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Get Away

Coaster reaches the top of the world

By JAY CRIDLIN
Published May 11, 2006

	[Walt Disney World]
	Disney has re-created Mount Everest in surprising detail for Expedition Everest at Animal Kingdom. The resort’s newest ride combines outdoor roller coaster thrills with a close encounter with the yeti.
	Variations on a theme Temperatures are rising. School is about to let out. You can practically feel the asphalt melting beneath your feet. Coaster reaches the top of the world All hail the mighty Yeti. Island has new adventure The prevailing wisdom on water slides is, when you've ridden one, you've ridden them all. Revisionist tinkering After falling into the role of the poor stepsister to Florida's more well-know theme parks, Cypress Gardens banks on a makeover to return it to a place of prominence. SeaWorld goes showbiz What you need to know about Believe, the lavish new killer whale show opening today at SeaWorld, is that Shamu is still the star. The best of the rest Most theme parks tout one or two new attractions each year. Here are a few other highlights from the Central Florida theme parks.

LAKE BUENA VISTA

All hail the mighty Yeti.

He is massive and menacing, with an icy blue face and shaggy gray hair. For the right price, you can purchase slippers resembling his hairy feet.

And as the star of the new roller coaster Expedition Everest, he's the prime attraction this summer at Disney's Animal Kingdom.

Expedition Everest opened amid much fanfare last month, and the park's first major coaster delivers what it promises: A realistic trek through the world's tallest mountain, complete with a face-to-face meeting with Mr. Yeti himself, the mythical Abominable Snowman.

Expedition Everest is not a whip-crackety thrill ride like those at Busch Gardens. Its mile-long track offers only a few tight spirals and one 80-foot drop, along with a couple of nifty spots where the train stops and shoots backwards into pitch blackness.

Like much of what Disney has to offer, the magic of Expedition Everest is in the presentation. The monolithic mountain encasing the coaster is, at 200 feet, about 145 times smaller than the real Mount Everest, and more than half the height of Florida's highest natural peak.

Disney engineers traveled to China and Nepal to study the art, architecture and wildlife of the Himalayas. Their attention to detail shows, from the native bamboo plants at the base to the decorative artifacts nestled by the track, including tiny saucers no larger than a potato chip. A waterfall and glittering painted-on snow and shadows heighten the realism.

If this ride follows a narrative - and what good Disney ride doesn't? - it's that your climb up Everest becomes a hunt for the Yeti, with no fewer than three full stops and reverses. You turn a corner and see that the Yeti has ripped up your track; you slide backwards into a cave, where you see a shadow silhouette of the Yeti mid-roar; then, at the end, you come face-to-face with the monster himself.

And wouldn't you know it - the big lug, though animatronic, is pretty fearsome.

A word of advice: Try to sit in the front row. You'll have an unparallelled view of Epcot and other Disney attractions, and the rush of cool breeze in your face heightens the Himalayan sensation.

This coaster won't whip your neck, crack your back or stop your heart. But Expedition Everest is still worth scaling. It's Disney innovation at its finest: a quality roller coaster experience that ends with a peek at a big hairy monster. If that doesn't excite you, take it up with the Yeti.

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Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom, Epcot and Disney-MGM Studios are all part of the Walt Disney World Resort, Interstate 4, Exit 64, west of Orlando. (407) 934-7639 or www.disneyworld.com. Hours vary. Single-day admission to any of the four theme parks: $59.75 plus tax adults, $48 plus tax ages 3-9. Discounts for Florida residents.

[Last modified May 11, 2006, 10:54:10]