Looking for thrills? Head over to Disney’s Animal Kingdom to explore Expedition Everest, the tallest artificial mountain in Florida and the most expensive roller coaster in the world. Estimated to cost $100 million to construct, this 2 minute 50 second thrill ride is 199 feet tall and offers 4,424 feet of track with big drops, fast turn, exciting animatronics, and max speeds of 50 mph.
Themed around the Yeti hiding in Mount Everest, riders queue up through the make-believe travel and tour expedition office dubbed “Himalayan Escapes”, stroll through the Tibetan style Tea Garden and a room filled with equipment from successful expeditions. Then venture into a Yeti museum where you will find information about the legendary snow creature, a large molding of the Yeti’s footprint and close to 8,000 artifacts from a Nepal trip.
Adventurous riders then board the Anandapur Rail Service trains in the village of Serka Zong for a fast-paced, high-speed run through the Himalayas to the base of Mount Everest in search of the elusive Yeti. Filled with turns and lifts, riders pass through a ravaged temple with murals of the Yeti on its way to the top of the mountain. Much to the riders surprise, the train roars through the cave to the top of the mountain where it appears the tracks have been torn to shreds by the Yeti.
After a brief stop, the train starts to roll backwards and the speed increases as it enters into spiral loops as you hear the roars of the angry Yeti and his shadow appears on the walls as he shreds more tracks. As the shadow moves away, the tracks shift and the train rolls forward to the 8-story high speed drop and enters another cave where the Yeti’s roars can be heard off in the distance and then another cave where the Yeti reaches down and tries to grab the riders. I survived and returned to cilivization….will you?
This is a great ride for thrill-seekers. I am not a huge roller coaster person by any means but I love Disney coasters, especially this one. It is just plain fun! Last time we were at the Animal Kingdom, my friend and I rode it 3 times and our kids rode it 4. That’s us to the right on the 8 story drop. We don’t look scared, do we?
You don’t want to miss this ride so make sure that it is on the top of your FastPass+ list. Please note that even though the minimum height for this ride is 44 inches, it does have some dark areas, loud noises and large creature effects that might be a bit scary for the younger ones.
If you ride in the first two rows of the train, you will be able to see Epcot, the Dolphin and Swan Hotels and Downtown Disney from the top of the mountain. Pretty cool spot but look quickly before you start to go backwards. Did I mention you are going to go backwards?
Snow White’s Ranking:
Interest: Kids, tweens, teens, and adults.
Height Requirements: 44 in. or taller
Thrill Level: Big drops, fast curves, dark
FASTPASS+ is offered.
Location: Asia
Visit www.capturing-the-magic.com for a preview of the stunning coffee table book, Capturing the Magic and purchase your copy today.
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