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Brief Expedition Everest Report
We just got back to Saratoga Springs for a rest. I will start off by saying that it was WORTH the effort of getting here for the weekend JUST to do this.
First of all, we got there at around 8:30 am thinking that we'd be the first in line to get in when they opened at their advertized time of 9:00 am. Well, we knew something was up because as the early birds, they made us parked ON THE GRASS close to the entrance. Right off the bat, we knew that they were expecting HUGE crowds that day. I got a hint of it when I passed though the main entrance into the parking area and showed my annual pass ticket. The cast member replied "Thank you. Enjoy Everest!"
Well, when we got there, they were already letting people in. It seemed that they opened Animal Kingdom at 8:00 AM. I found my pals from the Disney fan website, but my cast member friends weren't there yet because like us, they were informed that Animal Kingdom would be opened at 9:00 am. So we waited for them till they showed up.
We immediately made our way to Expedition Everest. And that's when it got REALLY crowded. Remember, this is a preview only for Annual Passholders and DVC members. The lines are already estimated to be about 1 1/2 hours long. We didn't care. This is where, when Disney tried to sell Animal Kingdom as being Nohtazu, today, it WAS a zoo!
We got right in, and were given vouchers to get the special lanyard and pins (hooray) that we can pick up in the gift store AFTER the ride. As we sneak along the line, we passed through many artifacts and stuff indigenous to the Himalayas, many of them authentic items picked up from that area. They really outdid themselves here. No one was the least bit bored while in line.
Luckily, the line moved faster than predicted. We were in it barely 45 minutes long, and with 6 of us there, we had plenty of things to talk about. But the highlight is about to happen. We finally got on the attraction. First of all, it is an EXTREMELY SMOOTH ride. And it truly matched the hype that it was given. IT WAS OUT OF THIS WORLD! To call it a roller-coaster is an insult. There is nothing like it anywhere! And that's all I'm going to say about it! If you ever get a chance to get on it, I want you to experience it without knowing anything just like I did and be blown away by it. Trust me, it will be worth it!
When we got out and right into the gift store, it was, as expected, a zoo. We picked up our lanyards and pins, and even our guests, who are neither DVC members nor passholders, also got the pins and lanyards, so that was very nice and they were very greatful. The only disappointment, which isn't surprising, was that the two limited edition pins for Annual Passholders and DVC members were all gone, sold out. So I couldn't get those.
We rode Expedition Everest a 2nd time and it was even better, because I now paid closer attention to many things in greater details (and also took pictures).
It was a very satisfying day. Along the way, we of course did a lot of pin trading. Got a lot of cast member pins that we were looking for.
We're resting for tonight - probably a quick hop to Disney/MGM Studios, dinner, and then rest for tomorrow because we're going back to Animal Kingdom and doing Everest one last time.
Will post pictures later...
Zz.
We just got back to Saratoga Springs for a rest. I will start off by saying that it was WORTH the effort of getting here for the weekend JUST to do this.
First of all, we got there at around 8:30 am thinking that we'd be the first in line to get in when they opened at their advertized time of 9:00 am. Well, we knew something was up because as the early birds, they made us parked ON THE GRASS close to the entrance. Right off the bat, we knew that they were expecting HUGE crowds that day. I got a hint of it when I passed though the main entrance into the parking area and showed my annual pass ticket. The cast member replied "Thank you. Enjoy Everest!"
Well, when we got there, they were already letting people in. It seemed that they opened Animal Kingdom at 8:00 AM. I found my pals from the Disney fan website, but my cast member friends weren't there yet because like us, they were informed that Animal Kingdom would be opened at 9:00 am. So we waited for them till they showed up.
We immediately made our way to Expedition Everest. And that's when it got REALLY crowded. Remember, this is a preview only for Annual Passholders and DVC members. The lines are already estimated to be about 1 1/2 hours long. We didn't care. This is where, when Disney tried to sell Animal Kingdom as being Nohtazu, today, it WAS a zoo!
We got right in, and were given vouchers to get the special lanyard and pins (hooray) that we can pick up in the gift store AFTER the ride. As we sneak along the line, we passed through many artifacts and stuff indigenous to the Himalayas, many of them authentic items picked up from that area. They really outdid themselves here. No one was the least bit bored while in line.
Luckily, the line moved faster than predicted. We were in it barely 45 minutes long, and with 6 of us there, we had plenty of things to talk about. But the highlight is about to happen. We finally got on the attraction. First of all, it is an EXTREMELY SMOOTH ride. And it truly matched the hype that it was given. IT WAS OUT OF THIS WORLD! To call it a roller-coaster is an insult. There is nothing like it anywhere! And that's all I'm going to say about it! If you ever get a chance to get on it, I want you to experience it without knowing anything just like I did and be blown away by it. Trust me, it will be worth it!
When we got out and right into the gift store, it was, as expected, a zoo. We picked up our lanyards and pins, and even our guests, who are neither DVC members nor passholders, also got the pins and lanyards, so that was very nice and they were very greatful. The only disappointment, which isn't surprising, was that the two limited edition pins for Annual Passholders and DVC members were all gone, sold out. So I couldn't get those.
We rode Expedition Everest a 2nd time and it was even better, because I now paid closer attention to many things in greater details (and also took pictures).
It was a very satisfying day. Along the way, we of course did a lot of pin trading. Got a lot of cast member pins that we were looking for.
We're resting for tonight - probably a quick hop to Disney/MGM Studios, dinner, and then rest for tomorrow because we're going back to Animal Kingdom and doing Everest one last time.
Will post pictures later...
Zz.
Now I have to wait...well...I don't know how long! 
