Area Planet Snoopy Area Carolina RFD Opened 2012 | Status Operating Status Operating Soft opening date 5 April 2012 | |
Replaced Joe Cool's Driving School Area Adventure IslandCamp Snoopy Similar WindSeeker, Leviathan, Wonder Mountain's Guardian, Backlot Stunt Coaster, Starlight Spectacular | ||
Dinosaurs Alive! is an animatronic dinosaur themed area located at several Cedar Fair parks. Kings Island was the first park to open the attraction in 2011, while the other parks opened their attraction in 2012 or 2013. The version of this attraction at Kings Island is the world's largest animatronic dinosaur park. A $5–6.00 fee is required in order to enter the attraction. At Kings Island, Worlds of Fun, Carowinds and Kings Dominion, admission is free with a Gold or Platinum Pass. Each park also features Dinostore, a gift shop filled with dinosaur toys and souvenirs.
Contents
The exhibits are created by Dinosaurs Unearthed. Some markets, like Toronto, have previously staged their touring exhibit at other venues. Some reviewers have noted that seeing a roller coaster in the background had an "incongruity".
A sand pit allows children to "dig" for dinosaurs, at an area near the end of the attraction.
Size
Each version of this attraction is different in every Cedar Fair park since each version of the attraction vary in size and the amount of dinosaurs each attraction has. As of now, Kings Island's version of the attraction is the largest out of all five versions, which is also the world's largest dinosaur park containing sixty dinosaurs.
Dinosaurs
There are several types of dinosaurs used in this attraction. Dinosaurs can range several feet in height and length, many of them larger than a full-sized elephant. The largest dinosaur on display, the massive Ruyangosaurus, is more than 30 feet tall. Below is a list of all of the dinosaurs featured at each park:
All of the dinosaurs are life-sized, and are animatronic. Some of the animatronic dinosaurs are interactive, allowing visitors to press buttons on the dinosaur's sign that will control the movement of various body parts depending on where the button is located (e.g. button on snout opens jaws, button on throat thrashes neck, and button on rear makes the tail sway). The non-interactive animatronic dinosaurs are activated when a special sensory camera in front of them captures movement, and they will begin to move in various ways, depending on which dinosaur or species they are. Accompanying the various movements are roaring, bellowing, and/or shrieking sound effects erupting from hidden speakers to make it seem as though the dinosaurs are calling noisily to one another.
Most dinosaur models at the park are motion activated as visitors walk along the path. Movement on some dinosaur models can be activated through push button controls.
Models have moving skin, with no visible joints or seams.
Many dinosaurs in the Canada's Wonderland attraction were juveniles, causing one reviewer to speculate this was "a cost-saving measure." Some models don't match the info panels in the exhibit; the Canada's Wonderland Eotyrannus lacks feathers, but is depicted with them in the graphic.
The added admission fee was the target of criticism. Cedar Point representatives have stated that the fee is to avoid overcrowding in the section. A writer for Wired.com suggested that, given the cost of admission, parking, and food at Canada's Wonderland, the added cost of Dinosaurs Alive! was trivial.
Movie
A dinosaur-related 3D movie is currently shown at Canada's Wonderland, Kings Island, Kings Dominion and Carowinds in their respective Action Theaters with the motion seats removed. The film is included with park admission at most parks, while admission to both the attraction and film cost $6 at Canada's Wonderland. At Wonderland, the film shown in the theater is the 11-minute Monsters of the Deep, while Dinosaurs: Monsters of Patagonia was shown at Carowinds and Kings Island.
At Kings Island, Cedar Point and Carowinds it costs an extra $5 per person over the age of 2, unless they are currently employed by the park in question and have their employee ID on their person, for the walk through exhibit. However, Carowinds does offer special Dinosaurs Alive! endorsement stickers that can be attached to season passes for $15 apiece, which grants the holder unlimited trips through the exhibit until the season's end. These stickers may be purchased at the front gate, the Dinostore, or the exhibit's ticket booth.
Reception
Some theme park enthuasiasts suggested in advance of opening that the attraction would not be "repeatable", in advance of its Cedar Point opening.