, but added a lot.

The train stops and a falcon-like bird appears (it didnt seem to work right it kinda hides and moves up and down). The pause is about 10-15 seconds while the track behind us (the switchgate) repositions. Meanwhile, we hear ominous sound effects.

Okay, that falcon is honestly the cheesiest thing I've ever seen. It's right up there with the attacking natives at Jungle Cruise. As a friend put it-- "Birdie on a stick."

Next, the train takes off backwards and we go inside the mountain into darkness, banking back and to the left. This section is longer than the Mummy backwards section, about 20-25 seconds long I'd say. It creates good forces, as we careen in the dark seemingly up a banked hill. Finally, the train comes to rest in the mountain and again the track switchgate resets (this time in front of us).

This backwards portion was actually pretty cool. There were still a few light leaks, but I'm sure they'll be taken care of. As I sit here typing this, I can still imagine the forces of going 'Back and to the left...back and to the left...back and to the left...'

Up above, a shadowy Yeti figure is projected (very sharp and crisp). He tears up some track and darts off in a King Kong-like manner as our train darts forward too.

In all honesty, we thought the projection looked a little cartoony. If you're in the very back of the train, your view gets cut off a little, but not a lot.

The train flies out of the mountain over the big drop and then back into the mountain. Once inside, there is another small banked dip to the right before racing out the back of the mountain for some tight banked left turns. A few seconds later we are back in the mountain for the finale.

The helix outside of the mountain was incredible, and even better at night. After the short inside portion, they throw a headchopper at you and then a sharp double helix. That part of the ride was pretty cool but nothing compared to what happens next.

The train plunges into darkness, slows a tad before picking up speed for this final scene. The train banks to the right and we see the very tall Yeti up ahead. He is brown in color and quickly we realize we are headed right under him as we gather modest speed. The Yeti swoops his arm right at the front cars of the train, very quick and very scary if you are in the front. He re-swoops for the back of the train too. Quickly we leave the mountain and see the unload station ahead.

Yes you only see the yeti for a few seconds but as stated, it does preserve some mystery. That entire cavern scene looks amazing and after the outside portion, just 'wows' some more.

Overall, the ride is extremely cool and fun. The hill is not as big a drop as I expected, literally not much more sensation than the biggest drop of Space Mountain (serious).

I totally have to disagree. SM has a drop of about 35 feet while Everest is about 80. HUGE difference. And it definetly shows.

Perhaps the coolest part of the ride is the AWESOME view offered by its height. During the first lift hill, if you look out in front of you, you can easily spot AK Lodge and the Highway 192 West area of town. If you turn around on the big lift hill, you can see the Contemporary Resort and Space Mtn in the distance.

Around the corner at the mangled track, the front 2 or 3 rows get a GREAT view of Epcot and MGM - any further back in the train cannot see this though.

The view is very cool, that's for sure. I have to say that after riding the front row, it can be little freaky when the train goes up that incline with the mangled tracks. Not because of the height, but because you think you're not gonna stop.

Lastly, on repeat visits, try to sit in the front o get a great view of the switchgate track repositioning (during the projected Yeti sequence just before the big drop). Rather than a traditional switchgate like Norway's, the track flips 180 degrees so that the track you first crossed on is now under the new track, which takes you ina different direction. It is hard to describe but neat to see. (You can also see it if you ride in the back and at the mangled track scene, simply turn around and watch for it).

On the mangled track incline, the best place to see the switch is probably the third row from the back. On the yeti incline, it's still even hard to see from the front row.

In summary, this ride is a great addition to Animal Kingdom. Disney's single-word description of AK is adventure (MK is fantasy, Epcot is Discovery, etc) and EE absolutely adds to the feeling of adventure at AK. My biggest complaints would be the shortness of the ride (shorter than Big Thunder) and the overhyped queue, which while interesting, just does not live up to the endless hype offered by a certain imagineer.

I honestly think Everest lives up to all the hype. Both queue lines are incredible. In all the 40 minute waits I waited through yesterday, I saw something new every single time and even in the fastpass line, everything's incredibly detailed. The line does move pretty quickly so there's honestly not enough time to see the queues. The ride itself was incredible for a Disney attraction, having just the right amount of thrill and, of course, the enormous amounts of theming. Being a coaster buff, I was pretty amused by the track design, the switches, and the fact that the ride was all old school coaster. I.E. tires in the station instead of LIM (like BTM), the chain lift, etc... The track design was pretty cool and made for a really smooth ride. The switches I've seen in use before, but are still cool cause they're a rarity anymore. My only observation was that they totally ran out of extended queue last night. --and at a wait time of 40 min.

 

[LandBoatride]

Jeremy, great review. Glad you got to see more of the queue than me.

As I stated in my posts, there was a 0 minute wait for EE on most of Tuesday at AK cast previews (ive heard the line has gotten longer each day.) So, few people stopped to examine every intracacy of the queue (lest you hold everyone else up). I realize there is much to read and see and look at there. However, I do still feel it is very similar to Kali. Heck, even Kilimajaro begins with a reservation booking desk, ugh. I thought the museum portion was informative as to the Yeti legend but had flaws too. The enclosed glass area, with all its "authentic artifacts" and such, was clearly lit up with C-7 Christmas lights from Wal-Mart. Tacky. Overall, the queue had much to look at but didn't give me an immersive feeling. At Dueling Dragons (Universal), you really start to feel you are in an enchanted, haunted medieval castle. Much of the Mummy queue is lame-o, but the last rooms are great, as they are very different form anything else and make you feel like you could be in a mystical Egyptian pyramid. The fact that everything in that queue came from Crate and Barrell and not really Egypt did not diminish my enjoyment. Likewise with the very detailed and mysterious queue of Indiana Jones in Anaheim - extraordinary immersive theming whether it is "authentic" or not!

I personally think that with ALL the extraneous expense the imagineers went to to travel to Nepal and elsewhere to bring back these "artifacts", they could've designed a more immersive, mysterious queue, whether it include a dark winding cave with dim flickering lights, a more elaborate walk-through of a very dark, mysterious Yeti shrine, etc etc. They couldve been more original than this in terms of not looking like Kali or Kilimajaro. As the Yeti is supposed to be ominous, something a tad more than a square building with artifacts lit up by Wal-Mart Christmas lights might have heightened my anxiety more. I think while the EE queue has much to look at, it did not dramatically heighten my anticipation of the ride or make me more nervous like other queues have.
Rather than being an immersive theme park queue meant to entertain, this queue felt more like a learning segment on Discovery Channel meant to inform. Some will love it, I only liked it but didnt love it. I'll let you know if that changes when I have to actually wait in this line

Admittedly, the flip side to not having a "scary" queue is that the queue itself won't deter people from riding this great ride, which may be a good thing as the big hill in front may scare some off.


Moving on, I 100% agree that the steam effect at load station is extremely cool and adds sooo much to the ride. Such a small detail really makes a difference.

LOL about back and to the left - I guess the review did come across a bit like a JFK movie. Thanks for adding the tidbit about light leaks in the mountain. I forgot to mention that during that backwards portion, if you look over the car downwards, you can see the "structure" of the mountain (support stuff). It is faint but there.

As for the big hill, we can agree to disagree. EE hill is definitely bigger than Space Mountain's, but didnt seem as big to me as it looked and honestly didnt give me much more of a "losing my stomach" sensation than Space's "biggest" hill does. It has a slight Big Thunder effect, where the front cars start down the hill before accelerating, waiting for the back cars to clear the top of the hill. I would hate for anyone to chicken out of riding this great ride because they read on here that the hill was super big ;-)

Anyways, thanks again for your review. Apologies for sounding argumentative, just expressing my views. Admittedly, my views on the queue seem to be in the minority. Glad someone else is interested in track layouts and design. One question, how did you get to ride at night? Awesome.

 

[MagliteL13]

Anyways, thanks again for your review. Apologies for sounding argumentative, just expressing my views. Admittedly, my views on the queue seem to be in the minority. Glad someone else is interested in track layouts and design. One question, how did you get to ride at night? Awesome.

Hey, to each his own. You're not sounding argumentative at all--just figured I'd add my own take to it. The queue line was definetly still under construction as some of the labels were done with blue painter's tape and a sharpie. BTW, EE is the only queue where you'll find scat labeled. EE was open during EMH on wed. --That's how I got on it at night. Rode it another 4 times today. Total...16. I can still feel myself going backwards. BTW, they updated the "Birdie on a stick." Now it looks a ton better. They also added some mist effects that are okay, but for me who wears glasses got annoying.

Unrelated...do you work at Living with the Land? If so, there's a bunch of skippers who look up to you, GMR, and Safaris cause those rides just don't get the attention Jungle does and becuase your 'crews' are always dead--with hardly any enthusiasm.

 

[peter11435]

I BTW, they updated the "Birdie on a stick." Now it looks a ton better.

What exactly did they do to it.