Favorite Attraction in Asia by Reece Smith

Animal Kingdom has many different themed areas from different parts of the world based on animals or their legends such as the yeti. In the Asia part of the park there’s Expedition Everest which is a rollercoaster ride based on the legend of the yeti in the Himalayas. 

Before you even arrive at the attraction, the area within the Asia part of the park gives this cold feel like you’re in Nepal and you can see Everest in the distance.  Even the food you can get there is authentic however there is American options for children or people who don’t want to eat that type of food. 

Included in the cue are pictures and climbing equipment of people going on expeditions.  You can get a feel for how treacherous the Himalayas are and the preparations people have to go through when they explore that part of the world.  The pictures are of what explorers claim to be footprints or evidence of the existence of yeti. The cue somewhat feels like a museum about the legend of the yeti because of the displays you wind through while you are getting closer to the ride. 

This ride, which stands at 200 feet tall, is also the most expensive roller coaster in the world and has been since 2011 at an amount of about $100 million. One of the reasons it’s so expensive is because on top of parts of the coaster is a mountain that looks like Mount Everest. Another reason is the yeti animatronic that you encounter near the end of the ride as well as projections in the ride. Also it took about six years to plan and construct. 

It’s one of the only roller coasters that goes backwards part of the way and isn’t like a boomerang and doesn’t have any inversions.  The height requirement is 44 inches to ride. 

Expedition Everest also has a single rider entrance as well as a fastpass return entrance in addition to the standy-by line. Expedition Everest has a camera that takes a photo when the car goes down the 80 foot drop at about 60 miles per hour. After getting off Expedition Everest there is a small gift shop where you can get your photos in a frame or other merchandise such as t-shirts.  You can even take home your own yeti. 

Expedition Everest is a ride that if you wish to ride you should plan for at least one and a half to two and a half hours because the line can be really long. Although if you have a fastpass you should be able to get on the ride in about 30 minutes to 45 minutes. 

Expedition Everest is one of the few attractions that interacts with the new app Play Disney Parks.  You can play games or collect achievements for going to different attractions This ride, like many Disney rides, is fully immersive and it’s so much more successful because it brings its attractions to life.