Isn't Dinoland supposed to look cheesy????

[Iwannagobacktoo!]

Hi!!

I'm fairly new here, but have read lots of posts. This place is great!!

Anyway, I was reading some posts where people were complaining about Dinoland being cheesy and I thought that was the idea---that it's supposed to look the a street fair type of thing. Am I wrong???

Thanks

 

[Tigger1]

Maybe they did mean to make it that way. I do not really care for it. It just does not feel like the rest of the park.

Tigger :

 

[KayleeUK]

Hi there Welcome to DIS moving this over to Theme Parks

 

[gigi1313]

we *love* the cheesiness non-dis feel of dinoland... it's like we get lost in another world for a few minutes! LOL! my kids love the little midway games and such... but primeval "hurl" is another story

 

[mommykds]

Maybe they did mean to make it that way. I do not really care for it. It just does not feel like the rest of the park.

Tigger :

I know what you mean..it feels like I am at one of the traveling carnivals in my church parking lot. It just doesn't feel like "Disney" to me...but my opinion is skewed because I don't really care for AK altogether.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Whenever I go there, I think of the Griswold Family-I keep expecting to see Sparky around the next corner. It's almost as exciting as the "World's Largest Ball of Twine." And since that movie, "Vacation", reminds me of Disney, so does Dinoland.

 

[babybunrab]

I think it's supposed to reflect a sort of 50's 'kitchiness' which, I suppose, is cheesiness to some.

 

[WaltD4Me]

I don't know, but if cheesy is what they were going for they definitely met their goal!

I don't care for Dinoland...it's very "Un-Disneylike" -- makes me feel like I'm at a cheap carnival.

 

[Crazy Kanga]

I agree that it is cheesy, but I can't understand why everyone gets so hung up on how un Disney it is. Anything that is not Walt's original plan is considered un Disney. The poor man has been dead for 40 years, at some point we have to go forward with something new. I for one like the rides in this area, and my kids love it! So although it is different, I still think for kids especially, who love carnivals, that it does have some value. Just my 2 cents worth.

 

[Melissa M]

I don't like carnivals and I wont ride carnival rides. Knowing that after each fair they tear the rides apart, load them up on trucks, drive to another town, and put them back together again FREAKS ME OUT!

However, I LOVED Dinoland. I can enjoy the cheesy carnival atmosphere, yet feel safe.

 

[crzy4dsny]

Thats what they were going for there. It's designed as a "parking lot" carnival. So I guess Cheesy was kind of the goal here. At first I didn't like it. But know I have the feel of it and understand what they were trying to reproduce. I think they did a pretty good job at it.

 

[PolyHereWeCome]

I agree with what everyone's said here, but the one thing I don't understand is why it's at AK. The Park has a certain flow to it, and this section (which I do think is really cheesy, but that's another thing) isn't at all like a geography (Africa, Asia). . . . What part of the world is DinoLand? Think it better belongs at MGM or somewhere else.

 

[Deb & Bill]

I don't like the fact that you have to pay extra to play the games. But with the prizes, I guess they aren't going to give them away. I'm not a carny-type person, so it just looks cheap. WDW is a classy vacation destination, not a cheap carny. It just doesn't fit.

There are so many other things that they could have put there. I liked the Dinosaur (Sue) exhibit that they had there before they put up the carny.

 

[John Dobbertin]

Dinoland is weird for WDW, man. Grandchildren absolutely love the boneyard. Problem is you can lose them in there. IOP the place is generally tacky-tacky. Hope it was planned that way!

 

[rwodonnell]

Of course it was planned that way! I don't get all the questioning of that! There is "aged" asphalt, complete with faded paint. You can't make that happen when it's new without trying! I am not DinoLand's biggest fan or anything, but they clearly were trying for the look they got. There are abandoned cars left there, etc. The biggest difference though is that this carny atmosphere is a LOT CLEANER than the real thing.

Why is it in Animal Kingdom? My guess is that it won out over more expensive ideas for that area! From what I have read, the vision for Animal Kingdom wasn't to duplicate some sort of world showcase, but to showcase animals in a variety of ways. Africa and Asia are really the outliers in that regard. Camp Minnie-Mickey, Discovery Island, Dinoland and the Oasis are not "part of the world".

 

[WaltD4Me]

I agree that it is cheesy, but I can't understand why everyone gets so hung up on how un Disney it is. Anything that is not Walt's original plan is considered un Disney.

I'm not "hung up" on it, I just don't care for it...I don't like real parking lot carnivals either, it doesn't have anything to do with being or not being Walt's original plan either

 

[Stitchfan]

I'm not embarassed to admit that I absolutely love Dinoland, love the rides, love the games!!! I think all you have to do is compare it to many real carnivals to realize how very 'Disney' it actually is.

Its clean, the rides are clean, well-maintained and don't look like they're falling apart, the cast members are friendly, the games (though you have to pay for them) are actually cheaper than many real carnival and boardwalk games and the prizes for the games, despite what they may look like are actually well made and the plush is soft, not the cheap scratchy kind.

I lost my love for actual carnivals a long time ago, but I love Dinoland

 

[diznygirl]

Another weighing in for our love of Dinoland!! We have to make that our last stop each time we go since we spend so much time there. DS loves playing the games.

FYI - the cost of the games is only $1 or $2 - and yes, they do tend to "give" the toys away considering how easy they make it to win, or how many chances they give the kids, or the CMs helping them win.

I would also like to point out that the games at Universal and IOA are $3 or $5 each. Disney is still the bargain here.

Ya know, I think this is a situation of adults overthinking the situation. I don't see 5 year olds looking up at mom and dad and saying "Gee, this place is tacky. Let's go someplace else!" It is what it is and I think you need to just take it and enjoy it for what it is.

 

[liznboys]

I am not a huge Dinoland fan, but I like it. I love that WDW has many different types of areas, even if some do not appeal to me as much. Variety is the spice of life, AND of WDW!! So, it may be a bit "cheesy", but I agree with you OP, it is supposed to be that way, and I'm glad it's there.

 

[GoofyBanker]

It is supposed to be cheesy! My kids love it as do Me and DW. It is a great break from the regular disney stuff! JMO