You think that — with a line that extended all the way back to the Disney Vacation Club information booth in Asia — that you’d be dealing with some extremely crabby people.
But yesterday, one of the most polite, upbeat crowds in the world stood patiently in the hot sun & humidity. Waiting for their chance to experience “Expedition Everest.”
Photo by Jeff Lange
Of course, given that these were WDW cast members and their friends & family …Well, that explains the upbeat & polite part. But as why they’d stand patiently in the blistering sun …
Photo byJeff Lange
“It’s a brand new attraction,” said one unnamed cast member that I spoke with yesterday while we stood together in line. “This weekend is the very first time that tens of thousands of people have crammed into this part of the park and tried to get on this ride. So — of course — there are going to be some problems.”
“That’s why Disney actually holds these cast member preview events,” he continued. ” We’re the guinea pigs. We’re the ones that help the company determine where the real problems are. So that they can then deal with all the guest flow issues before the paying customers get here.”
Right now, “Expedition Everest” ‘s main problem seems to be that this new thrill ride just takes so long to cycle once it goes down. Yesterday, I was told that it takes at least 45 minutes to reset the attraction. So that things like that hidden safety rail …
Photo by Jeff Lange
… (Which comes up whenever EE goes down. Making it that much easier — and safer — for guests to exit the train and then walk down that steep load hill) can properly retract and safely be stowed away.
The downside of all these glitches was that — at one point yesterday — thousands of Disney cast members and their friends & family stood in a three-and-a-half hour long line, patiently waiting for their chance to ride “Expedition Everest.”
Photo by Jeff Lange
Sure, there were some people who eventually bailed out of that line to seek a place to sit and/or shade. But the bulk of these folks hung in there.
Why for? Well, as that unnamed cast member explained: “My friends who have already ridden this said it’s the very best thing that Disney has done in years. So — whatever it takes — I’m going to hang in here and find out what all the fuss is about.”
FYI: I myself didn’t actually hang in there. I eventually got out of line and explored the more public areas of the attraction. Like that part of “Expedition Everest” exit area …
Photo by Jeff Lange
… where guests will eventually be able to pick their souvenir photos of their far-too-close encounter with the Yeti.
Photo by Jeff Lange
I also found what’s not-so-politely referred to as EE’s “fat testing seats.” As in: That test ride vehicle in the load area that allows overweight / oversized guests to discretely find out if if they’ll actually be to fit into a seat / harness on board “Expedition Everest.” These are also used for handicapped guests to see if they can properly and safely get in and out of them.
Photo by Jeff Lange
But after hearing one senior cast member with a walkie-talkie say that “If we don’t get this ride moving soon, we won’t be able to get all the people in the Fast Pass line through tonight. Let alone all of the people in the stand-by line …,” I thought that it might be best to bail. To wait ’til another day to try & ride “Expedition Everest.”
Okay. I know. A lot of you WDW annual passholders & DVC members must already be fretting. Wondering if the lines shown here are the sorts of coming attraction for what you can expect at next weekend’s “Expedition Everest” preview event.
Photo by Jeff Lange
Again, please keep in mind that this is why the Walt Disney Company actually holds these cast member preview events. So that they can then work out all the bugs. So that DAK’s newest thrill ride will then be running smoothly & loading efficiently when you — the paying customer — finally arrive to check out this theme park’s latest addition.
So here’s hoping that today’s cast-member-only event (Which is the very last day of this four-day-long “Expedition Everest” preview, by the way) goes a lot smoother.
Your thoughts?
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