After exploring Asia, Buzz and I made our way to Dinoland USA.
We were starting to get hungry, so we got some lunch at Restaurantosaurus since it wasnt too far away from our next priority of the day- Finding Nemo: The Musical. The fact that its also one of the few air-conditioned counter service restaurants in the park also played into our decision to eat there.
Buzz ended up getting the chicken nugget meal while I had the shrimp po boy and fries. Even though Id heard middling reviews of the Disney po boys on the DIS, I enjoyed it and appreciated having something a little different on the menu. Buzz liked his nuggets as well. This was our first time eating here since they stopped serving McDonalds items. Based on what we had, I think the menu has improved since our last visit.
The decor is really one of the best parts of the restaurant. The attention to detail and mix of serious and silly is great here.
A look at the outside of the restaurant.
After lunch, we knew that it was about time to head over to get our seats for Finding Nemo, but on the way, I suggested that we swing by Dinosaur and pick up some Fastpasses so we could get right on it after Nemo ended. The return time worked perfectly with that plan, so we got our passes and moved on.
We skimmed past Dinorama on the way. It was even festively decorated for Christmas.
A retro snowman decoration near Chester and Hesters.
More dinos.
When we arrived, they were already letting guests into the theater, so we walked right through the queue.
A few of the signs along the way
We were seated in the theater a little over 20 minutes before show time and were still able to get some nice seats near the front of the second level which gave us great views of both the stage and the performers and puppets when they came down the aisles and runways into the audience. I decided to just enjoy the show and not both trying to take any pictures, and I really did enjoy it. This has to be one of my all-time favorite shows that Ive ever seen at Disney. Not only is it a fantastic spectacle with some fun songs, but the performances were great too. If you havent seen this show yet, Id highly recommend it.
After Nemo, we headed back to Dinoland to use our Dinosaur Fast Passes.
Another look at Restaurantosaurus.
When we got to Dinosaur, the line really wasnt too bad (10 or maybe 20 minutes at the most), but it was nice to be able to use the Fastpasses to get right on.
The ride was fun, as usual. I dont know it its because we were just there a month or so beforehand, but Dinosaur really reminded me more of the attractions at Universal than the attractions at Disney. That certainly isnt a bad thing, but I thought it was interesting.
After Dinosaur, we still had some time before we wanted to find our spots for the Jingle Jungle Parade, so we decided to go on Primeval Whirl. The wait time listed was around 10 or 15 minutes so we figured that would give us just enough time to get through the ride and get to the parade route.
I know that Primeval Whirl and Dinorama in general get a lot of flak for looking cheap and tacky, but I think the theming is kind of fun. Its not my favorite thing at Disney by any stretch of the imagination, but it still has plenty of fun details and sight gags all around it.
As time went on, it seemed like the line was moving slower than I anticipated. In the end, our wait turned out to be a little over 20 minutes, which is hardly unreasonable, but just a bit longer than we expected.
The ride was corny but still a fun mild thrill. Its not really a must-do every time we go to the Animal Kingdom, but it had been a while since we had done it, so it was nice to revisit it.
With less than 30 minutes before the parade, we knew we needed to get over to Discovery Island.
One last look at Dinoland for now. And, yes, that dinosaur is wearing a Santa hat.
Next chapter: A Holiday celebration and a snowy adventure