A Review of the Expedition Everest Ride at Animal Kingdom in Disney World

When my wife and I went to Disney World for our honeymoon in October 2005, they were still working on a new ride at Animal Kingdom. It would soon open up under the name of Expedition Everest, and it's one of the main attractions at that park. The ride is a roller coaster that takes you through Mount Everest, and the iconic mountains stand very tall and visible inside of Animal Kingdom.

This ride is in the Asian part of the park, and the premise involves Yeti and Mount Everest. While you slowly move through the line, you'll eventually go through a museum with a bunch of photos and hiking equipment that show some of the original explorers. You'll also get to see some photos and articles on Yeti, which are also known as the 'abominable snowman'. According to what I read in the museum, many folks in that are believe the Yeti are mystical creatures put there to protect the mountain. I also saw an article where one guy said it was probably just some species of bear.

I went back to Animal Kingdom in August 2008, and the park was incredibly crowded. The wait for this ride was over an hour, but we had to do it because it was the newest ride there. It's the most exciting thing at Animal Kingdom, in my opinion. It's also a pretty solid roller coaster, though it never takes you upside down.

The ride begins with a few little ups and downs and some sharp turns, but nothing too jarring. Pretty soon you'll be carried high up into the mountain, then you begin the descent. At one point, the ride stops, then you start rolling backwards and wind up in a Yeti cave. Instead of something animatronic, you'll just see a projected silhouette animation on the wall, and I thought that was a little on the cheap side. It just wasn't very scary at all.

Your escape from the Yeti cave is when the ride gets serious. You'll leave the cave, then go into a sharp fall as you speed away down the mountain. Be ready for some very fast turns and a good bit of moving up and down. A lot of this ride takes place in dark areas, so you can't see where the track is going. When you ride it for the first time, that can be a little scary.

Like most good roller coasters, they end before you want them to, and this one is over quickly. Even so, I thought it was worth the wait, and the addition of the museum was a nice touch to help distract you from the long lines. If you visit Animal Kingdom, I highly recommend that you visit Expedition Everest.