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

[Surgie2]

I don't know why it's proving so hard to plan our AK day but...we have 10 people including 4 under the age of 6. Kids will be too short for Primeval Whirl, adults not interested. Dinosaur likely too scary for the kids. Not planning to see Finding Nemo.

That leaves the Boneyard which they would enjoy and maybe TriceraTop. We will be eating late breakfast at TH so won't need any of the food choices.

With only one AK day in our plan, I'm tempted to skip Dinoland altogether. The kids like dinosaurs in general so they might think it's fun to just walk around and play in the Boneyard but I feel like that would be eating up park time that could be spent in other lands.

Have I missed considering anything great in Dinoland that would be of interest to preschoolers?

 

[nat8199]

My kids loved Dino land at that age. There is a dino statue outside of the entrance path to Dinosaur that my kids loved when they were 3, 3, and 4. Last trip (5,5, and 6) they loved the boneyard and are already talking about playing there again next trip when we go in a few weeks (they will be 7, 7, and 8). Those play areas are a great place for parents to sit and relax while the kids are happy. We also use it as a time for some adults to do Everest single rider while the others watch kids.

 

[sharonabe]

I don't know why it's proving so hard to plan our AK day but...we have 10 people including 4 under the age of 6. Kids will be too short for Primeval Whirl, adults not interested. Dinosaur likely too scary for the kids. Not planning to see Finding Nemo.

That leaves the Boneyard which they would enjoy and maybe TriceraTop. We will be eating late breakfast at TH so won't need any of the food choices.

With only one AK day in our plan, I'm tempted to skip Dinoland altogether. The kids like dinosaurs in general so they might think it's fun to just walk around and play in the Boneyard but I feel like that would be eating up park time that could be spent in other lands.

Have I missed considering anything great in Dinoland that would be of interest to preschoolers?

We skipped it when ours were younger for the same reasons you listed (except Nemo wasn't there at that time). No one will miss what they don't know is there, so I wouldn't worry about it. If you find you need a place for the little ones to run off some energy, you could change your plans and head to the boneyard, but there's so much walking at AK that I doubt that will happen.

 

[Robo]

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

Well, you'd be missing out on seeing Dinoland, so I'll say, "yes."

 

[MainMom]

We don’t really care for it. Have the boneyard and Triceratops spin in your plans as a maybe and then see what happens with your day.

 

[PrincessWithABlaster]

If none of the kids are tall enough for PW and you take them on Dumbo (they will have done triceratops spin), unless you have a kid who love dinosaurs and would be afraid of DINO, I would say it’s skippable. But we don’t typically let our kids play in the play areas. Like sleep, they can do that at home. But if you don’t have that hang up, you do have a lot of kids so it might be fun to let them play.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Even if you only allow 15 - 20 minutes, I think Boneyard is worth it to let the kids run off some steam. I know my DS really appreciated all of the play spaces (Dumbo que, Boneyard, etc.) when he was younger because it wasn't just walking from one ride to the next or sitting on a ride.

Also, IMHO, I wouldn't miss Nemo. It's arguably the best stage show in WDW.

 

[Surgie2]

Also, IMHO, I wouldn't miss Nemo. It's arguably the best stage show in WDW.

I know! I feel so conflicted on this. We don't have to all do the same thing, but we are trying to keep park days on the shorter side, we have little guy that might have trouble sitting for that long of a show and our priority is Festival of the Lion King. I just have to have the mindset that we can't see it all!

 

[Klayfish]

Yes, I think you'd be missing out. Obviously it depends on the kids, but I wouldn't say Dinosaur is too scary for a 6 year old (for really little ones it probably is). The area where PW is located is pretty cool, IMO. There are carnival games, which the kids might like. The Boneyard is neat, but as you said, it's just a playground.

Just my opinion, but Festival of the Lion King is light years better than the Nemo show. Not that Nemo is bad, it's OK, but Lion King is far, far better.

 

[Gentry2004]

Boneyard is a great place to “get the wiggles out” - when they are tired of standing in line, sitting in their stroller or doing as they are told.

 

[Gentry2004]

I know! I feel so conflicted on this. We don't have to all do the same thing, but we are trying to keep park days on the shorter side, we have little guy that might have trouble sitting for that long of a show and our priority is Festival of the Lion King. I just have to have the mindset that we can't see it all!

Is there anything the grownups are doing that the littles can't do? If so, one adult could take them to Boneyard. Everything looks far on a map, but when you are there it really isn't. Or if you want to just keep the whole Dino quadrant out of the equation (which I have also done on shorter trips), just make sure to give the kids some free time elsewhere, like maybe on one of the trails. I find my kids are much much happier when we give them plenty of breaks to run around and/or just look at stuff. This applies even to my 9 (almost 10) year old.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Funny, when DS was younger (eg, 3-4), Dinoland and Rafiki’s Planet Watch were about the only things we did at AK! Our love of the park and other attractions has expanded as he’s gotten older, but those first few trips - it was all Boneyard!

Also, I’ll get for this, but on our last trip DS and I actually spent some time doing the carnival games (we had previously ignored them). They are a total rip-off price wise, but we had a lot of fun competing against each other.

 

[Klayfish]

Funny, when DS was younger (eg, 3-4), Dinoland and Rafiki’s Planet Watch were about the only things we did at AK! Our love of the park and other attractions has expanded as he’s gotten older, but those first few trips - it was all Boneyard!

Also, I’ll get for this, but on our last trip DS and I actually spent some time doing the carnival games (we had previously ignored them). They are a total rip-off price wise, but we had a lot of fun competing against each other.

You know, I mentioned the carnival games in my previous post, but in all honesty we've never done them either. But our last few trips I kept thinking that we should. Yeah, they're a rip-off price wise, but just to do it once and let the kids have some fun with it, why not. They do look like fun. In the summer, there's rarely anyone playing them, so if my three kids and I get in on a game (DW isn't into playing them), we'd be guaranteed to win something.

 

[PrincessWithABlaster]

Yes, I think you'd be missing out. Obviously it depends on the kids, but I wouldn't say Dinosaur is too scary for a 6 year old (for really little ones it probably is). The area where PW is located is pretty cool, IMO. There are carnival games, which the kids might like. The Boneyard is neat, but as you said, it's just a playground.

Just my opinion, but Festival of the Lion King is light years better than the Nemo show. Not that Nemo is bad, it's OK, but Lion King is far, far better.

I agree it’s definitely kid dependent but DINO is the only ride to ever traumatize my kids. I took DDs there when they were 6 and 4 and they were terrified! I really didn’t do my research and now they have at least 1 thing they can say about me in therapy someday. DD4 went again when she was DD5 because she’s a trooper but still hated it. At 7 she loves big rides. EE, ToT at WDW and Rip Ride Rocket and Forbidden Journey are favorites at Uni. She is not even scared of Hulk and was bitterly disappointed that she was 1/4 inch too short. To this day she will not go on DINO.

You know, I mentioned the carnival games in my previous post, but in all honesty we've never done them either.

We did them last year when DS5 was not tall enough for PW which is DD9s fav ride. Way over priced but in the morning there was no one else so we just played each other and he got the prizes. I wouldn’t go there just for them by any means but as an expensive time killer or recompense for being too short for PW, they work.

 

[SaintsManiac]

Dinoland gives me a headache.

 

[Hopefully]

We are older now, but we skip Dinoland. Festival of the Lion King is our preference

 

[AFwifelife]

I’m 30 years old and Dinosuar still scares me. I have a good time on it but I’m always screaming on the ride photos. Also it’s incredibly dark.

 

[PPFlight75]

I don’t really care for dinoland but my youngest really only likes the safari, triceratop spin and the boneyard (plus FOP now!)so we always spend a little time there for him. Be prepared to be asked to play the carnival games though. We always let him play a few games because he is always so patient while we ride Everest a few times in the mornings. We probably spend an hour total doing games, the boneyard, and TS which makes him happy. If he didn’t know it was there, he wouldn’t know different but would not have as much fun at AK as the rest of us.

 

[ChristineOH]

The Boneyard is really, really fun for small kids. The rest of Dinoland sounds like you don't need to bother with-- Triceratops isn't a must do by any stretch.

If anyone is doing EE with rider swap, I'd use the Boneyard as the place to hang with the kids while you swap out.

If not, while the Boneyard is fun, Rafiki's would also be a good option for the kids and might fit better in your plans.

 

[Surgie2]

Rafiki's would also be a good option for the kids and might fit better in your plans

Yes Rafiki's is definitely in our plans for the Doc loving kids!