It’s no secret that Disney loves mountain-themed attractions. Disney has mountain-themed rides around the globe — four of which are in Disney World. These include Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Splash Mountain (which will be getting a BRAND NEW overlay soon!), and Expedition Everest.
Expedition Everest
How much do YOU know about the mountain ranges of Disney World? We have ten questions to test your knowledge!
Approximately how many gallons of water does Splash Mountain hold?
A) 480,000 gallons
B) 965,000 gallons
C) 720,000 gallons
D) 690,000 gallons
Splash Mountain
CORRECT ANSWER: B) 965,000 gallons
Splash Mountain holds quite a substantial amount of water to keep you cool on those hot Florida days! If you want to get the most out of those 965,000 gallons, sit in the front of the log. If you want to stay a little dryer, sit towards the back.
Splash Mountain actually needed to delay their opening day because executives who tested the ride were getting way more SOAKED than Disney had anticipated, so certain parts of the ride needed to be redesigned. Although on Florida’s hottest days, we wouldn’t mind a complete drenching!
See how else you can stay cool in Disney World by packing these essentials!
Which of the four mountains in Disney World was among the first attractions to use computer-aided design, also known as CAD?
A) Space Mountain
B) Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
C) Splash Mountain
D) Expedition Everest
Frontierland
CORRECT ANSWER: B) Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
The concept for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad was originally thought up in the early 1970’s, but was shelved due to budget constraints. This delay turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as computer-aided design was in its earliest years when Big Thunder was finally approved to begin construction in 1977.
Big Thunder Mountain
The benefits of CAD included producing a much ‘smoother’ ride for passengers since a complete 3D model could be viewed in 360 degrees on a computer. If Big Thunder was built before CAD was implemented into theme park ride design, it would probably be an even bumpier and WILDER ride than it already is!
Check out our Frontierland food tour!
Which of the four mountains in Disney World got its name in the hopes that it could promote an upcoming film?
A) Space Mountain
B) Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
C) Splash Mountain
D) Expedition Everest
Splash Mountain
CORRECT ANSWER: C) Splash Mountain
When the log flume ride was originally conceived and developed, its working name was Zip-A-Dee River Run.
Splash Mountain Entrance
The name was ultimately changed to Splash Mountain because then CEO Michael Eisner was hopeful that it would help promote the film Splash. Obviously, the Splash tie-in fell through and we have the mountain we know today!
Want to learn more fun facts? Check out our article about some of Disney World’s opening day attractions!
Which of the four mountains in Disney World offers a Single Rider Line?
A) Space Mountain only
B) Space Mountain and Expedition Everest
C) Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain
D) Expedition Everest only
Single Rider Shirt
CORRECT ANSWER: D) Expedition Everest only
Currently, Expedition Everest is the only Disney World mountain that offers a Single Rider line, which allows guests to split up and ride separately in order to shorten their wait time.
Expedition Everest Wait Time
Single Rider is a great way to expedite your time in line, as long as everyone in your party is old enough to ride solo and you don’t mind splitting up! It may be an odd experience to some, but if you’re looking to maximize your time in the parks, we recommend you give it a try!
The yeti in Expedition Everest stands at 25 feet tall! How many buttons are used to fasten his fur?
A) 250 buttons
B) 500 buttons
C) 750 buttons
D) 1,000 buttons
Expedition Everest at Animal Kingdom
CORRECT ANSWER: D) 1,000 buttons
With 1,000 square feet of fur to hold together, you need quite a lot of buttons! The yeti is also held together with 250 zippers. He is certainly an impressive audio-animatronic, but unfortunately, he was met with an early demise shortly after Expedition Everest’s opening.
©D23
Expedition Everest is actually three separate structures: the roller coaster, the mountain, and the yeti, which was constructed into the actual structural framework. Due to a miscalculation during construction, his swinging arm motion was causing structural damage to the attraction, and his movement needed to be turned off to prevent further damage. In order to provide some semblance of “motion,” Imagineers put a strobe light on the Yeti.
What resulted is what fans lovingly refer to as “disco yeti,” due to the strobe effect that is present to simulate motion. If this were to be repaired, it would involve essentially dismantling large portions of the mountain and track to correct, which is likely why it hasn’t been done yet.
Here are 12 fun facts about Animal Kingdom!
Which of the four mountains in Disney World was based on an existing film?
A) Splash Mountain
B) Expedition Everest
C) Space Mountain
D) Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Splash Mountain
CORRECT ANSWER: A) Splash Mountain
Splash Mountain is loosely based off of the film Song of the South. The ride originally opened in Disneyland out of a desire to increase foot traffic to Critter Country, which occupied an empty corner of the park.
Splash Mountain
Imagineer Tony Baxter came up with the idea after considering repurposing the animatronics from the America Sings attraction, which was due to close at the time. He used all the animatronics (you’ll see most of them in the finale scene).
Note that Splash Mountain will be re-themed in the near future to a Princess and the Frog attraction!
Animatronics and ride technology have come a long way since Splash Mountain. Learn more here!
Which of the four mountains in Disney World was originally developed as part of a larger land expansion?
A) Space Mountain
B) Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
C) Expedition Everest
D) Splash Mountain
Chip ‘n’ Dale in Frontierland
CORRECT ANSWER: B) Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
The original concept for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad was part of a larger land expansion at Magic Kingdom…sort of. Imagineers proposed a Thunder Mesa themed land, which would include a runaway mine train attraction and an ambitious, animatronic-heavy boat ride similar to Pirates of the Caribbean.
When Magic Kingdom debuted in 1971, Cast Members were flooded with complaints from guests that Pirates had not been built in Florida’s Magic Kingdom after being so popular in Disneyland. Disney World almost immediately began construction on a cheaper, smaller version for Florida.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Eventually, Big Thunder was brought back to the table as the only surviving portion of the Thunder Mesa concept. Imagineer Tony Baxter reimagined the idea and it opened in Magic Kingdom in 1980.
Read about more times Disney’s plans were scrapped here!
Which of the four mountains in Disney World is technically located OUTSIDE of the park?
A) Space Mountain
B) Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
C) Splash Mountain
D) Expedition Everest
TRON Rising Behind Space Mountain
CORRECT ANSWER: A) Space Mountain
If you look closely at a map of Magic Kingdom, you’ll notice that Space Mountain is on the other side of the Walt Disney World Railroad’s tracks. Those tracks are along the park’s “berm,” or perimeter. When Space Mountain was being designed, it was clear that it would be too large to fit inside Magic Kingdom’s perimeter. So they literally had to think “outside” the box!
Magic Kingdom Park Map
Ever notice how Space Mountain has a seemingly never-ending queue both on AND off the ride? When you are traveling down that “star corridor” to reach the main loading room of Space Mountain, you are actually walking underneath the railroad tracks! The upcoming TRON Lightcycle Run will also be located beyond the original perimeter of the park, and even necessitated new railroad tracks be laid!
Learn more about the upcoming TRON attraction here!
Which of the Disney World mountains can you actually pass through via a different attraction?
A) Space Mountain only
B) Splash Mountain only
C) Space Mountain and Splash Mountain
D) Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Magic Kingdom’s Tomorrowland
CORRECT ANSWER: C) Space Mountain and Splash Mountain
If you want a unique perspective on two of Magic Kingdom’s most popular attractions, you can do so by boarding a completely different ride! The Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover passes through Space Mountain, and the Walt Disney World Railroad passes through the finale scene of Splash Mountain (note that as of this writing, the Walt Disney World Railroad is currently unavailable due to construction of TRON Lightcycle Run).
Walt Disney Railroad Steam Train “In Residence” at Main Street, U.S.A. Station
Those “lucky” enough to be riding the PeopleMover during one of Space Mountain’s downtimes may get an EXTRA special view of the attraction with the lights turned on! There’s really no way to plan this; it’s all a matter of timing!
Check out some of these other totally unique Disney World experiences!
Are you a Disney World mountain range pro? Did you SCALE this quiz to new heights? Disney World’s attractions are all full of rich history and tons of fun facts, so we hope you learned something new by taking this quiz!
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Too easy
I have a suspicion that they lower the water level in Splash Mtn in the winter, so as not to get anyone too wet. It’s always seemed this way to me during December or January visits versus May or August visits.