Cody Smith, who reports for The Disney Pincast and The Vinylmation Station, visited the Walt Disney World Resort this weekend and has a few newsworthy pictures to share with us:
The water seems to be staining Everest…
WDWNT Reporter Brandon Struve has sent us a few interesting photos from Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park:
The Animal Kingdom maps now have Finding Nemo: The Musical on the cover
The wait for Expedition: Everest was only 5 minutes long
Hard to see here, but the steam on the trains is working again
The bird is back!!! After being gone for a few years, the creeping hawk has returned to the heights of Everest
Guests who participate in two select events during the Walt Disney World Fall Endurance Series will be eligible for an extra piece of hardware to take home:
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (April 29, 2009) – Disney Sports is creating a one-of-a-kind bonus medal for runners who complete the Fall Race Challenge, competing in two of Disney’s three fall endurance events at Walt Disney World Resort. Runners that record an official time for Disney’s Race for the Taste 10K and either the Expedition Everest Challenge presented by Champion or The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 13K will receive the bonus medal in addition to individual race medals – a total of three race medals for running two races. Registration for all three fall events is now open.
“Disney is dedicated to providing guests with new, interactive features to make their race experience more fun, more exciting and more memorable,” says Disney Endurance Series Director Kathleen Duran. “We are always looking for new ways to differentiate our Disney events by creating unique, immersive experiences.”
Disney’s fall lineup includes expanded race options. The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 13k event will feature a 5k and an exclusive post-race party. Disney’s Race for the Taste 10k event will include a new 3k race designed for casual runners and those looking to compete in their first endurance event.
The Disney Endurance Series fall lineup includes:
Expedition Everest Challenge presented by Champion (Sept. 26, 2009): This second-year event is the first urban adventure race in Disney’s Endurance Series. The two-person team competition features a 5k, scavenger hunt and an obstacle course designed to challenge runners physically and mentally. There is an exclusive post-race party at Disney’s Animal Kingdom for the finishers. A portion of all entry fees will benefit the Himalayan Youth Foundation and Disney’s Worldwide Conservation Fund.
Disney’s Race for the Taste 10K (Oct. 11, 2009): This race takes runners through Disney’s Hollywood Studios and around the 11 pavilions of Epcot World Showcase. Guests have access to a post-race picnic that includes food samples from the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, live Disney entertainment, music, games and face painters.
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 13K (Oct. 24, 2009): This road race returns for its third year and the journey includes a haunting course through the vacant streets of Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The event includes an exclusive post-race party with family and friends.
To register for these and more Disney Endurance Series events including the Walt Disney World Marathon (Jan. 7-10, 2010), visit disneyenduranceseries.com.
The Orlando Sentinel has the complete story, as well as a recording of the 911 call pertaining to yesterday’s death on Animal Kingdom’s Expedition Everest attraction. The full story and audio can be found at this link.
| Orlando Sentinel Staff Writer 6:06 PM EST, December 18, 2007
A 44-year-old man has died after riding the Expedition Everest roller coaster at Disney’s Animal Kingdom today. Jeffrey Reed, of Navarre, was unconscious and unresponsive when his ride vehicle pulled into the unload area, around 11:25 this morning. Another park guests who is a registered nurse and a Disney employee began cardiopulmonary resuscitation until Reedy Creek Emergency Services paramedics arrived and took over, said Assistant Fire Chief Bo Jones. The man had no pulse when paramedics arrived, Jones said. There was no apparent trauma and “no obvious signs of any cause,” Jones said. The paramedics transported him to Celebration Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Walt Disney World officials said the ride was inspected this morning and was operating properly, but is currently closed while Disney officials reconfirm the ride’s status. The Florida Bureau of Fair Rides Inspection and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office were notified. A Disney spokeswoman said the company has offered the man’s family “our deepest sympathies” and offered assistance.
The death is the first associated with the roller coaster Expedition Everest, which opened in early 2006. That ride includes tight twists and turns and some backwards travel but is not a particularly fast or steep roller coaster and has no loops. The death is the third death associated with a Disney attraction this year and the first since March, when a man died after collapsing at the Downhill Double Dipper at Blizzard Beach.
