Located at Animal Kingdom in Walt Disney World, DINOSAUR is a dark thrill ride that takes you back 65 million years to the cretaceous period. Guests will board a Time Rover and go on a quest through a prehistoric forest to find an Iguanadon, believed to be the key to understanding the mysteries of the dinosaurs. Dr. Seeker is the paleontologist that will guide you on your adventure, but be careful! Your journey is dangerous, and you will only have a few minutes to find the Iguanadon before the asteroid hits Earth. So be quick, and enjoy the ride!
Wait Times and How to Get There
DINOSAUR was launched at Animal Kingdom in 1998, so it has been around long enough that wait times aren’t too terrible. Most wait times I’ve experienced are 40 minutes or less, but I usually get on within 20. It is important to note that this ride does not have a single-rider option, so you will need a FastPass if you want to jump to the front of the line.
Getting to DINOSAUR is easy. After you enter Animal Kingdom, head straight towards the Tree of Life and then turn right towards DinoLand U.S.A. There should be signs directing you. Follow the signs across a bridge and head towards the back-right corner of DinoLand. Keep to the right until you pass Restaurantosaurus, and then you’ll see the path to the ride just past there.
What to Expect in Line
Like many other Disney rides, DINOSAUR’s queue is enjoyable, with plenty of dinosaur bones and artifacts to read about. Your ride queue begins inside the Dino Institute, which is a research center for paleontologists. Along the walls, you will see real dinosaur fossils and read about the prehistoric creatures. There’s also information on present-day animals that actually lived with the dinosaurs during the cretaceous period, like birds, reptiles, and the ghost crab.
Once you snake through the first hall, you will enter a large dome-shaped room with a full carnotaurus skeleton displayed in the center. Interestingly, Disney’s depiction of the carnotaurus dinosaur is not an accurate representation of the well-known carnotaur species. Carnotaur’s are shorter with smaller thighs, while the skeleton presented in DINOSAUR is much larger. Because of the differences, Disney Imagineers decided that the dinosaur they created would be a sub-species of the carnotaur, naming it “Carnotaurus robustus Floridana.” Translated, the name means “stout meat bull from Florida.” Along with the skeleton, you will also notice paintings of the cretaceous era and colorful rock walls all around the room.
If you look up, you will also see a globe of planet Earth. You will notice that it seems a little different than what you remember, and that’s because the continents have moved in the past 65 million years. It’s an accurate representation of what Earth looked like during the age of the dinosaurs.
One of the coolest parts of the line is when Bill Nye is heard explaining what happened to the dinosaurs. He describes the asteroid theory and discusses why scientists believe this is the most likely cause of the mass extinction. I always feel nostalgic listening to Bill Nye the Science Guy.
The line will circle a few times before you pass through a set of doors into a small standing theater. Here you will meet Dr. Marsh, who explains the Time Rover and how it will transport you back to witness the age of the dinosaurs! However, Dr. Seeker cuts the feed and asks you to do a simple favor while you’re back in time – catch a live Iguanadon and bring it back for him to study. Easy, right? Why he chose inexperienced tourists to go on this quest is beyond me, but I digress.
After the show, you will head to the boarding dock, where you’ll step onto a Time Rover and be transported back 65 million years!
What to Expect on the Ride
DINOSAUR is a dark ride with plenty of bumps, drops, turns, and flashing lights. Dr. Seeker has sent you back to just before the asteroid hit Earth, so you’re tasked with finding the Iguanadon and traveling back to the present in only a few minutes. The paleontologist will guide you through the primeval forest as you encounter flying pterodactyls, a raging cearadactylus, a fearsome T-Rex, and bloodthirsty velociraptors.
Along your journey, and you’ll witness meteorites zipping across the sky and hear the loud roars of dinosaurs all around you. There will be plenty of jump scares too, with the most memorable being a suspenseful encounter with a giant carnivore. This is your photo op, so try to smile!
I will be honest and say that this ride is scary. If you’re a thrill-seeker, great! This ride is perfect for you. However, for those that are a little more cautious, understand that the ride is very dark and the jump scares are pretty intense. You will be also be whipped around quite a bit in the Time Rover. Most importantly though, there are a lot of flashing lights, so if this is something that affects you, I recommend skipping DINOSAUR.
Post Ride Advice
After riding DINOSAUR, I like to head over to Restaurantosaurus and treat myself to some dino-shaped chicken nuggets and a brownie. Time travel really works up an appetite!
Another great ride is Expedition Everest, check out a great ride review on your adventure with the yeti!
Let us know below your thoughts on DINOSAUR ride!
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Taylor Rains
Whether you’re planning a girls’ trip, honeymoon, family vacation, bachelor/bachelorette party or just a solo adventure, I will work with you to make sure every detail is exactly how you imagine. Anything you need – from hotel and restaurant reservations, to advice on the best way to explore every park – I am here for you. So, let’s get started!