How scary is dinosaur?

[ChrisM]

I'll put it this way: it's scary as hell.

And by scary, I don't mean it's all darkness, dread, and forboding. No, it's scary as in an absolute assault on your senses.

It's dark, unbelievably loud and jerky, and crap is popping out at you from all directions with strobes going off in your face. About half way through I had had enough and just put my head down.

On the other hand, I thought the original ExtraTERRORestrial Encounter was great.

 

[Yubbie]

I'm a thrill ride junkie and there's not a ride I won't try. However, there are some that I won't go on again and Dinosaur at AK is one of them. This ride is so rough that it hurts and the sound level is pretty intense. Been there, done that, and not doing it again...unless they tone down the ride experience. Oh and to answer the original question: I didn't think it was scary, but it's probably because I was too distracted by the pain.

 

[Jozymouse]

Hi!

Just came back from WDW with my 5 y/o nephew and he LOVED Splash Mountain, Big Thunder, Haunted Mansion, Pirates and his FAVORITE ride was Tower of Terror (we rode it like 8 times). But he was TERRIFIED of the Dinosaur ride.....

 

[maryv43]

It is very scary. My DH hated it, my DS has gone on several times with me I think the first time he was 13, though he keeps his eyes down. He has refused to go on with me this time..and he is 18. I get scard also but I still like it, though I won't go on alone. I would not advise young children to go on this ride.

11 more days to talk DS into going on it with me

 

[twokids0204]

 

[KCMiller]

I LOVE this ride. Oh, I've never been able to keep my eyes open, and I scream like a little girl, and it's as jerky as all get out, but I LOVE it.

Maybe this time, I'll keep my eyes open . . . maybe. . .


KC

 

[luvbeinamom]

My DD6 went on it once, nearly wet her pants and yelled at me after we got off the ride. DD4 was there too, just made the cutoff height, LOVED it, but wanted to know what all the screaming was during the ride. I told her it was her sister.

Now my 4 year old can't wait to go again and my 6 year old will be waiting outside with Daddy. We're hoping they'll let us use rider swap.

As others have said, it's REALLY loud and a bit rough with all the side to side car movement. There's no way to prepare for the noise.

 

[magicalfoursome]

I am a ride chicken also, but I finally tried Dinosaur and I liked it!! It is dark, loud and scary but I laughed and screamed thru the whole ride!! I am not sure if your kids will like it but I think you will be fine. It bounces you around but there are no big drops. You won't get me on Space Mountain again but I will ride Dinosaur!!

 

[princessallegra]

It's definitely loud, dark, bumpy, and jerky. Did I mention LOUD!?!?!? I think it would definitely have scared me as a kid. Heck it still kinda freaks me out how loud it is! I would see how the kids feel once they're there, and then see where it goes.

 

[ThinkTink09]

I don't remember the loudness so much as the realistic dinosaurs popping out from all sides. Did it scare me....yes. Did I enjoy it...yes. Is it my favorite ride at Disney aside from TOT....YES!

I guess it is hard to determine if your kids will be frightened or not. I agree with the suggestion to ride it first for yourself to decide.

 

[hopefultraveler]

My DS rode it last year at age 8. Kept his eyes closed through the entire ride and was crying at the end. As others have noted, very, very, very loud! We will be at the world again on Thursday and my son can't wait to ride it again to scare his aunt. Go figure!

Anyway, I'm packing a set of the styrofoam ear plugs for each of us...just for this ride!

 

[starbox]

It scared the heck out of my kids at 6 and 8, STILL scares them at 11 and 13!! I keep convincing them to try it again and they keep coming off shaking like leaves. They love every other ride at Disney. DS13 has seen scary movies - and he still can't open his eyes on dinosaur.

It's done like an old-school haunted house - jerky and dark and loud and things in black lights popping out at you in all directions.

 

[verlee]

I am not afraid on rides. The more exciting the better. But I was really scared at several parts in this ride. My DH who is always scared on rides (seriously always. He was pale and looked like he was going to pass out before going on TOT and EE. He would not even let me talk to him.) was not scared at all. I think it was where we were sitting in the car. The first Dino on the Left was a couple of feet from me. It looked like he was coming into the jeep and it just kept roaring. I would have been in DH's lap if I had not been strapped in. DH of course thought this was hilarious.

I will not be taking ds7 or ds4 on this ride anytime soon. Don't get me wrong. I will be on this ride any chance I get. (I wish I was on it right now!) I loved it! However, the combo of rough ride, loud noises, realistic dinos breathing in your face..... nope, they would freak.
But my kids in general are not very adventurous.

 

[merfsko]

I was considering trying this ride, although now I'm not too sure.

For anyone who's been to Disneyland... how does Dinosaur compare to the Indiana Jones ride? The descriptions sounds similair, but I'd like to hear a comparison from someone's who has ridden both.

 

[Melani]

This last trip we packer ear plugs.
We all wore them on Dinosaur.
It was so much better.
The 7 yo actually enjoyed it this time.

 

[pickles]

IThe picture that we got at the end of the ride had all 4 of us adults laughing our heads off while all 4 of the children are burrowed so deep into our sides they're trying to disappear. I had my hand over my youngest daughter's eyes for most of the ride. We thought it was hilarious...they never want to ride it again. The picture is priceless though.

Kira

This is us. In fact, it is the only picture I pay for each trip. The very first time we did this, my kids(age 9) were trying to climb out in terror or buried as far into their seat as they could get..it was great!
the next time we rode it, (a year later), took the pic again..one kid has his eyes and ears covered, one kid ducked way down and the other again trying to climb out of the seat. Now they have done the ride a few years I only have one ducker, the one still covers his ears and the 3rd just looks like deer in the headlight..meanwhile, mom(me) is just laughing..love this ride.
take the kids, even if it scares the tar out of them, its ok, they will still survive and you will have a great family picture

 

[summerlady]

DGD8 and I rode it and we both loved it! Yes, it's loud and bumpy and scary but FUN!

 

[TwiddleDeeTwiddleDum]

And by scary, I don't mean it's all darkness, dread, and forboding. No, it's scary as in an absolute assault on your senses.

LOL - love that description as an assault on your senses! That about sums it up - but that's what I love about the ride. It is intense!

It took me about 5 times to ride before I could keep my eyes open the whole ride & throroughly appreciate the Disney special effects. It is quite breathtaking in parts....one of which will of course be your Disney picture moment!

When DS was younger & wanted to ride, we first saw "Tough to be a Bug" (No, they're not the same but if your child is afraid of the bugs I'd definately not take him on Dinosaur!) But my DS thought the bugs were funny so we talked about Dinosaur being more Disney make believe but looking like the real scary thing. He didn't care much for Dinosaur & since DH has back issues, I usually ride alone now - LOL!

It's one of those rides I have to do just to give myself a good scare Kinda like eating a hot tamale, I know it's not good for me but I can't seem to help myself.

 

[rie'smom]

We are going next month and since there will be 8 of us this trip, we can leave the baby with my SIL and I can actually try some of the thrill rides.
I've wanted to try dinosaur and if I go (I'm a big chicken) it will be with DH. I know he will want DD7 and her cousins (ages 7, and 10) to go with us too.
How scary is it?

Pee pee before the ride if you have a weak bladder.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

I think some posters have inadvertantly given a great truth, how you react to a ride over the long term is often a reflection of how you approach it the first time you ride. If you happen to laugh the first time - you'll always enjoy it. If you happen to get say - sick on a ride (lets say you happen to have the flu) - you may well always associate that ride with being sick - even though you aren't scared of comparable rides, or even ones with more g-force.

One thing that I find helps witha new attraction that may be at the upper end of my tolerances - either do it FIRST or late in the trip.

If you do it first, you won't have much time to build fear in your head. Mental fear is your greatest enemy. Do the attration first thing at 9am on your first day with no line. Just get it done. Remember , it's two minutes of your life.

OR -

Wait until the end of the trip when you are desensitized. Sometimes even being tired minimizes how much I react to something.