Dinosaur - OK for kids?

[justinmb98]

No, I'm not the parent, I'm the brother of a six year old girl who just hit 40". Apparently that means she can ride Dinosaur at Animal Kingdom. My question is, is the ride okay for her? I've never been on it, but from other people I've heard it's jerky, dark, and scary...

...What do you have to say about it?

Keep in mind my sister already rides a lot of roller coasters and other rides without hesitation.

 

[bethymouse]

it depends...

My boys would not ride Dinosaur until they were 7! They were not scared, but Mommy still is ( The Big T-Rex @ the end: kids were looking @ it; Mommy had her head covered:lol
If kids sit in the middle, then it may not be so bad. It is very bumpy, very dark, and very LOUD!
If they understand/know about dinosaurs, then maybe they won't be so scared. I always used to ride w/ my eyes closed and sometimes ears when I was little!
It's a time machine, so when you go back in time, it is EXTREMELY loud!

 

[RonAnnArbor]

She can handle the herky jerky motion of the car no problem.

Does she scare easily when things pop out at her? Some younger kids LOVE this ride (it was my nephew's favorite throughout elementary school) and others hate it (another nephew went on it when he was six and was scared to death for the rest of the day)...

It involves a narrated car ride through a primeval forest where animatronic dinosaurs live, roar, pop out at you, fly down at you, and appear in the dark next to you....for any adult it is not scary at all....for a young kid it might be overkill...

But it completely depends on how she handles things like that. There are plenty of videos all over YouTube on the ride -- have her watch some of those and if they seem interesting, you have your answer right there -- if she thinks they are too intense, then skip it.

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

My advice is to watch this video as it is probably the best example of the ride..Loud, Dark and bumpy you can also make a decision well before hand.

 

[HookEmHorns]

I was about 7 when I first rode this ride. It was dark, loud, and made me jump but I am almost 100% sure most kids enjoy the ride overall and even if the loud T-Rex makes them jump, they'll end up leaving the ride happy that they went on it!
I say go for it!

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Dinosaur isn't so much about the height as it is the fear factor. Out of the handful of WDW rides that could be considered scary, I think it tops that list.

The reality is that for most kids who are elementary age, the magic is still very real. Case in point, DD5 (who will be 6 this summer) was asking me about the cannon fire in PotC. She knows that it's not going to blow us up, but she still thinks the pirates are shooting something at us, so she wondered if it was coconuts. :lol: Meaning- there's still a strong sense of reality in the ride for her.

Dinosaur is one of those that terrifies even a number of adults since it's extremely dark and that Carnosaur looks pretty darn real when in the scariest parts of the ride. I can't see DD5 riding it until she's at least 9 or 10... maybe older. DD5 hit the 40" mark for our August trip last year, and she loved things like BTMR, Splash, Test Track, Star Tours, etc., but she's still terrified of Haunted Mansion and told me she would not ride ToT even though she knew she could...so I think it would be pretty cruel for me to consider Dinosaur for her any time soon.

I would suggest you look at the video the PP put up and maybe even show it to your sister to see if this is something she wants to do.

 

[Clayali]

My son will be 3 years and 4 months when we visit in Oct/Nov.
He already meets the height requirements and is mad on dinosaurs(like most kids). He has watched the videos on Youtube and loves them. I have tried explaining to him that it is very dark,very loud and vary scary but insists he wants to ride it. My wife is terrified of the ride and insists that he will not be riding it because it could spoil the rest of his holiday for him.
Would i be a bad father for letting him ride at such a young age?:veryconfu

 

[LuLaSue]

No, I'm not the parent, I'm the brother of a six year old girl who just hit 40". Apparently that means she can ride Dinosaur at Animal Kingdom. My question is, is the ride okay for her? I've never been on it, but from other people I've heard it's jerky, dark, and scary...

...What do you have to say about it?

Keep in mind my sister already rides a lot of roller coasters and other rides without hesitation.

Depends on the kid. Yes it is dark, herky-jerky and can be scary.

My six year old niece loves it! She wanted to go on again while the rest of us were licking our wounds.
I think having her watch the youtube video is a fantastic idea.

 

[Sharkreef11]

The ride itself can be intimidating but, as previously mentioned, it really depends on the child. Some can handle more than others. You have all the facts about the ride I guess it just depends on how she reacts to the idea. Maybe you could go on it ahead of time and know when some spots come up that you may want to warn her. It is intense for everyone when the Carnotaurus comes out!

 

[Annielkd]

My son will be 3 years and 4 months when we visit in Oct/Nov.
He already meets the height requirements and is mad on dinosaurs(like most kids). He has watched the videos on Youtube and loves them. I have tried explaining to him that it is very dark,very loud and vary scary but insists he wants to ride it. My wife is terrified of the ride and insists that he will not be riding it because it could spoil the rest of his holiday for him.
Would i be a bad father for letting him ride at such a young age?:veryconfu

When my son was 5 he was terrified to go on. Yes, I was a bad parent and bribed him to go. He loved dinosaurs, and the first time through we told him to close his eyes when he was scared. He didn't open them the whole ride... and of course wanted to try it again. We've gone every year and he still is scared (but wants to go). This year he was 10 and still was scared... but, wanted to go on. I don't think you can know ahead of time how they will be, but tell him that he can close his eyes at any time and you will be there with him. I think it's a good idea to expose kids to many different opportunities. Being scared is fun when you can leave afterwards and you know you are not alone. In kids minds they know you will protect them... so it's scary, but safe.

 

[Blueskyze]

My son rode it last summer at age 5 (just a few weeks from being 6), and wasn't scared at all. I was a little hesitant, but we had watched the YouTube video and explained to him that it would be dark, loud, and bumpy. He insisted he wanted to go, and he covered his ears during some of the loud parts, but he LOVED it! He immediately wanted to ride again.

 

[RonAnnArbor]

Three years and 4 months is DEFINITELY too young to be riding Dinosaur.
Scratch it off your list right now.

 

[Mrs.Skellington]

We took our then 7 and 6 year old kids with us and they were both scared. This year, my 5 year old and 4 year old wants to go. Thanks for posting the video because they can watch it before and see if I want to take that chance.

They do have riders swap so that is an option if the adults want to go and the kids can't.

 

[I_heart_Tigger]

My two friends - aged 21 and 26 both said that Dinosaur was the scariest ride we did the entire trip - including all of the rides at Universal and IOA. That should give you an idea.

It's not the same as a coaster ride, it isn't scary because it's fast and makes your stomach go up on the turns...it's scary because it is very dark, the dinosaurs (even the non-scary ones) come out at you and the huge dinosaur is not only very scary but lunges at your vehicle. The vehicle is probably the jerkiest one of any ride.

My niece also does all of the rollercoasters but she found thr ride a little scary and didn't want to do it again on our last trip. I think in general most kids 5 and under would be anywhere from a little scared to absolutely terrified.

 

[Cosmic Commando]

Even if you have been on it before, DEFINITELY ride it without your kid first so that you can have the best information possible about whether or not they would like it. For my money, it's the scariest ride at WDW. Our on-ride photo with my brother-in-law in his 30's was of him doubled over hiding from the Carnotaurus. My son is five now and I'm not sure when he'll ride it. No video online could do justice to the combination of the loudness and darkness; there are times when it's pitch black and it seems like there is a wall of speakers right next to you making you believe that a dino is coming to eat you! Still love it, though.

 

[wdwmomof3]

While my kids don't mind the fear factor of it, they hate the jerky part of it.

 

[neoshinok]

You know what I don't understand, as scary as Dinosaur can be, it is not highlited on the park map as 'May be frightening to children'! It's Tough to Be a Bug has this distinction, but not Dinosaur?

 

[I_heart_Tigger]

You know what I don't understand, as scary as Dinosaur can be, it is not highlited on the park map as 'May be frightening to children'! It's Tough to Be a Bug has this distinction, but not Dinosaur?

Really!? I never noticed that before. Maybe they didn't have a good scale they could use For example if It's Tough to be a Bug may be "frightening" for children they would have to say, "Dinosaur! May cause children and adults to ________ their pants and have recurring nightmares and long-lasting psychological damage"

 

[laxchik18]

ummm

ok i dont want to scare you or your sister, but i rode that ride when i was probably 9-10 and it scared the heck outta me.. and im not whimpy. it wasnt the jerkyness or quickness, not even the dark so much(i was riding rocknrollar coaster and tower of terror as soon as a i was tall enough), but the dinosaur screams right in your face and it looks so real. i was alos sitting in the wheelchair row so there was an empty seat next to me and my dad sai that was where the dinisaur we were taking back with us sat..i didnt believe him, but it still shook me up. i would ride it without her first and then since you know your sister better than i do, see if u think she could handle it. i mean it kinda scarred me and i wouldnt go on the next few trips even though i probably couldve handled it by then. good luck and have a great time!

 

[dave&di]

The first time I rode it I clung to my OH and watched through half closed eyes, I was 31! The next time I rode it I was 33, I still clung to my OH but I had my eyes open. Next time I ride it I will be 35, I plan NOT to cling to my OH this time!!

Enough said!