Week 9 - Expedition Everest 5 Year Anniversary at Disney's Animal Kingdom (Mar 5)

Happy Birthday Yeti. Disney Passholders were invited to attend a special event in celebration of the 5 year anniversary of Expedition Everest at Disney's Animal Kingdom park.

One of the benefits of being a Disney Passholder is special events. On Saturday, March 5, 2011 Animal Kingdom stayed opened from 6:00 pm until 9:00 pm for guests who accepted a Passholder invitation to party Yeti style and signed-up in advance online. Signing up took time and a lot of patience. It was quickly a sold-out event. Wristbands were distributed the night of the event to those who arrived at the park gates with their online ticket information.

During the special event, 3 attractions were open - Expedition Everest, Dinosaur and Tricera Top Spin. Everyone's favorite Animal Kingdom roller coaster generally had a wait time of less than 15 minutes. A real treat for anyone who longs to ride but is sidelined by the usual extra long waits and sold out FastPasses. For those who wanted to dance (mostly children), a DJ was spinning tunes at DinoLand USA.

Of all the attractions, the line and wait time seemed to be longest for a special character meet and greet. Mickey Mouse and Goofy were both dressed in their finest Animal Kingdom gear as fearless mountain climbers (posted just outside Everest, of course). They looked absolutely precious. Based on the line, many people agreed.

Our only complaint, and I hate to complain because I appreciate special events, is that none of the restaurants in Animal Kingdom were open. We planned to eat at the park. For many people, 6pm is dinner time - even more so if you're travelling during the 5:00 hour. So we were disappointed to find all of the restaurants had shut down for the night. We walked from one end to the other (as did many other guests) in search of something to eat. Choices were primarily limited to popcorn, ice cream and beer - all available for purchase. We've been to some events where complementary food or snacks were provided.

At long last we spotted an option. Dino Diner, a converted camp trailer serving snacks in the midway area of DinoLand USA. The only "real" food option, however, was a $5 hot dog. Nothing with it, just the dog. Starved, we handed over the five bucks (and eleven cents) for a barely-warm and not very good hot dog. But, at least it took the edge off until we could return back home.

This special Animal Kingdom event was not one of Disney's finest efforts, but - as always - we appreciated the opportunity to enjoy a piece of the magic reserved exclusively for Passholders.