Dinoland Monstrosity?

[mousehut101]

Is it just me, or is that new section of Dinoland with the triceratops spin and the cheap NJ boardwalk games the nastiest looking thing Disney has done in a while? It looks so poorly designed...just slapped in an old parking lot with games to make extra $$$

--And whats the deal with all the new cheap 'dumbo ride' rip offs??? ...Aladdins magic carpets (which dont fit in Adventureland) and Triceratops Spin.....

 

[JohnTBap]

I personally don't care for it.

 

[eeyore0062]

The area looks exactly as the imagineers intended! It is supposed to look like a cheap tourist trap, just like Hester and Chesters souvenier shop is a take off on that type of thing...

anyone traveling down I-95 will know exactly what it is meant to represent...think South of the Border. Let's look at it with a bit of imagination, and I think you will see the humor intended!

 

[jwwi]

I love it, Primeval whirl is my new favorite ride. I love the bright colors and theming.

 

[strawberryblonde]

I "got" the humor and enjoyed it. With a 2 yr old DD and a 5 yr old DS, you can't get enough Dumbo type rides. We called it "Dino-Dumbo" and rode it over 10 times during our vacation this past Dec. We liked that a family of four could all ride together in one instead of two.

 

[Luv2Roam]

IMHO, they did it cheap and it shows. It's a nice addition, but certainly no draw. Not money well spent.
I think they should have stuck to some of the original ideas for that area and DAK would have been a much bigger draw for WDW.
And the arcade -- having to pay for carnie games at WDW. Sorry -- but I think it's cheezy and a step down from what I would expect from Disney. You would have thought they had learned from guest's response at DCA.

 

[Sian]

I got the 'point' and the references but it still felt cheap and nasty. It put me in a bad mood until I got away from that section as I felt like I'd left Disney. Will be giving it a wide berth next year.

 

[montessori]

I have mixed feelings about it.
I get a kick out of Primeval Whirl, I don't know why, it just makes me laugh.
I think I may tire of it pretty quickly though.
I guess the area was designed to be just as it is, but it's so darn HOT and SUNNY there.
There's really not much to it.
I think it could have been done better.
And with more shade!

 

[erikthewise]

I get the tongue-in-cheek humor but in Orlando, it's redundant. Disney can't compete with the real thing when it comes to sleazy parks.

I would prefer to see something more of a Dinotopia/rainforest theme. It would fit in better with the rest of the park, and as Disney apparently controls some sort of Dinotopia interests they may as well make use of it. No need to tear down any rides, just redo the theming.

BTW our boys (9 and 6!) wanted to ride Triceratop Spin even though they didn't want Dumbo or Magic Carpets. You just never know.

 

[Banzai]

I love it! I have never been to a tacky, roadside stand, but from what I was told, I would love it. Dinorama as close as I can get to one. Also, if you know the plot of Dinorama, it makes it more enjoyalbe.

 

[skiwee1]

I think it funny that I always hear so many hating the place yet the poll shows 50/50. Personally I think it is a cute area and I'm glad it was put there. They do need to add a lot more to AK to make it nice, IMO.

 

[susy]

I think that I would rather be there than here!!!!!!!!!

 

[jwill]

I have mixed feelings about Dinoland. If that was there plan from the start, to make a roadside carnival; they succeded. Stooping to having cheasy carnival games even if it fits in with the theming is not something I would think Disney would ever do. What's next guessing peoples weight in the Castle foreground in the M.K. I will freely admit that I love Primeval Whirl. There is a simple possible reason why there is so many Dumbo, Magic Carpets, triceritops spin rides,when they purchased Magic Carpets of Alladin there was a two for one deal with it's manufacturer at the time.

As a whole I can live with it but the Carny games in my opinion cheapen all of WDW.

 

[BAST]

Personally, I do not think that it fits with the rest of the WDW experience. Why would WDW feel the need to create a cheap homage to roadside carnivals, other than to save money? I go to WDW to avoid such places.

This area is consistent with the DCA which has flopped, as well as some of the reviews that I have read about the Pairs Studios: for a while, Disney seemed to have the attitude that if the Disney name is slapped onto some cheap show, it will sell anyway. Hopefully, the experience with DCA, etc. will change that attitude.

To see what Disney really should be developing in the future (lets face it, they have done an incredible job to this point in time or we would not be having this discussion) look at the reviews and pictures for the Tokyo Disney park. When I think about going to another Disney park (other than WDW), believe me I am not thinking about DCA (which I could do with my two young kids), but instead really want to visit Tokyo Disney (which I could not do with my two kids - the flight would kill me LOL).

 

[kaabost]

I understand the Dumbo ride thing because for some reason, kids seem to love Dumbo. It always has a long line and it is a very slow moving one. Putting more of these rides in seems to make sense, hopefully take some of the line away from Dumbo. I do agree that Aladdin does not belong in Adventureland!

Dinorama. What can you say. I got the humor so I can see where Disney was coming from but don't we all travel across country to get AWAY from this kind of theme park atmosphere? The only thing that I can figure is that they found an opportunity to do a highly themed area which allows alot of cost cutting. I like the suggestion put forth by ericthewise suggesting a rainforest or even swampy kind of theme.

 

[kaabost]

I understand the Dumbo ride thing because for some reason, kids seem to love Dumbo. It always has a long line and it is a very slow moving one. Putting more of these rides in seems to make sense, hopefully take some of the line away from Dumbo. I do agree that Aladdin does not belong in Adventureland!

Dinorama. What can you say. I got the humor so I can see where Disney was coming from but don't we all travel across country to get AWAY from this kind of theme park atmosphere? The only thing that I can figure is that they found an opportunity to do a highly themed area which allows alot of cost cutting. I like the suggestion put forth by ericthewise suggesting a rainforest or even swampy kind of theme.

 

[pointandshoot]

If I recall correctly, the area paths are paved with black top/asphalt. That has to be very hot in the summer! I did not get the impression that the CMs at the carney games were very interested in the games or guests.

That said, I like the concept and enjoyed the rides with my 4 year old DD. She liked the theme and bright colors of the dino characters walking in the park. I will spend time there on my next trip. If you think of Dinoland like Fantasyland, Tomorrowland, etc., Disney has not put forth the effort to create an overall experience of rides, food, and entertainment IMO.

 

[AmyA]

While I also really like Primeval Whirl, we despised the rest of Dinorama. I agree that Disney did a great job with the "tacky roadside carnival" theme, however that is not the atmosphere we are looking for at WDW. Dang, here in Nashville you can find a tacky roadside carnival almost anywhere, any time.

We love the original parts of Dinoland--Dinosaur!, the Boneyard, etc. Disney's Imagineers could have done so much more with the "pre-historic" theme, had they been given the financial resources to do so. JMHO, of course!

 

[disneymom3]

I loved the theming of Dinorama! I thought it was very well done, although I admit I didn't think of how HOT it would be in summer! With little ones, the opportunity for for unstructured fun at the dig site was invaluable. That was my kids' favorite part--well, no they liked the safari better.

Anyway, while I thought they reached their goal and the area cracked my up, I totally agree that the midway games have to GO! What a waste of space--and whenever we were there, no one was playing them at all so they can't be making money--not even enough to pay the CMs working there. And I have to admit--I am sick of the Dumbo-in-disguise rides too! But my kids love them.

 

[meeko_33785]

Dino-Rama isn't my favorite part of the Animal Kingdom, but I won't say it was a mistake to build. It does give the park two things it was lacking- another thrill ride and another attraction kids would enjoy. The theming is also cleaver and well thought out. My only complaint is that it is somewhat hot because of the asphalt and, while I don't disagree with having them there, the carnival games do make the area somewhat claustrophobic. Will I go there everytime I go to the park? Probably not, but I don't hate it. As for having a jungle themed area in Dinoland, I can't see that happening since Universal already has a Jurassic Park themed area at Islands or Adventure.