Mouse Extra

As you approach the Animal Kingdom, the Forbidden Mountain looms in the distance, a perfect fit of color and texture.  Its snow-capped peak seems to somehow belong among the lush green and flat Florida horizon.  Even inside the park, the mountain belongs from every angle, but as you approach Asia, the park transforms into a marvel of earth tones and immerses you into the story.

Even if you know very little about what lies ahead, you at least know that this is supposed to be a major attraction.   However, the mountain still appears off in the distance as you almost walk right past the entrance.  But just like the climbers in the Himalayas, this adventure begins long before you reach the mountain. 

The queue snakes through Himalayan culture.  You come across sculptures, fabrics, and structures that appear to have been holding off the weather’s destructive temper for centuries.  Some folks gathering around a particularly peculiar statue of an even more peculiar creature toss coins around it, hoping the ritual offers a little good luck for the journey.   Though your eyes are filled with sights you’ve never seen the likes of, it all seems to belong, or at least you hope it does.

Inside the clutter is almost unbearable.  Gear, artifacts, photos, and art work cover every inch as you look around this museum.  There is so much surrounding you, that if the line is moving fast you wish it would slow down.  But you see enough to realize the obsession with a mysterious creature, and you can gather from all the different representations that this creature may not be very cuddly.   Was that torn up campsite real, or just another imagined trick?

Finally you approach the platform, and to say the locomotive doesn’t fill you with confidence would be a terrible understatement.  As the steam pours from all sides, you wonder how it even made it around the corner.  But you board full of anticipation as you leave Serka Zong behind.

Quick and smooth, the train glides around a bend.  Is it just you, or does it feel like it is getting colder as you wind your way toward the Forbidden Mountain?  In near silence the train makes its way up the summit, passing more reminders of this peculiar creature that dominates the area.  Don’t look down, unless you like heights.

The train glides through glacial ice and rock, bringing you right into and out of the mountain, until it comes to a halt.  In front of you, you can see the tracks have been torn apart.  Twisted and bent into an impassable shape.  The train begins to reverse and as you plunge backwards into a dark abyss a beautiful owl appears from behind the snow-capped mountain, seeming to say “SEE YA!”

The next few seconds are dominated by speed, torque and gravity.  Going backwards up a Himalayan mountain at high speeds is a sensation you likely haven’t felt before, but the wonder doesn’t stop there, as the train moves forward again you head deep into the mountain’s caverns and come face to face with a giant, fantastic creature who appears to want to grab you and pull you right out of your seat.

Expedition Everest is the perfect Disney thrill ride, combining research, landscape, and excitement into an experience that is unique to Walt Disney World.  The audio-animatronic yeti is enough to make it a wonder.  The detail and design of the mountain puts it over the top.   But combine those with an engrossing pre-show, compelling story, and a just plain great coaster, and you can’t help but ride it over and over again.  You also can’t help but take dozens of photos.

Reminder: The Seven Wonders of Disney World is an idea brought to us by Lou and Nathan from the Mousetunes podcast.  See the link on the right and listen every week.