Psst -- Everest is Open. Shhh...

[cgorn]

Returned from WDW on Tuesday night. On Sunday, we went to Animal Kingdom. We heard a rumor that Everest was open. We knew that DVC members and Annual Pass holders were given a "sneak preview" the previous week, but figured that was it.

There was no printed info about Everest, and the park map still didn't have it as an official attraction (still "coming soon"), but the information board had Everest on there, listed as "Temporarily Paused." We walked up to two cast members who were standing there and whispered, "Is Everest open?"

"Why is everyone who asks us that whispering?" they laughed.

They explained that it was a "soft opening," and it was open for Fast Pass-ing. My wife is in PR, and knew that a "soft opening" basically means it's unpublished, but if you find out by word-of-mouth, you can also spread the news.

When we arrived at the attraction, there was a line, but we were told it was down for "technical difficulties." We Fast Passed it and were able to get on about 90 minutes later.

Possibly the coolest ride in WDW. Even my wife, who's not at all into roller coasters, loved it.

Pass it on

Chad

 

[NJBlackBerry]

Shhhh - don't tell anyone - there are probably 20 threads on this. Shhhh; yes - it was open last weekend. We went on it Saturday morning with no wait times. No need for FPs.

 

[safetymom]

Soft opening also means it can be closed. There isn't a fixed schedule as to when the ride is open. It could be open all day, or it could open for several hours in the morning or afternoon.

 

[maliboomer]

Shhhh - don't tell anyone - there are probably 20 threads on this. Shhhh; yes - it was open last weekend. We went on it Saturday morning with no wait times. No need for FPs.

There was no need to be rude.

Anywhom, glad you liked Everest! I can't wait to ride it one day! *jealous *

 

[NJBlackBerry]

Being sarcastic is different than being rude. I did not attack the poster, just the fact that this was hardly new information and there were a ton of threads on it. Sorry if I offended you.

I keep forgetting that you can not say anything on this forum without it being taken out of context. My bad.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

there were a ton of threads on it.

Many posters apparently are unaware of the Search function.

 

[cgorn]

No sweat... I didn't take it as rude. I actually figured there would have been tons of threads on this, but I didn't see any on a quick scan.

Anyway, I was just excited that it was open, especially since Test Track was closed while I was there.

Chad

 

[pumpkinfish]

No sweat... I didn't take it as rude. I actually figured there would have been tons of threads on this, but I didn't see any on a quick scan.

Anyway, I was just excited that it was open, especially since Test Track was closed while I was there.

Chad

Well, I still don't mind seeing the many threads on EE. Since we are leaving next week, I am looking for as much up-to-the-minute informaton I can get. DH and I plan on being at AK on Wed morning and as long as it takes on Thursday so we can ride.

Hey Chad,what time of day was this? When you approached the information board and spoke with the CMs? As much info as possible...it couldn't hurt

Thanks again

 

[shellybaxter]

Being sarcastic is different than being rude. I did not attack the poster, just the fact that this was hardly new information and there were a ton of threads on it. Sorry if I offended you.

I keep forgetting that you can not say anything on this forum without it being taken out of context. My bad.

In my opinion being sarcastic can be rude and in this case I believe it was and that you were out of line. I'm happy for the OP and others who are getting to ride EE on their vacations. Its really a lottery since the ride isn't offically open for a couple of months. I love reading about people's enthusiasm for this new ride and could care less if there is one thread or one hundred threads. Too me the excitement of people is part of the magic

 

[NJBlackBerry]

Gee - I'm sooo sorry I hurt your feelings. Welcome to the real world.

I keep forgetting that everyone on this board is so thin-skinned.

Personally, I think that even seeing the same posts multiple times is a waste of time, effort and web site bandwidth. And there was nothing malicious or offensive towards the original poster.

You are, of course, entitle to your own opinion.

And EE was great. I hope everyone gets to enjoy it many, many times.

 

[DisneyWisher]

Well, I still don't mind seeing the many threads on EE. Since we are leaving next week, I am looking for as much up-to-the-minute informaton I can get. DH and I plan on being at AK on Wed morning and as long as it takes on Thursday so we can ride.

Hey Chad,what time of day was this? When you approached the information board and spoke with the CMs? As much info as possible...it couldn't hurt

Thanks again

I totally agree. Chad thanks for the info. The voices in my head are cheering but luckily no one else can hear them. hehehe j/k

 

[jim and meesie]

Shhhh - don't tell anyone - there are probably 20 threads on this. Shhhh; yes - it was open last weekend. We went on it Saturday morning with no wait times. No need for FPs.

I didn't think you were the least bit rude....until I read all the other posters criticizing you.....now that was rude! I guess I'm just used to hearing kids saying DUUUHHHH! or Hellllooooo! when I say something that they find too obvious!

Back to the topic, EE will be the reason to visit AK when I'm at WDW in March!!

 

[makinorlando]

We were at AK on Sunday, did not ride EE, but it is a great photo op! If you look at the left side, you can see the "cars" going up into the mountain! Very "strange" seeing mountains in Florida!

 

[anita967]

We were told by the cast member registering us for the hotel that Everest was open. We rode it several times. It's a great ride!!

 

[Mickey_Maniac]

Can you tell us if you were there first thing in the morning. I'm wondering if people have seen EE open for either morning EMH or right at rope drop on a non-EMH day.

 

[NJBlackBerry]

It was open at rope drop last Saturday.
We didn't realize it until we heard screaming coming from Asia

 

[bbump]

I have read almost every thread on EE hoping that I can find out more details on the soft openings, as we will be in the World March 18 - 25th.
I would love to hear if anyone knows from CM's if there is a great possiblity that EE will be open during this time.

I read on one thread that EE would not be in soft opening in March, as they will be preparing for the official opening.
....not sure if this is true or not, but I really hope we will get a chance to try this ride, as we probably won't return to the World for quite a while.

 

[cgorn]

My wife and I arrived on Sunday (2/5) around 10:30AM. We talked to the cast members at the info board as soon as we got there, and took a "shortcut" through Dinoland (past the "Theater in the Wild") to get to the FP. We got the FP around 10:45 and our time frame was 12:50-1:50, so I didn't think that was bad at all. There was only a short stand-by line at the time, but that could be because CMs were telling people the ride was temporarily closed for tehnical difficulties (they weren't lying; no cars were running).

When we returned around 1PM, the stand-by line was at 40 minutes, which still isn't too bad, considering we thought the park seemed pretty crowded (and in comparison, "Soarin'" in Epcot seemed to have up to a 70 minute wait, and Epcot did not appear crowded at all).

I will say that the line itself was pretty cool. We blasted throught it because of FP, but it would have been interesting to look it had we needed to wait. There were Mt. Everest and Yeti artifacts and articles all over the place.

The completion of Everest also lended a completeness to all of Animal Kingdom for my wife and me. Before, "Asia" seemed to go nowhere. We would tend to go to Africa, then to Asia, and then right to Discovery Island if we wanted to get around. Now it seemed quite natural to get from Asia to Dinoland.

Ok. I just took a look at an older AK map (http://www.wdwinfo.com/maps/AK.htm), and it turns out they didn't have a link from Dinoland to Asia, but they certainly do now. That's a nice addition in itself -- makes it easier to get around the park. You can FP Everest, go ride Dinosaur, and get back to Everest with little difficulty.

Chad