Dinosaur too scary for little ones.....

[my2boys1821]

I was just reading the post about which do you prefer Star Tours or Dinosaur. I can't believe how many said it terrified them. I am worried now. I have two boys 6 and one who will turn 4 on our trip in June. They are both dinosaur fanatics and this is all they talk about riding on. Am I going to scare the daylights out of them with this ride?

 

[Bob P]

Hi,

I think you have to make the call on this one. You know your boys better than anyone else.

Our friends took their 6 YO who was frightened but their 3 YO loved it! So it really depends on the personality of your boys.

(By the way--my son is almost 19 and still doesn't like Its Tough to be a Bug!!)


Bob

 

[Atotty]

Only you know what is best for your boys. All kids are different.

As you know the ride is very dark, very jerky with very large animatronics jumping out and making loud noises unexpectantly. It is an intense ride. It is nothing like Star Tours except you move in your seat.

We rode it for the first time our last trip. The 12 yr old liked it; rode it twice. My 9 yr old was scared badly and did **not** want to ride again. I was concerned she was going to have an asthma attack. We had to sit down for a little while after the ride. I had prepared her before about what the ride was like so she was not taken unaware. However, she wants to ride it on our next trip.

For kids your boys' ages I would suggest starting with the dinosaurs over in the Energy pavillion at Epcot.

JMHO,

 

[wyodan]

I would agree with Bob on this as well. It depends on personality. We took our DS (7) last year and he LOVED it! Of course Dinosaurs are his thing, he can't get enough of them..

 

[BigTiggerGuy]

I took my 6yr old nephew and he LOVED it! He is a dinosaur fanatic and couldn't wait to ride it. Fortunately, he's a pretty level-headed guy and understood that it was all just "make believe." He dragged me on this about 6 times total on our last visit. Have to admit though, that I didn't put up much of a fight!

 

[LeahA]

We went on this ride last year, my son was 7 years old, he loved it! He actually rode twice, once with mom and once with dad. He also rode this ride when he was younger. Like previous posters, it depends on your kids. My kids don't get scared over certain things and other people I know their kids are the same age and they are frightened. My boys are 2/5/8, the 5 year old can't wait to ride it.

It is a fun ride, what you could do, is just let them know that inside the ride there is large, pretend Dinosaurs that roar. I find sometimes explaining to my boys about a ride before they go on, will alleviate any fears.

Good Luck!

 

[DisneyTarheel]

Is it a lot more intense than Ellen's dinosaur ride in Epcot?

 

[grimley1968]

Is it a lot more intense than Ellen's dinosaur ride in Epcot?

Definitely.

I took my now 6 YO on Dinosaur at about the time she turned 4. It really scared her badly, and she won't ride it now. All kids are different, but I think Dinosaur is one of the most intense rides Disney offers.

 

[SleepingBeauty79]

My dad (40) and I (20) went on it a couple of years ago and we were both scared. I wasn't so much scared of the images as I was of the constant sometimes violent jerking of the vehicle you are in. I know they toned it down some, but it is still pretty intense.

 

[Annette_VA]

Dinosaur is intense. It's not so much the dinosaurs jumping out at you & such as it is the noise that they make. It's just so freakin loud...it can rattle you.

I rode w/ a kid about 12 or so back in January and she was just shaking and bawling when she got off...

 

[CAP Aircrew]

I took my then 9 year old son and 7 year old daughter on it two years ago. I have to be honest in that I went into the ride somewhat blind and did not know just how intense it was going t be. My wife and kids laugh about it now but my only real recollection of the ride was me consoling my daughter who would only look down and my wife consoling my son who kept screeming to please make the ride stop! We survived though and we are actually headed back there this August. Whether we hit the ride or not will be up to my two kids. I think they want to give it another go actually!

 

[MommyPoppins]

We took our boys on this ride last Sept. They were 4 and 5. Both had seen the Disney planning video and every other Disney travel channel show and had seen images of the ride. They both wanted to ride and didn't show any fear. They rode with their dad and LOVED it! Then I took them on again and the ride photo was priceless. I was hiding my face in my hands and they were both looking right at the dinosaur like it was a fluffy bunny or something. It was so funny. So it just depends on your kids. My boys know it's just pretend and they are not real. My boys also LOVE the Lord of the Rings movies and aren't afraid of them. So if your boys are familar with things a little scary and you think they will like Dinosaur and they don't act afraid I would take them. You have to try things at least once to know if you'll like it right? Have fun!

 

[WantToGoNow]

It really depends on your children. I can tell you that my children would be terrified and the last time we went my then 3.5 y/o ds wouldn't go on it. My dd22 jumps terribly everytime the big dinosaur jumps at her and roars. I think it's funny but it wouldn't be funny if it were a small child.

 

[westjones]

When our twins were 8 we took them on this ride. One of my girls came off crying and she refused to go back on it until this past summer (we had to bribe her--she is 12 now). She still didn't like it and doesn't want to do it again. She has bad feelings from the ride based on her first experience.

My other twin was just fine. So not all kids are alike (not even twins).

DJ

 

[kakiegirl]

It just depends on the child. My 7 year old dd went on it last year and loved it. The first time through, I just knew she was terrified (of course it was too loud and dark for me to know for sure), so I put my arms around her and spent the whole ride saying its okay, its okay, you could not even see her in the pictures because I was on top of her. We got off the ride and she fussed at me for not letting her enjoy the ride. We ended up riding it 4 more times that day. Like others have commented DD is a dinosaur fanatic so maybe that is why she was not scared.

 

[maxsmom01]

My son will be nearly 5 when we are at DW, but I don't think I will take him on this ride. He is also a dinosaur fanatic, but the last time I rode it I think it is way too intense for him. He is usually pretty tough (he loves LOTR and the Harry Potter movies) but I think this ride will scare him.

 

[bellelinus]

It really depends on your kids. Why don't you ride it first by yourself and then decide whether it would be right for your boys?

 

[sarahlovesmickey]

My son was 3 when he went on it and he LOVED it!! He wasn't scared at all. You know your kids better than anyone. It is dark and the dinosaurs are very real looking. If you don't think that will scare them, then I say go for it!!

 

[mill4023]

I know every kid is different, but I don't think I would take a 4 year old on that ride. I have to think that those 3 and 4 year olds who enjoyed it are in the minority.

But who knows. I guess some kids just aren't scared by anything. Maybe try some other "scary" rides first and see if your kids show any fear.

 

[Ava]

It scared me a bit... we bought the photo they take of you because I'm the only one in the car hiding my face from the T-Rex, lol. (The young kids in the car don't look scared at all.)

Like others have said, you know your kids best. Ride it yourself first to see exactly what it's like if you're unsure. My only suggestion, if you do decide to let your boys ride, is to seat them on the inside of the car between you & another adult, if possible. The CM might seat them there anyway because of their size, but regardless, that will give them a "buffer" between themselves and the huge dinosaurs. I remember the T-Rex at the end seemed to lean right over the side of the car, which is what made me jump. When I go back next month, I'm making my partner sit on the end, lol.