Tag Archives: Expedition Everest

June 2015 Trip Report Day 2, Animal Kingdom

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On our June 2015 trip our first park day was Animal Kingdom. We have no traditions about beginning with one park over the other. Generally, we follow the Extra Magic Hours calendar when planning our days. It happened that Animal Kingdom opened early that day, so that’s where we went.

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I can tell you our alarm went off at 6:20, aka early o’clock. By 7:00 we were on our way to Contemporary Grounds for Depth Chargers. Armed with caffeine we headed to the bus stop, where we didn’t wait long. We got to Animal Kingdom and through security before 8:00 am. I say this practically every time I blog, getting up early may be a pain, but the payoff is worth it when you’re through the ticket line and onto your favorite attraction right at the start of the day.

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At 8:00 we were in queue for Expedition Everest. We waited a few short minutes before we climbed aboard. I love to start a day with a roller coaster. Hubby does not feel this way, but he’s a trooper who mostly indulges my fancies.

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After Expedition Everest we made our way to Kilimanjaro Safaris. The park was cool and uncrowded in the morning – really pleasant. We took our time walking, stopping to snap pictures. I think Animal Kingdom has an incredible amount of atmosphere and I love to just take in all of the scenery detail. We didn’t have much of a wait for Kilimanjaro Safaris, and we had a good ride. We spotted lots of animals, but my favorite of that trek was a baby rhino. The exit of Kilimanjaro Safaris spits you out right at the entrance for the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail. This is a great place to scope gorillas. The Pangani Forest Exploration Trail also features a really awesome bat display that was closed for refurbishment when we were there. Upon leaving the Pangani Trail we headed to the new Harambe Market to check it out. We also poked our head into the new Zuri’s Sweets Shop. Zuri’s had nut mixes and plenty to satisfy sugar cravings, including adorable animal sugar cookies and fun animal themed candy apples.

 

After that fairly leisurely morning we decided to hunt down the Dawa Bar. This is a really sweet spot to grab a drink, cool off, and take in the atmosphere. If you’re into bloody marys, Dawa Bar has you covered with a killer bloody mary menu. Though they looked awesome, neither hubby or I are big bloody mary people, so he had a St. George beer and I had a class of Fair Valley Chenin Blanc. The bar was uncrowded, our bartender was awesome, and we could see and hear the African Drummers street performance from our perch. Though we wanted to linger here we had Fastpasses for Expedition Everest at 11:35, so we headed back to Asia for our second pass at the Yeti, and scored front car seats. Did I mention I love roller coasters? We followed up by walking the Maharajah Jungle Trek. Tigers are one of the main attractions on the Trek, but we didn’t manage to catch a glimpse of them. Though we didn’t see tigers, we did see an incredible array of exotic birds in the aviary. One bird in particular must have been very fond of hubby because he deposited a load of poo on hubby’s brand-new fedora. Fortunately I had some wipes in our backpack and we had a good laugh about it as we cleaned up the, um, gift. Everyone loves souvenirs, right??

At this point we were both in the mood for some chow. Normally Flame Tree BBQ is our go-to Animal Kingdom lunch spot. It’s so tasty. However, it was being refurbished, so we decided to go back to Harambe Market. It was kind of a zoo, no pun intended. Lines were long and slow moving. Table seating was at a super premium. Hubby and I split up the task. I ordered food and he scouted for a table. We both ordered a chicken skewer that came with a broccoli, tomato, red onion salad. We both had a milk tart for dessert. The chicken was delicious, especially the bbq sauce that was on the side. We both enjoyed having a healthy lunch that day. It was worth the wait.

After lunch we made our way to DinoLand U.S.A. to use our 1:05 Fastpasses for Primeval Whirl, followed by 2:15 Fastpasses for Dinosaur. We left DinoLand in pursuit of the 3:00 Finding Nemo the Musical show. I love this show. It runs about 40 minutes and outside of its great music and beautiful costumes, it’s an excellent way to cool off and get out of the sun.

After Finding Nemo the Musical we decided to forgo It’s Tough to Be a Bug, which was the only attraction we had left on our list. We elected instead to head back to the Dawa Bar to wait out the interval before our Tusker House reservation with a refreshment. (Tusker House is located right behind Dawa Bar.) The bar had really picked up traffic since our late morning visit. We met some really cool people while perched on a bar stool. I find that Disney World is an awesome place to converse with people, whether at the bar, or just in a queue.

When our time came for Tusker House, we got right in and ushered to a table. Tusker House is a buffet character dining experience. Neither of us had dined there before and we enjoyed having a new experience. The buffet was varied, including familiar and more exotic flavors that had Indian and Asian influence. We managed to see Mickey, Goofy, Donald, and Daisy who were all dressed for safari.

 

Cornbread was delish.
Tusker House decor
Muscle men
Aw, shucks.
Wish I had those lashes!

Both hubby and I agreed on an early night for our first day in the park. So with our bellies full of grub we left Animal Kingdom to head back to Bay Lake Tower. We managed to get in a  good swim with a few water slide runs before returning to our balcony for another evening of fireworks. All in all, a pretty perfect 1st park day.

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WTDW – The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror & Expedition Everest!

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Welcome to week two of WHAT TO DO WEDNESDAY! We kicked off the initial WTDW (What To Do Wednesday) last week by visiting two of our favorite attractions: Pirates of the Caribbean at Magic Kingdom and Soarin’ at Epcot. This week we are rounding out the main parks by visiting two of our favorite thrill rides, one from Disney’s Hollywood Studios and one from Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

DSC03066Service ElevatorThe Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Disney’s Hollywood Studios – Stroll down Sunset Boulevard to find this delightfully eerie attraction that’s based on the old television series The Twilight Zone. The story goes that in 1939, something unusual and unexplainable happened to guests in an elevator during a nasty thunderstorm at The Hollywood Tower Hotel. The glitzy hotel was left abandoned and frozen in time, until now. Upon entering the hotel, you’ll pass through the lobby where ornate rugs, luggage, dead plants, and a welcome desk are covered in dust and cobwebs. Creepy and off-centered bellhops give you strange looks and guide you through the hotel. You make a first stop into a library filled with hard cover volumes, vintage telephones, globes and busts. The lights go out suddenly and an old television set springs to life with a Twilight Zone style movie, recounting the mysterious 1939 events that left the hotel deserted. You are then invited, if you dare, to travel to the basement and step into a service elevator much like the one the guests rode many years ago. Once seated in the elevator you will find yourself rising up and moving forward to enter the “5th dimension.” The elevator will then begin a series of drops and rises which will have your heart hammering and palms sweating. The sequence of drops is randomized so you never know what to expect. Sometimes you have several long drops. Sometimes you shoot upwards, pause and then drop a little, before plummeting down all over again. Sometimes the elevator rises to the top of the shaft, and the doors open to reveal a spectacular, albeit brief view before you fall.

You have to put on your big kid pants and muster up some courage to brave this ride. I’ve visited this attraction dozens of times, and my nerves waver every time I walk into that hotel and get into that elevator. (It’ll make you think twice about getting into ANY elevator!) But let’s face it, I crave that pit in the bottom of my stomach – being scared is half the fun.

Guests must be at least 40 inches tall to ride, and guests who are claustrophobic or children afraid of the dark may want to consider passing it by.

Expedition EverestExpedition Everest at Disney’s Animal Kingdom – Rising into the sky, a snowy peak beckons guests to experience the excitement of Expedition Everest. Join the quest to discover the legend of the Yeti, the guardian of the forbidden mountain.

DSC03020DSC03018DSC03023DSC03024Expedition Everest trackOpening in spring of 2006 this is the newest high-thrill roller coaster to join the Walt Disney World fleet, and one of the newest attractions at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

Upon entering the queue, guests are guided through a covered area where large metal bells are suspended, begging for someone to reach up and give them a swing so they can sing out. I hit every one I can reach, even if that means jumping and swinging my arms like a monkey. All of the bells are different sizes and therefore have different sounds. Prayer flags dance in the breeze over stone yeti statues piled high with fruit offerings. Next you enter the Yeti museum devoted to the pursuit and legend of the elusive snow monster. Artifacts and fossils are in glass cases, photos, drawings, and maps hang on the walls among plenty of signs displaying quotes endorsing the existence of the Yeti. Camping equipment from Yeti seeking excursions is scattered everywhere –  snow shoes are mounted on the wall, while mittens and campfire coffeepots dangle from the ceiling. You almost want to have to wait for this coaster so you can check out all of the compelling evidence supporting this monstrous mountain dweller.

After passing through the museum you come to a platform, where you board a train to pass through the forbidden mountain and embark on your quest to discover the Yeti. With a puff of steam the train pulls of the station and begins to twist and turn before making a steep ascent up the mountain. (I love this part – gravity is pulling your back into the seat, but looking left and right grants you breathtaking views of WDW’s property!) As the train begins to ease down the hill and curve around, the train comes to a halt as broken track is exposed, leaving nowhere to go. The track literally flips upside down behind you, and with a woosh the train is suddenly flying backwards on an entirely new path. This roller coaster is full of twists and turns as you plunge through the mountain with the Yeti right on your heels.

This is one my all-time favorite attractions WDW. It’s the perfect blend of special effects, speed, smooth twists and turns, and drops that make my stomach flip. It’s also just fat lot of fun. Who doesn’t want to hop on a run-away train to a forbidden mountain in search of a legendary monster?!? Expedition Everest was an exceptional addition to Disney’s Animal Kingdom (I wouldn’t mind seeing a couple of similar new attractions there, *sigh*). Anyway, this is always the first thing we do once we arrive to Animal Kingdom in the morning. However, the jury is still out on whether or not breakfast should be consumed before or after riding!

Guests must be 44 inches or taller to ride. There are dark sections in this roller coaster, as well as loud noises that could be frightening to young children.