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Credit: Inside the MagicOver the past week at Walt Disney World Resort, one attraction breakdown has been making headlines following the breakdown of Expedition Everest, the tallest coaster at Disney World.
While visiting any of the Disney parks is meant to be a magical experience, there are always times when things can go awry. Sometimes, it could be horrendous weather conditions, as we have seen over this past weekend, which canceled the holiday event Jollywood Nights at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, or in the case of this Expedition Everest debacle located in the Asia section of Disney’s Animal Kingdom, a breakdown can occur.
It is certainly not uncommon to see a ride break down at Disney World. Over this past weekend, we at Inside the Magic even experienced a temporary breakdown while riding the PeopleMover at Magic Kingdom. Sometimes, like in our case at the Tomorrowland attraction, guests will have to patiently wait in their ride vehicle before the attraction resumes.
This past Thursday, Expedition Everest experienced a technical malfunction that affected not one, but two ride vehicles. Inside the Magic spoke with a cast member who was present during the non-operational breakdown of the ride. The cast member confirmed that the breakdown affected two separate coaster carts which had already left the loading station.
One of the coasters ended up getting stuck at the section where the coaster goes backwards. At this part of the story, guests who have been climbing Everest are made known that their assent has been stopped by the Yeti, who has ripped their tracks, and ability to escape. While this may sound like a terrifying spot to be stuck at, guests are surrounded, for the most part, by the walls of the mountain (which are covered in hair ties) making it tough to see how high up they actually are.
The other coaster was stuck on the incline that happens just as the ride begins. At this section, guests views are not covered by any part of the attraction, making the breakdown not only visible to guests but allowing riders to see that they are stuck on a rather large incline on a 199.5 foot coaster.
The ride was broken down for about 30 minutes before it could resume.
Inside the Magic reached out to Disney for comment, but have not heard back at the time of this article’s publication.
Expedition Everest Evacuation
In other instances of Expedition Everest breaking down at Animal Kingdom, we have seen guests have to evacuate the ride completely. While cast members are highly trained in regards to evacuating any Disney ride, some are a little scarier to evacuate due to their height.
Earlier this year in January, we shared a video of guests evacuating from the top of the ride. Here, we were able to see guests having to get out of the coaster, and walk alongside the tracks down to the base of the attraction.
Then, in April, the ride had to evacuate once again after a breakdown occurred after a refurbishment. While breakdowns can happen on any Disney attraction, Everest is among one of the more terrifying, or thrilling, rides to have to escape depending on how you look at it. This is made clear by the way Disney describes the story of the attraction, “Without warning, a broken and twisted track appears in front of you. Brace yourself as you plummet backward into total darkness. Inside the cavern, the mythical tale comes true as you see the shadow of a massive, growling beast! Race to escape the cursed mountain—before the Yeti claims another expedition.”
Expedition Everest is among one of the most popular attractions at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, alongside Kilimanjaro Safaris and Avatar — Flight of the Passage. It is not uncommon to see one hour or longer wait times for the attraction, making it a popular option to purchase Disney Genie+ for, so that guests can skip the main line through the Lightning Lane queue.
Have you ever been stuck or evacuated from a Disney attraction?
If you are looking to visit Walt Disney World Resort for a magical vacation, the Walt Disney World Website can be a great tool to begin planning your trip! You can begin exploring their theme parks: Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and EPCOT. You can also take a look at their water parks where you can splash around in the chill of Disney’s Blizzard Beach (alongside new Frozen characters, Anna, Elsa, Sven, and Kristoff), or hit the waves at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon. When you get hungry or want to go shopping, Disney Springs is the place to be, especially with World of Disney there ready to help you pick up some souvenirs! You can also begin looking for your Disney World Resort! If you are looking to stay at a Deluxe monorail Resort like Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa or a Value Resort where you can hop on the Skyliner like Disney’s Pop Century Resort, it is always fun to begin looking for a room that would best suit you and your party. Plus, it has all the information you need to know on Disney Genie+ so that you will be ready to go on your My Disney Experience app once you download it! Click here to check it out today.