Hate on Everest: Reasonable or Needless?

[Peter'sGirl]

Thanks for the input everyone! Yeah, "hate" is a bit strong, but I was running into trouble trying to name the thread... Also, the yeti went down in 2008, and four/five years is an awful long time for something to be broken. I'm not saying that Disney's lack of effort to fix the yeti is okay, by the way. I love the yeti, and I wish they would make some attempt to make that scene better. But if I can't have that, I'd like to take an optimistic view on the ride and remember that it's still quite the piece of art without that last bonus scene.

...Oh, not to nitpick or anything...
Does Everest really put riders upside down? I don't remember there being a loop or anything on it.

Yeah, it's really smooth, but when you're going backwards through the dark part, it goes upside down. If you look, you can see the lit up floor above you in the middle of it, if only for a second.

[lazyboy97O]

Yeah, it's really smooth, but when you're going backwards through the dark part, it goes upside down. If you look, you can see the lit up floor above you in the middle of it, if only for a second.

Your mind is playing tricks on you. There are no inversions on Expedition Everest.

[Disneytwins]

Personally, I don't mind a yeti. Disneyland's bobsleds have been going slower past a strobed yeti for the past 50 years and no one has complained.

[Yackerz]

great ride other than the strobe lights. Disney can do better than cheap 80s effects. I know the story. It's just sad. They need to dump money in there to fix it. I don't care what it costs. They need to figure out how to rework it somehow.

---------- Post added 06-29-2012 at 06:41 PM ----------

Personally, I don't mind a yeti. Disneyland's bobsleds have been going slower past a strobed yeti for the past 50 years and no one has complained.

That is nostalgic though. This is supposed to be a state of the art ride, not nostalgic. If I want Disco lights, I'll go to DL for their matterhorn.

[Disneytwins]

When it was functional, it looked pretty static anyway. The ride is just too fast. I mean, I would understand if your sitting there for three seconds or more, but you can't really tell motion at .5 seconds.

[Yackerz]

that is true.. you just kind of zoom by it. I think they should just drop the disco lights and just focus a direct powerful illumination on him. It may look like he moves as you zoom by him It would be intimidating with some surround sound and all.

[ohmyjustin]

It'd be sufficient if there were more lighting on the yeti. It doesn't have to strobe (kinda cheesy for an extremely detailed ride) but the yeti looks so good that it needs to be seen. I hate having to squint to make out any features of it.

When I rode it on Saturday, I heard someone complaining to their family that it didn't even look like a yeti. I can't even agree or disagree because it's so hard to see. :/

[mikelieman]

Do we have samples of what Yeti REALLY look like now???

[TimmyTimmyTimmy]

I think they should pay the 50 millions or whatever it costs to rebuild the ride and make him move again and perhaps even add a few lights. If not... tear the entire ride down and build something else. It is simply not good enough to have such an amazing thing that costed huge amounts and time to build just standing there.
I don´t care what the hardcore WDW fans say...this ride as it is today is nothing but a waste. It is a broken ride!

Once again... here is the Yeti:

[mark]

I think the ride is terrific- but I miss the yeti as originally working. Would I go to AK without Everest? Yes, but only because I get to WDW once every several years. If I had only one or two days, no way. Not even close.

[Victor Brunswick]

Not that there's any room but I'd love to see them build Expedition Everest at DLR and hopefully get it right this time.

[PSUMark]

When it was functional, it looked pretty static anyway. The ride is just too fast. I mean, I would understand if your sitting there for three seconds or more, but you can't really tell motion at .5 seconds.

No. The motion was very distinct and noticeable. The first time I rode the attraction (as well as everytime thereafter that the Yeti was functioning), that was the #1 thing that made an impression on me out of the entire attraction - how incredibly fluid and lifelike the Yeti's motion was. Without that (functioning) animatronic, the ride is really just a decent coaster with a great queue.

"Hate" is a strong word, but I think a certain level of disappointment is reasonable.

If they designed and built a ride that was impossible to fix, that was dumb.
If they built a ride that can be fixed, but they're too cheap to do so, that's lame.
The fact that they won't come out and openly say which it is; that's weaksauce.
The fact that the working effects are still being used in advertising materials; that's dishonest.

It's to be hoped that the reason for the otherwise-questionable decision to build Avatarland is so they'll have something else for people to do while they fix Everest.

That pretty much says it all.

[Bill]

Although I can say that I know the Cast Members at Everest call the Yeti "Betty", Joe designed and refers to the Yeti as a male, and I don't think he was ever officially named. But try telling the Cast Members that work there. LOL.

The vulture at the top however, was named Kenny. Unfortunately, he doesn't work anymore either.

Everest needs to close before it kills someone. The entire mountain is in dire need of maintenance. (Not just the Yeti) Perhaps after Animal Kingdom has the capacity (If Avatar ever opens) to not worry about closing a major attraction for an extended period, it will get the attention it deserves.

[RooBear]

You know, I was once a film critic for a newspaper and I would get the comment all the time, "why do you keep going to so many movies when you hate them so much?"

The fact is, I LOVE the movies. People failed to see I was still going and going to the movies. But I know they could be better. Same goes for the Parks. I love Everest, I ride it almost every time I go there-but I know that there could be more.

So its not hating. It's helping Disney prioritize what's important. They, evidently, don't realize how they appear in their fans' eyes.

Peace,
Roo

[techskip]

Part of me wants to say that WDI would never design something with major components that lacked the proper access to maintain them. Then again they built Indy at DL and assumed that because it had a maintenance bay it would run forever and not require a refurb. I don't forsee the Yeti getting fixed anytime soon. I think if they were going to fix it they would have done so for the anniversary and made a big production out of it.