Would we be "missing out" if we skip AK Dinoland?

Skip it. We do at least every other trip. It is a clean version of a local carnival. I hate the games. Now, if you are leaving the park with extra time, the boneyard is fun, you could swing by if you get to it, but it should not bump anything else in the park.
 
We dont like Dinoland. It's hideous. It doesn't fit in at AK. I'll have to read the backstory to find out why they stuck this loud, obnoxious land into otherwise amazing AK. Now if it looked like a natural dino habitat, that would make sense. I just dont get the awful carnival atmosphere and we dont like the rides there either.
 


I've only been once, We did Nemo, triceratops spin, and Carnival games (we didn't even do boneyard--which clearly was a fail on my part). However, my sons seeing that dinosaur at the entrance made it worth it. My kids go on Safaris every year at six flags (not nearly as nice, but to them a pack or herd of animals is about the same wherever you look at it), so at animal kingdom this jaw-dropping, gigantic dinosaur was the highlight of their day. I wouldn't miss it for the kids, it's worth the hour it may pull from your schedule.
 
If you plan on having your kids do the adventure journal thing, they have to go into Dinoland. That thing ate up a huge part of our day
 


You won't be missing much. Triceratop Spin is just like Dumbo at MK. And neither the kids nor the adults will be missing anything if they skip Primeval Whirl. That ride is horrible. It has got to go. And it's the only WDW ride I feel that way about.
Granted, I haven't ridden Dinosaur or seen the Nemo show (which I didn't even know was in Dinoland.) Perhaps I will try them when we go back in June.
 
WEDWDW said:
Yes,Dino-rama is PART of DinoLand so the Backstory of Dino-rama is PART of the Backstory of DinoLand.:)

Here is a link to the best description available IMHO of the DinoLand Backstory for anyone interested.:)
http://land.allears.net/blogs/jackspence/2009/08/chester_and_hesters_dinorama.html
Click to expand...

I read this a couple of years back and want to roam around Dinoland/rama to look for details referencing the backstory. It's a shame the attractions have little going for them, but man, what a backstory for such an overlooked area! There's a lot in Restaurantosaurus from what I read on the Disney food blog, I believe. I don't want to eat there, really, but there's supposed to be many references and memorabilia from the interns and students who were on the dig. So cool.
 
JennyMP03 said:
There's a lot in Restaurantosaurus from what I read on the Disney food blog, I believe. I don't want to eat there, really, but there's supposed to be many references and memorabilia from the interns and students who were on the dig. So cool.
Click to expand...
Definitely!:)

Restaurantosaurus has one of the most detailed Backstory themes in all of WDW-the theming in there is incredible.

It is very important to "explore" ALL of the different "dining rooms".

One interesting fact I learned on my last visit is that the family who Disney bought the Airstream from are invited back each year and are given a "private dinner" in the Airstream!:)



LOVE the little "detail" of the Pink Flamingos that are so often seen in campgrounds!
Restaurantosaurus%2BAirstream%2B%252801-11%2529.JPG
 
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alan68 said:
I haven't ridden Dinosaur or seen the Nemo show (which I didn't even know was in Dinoland.)
Click to expand...

GADisneyDad14 said:
Secretly saying, you’re not the only one. :rolleyes1
Click to expand...

Theater in the Wild (current venue for Finding Nemo the Musical) is/was "in" Dinoland sort of by default.
When the theater was built (even though it was/is still a bit isolated from the Dino-Rama section of Dinoland,)
it could only be reached by heading across the bridge which is the entrance to Dinoland.

But, with the addition of Expedition Everest and its nearby bridge that allows access to/from Asia,
and the more recent seating arena for Rivers of Light,
guests tend to see the Theater of the Wild/Nemo Musical
as being in it's "own area" (which it kind of always was)

RoL-Seating-West_022517_zpsjbmibnbv.jpg
 
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My then four year old loved the Boneyard. He still talks about it almost two years later.

We rode TriceraTop Spin with practically no wait. Each time we were in the MK and had free time to ride Dumbo, the wait was close to an hour. I know Dumbo is a classic ride, but DS was satisfied with TriceraTop Spin as a replacement, which worked great for me.

When my kids are older I’m thinking we’ll probably skip Dinoland for other things, but for the younger age group I found it to be worth the time.
 
Given what you said I don't think you're missing out. It's kind of out of the way and exhausting to get to. IMO in AK in particular, planning a geographically efficient touring plan is a priority for me now. The first time I went there in recent memory was 2014 and I did not do that and it was an EXHAUSTING day especially with pushing a stroller. Last time in 2016 we hit dinoland on the way in and then did the "rest of the park" rather than doubling back. My child will not go on EE again after 2014 and that is also pretty remote. I was far less exhausted in 2016 after AK than 2014.

So I would say miss it or hit it on the way out but I'd not plan my day around getting there in the middle of the day.
 
I feel the exact way you do, HOWEVER, my kids (7 & 3) love boneyard so much that it's one of the things they talk about when we are reminiscing about past trips. We visited the boneyard about 30 minutes before it closed so I wasn't the bad guy when it was time for us to move on. I could blame it on closing time. They played while I walked to Flame Tree and grabbed dinner.
 
Much of the detail of the theme of Dinoland will be lost on the "littles" with no frame of reference to roadside attractions in the heyday of the family road trip. However, kids may really enjoy TS, the Boneyard, and the colorful fun atmosphere. If you have time, it my provide a great deal of fun. If you're tight on time, bypass the area and focus elsewhere. If they don't see it, they won't miss it and it sounds like neither will you.
 
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