UPDATE July 21 – Disney has filed a permit for construction work to be done on Expedition Everest at Disney’s Animal Kingdom which means it looks like this popular attraction is likely to see further closures in the near future. The permit gives the general description of improvements as to provide labour, material and/or electrical for construction.
There currently isn’t any further information on the website and there hasn’t been any official announcement given by Disney of refurbishment dates as of yet. The permit is set to expire on July 14, 2023 so we are unclear whether this will be done imminently or further down the line.
Expedition Everest reopened on April 16, having been closed since January for refurbishment, so news of further closures will be disappointing for fans of this attraction. We assume it is for necessary maintenance and hope that the work can be done as quickly as possible to avoid another lengthy closure. We will keep you posted with updates on our news and Facebook page when we get them.
UPDATE (April 25) – Expedition Everest is having a somewhat bumpy reopening after its extensive refurbishment as guests have reportedly been evacuated for the second time since the attraction reopened on April 16, after the coaster got stuck again at the highest point on Saturday April 23. A video of this can be seen on TikTok here.
Whilst we understand that roller coasters will inevitably have malfunctions, this second incident seems particularly disappointing so soon after the attractions reopening. There is obviously an issue which needs to be further looked at. As far as we know, Expedition Everest is now running again and we are hoping there won’t be any further evacuations needed anytime soon.
UPDATE (April 18) – After Expedition Everest reopened on Friday after a lengthy refurbishment, fans have understandably been flocking to the ride at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. There have been reports online that yesterday the ride malfunctioned while guests were in the Yeti cave meaning the roller coaster stopped and guests had to be evacuated.
Whilst guests commented saying it was exciting to see behind the scenes, this is certainly not great news for this newly reopened ride. It is inevitable that attractions will experience problems and all guests were safely evacuated but to face this so soon after the lengthy refurbishment is definitely disappointing. We assume that this was a minor issue and Expedition Everest will continue to run smoothly as we head through April and into the summer months.
UPDATE (April 16) – It is confirmed, Expedition Everest at Disney’s Animal Kingdom has reopened. Cast members were seen testing the roller coaster yesterday morning and then the ride soft opened to guests in the afternoon. From initial reports it looks like there have few visual changes to the attraction during the three and a half month refurbishment.
We already knew that Disney had no intention of fixing the infamous Yeti which remains broken, just with strobe lighting positioned on it. The animatronic bird located at the top of the mountain hasn’t been fixed either. We assume therefore that the work that has been done has been on the ride system meaning Expedition Everest should see little if any downtime for the remainder of the year.
Upon reopening Expedition Everest has officially been added to the $15 per person, per day Disney Genie+ service. This attraction will remain available as a selection for this service through at least August 7.
UPDATE (April 15) – It has now been confirmed that Expedition Everest at Disney’s Animal Kingdom will reopen tomorrow (April 16), having been closed since January for refurbishment. This is certainly great news for guests at Walt Disney World as we head through April and into the summer months. As we have previously reported Disney had no intention of fixing the infamous Yeti during this extended refurbishment. You can see that Expedition Everest no longer appears on the ‘closed for refurbishment’ section on the Walt Disney World official calendar from tomorrow. Check it out here.
April 9 – For many guests, Expedition Everest at Disney’s Animal Kingdom is a must-do attraction on a visit to Walt Disney World. We already know that the iconic attraction has been closed since January for necessary refurbishment.
Initially when this refurbishment was announced we had hoped that Expedition Everest would reopen in time for Spring break which sadly hasn’t happened. Disney extended the refurbishment date and updated their official calendar to April 30.
We now find on Expedition Everest’s official page that it now reads “Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain is currently closed for refurbishment. Please check back here for updates.” Previously it had stated an April reopening date giving us hope that the April 30 date could still be upheld.
We are currently left without a potential reopening date for the very popular Expedition Everest at Disney’s Animal Kingdom but with trains being seen testing that gives us hope that a reopening date will be announced soon.
We assume with the crowds in the parks and the summer fast approaching that Disney is doing everything it can to get Expedition Everest back open again as soon as possible. For those of you who are expecting to see the fixing of the infamous Yeti during this extended refurbishment then prepare yourself to be disappointed as Disney confirmed that this will not happening this time around.
We will keep you posted on an announced reopening date for Expedition Everest at Disney’s Animal Kingdom on our news and Facebook page. Let us know your thoughts on this extended refurbishment by leaving us a comment below.
