Dinosaur at AK - Did your kids like it? Is it scary?

[mshanson3121]

Really, the best thing to do is watch it on YouTube. You know your kids best.

It might give an idea, but really, I didn't find YouTube previews really that accurate. Sitting in a brightly lit room, in the comfort of your home, with basic home speaker doesn't begin to compare to the real thing - the complete darkness, the jolting, the extreme volume etc...

 

[Pinkos]

My 5 year old loved it last May. He def got a fright at times ( as did I) , but he's a very timid child so anytime we do a ride I play up how fun it was and I laugh when we scared so that helps lighten the mood. He still talks about how much fun it was. I wouldn't let either of the 6 year olds sit on an end though. There is one point where a dinosaur jumps out and I can see that being even scarier for them if they are the closest to it. When we did it, that was me, and I screamed out loud lol.

 

[Stubbzilla]

My kids have all firmly believed that Mickey Mouse won't let anyone get hurt. They have ridden at 3,5,6,8 and have all loved it and requested to go again, despite being scared. I prep them for it saying it's dark and super scary but Mickey won't let anything bad really happen - it's just pretend.

 

[mdoc]

My kids loved it, and each of them rode it from the time she hit the required 40". That said, it CAN be scary and loud, and it's a rough, jerky ride. The jerkiness is probably a bigger issue for adults than kids. For a point of reference, my kids are all girls and they like all the roller coasters, the Tower of Terror and any ride that's dark and scary, so it wasn't surprising that they liked Dinosaur.

 

[skuttle]

My 4yo rode it in April without any problems.

 

[cassie58]

All our friends who have ridden report dark, loud, Dinos in your face, and very jerky - would not recommend. You want to cover your ears, but also need to hold on...need more hands! But your family may like it - agree with PPs to watch it on youtube and get a idea before you go. Have never personally ridden after reading description in Unofficial Guide before 1st trip, and luckily kids were not that into dinosaurs. With so many other faves, have plenty to do to fill our day, even after 4 trips!

 

[jormom1030]

It was one of my 3 year old favorite rides in June, but of course she is a daredevil.

 

[eastendlights]

Scary and loud! My DS hated it the first time he went on at age 8 and refused to ride it again until he was 11 or 12. DD was 10 the first time and it scared her also. Now, at 19, it is one of her favorites. We are the fools that pose specifically for the picture when the dino screams in your face by hugging each other with terrified looks on our faces.

 

[goodeats]

I enjoy Dinosaur if the ride vehicles are working properly. Indy has the same problem - if the ride gets backed up there is a lot of "pausing" and waiting that screws up the flow of the story.

I do think small children would be scared, but it's also really fun. I personally find the preshow and storyline hilarious.

 

[frozenheart]

LOL, I don't think I've ever kept my eyes open the entire time on that ride.

 

[Eoywin]

It's a wild ride and I like it a lot but there are really scary parts. I know my seven year old daughter wouldn't like it at all - but it depends on your kids.

 

[dwbrewster]

I brought my 5 year old, and regardless of my prepping that "it's just pretend" she hated it and was terrified. #fatheroftheyear

 

[Timshar2]

This is my 6 yo granddaughters favorite ride at AK. She has been riding it sine she was 5. Imagine Ellen's ride at
Epcot on steroids but you are in an oversized jeep with seating for about 6. Very jerky ride, dark and a little scary. But if roller coasters and dark does not bother the kids they should be fine. If nothing else go to the rides exit area there is a store and some dinosuar statues the kids can check out.

 

[ErinCat]

It has a high startle rate. Plus the storyline really tries to make it seem like a ride gone wrong. That made my kids feel uneasy.

 

[Indio]

My kids have all loved it since they were big enough to ride. It really depends on how timid your kids are. Maybe ride it at the end of the day and if they hate it, they'll have time to get over it before the next day. I would watch it on youtube and tell them the dino's aren't real and see how they react. It really is a great ride and the ride vehicles are so cool!

 

[smiths02]

My DS (9) and I sat in front of a family with two daughters. One looked about DS age and one looked around 4 or 5. She was terrified! I felt so bad for her.
Of course, I have talked my kids into rides.

Let your kids know that it will be dark and loud or they might not trust you to ride anything else.

 

[BarbieGal457]

My boyfriend and I love it but my other friends our age, mid-20s, were terrified. It was a fantastic ride photo though!

My 7-year-old nephews rode it in September and the normally timid and easily scared one loved it, and the typically braver of the two was horrified. I definitely do like the idea of watching it on YouTube, which I do myself when I'm unsure, but I agree it doesn't compare with the actual ride in terms of darkness and noise (obviously haha). It could be helpful to gauge their interest level though! I have seen kids of all ages come off it in every type of emotion possible, from laughing with delight to absolutely sobbing. We may not do it next trip but only because of my current knee injury since it's so herky-jerky.

 

[Shellyb84]

My DD was almost 6 at the time, she said she liked it but wouldn't go on it a second time. She also kept her eyes closed the whole ride. I really enjoyed it!

 

[DiannaVM]

My friend who loves those type of rides had said to me that she hates it because its such an intense ride. When DH and I went on it last month, I went in quite excited until we got to the briefing part. From then on I felt uneasy (I dont like "surprise" drops, or most drops for that matter, and the briefing had my mind convinced there would be one or two). I think because I was going with the mindset that something "horrible" was going to happen, I didn't enjoy it as much as I could have. It IS extremely dark (which added to my uneasiness by not being able to see if there was a drop I needed to brace myself for) and pretty loud, but I thought it was great overall. Jerky yes, but it adds to the experience. In short, if your kids dont like loud noises, darkness or being jerked around, then I would skip it. But its always worth trying something new.

PS, in our ride photo my DH and I are the only ones who didn't look overly startled by the dinosaur lol. I did have an idea of when that picture was taken so I was trying to keep composure lol. Our picture was almost an exact replica of my friend's though lol. I mean the whole car pretty much reacted in the same way. Its quite funny actually, though I know it scared the beejessus out of the kids sitting at the front of our vehicle.

 

[stinkpickle]

Only one way to find out if they will like it and it will make for a classic ride photo if they don't! ...

This. ^^^