Where Cinderellas hang out
Soaring Over California
Joking with monsters
Fastpass for shorter, quicker lines
Conquering tricky Everest
at Animal Kingdom
By David G. Molyneaux
Most roller coasters stay on track in a circuit, following a predictable amusement park path. They climb, they plunge, they return.
But at Expedition Everest in Disney World's Animal Kingdom near Orlando, Disney's renowned Imagineers added a wrinkle to the track. After a long climb to the peak through a dark mountain tunnel, the path ends abruptly.
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Where the track suddenly ends
Photo by DisneyWorld | In a "What now?" moment, the coaster stop cold, and you are staring out of the side of a Disney-made mountain . . . as . . . the train . . . begins . . . to slide . . . backward. It picks up speed until you are retreating lickety-split, whipping over crests with your body bent oddly forward.
Eventually the coaster does another turnabout before it switches tracks and heads for home at speeds up to 50 mph.
Disney, which always provides a back story to its rides, is not finished. The last whoosh of the coaster is an 80-foot drop through a fog to escape from a huge, hairy monster. This animatronic robot was created to resemble the mysterious mountain Yeti, also known as the Abominable Snowman of the eastern Himalayan region of China and Nepal.
The story is that passengers are trekkers riding the train through an abandoned tea plantation and into mountain caves on the way to a Mount Everest base camp. The Yeti protects the mountain.
Waiting lines for the three-minute ride on the 34-passenger train (two abreast) snake through a mythical village, Serka Zong. It is stocked with Himalayan artifacts that include yak carvings, ceremonial masks, shrines, totems, a dance costume typically worn by a monk, yeti dolls and waterproof barrels designed for mountain treks.
The ride is exhilarating, not herky-jerky, and has no upside-down turns or moments when you are airborne. The best place to sit is the front car, where you get the full effect of the sudden stop and the whip of the ride backward. Seats provide good lumbar support. Riders must be at least 44 inches tall.
At nearly 200 feet tall, Everest is as high as Disney could build a mountain without adding a lighted tower to warn aircraft. A field of fake snow offers a nice contrast to the heat of Central Florida.
Where Cinderellas hang out
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| Where the clock never strikes 12 | Disney World focuses its major magic on Cinderella's Castle in the Magic Kingdom. Thanks to a Magical Makeover, the castle now includes a private suite. Nearly every day through Dec. 31, 2008, a guest at Disney World will be selected randomly, tapped on the shoulder -- it's called a Magical Moment -- and told that he or she has been chosen to sleep that night in the castle, which has been Magically Transformed.
The winner may bring up to four friends to sleep overnight in the suite. They should be close friends, because castles are known for their tight quarters.
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| Cinderella's cozy suite | The Cinderella suite has two double beds and a salon with a couch that pulls into a third double. All residents share one bath, with one magical tub.
Cinderella's cozy suite, decorated with stained-glass windows, rich wall coverings and a familiar glass slipper, is well worth dreaming about. Who wouldn't want to live a night in a 17th century French chateau where the clock never strikes 12? It is ... magical.
Soaring over California
Soarin' is Disney World's most popular ride. It's a hang-gliding journey patterned after a similar ride at Disney's California Adventure in Anaheim, Calif. It opened in May 2006 in the Land Pavilion at Epcot and gets the highest satisfaction ratings from guests among all the rides at Disney World. I liked the ride so much, I did it again. And then again.
You sit upright, belted into a seat that moves enough to make you feel as if you are soaring and swooping over California's farmlands, vineyards, mountains and sea coast. Rugged peaks and sloshy seaspray slide just below your dangling feet. Gliding over a citrus grove, you will smell oranges. The flight is about five minutes, but it seems like less. Minimum height is 40 inches.
With Soarin' and the amazing rocket-simulating Mission: Space (opened in 2003), Epcot offers two special experiences in human flight. Soarin' is not scary and is easy on the equilibrium. Mission: Space, which simulates a trip to Mars by re-creating two times the force of gravity, is my favorite ride at Disney, but it can be sickening to people who have difficulty with motion. If you get carsick or seasick, I would not recommend Mission: Space.
Joking with monsters, send a text message
Below Cinderella's Castle, on the grounds of the Magic Kingdom's Tomorrowland, is a magical experiment that all guests can experience. On the 400-seat Laugh Floor at Monster's Inc., kids -- and adults -- may converse directly with animated monsters. It's a technological marvel.
Characters are from Disney's Pixar movie, "Monsters, Inc." The show features a one-eyed Mike Wazowski as monster of ceremonies.
Key to the story: Monsters have discovered that laughter is 10 times more powerful than screams from scaring people. What a great idea, especially if you can persuade your little ones that the monsters they fear under their beds only want to make them laugh.
Don't forget to bring your cell phone, if it allows text messaging. As they wait in line for the show to begin, kids are encouraged to send a text message of their favorite joke for possible use on the show.
One May afternoon, McKenzie, from New Hampshire, offered this joke that was read to the audience.
Question: Why did the cookie go to the doctor?
Answer: Feeling crummy.
Even the monsters laughed.
Fastpass for short lines
For popular rides such as Everest, Soarin' and Mission: Space, guests should use Disney's Fastpass, a computerized system that gives guests an alternative to long lines at all four theme parks.
Every time I visit Disney World, I am amazed at how many people don't take advantage of this free system, which began in 1999.
All you need to do is a little planning. At the 26 attractions that offer Fastpass, you can put any valid theme-park ticket into a special machine and receive a Fastpass ticket. The ticket will indicate a one-hour window of time when you can return and enter the attraction with little or no wait.
For example, the Fastpass ticket might say 10:05-11:05 a.m. That means you can return at any time during the designated hour and go directly to the attraction pre-show or boarding area. You can get several Fastpass tickets during a day in the Disney theme parks. How often? A Disney spokesman said the answer varies, but it will be printed on the first Fastpass ticket you get.
David Molyneaux is editor of TravelMavens.net
Molyneaux's blog
Email David@TravelMavens.net
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