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Expedition Everest

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Expedition Everest: Roller Coaster in Animal Kingdom, Disney World
Expedition Everest, photo courtesy of Walt Disney World.
Photo courtesy of Walt Disney World.

Disney has a thing for mountain-themed roller coasters, and in April 2006 this one joined the existing line-up of the Splash, Thunder, and Space Mountain rides.

Expedition Everest towers 200-feet in Animal Kingdom, and is special in several ways.

  • naturally it features some hot trends in coasters, such as reversing from forward ride to backward ride
  • its construction is truly monumental-- as in, 1,800 tons of steel
  • as befits the beautifully themed Animal Kingdom park, theming is amazing: 6.2 acres are filled with details from Nepal
  • "The Making of the Ride" is a story in itself, and includes lengthy research trips to the Himalayas, partnerships with conservation organizations and Discovery Channel, and even a couple of tv shows.
Good news for families, Expedition Everest is "designed for everyone": code-speak for "this ride won't wrench your guts out". Grandparents, queasy-type parents, and younger kids can all ride the mountain (as long as the kids are at least 44 inches tall.)

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