[ArielBelle]

I was speaking to my sister over the weekend. They were in WDW last April. She said the Dinosaur ride in the AK is VERY scary and like a rollar coaster. She took her 4.5 DD on it and she was terrified.

This is one of the attractions I am excited about. We weren't going to take the 1.5 year old, but I WAS going to let the 6 and 4 year old ride. Am I making a mistake??

[wdwspider]

Originally posted by ArielBelle
I was speaking to my sister over the weekend. They were in WDW last April. She said the Dinosaur ride in the AK is VERY scary and like a rollar coaster. She took her 4.5 DD on it and she was terrified.

This is one of the attractions I am excited about. We weren't going to take the 1.5 year old, but I WAS going to let the 6 and 4 year old ride. Am I making a mistake??

Heck that ride scares me and I'm 27. :laugh There is a height restriction on the ride, but it's not like a roller coaster from what I remember, just very dark and scary. Especially on the front left which is the seat I was so lucky to get. Things are trying to eat you every where you turn. This is no Universae of Energy.

[rlander]

Last year we rode this ride for the first time. I rode it with my ds (7 at the time) and dd (4 at the time), and dw(age not given for obvious reasons). I don't remember much of the scenery, I was too busy holding on to the safety bar, our camera, and my daughter. Man, it was rough!!! It is not a fast ride at all. It is just really bouncy and jerky.

We will go on it again this year, but this time I will not have the camera. My kids liked it even though it was scary.

Hope this helps. I hope I don't scare you into not riding it. I just want you to be aware, it is rough!

[mattomouseman]

The last part of the ride is a steep drop from what i rmember. I went on it with my 13 year old nephew and he was really spooked by it! Not for the little ones!

[graybill]

It's a very intense ride with a lot of loud noise and special effect lighting. You get the illusion of a lot of speed and erratic motion, most of which, I think, comes from the design of the ride vehicle.
My only experience with a young child was my nephew. He was six at the time and his father said he did not like it at all. They went back went back 6 months later, and he insisted that they ride it again and he loved it. Go figure!

graybill

[wdwspider]

Originally posted by mattomouseman
The last part of the ride is a steep drop from what i rmember. I went on it with my 13 year old nephew and he was really spooked by it! Not for the little ones!

It's an illusion, but for little ones, it can seem a lot worse I suppose. They have Cargo nets to hold cameras and Video Recorder in front of you. I recommend using them next time, they really do the trick and hold surprisingly tight. The ride has been toned down recently, so it is not a jerky as it use to be, however I don't think this ride is a great idea for 4 year olds anyway. 7 and up depends on how scared your kids get.

[DisneyRobin]

Dinosaur is NOT a ride for small children. That is one of my favorite rides and that is only because everytime it scares the bajesus out of me! *LOL*:cry: :cry:

[Amneris]

Despite its E-ride like status, this is NOT, I repeat NOT a roller coaster. If it were, I would never go on it, lol!!! You DO need to not try to carry anything (hats on heads included) during the ride. The vehicle doesn't move so fast as it stops completely SUDDENLY, and from the sudden dead stop then turns about 90 degrees to take off in another direction (instantly at the same speed it was going before it stopped). Also, it sometimes turns while stopped. Like Buzz's Space Ranger Spin, only a bit faster. It is NOT a tilt a whirl -- it doesn't spin. There is a ramp going down at the end of the ride. It's about the length of Pirates of the Caribean, but no where near as fast. Pirates I "feel" in my stomach, and if that drop were any long/faster/whatever, I would not be able to go on it as it would be a roller coaster in my book. So, if I feel like THAT about pirates, you can see that this descent is not a drop. In fact, it's slower than what's in the ride. Maybe closest to Norway in feel, only not backward and half the length and not as steep. The beginning of the ride you go through closed doors with strobe lights ala Norway, but NOTHING happens -- no drops or anything roller coaster like. The ride is composed of the vehicle moves, stops by an angry anamatronic dinosaur, the voice navigation of the mad scientist who sent you on this dinosaur hunt says it's not "our" dino, and the car takes off for the next dinosaur where it stops and the process repeats itself. The ride is supposed to be taking place just as the comet which wiped out all the dinos is going to hit. So there's a lot of screaming dinosaurs (on the sides -- one or two kinda lean over and roar and try to eat you, but they are ALL from the sides and never INTO the vehicle (or directly in front), so put kids in the middle. Also, the ride from the middle (the bench seats hold four, I think) is less jerky AND the sides are open so when you're there you feel like you could fall out). The ride is in TOTAL darkness, other than dim lighting to make out the dinos. This makes them suddenly "appear" in front of you, and you can't see where you are going. There's strobe lighting, and the prof's narration gets more and more frantic and the ride starts starting and stopping more frequently as the ride gets towards the end. This makes you THINK you're being panicked and it's a frightening ride. But it's all a mind gag. Not the speed of the vehicle, no dips, nothing roller coaster-y. After being petrified the first time, not knowing if it WAS going to have drops and stuff, I now sit forward (can't sit back -- have to hold on for dear life because of the sudden stops and turns, lol!) and WAVE AT THE DINOSAURS! Yep, I wave at 'em. I do that on Ellen too. When the vehicle stops at a dino, it's stopped for a fraction of a second long enough so that you can let go and wave -- not that I think anybody else is nuts enough to WANT to do that! :) BTW, a dino near the end takes your picture -- I always confuse which of the last two that guy is.

SO if it's a child who likes bumper cars and isn't afraid of dark rides explain about the loud dinos and seat the child in the center of the car. There IS a seatbelt to wear, btw, so you really CAN'T fall out, even when sitting on the end (where it feels like you can). As I said, this is a mainly a psychological ride.

[ArielBelle]

Oh thanks guys! My sister is known to blow things out of proportion a little. I guess not this time. She said SHE will never go on it again. I think I will just take the 6 year old. She is pretty brave. The last thing I need is nightmares on vacation.:)

[ArielBelle]

Wow! Amneris, I just read your post. That was great! I am going to read it again and slower. Actually, I don't think I need to ride Dinosaur after reading your post. :laugh

[wdwspider]

Use the Parent Swap, have you DH sit at the exit for Parent Swap. Ride through with the Six Year old, and then when you leave you can decide if the 4 year old would like it, if so your DH and DD can instantly get on the ride. If not for her, then your DH and son can ride.

[grammy]

Our experience was that the adults could be startled -- not frightened, not jerked (like a roller coaster). And so of course kids could, too. But just like in "It's a Bug's Life", if the kids are prepared -- by the adults learning as much as they can in advance and telling the kids about -- I think kids would be fine. We took our grandkids (girl 7, boy 5) on the Dinosaur and they loved it! My son-in-law and grandson sat alone in the front seat; my husband, daughter, granddaughter and I sat in the second seat. The movement did not bother the kids but the total darkness did scare my granddaughter but when the dinos "appeared" she liked it. There are strobe lights during the ride and near the end there is a really big flash -- when your picture is taken. We bought several copies -- they offer different backgrounds which certainly changes the pictures. Really cute ride. We were lucky and kids truly enjoyed it. My grandson is a real dino nut so he rode it several times!

You really can't be too careful determining whether or not the kids will be frightened. Know the rides -- know your kids!

I know you will have a great time! Let us hear how it goes! :)

[JOANN]

My girls are all grown now, but they still look like kids. They are not very tall. I remember the first time they did go on , at that time it was called Countdown to Extinction, my one DD did get thrown around . So, I would be quite cautious about bringing small children, especially if they frighten easily. Only you know your kids, and you will have to make the decision!!! Good Luck!!!Maybe, you could do the child swap. :hmmm JOANN:)

[quartz7]

Originally posted by WDWFan
Heck that ride scares me and I'm 27. :laugh There is a height restriction on the ride, but it's not like a roller coaster from what I remember, just very dark and scary. Especially on the front left which is the seat I was so lucky to get. Things are trying to eat you every where you turn. This is no Universae of Energy.

LOL. :laugh :laugh For some reason this post just made me crack up. I'm still chuckling. Not at your fear WDWfan, just the fact you got the scary seat. I'm glad this thread was started. It would be horrible if you rode this with your kids, and they were terrified. So terrified, that they wouldn't want to try any other rides. I will definitely keep this in mind.

Janelle

[BDavis932]

My son went on this when he was 4, 5, and 6 and he LOVED it every time!! Now it's on his top 5 list for our trip next month!!