Dinosaur (countdown to extinction) for a 5 YEAR OLD??

[EmmMOM2]

My husband and myself have been on this ride before. My 5 year old is OBSESSED with dinosaurs he has all sorts of dino toys and books that we read. He knows more kinds of dinosaurs then i do and just seems to absorb the info...
ANYWAY, he has shown interest in trying this ride and i remember being quite jostled by it as it was jerky and i remember it being quick moving as well.
I have had him watch the ride on YouTube and I'm going to have him do Goofy's Barnstormer roller coaster AND the Haunted Mansion first to make sure he can handle those.
He is 2 inches ABOVE the height requirment for the ride so he is able to go.

Do you think all these things are enough prep for him? Anyone have a child around 5 who did or did NOT enjoy the ride??
Looking for any advice, i dont want him terrified.

BTW he LOVES Ellen's energy ride because of the dino part and wasn't scared at all but intrigued.

[Mickey'sGirl]

It is extreme, but our DS5 has been riding it since he was 3. He loves it ONCE, but does not want to keep on riding it.

I remember taking our oldest son when he was 4, and I had NOOOOOOOOO idea about the ride. I got off from it telling him "I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!" -- not for the scare factor, but for the rough and tumble ride. He just laughed at me. :mickey:

[Ian]

We took DD5 on it and she hated it.

But she's kind of a chicken, so I wouldn't necessarily go by that.

It is a pretty loud, dark, scary attraction, though. I think I'd be hesitant to take a child on there unless I was very confident he/she would be okay with it.

[BigBaloo]

At the time my older DS was 8 & younger was 5. The 5 year old LOVED IT. He was naming all the types of dinosaurs while the 8 year old was screaming for it to stop. I think you have prepped your son & he will enjoy it.

[MNNHFLTX]

My son went on it when he was 5 and loved it right from the beginning--more than me, that's for sure. I think sometimes kids surprise us, as long they don't pick up on our own nervous vibes!

As far as prep, I might suggest doing Big Thunder Mountain Railroad before the ride too, if he's willing.

[lawgirl]

We took our 6 year old nephews last year. One of them begged us to ride Dinosaur...the other one started crying when we talked about riding.

Anyways, my husband took one on the ride, and I waited with the second twin who didn't want to ride. The twin that rode was screaming and crying the whole ride, and was absolutely terrified...it almost ruined the day for him. So from then on out, every time we rode anything he constantly asked if there was anything that was going to jump out at him...he was pretty much terrified of every ride after Dinosaur.

I would not recommend taking a young one on it. Its so intense, and so loud, and they have a hard time separating "engineering" from reality.

We won't be taking them on it for a long time!

Hope this helps.

[lawgirl]

Also...forgot to add this. The twin that rode Dinosaur completely frieked out on Thunder Mountain RR. I thought he was having a complete panic attack...he cried for like an hour afterwards.

I felt really bad for him, b/c I know how sensitive he is, and I felt responsible.

[Imagineer1981]

I would say no only because the Dinosaurs aren't like happy dinosaurs, they are scary gonna eat ya types, and that could scare him alot

[illini]

OK, I'll admit it. This ride scares the crud out of me and I'm, well, old enough to know better. I've never been scared on any ride anywhere before, but this one? Oh yeah.

Two of my 3 kids are fine on it. All have ridden at age 5 or younger. The one who gets scared? The dino obsessed one. Go figure. Yet even at age 3, ToT was his absolute favorite. How does that work? There's just no way to tell how it's going to affect your son. My motto is prepare, prepare, prepare. Lots of talk about how it's all pretend. Give him a good idea of what it's going to be like-- scary, realistic dinos roaring in your ear and appearing to attack the ride vehicle, dark, jerky, and LOUD.

If he's OK with the other stuff, I'd be inclined to let him try. Just let him know that it's OK to back out at any point before he gets strapped into the seat.

[kakn7294]

My DD HATES Jurassic Park at Universal but loves Dinosaur - figure that one out! I recommend finding a video online and showing him, telling him how big the dinos are. There are also some dinos outside that you can show him. If he still wants to ride, go for it.

[disneyworld55925592]

The main thing is that its veryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy loud and dark! There is alot of quick jerking around as well

[PiratesCove]

I would say no only because the Dinosaurs aren't like happy dinosaurs, they are scary gonna eat ya types, and that could scare him alot

I agree, it's too intense IMHO for most 5 yr olds:faint:.

[SBETigg]

It is a pretty intense ride, lots of noise and jerking around, but my son was a dinosaur fanatic, too. I would have had the same dilemma if we'd gone when he was that age. He definitely understood that some dinosaurs were meat eaters and dangerous. He wouldn't have expected happy dinosaurs. And I think he would have liked it. It would have scared him, but he would have been so fascinated. If you decide to go, go over the dinosaurs with him in advance, let him know that there will be some carnosaurs and it feels realistic but he's safe.

[MNNHFLTX]

Another thing we did with our son before all potentially scary rides--we let him know that if it got scary just to keep hanging on and remember that the ride would be over soon and that everything would be okay. Even if they get scared, most kids will bounce back quickly.

[Kathy Jetson]

We took ds5 on this last Nov. He was extremely scared we couldn't get him to stop crying for about 20 min. When we got home he said it was one of his fave rides and can't wait to ride again next time. I think what scared him the most was how bumpy and loud it was. He was not prepared for this because i had never ridden it befor. We will be doing it again next time and be fine because we know what to expect. Maybe you could ride it first and then see if you think he would like it.

[Madzac]

We had prepared our kids for the ride and left it up to them if they wanted to ride. I had told them it was dark and loud and scary and the dinosaurs were pretty real looking. Both my 7 yr old and 4 yr old really wanted to ride. I told them they could hang on to us if if got too scary. The did and loved BTMRR, star tours, TT, mission space, TofT, you name it.

Well, both went and both did ok, though when we saw the ride picture after, the look of fear on my DD's face... I felt bad! Neither kid particularly liked it and neither wanted to ride it again this trip.. Both said it was a bit too scary. But neither cried or were worked up by it.

Each kid is different. It sounds like you have prepared him. I would say if with preparation he wants to try, let him.

[Lizzie]

I think the movement of the ride is less jerky if you are in the middle seats in the 2nd or third rows.

I still smile at the picture of my sister when she was startled by one of the dinasours.

[DisneyFr33k]

The first time we went on it, our children were 4 and 6. None of us had any idea of what the ride was about. We did tell the kids that the dino's we would see are not real and that they are actually machines. I agree with the post above, if you go on it pick a middle row and put children in the middle. My husband and I were on the outside and the kids in the middle. They didn't cry, but we (myself included) were scared! The kids did close their eyes during the last part. Last trip, we all rode it again and it was tame in comparison to our experiences the first time.

I recommend also doing It's Tough to be a Bug before this one. My now 11 year old still cannot sit through that show! She ends up on the floor covering her ears! It is a hoot as she is my ultimate thrill ride child, willing to try any coaster or ride! Go figure!

It is smart you showed your 5 year old youtube of the ride. I think that will help a lot. We did that with my 9 year old son for Everest. It helped him get the courage to try the ride.

Good luck. Let us know what you decide and what happens if you go on it.

[gueli]

My dd rode it at 5. She was scared.
But this trip she wants to ride it again.
Same thing with bugs life.

My DW doesn't like it for the violent shaking.

You have warned him. shown him videos. I think you have but tell him that many people, including adults think its scary.
See how he handles other stuff. make sure he is not too worn out by the time you ride - this could affect his performance.

Good luck.

[Disney Doll]

I took my 5 yr old niece on Dinosaur a few years back and I felt horrible for doing it. I had ridden it before, but not in a while so I didn't really remember how intense it was until it was too late. She was a trooper. I just told her to close her eyes and hold my hand. She liked to brag to her little sis that she rode, but when I asked her if she wanted to go again she quickly declined. Had I really remembered what the ride was all about we would have skipped it. She rebounded quickly, but I don't think it was an enjoyable experience for her. Dark, very loud, lots of sudden jerky movements, bright flashes of lights. It's pretty realistic and I'm sure at 5 it's hard to separate the real from the make believe.

[beksy]

I don't know about 5 year olds but I've got a 20 year old sister that REFUSES to even consider it! Of course she could win scardy-cat of the year award so I wouldn't go by her. She wouldn't ride ANY roller coaster until she was 19 and then I had to drag her away from BTMRR. She did do Everest once and enjoyed that and does Splash. I think I've convinced her to try ToT next trip with me on one side and Mom on the other so that's a good plan. She is also afraid of the HM at night and Snow White. When she was little and we mistakenly took her on Snow White, Dad had her shake her finger and the ugly stepmother. This actually seemed to help her make it through without any lasting impression other than not wanting to ride again. Good luck! I'd say go with what you feel. You know your child the best and what he can handle. If after the other rides you think he is going to be ok, I'd go with it. At that age I would have been fine but my sister would not even have gotten close.

[edhunter28]

my sister loves the ride & started going on it when she was 4

[savvychic]

Get him ear plugs.

However cool the ride is to me, I still feel iffy about riding it just because it is SO loud.

The ride isn't too scary just because you're getting bashed around and blasted with sound, you're too jarred up to be able to initiate such an emotion.

I think if a child had earplugs, it wouldn't be as bad. Scary dinosaurs pop out at you, but you swerve out of the way before you can register what's going on.

It's worth going on though, it feels so much like actually going into another world, that it shouldn't be missed.

The Yeti ride would be good to ride to do before. It'll get your blood pumping and it's sort of a confusing ride too. (as in "wait, what's going on?" ) Though, I don't know how tall you have to be for that ride? (There are no drops, it's just fast).


Before going on the ride, say it's a dino zoo, but tell them not to worry because all of the dinos are on leashes that can't be broken. And that since there are so many dinos in such a small space, that they'll need to wear ear plugs.


But yeah, out of all rides, this one would be the hardest for little kids. But... they're dinos, which all kids think are cool... so... maybe?

I have seen so many little 5 year old girls dragging their parents to ride the ride yet again, so... some kids really do love it. :)

Maybe watch a few dinosaur movies beforehand, too? (Not Jurassic Park- hehe!)

[brownie]

Our son was into dinosaurs when he was younger and we took him on Dinosaur when he was 6. I need to preface his reaction; he does not like thrill rides. He's going to be 12 and still doesn't really want to ride roller coasters or any kind of similar rides. He didn't like Dinosaur.

I think it depends on the child, and you won't really know until they ride it.

[BelleKP]

My DD5 has told us that she wants to ride EVERYTHING this time (she's been to the world twice already :D), including Dinosaur. We too are unsure how she will do on this.

Get him ear plugs.

This is a good idea . . . noise bothers her, so this could help for sure. And I like the idea of trying BTMR first . . . for the jarring.
I just don't want to traumatize her! ;)

[iheartdisney]

OK, I'll admit it. This ride scares the crud out of me and I'm, well, old enough to know better.

My 16 yr. old freaked out on it! And while she said she'd do it again if one of her brothers wanted to ride, she wouldn't choose to do it again. Didn't bother me but I'm really old and jaded according to her.

It's so hard to tell if your child will enjoy it or not. I'm with others who have suggested that you consider how well your child separates real from make-believe. Does he enjoy Haunted Mansion, Snow White and other typically "dark" rides? I'd be more concerned with the scariness of the ride rather than the motion.

[Goofy Pluto]

OK, I love Dinosaur. I think it's a great ride, the bouncing doesn't bother me, and the animatronics/atmosphere are great. The last time I was on it was 2001. However my wife is the complete opposite. She's only been on it once and HATED IT! I still regret to this day that I didn't by the picture of her crouching down away from the dinosaur, cowering, when you get your picture taken. Classic!

When were were there in 2007, I didn't even consider taking my 5 yo on it. Maybe she would have but I wasn't pressing my luck. I'm hoping next year, when she's 7, she'll be willing to go. But my son will be 5 then, too, and I'd have a hard time putting it on that one. Pretty realistic and can be scary for kids (and adults, too!).

[SallyMcQueen]

The only ride my DD5 said she didn't like was Dinosaur. It just scared the beejeezus out of her. But, just two days ago she told me "the next time we go to Disney mom, I want to ride Dinosaur."

[Gooftroop5]

I took my 5 year old last year & he had just turned 5 a month before that. If you ask him he will tell you that he liked it but it was too loud. I asked if it scared him & he said no it just hurt his ears.

We thought about earplugs this trip but we are thinking more about skipping it period this trip.

[AlexinWonderland]

I think if he was seated in the middle right and perhaps had earplugs it would be fine, though the idea that he had to wear earplugs to go on might scare him.

Tell him the dinosaurs are pretending to be mean for fun, because Mickey told them too. I have heard that one used at Haunted Mansion and other scary rides and it seemed to help calm some frightened children.

I think it is definitely worth riding if he is tall enough.

[EmmMOM2]

thanks alice.
I actually do tell him something like that already except i use the term "mickey magic" and that mickey tries to scare you or "trick" you into thinking it's real. He seems to enjoy that term.

[ginger19]

I think it depends on the child. It's fast, loud, bumpy and scary but an excellent ride. I took my 5 year old last time and he came off crying. The good thing is that he sat next to me so I could hold onto him and keep him fairly calm.
Explain the ride before hand, watch video, see how he feels about it. My son who cried the first time, went back on. He was just taken aback at how loud and fast it was.

[Darbylew]

We love the Dinosaur but I can see how it would scare young ones. There is a ride with
Dinosaurs in it that it not as scary and it is at
Epcot. It is called Ellen's Energy Adventure -
Universe of Energy - you might like to try that
one. :mickey:

[jonahbear2006]

It scared my son the first time. The pic of him was of him shrieking. My girls who are older don't like this ride either, however, I love it and insist on riding it. The 2nd trip I dragged the boy in and told him to try it again. We got to the front of the line and he told me, "here's the deal. I have to poop and I HATE this ride!" He did ride it, cause we waited 45 minutes but he didnt like it one bit.

[dizzneyfan1234]

ive went with a 6 yeaar old and he went on tower of terror expedition everest and rock nd roller coaster w. no problem

[Suz36]

My then 5 yo absolutely insisted on going on Dinosaur, and ended up hiding his eyes and covering his ears the entire ride. It is very intense - made me jump a few times!

[Figment78]

I have no experience with taking a 5yo so I apologize for my lack of contribution here... I just had to say that I love this ride and ride it every time we go - but I spend the entire ride with my eyes closed and my head covered, clutching the bar in front of me for dear life! Everyone, including all of the people checking out the photos after the ride, laughs at me. I don't care - I still like to ride it!

Just wanted to share that so y'all could join in laughing at me. :cool:

It is loud, dark, bumpy, realistic and I can see how a child might be really frightened. On the other hand, many a child has been on the ride with me and they too, find my fear amusing, while they are Mr. Joe Cool! :blush:

[1stitch]

We took our 5 year old, he was reallly wanting to ride it because his 7 year old cousin told him to. He rode it and before hand I told him if he got scared just to shut his eyes. I also told him how rough the ride was. He did fine. He liked all the dinosaurs and they didn't scare him, he just didn't like the jerky ride. All kids are different and only you will be able to decide if they will like it or not.

[TheVBs]

I'm wishing I'd let our DD8 go on it in May. I didn't actually keep her from going on it, but I did describe it so she'd know what it was like, then she changed her mind. She ended up doing Splash Mtn twice, BTMRR, Kali River Rapids, HM and Soarin', all for the first time. So, I think she probably would have been fine on Dinosaur too. I'll definitely encourage her to try it next time.

[Greenlawler]

I have not seen the inside of Dinosaur even though I have been on the ride often....;)

I admit it...I am a large man, who loves football, fishing and wrestling. I lettered in three sports in high school but this ride creeps me out! I try to be a good role model for my three sons but this is where I draw the line...I say no to the ride.

Large things jumping out behind corners is not my cup of tea.

[Disney-lovin' Dutchman]

I have said this many, many, many, many times..if my name wasn't already Disney-lovin' Dutchman, it would have been Dinosaur-hatin' Dutchman...

I don't have any fears, I fly, I used to own a tarantula, I have bungee jumped, I have done every ride at every park I have ever been at...but Dinosaur scarred me for life! I am not exagurating..:(

It's jumpy, loud, scary, very fast and I have done it twice (I wanted to face my fear of the ride) but the second time out was worse!) I honestly couldn't function right for about 10 minutes after exiting the ride

[Granny Jill A]

This is one ride that scares the hoo-ha right out of me, and I'm way older than 5 ;).

It depends on the child, and you never know until you try it. Explain that the ride is rough, the sound is very loud, and the creatures come at you from everywhere. If the child still sounds interested in trying it, have a back-up plan for if and when they get scared. I told my 7-year-old grandson to close his eyes and put his head next to me if he needed to. He got off the ride and said with a very solemn face, "once was enough for him".

Good luck!

[Disney_Barbie]

I'm... slightly older than 5 & think this is handsdown the SCARIEST ride on disney property.
I'm a rollercoaster junkie & know where all the cameras are on all the "scary" rides. My DH & family get a kick out of the fact that every picture on the "rollercoasters" (ToT, Splash, Rockin, Everest) I'm generally smiling @ the camera as if I was posing for a portrate, not on roller coaster! But everyone loves to mock that in the Dinasour pic I'm generally screaming or covering my eyes! That stupid anamatronic Dinasour is SOOOO scary!

[Darbylew]

This ride is not so scary. Maybe the first time
you ride it but after that it is just another ride.
We know where the camera is and we smile at
it. :D
BEEN THERE, DONE THAT AND GOING BACK IN
NOVEMBER 2009!!!!!!!!!!:mickey:

[FriendsofMickey]

My daughters (twins) went on when they were 4. I told them it was loud and scary (but fake), I told them it was bumpy. I would have been just as happy skipping it. My daughters rode it without much issue. They did not want to ride it again though. Last year at age 5 1/2, they rode it again once. I was surpised, because before we left for vacation, they said no, but then they wanted to while were there.
For them it is a 'once a trip ride'. (They love splash mountain, thunder mountain, goofy's barnstormer,...). They just hit 44", so they have not done the bigger rides yet.

Oh, they hated TT (because of the themeing) and only rode it when they were 4...go figure. I would pick TT before Dinosaur anyday.