No Work and All Play – Disney on the Company’s Dime! (8/1 There and Back Again)

[MEK]

That was an excellent photo montage of dinosaur. Well done! I see I am going to have to try to take more photos of that ride during my next visit. It really is one of my favs! In fact, I am a nurse practitioner in a hospital and whenever someone asks me a question about a patient that isn't on my service, I reply "Not my dino"! No one knows what the heck I am talking about, but I say it anyway! I just can't help myself!

[praisehisname]

That was the best pictorial tour of Dinosaur I've ever seen! Great job!

[thecapells]

Originally Posted by All7OfUs

Hey There!!

Merry Christmas AND Merry Mikemas!!!

I hope you were able to celebrate in a grand way!!

Enjoyed your foray into Dinoland- lovely descriptions!!

I wouldn't have ever guessed you'd go on Dinosaur- REALLY! I thought too bumpy etc...

Nah, I'm anti-drops but I have no problem with a couple o' bumps!

Originally Posted by dawnbu40

Nice update on Dinosaur! We love that ride!
Happy Birthday!

Thanks!
I figured Dinosaur was a fun topic to write about on Mikemas!

Originally Posted by 3girls4me05

Merry Mikemas! I hope you had a great birthday.

It was nice and relaxing, thanks!

[thecapells]

Originally Posted by MEK

That was an excellent photo montage of dinosaur. Well done! I see I am going to have to try to take more photos of that ride during my next visit. It really is one of my favs! In fact, I am a nurse practitioner in a hospital and whenever someone asks me a question about a patient that isn't on my service, I reply "Not my dino"! No one knows what the heck I am talking about, but I say it anyway! I just can't help myself!

That's awesome!
Great quote to keep alive.

Originally Posted by praisehisname

That was the best pictorial tour of Dinosaur I've ever seen! Great job!

Thanks!
I had fun just snapping shots all over the place.
The luxury of being on one's own.
Much more to come!

[PrincessCaitlin]

Happy Belated!!!!!

I am a fan of Dinosaur I have had many good times on that ride

I always love how it isn't too packed

and thank you for the congratulations unfortunately college gets in the way of my dissing

[thecapells]

Originally Posted by PrincessCaitlin

Happy Belated!!!!!

I am a fan of Dinosaur I have had many good times on that ride

I always love how it isn't too packed

and thank you for the congratulations unfortunately college gets in the way of my dissing

That's understandable.
You'll just have to catch up on your college breaks!
It can be something to look forward to!

[pipersmom]

Merry Mikemas! So funny, my SIL's b'day is also Christmas day, but she doesn't seem to take it anywhere near as well as you do Great update, we're really looking forward to AK since we haven't been there. Did you know Kali River Rapids runs on a track, btw?*laughing*
Looking forward to the next update!

[thecapells]

Originally Posted by pipersmom

Merry Mikemas! So funny, my SIL's b'day is also Christmas day, but she doesn't seem to take it anywhere near as well as you do Great update, we're really looking forward to AK since we haven't been there. Did you know Kali River Rapids runs on a track, btw?*laughing*
Looking forward to the next update!

Yeah, Xmas bdays suck in general.
My new theory is that since everyone gets a present on my birthday, I should get one on everyone else's birthday!
I don't think that one will catch on though...

[thecapells]

Wandering the Dino Institute grounds, I discovered a lot of things I’ve never noticed before.
First off, how about a drink of water straight from the Dino’s mouth?


And then I saw this guy again.
The kids had a blast posing and playing with him last trip.
But this time I was able to grab a shot of just him.


I was interested in exploring the Cretaceous Trails to see what they've done.
At the head of the trail is this guy


I don’t quite get this guy. I like the fact that most of the stuff surrounding the Institute is authentic or very close to it.
This guy, on the other hand, is very far from realistic.
Needless to say, this didn’t bode well for my trek into the past.

However, once on the trails, I noticed a great picture spot.
I definitely need to take the kids here next time for a pic.


At the heart of the trail, I expected to hear some rustling in the trees or some jungle-type sounds.
I could’ve sworn this was the case last time I was here years before.
This time, my journey was quiet and all I could spot was a couple of Triceratops grazing off to the side.




Returning to the present, my next priority was the first showing of Finding Nemo: The Musical.
But I had plenty of time to kill.
So I did the unthinkable and actually ventured into Dinorama.


I had heard that there’s a meet and greet over here that is normally empty so I figured I could swing by that.
However, nobody was out yet so I wandered through Dinorama for the first time.
And it was as bad as I feared.
It reminded me of a really bad move-able carnival.
The games were bad, the theming was bad, and it was entirely non-Disney.
I decided to try a ride and didn’t like the looks of Primeval Whirl so I headed towards Triceratops Spin.


A Dumbo/Astro Orbiter/Aladdin’s Magic Carpets clone, I figured I could at least get a bird’s eye view of Dinoland.
I boarded my cheesy-looking triceratops and was off.


The theming of the ride was very campy and over-the-top.
It's supposed to look like triceratops trying to escape a meteor shower.
There's even a baby triceratops at the point a la Timothy in Dumbo.


The big Dinoland Dino was kinda neat but also a bit campy.


And then there’s these guys trying to find Dinorama – kinda reminds me of the South of the Border billboards up and down Interstate 95.


I definitely prefer the seriousness of the Institute as opposed to the silliness of Dinorama.
So, with that, I had had enough.
It was time to get back to more Disney theming.


The characters were still not out, so I headed over to the Theatre in the Wild to see what I could see.
Stay tuned for lots more details including lots more things I never noticed before!

[dtr_angel]

I love your trip reports!

Happy Belated Birthday!

My husband and I were lucky enough to get CS at El Pirata y el Perico on our trip in August. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't spectacular either. My only complaint really is that they only had hard taco shells. I LOVE tacos, but I am not crazy about hard tacos. I'm not sure but I don't think it was open when we were there in March, or the previous June so I guess we got lucky last trip. On our August trip we were determined to eat at CS restaraunts that we had never eaten at before, and somehow managed to not have burgers or chicken nuggets the whole week!

[dawnbu40]

Nice pics of the trails! I agree that Dinorama doesn't fit in a Disney park! I wish they would change it and make something that is better suited!

[PrincessCaitlin]

Idk how I feel about Dinorama

After I read the back story about it, it sort of grew on me. Then again I also love Restaurantosaurus so maybe that's why I like it

You got some very good pictures I can't wait for the next post!

[meeko_33785]

Nice updates. I've never noticed the Dino on the bench before. How funny!

You know, I actually kind of like Dinorama. It's not my favorite area of the park, but it's fun to check out every couple of trips. Nothing wrong with a little campy-ness every now and then.

[pipersmom]

Dinorama doesn't look like it "fits", I can see what you mean. It looks like something that should be a kid's area at Kings Dominion. The billboard comparison cracked me up..I have many fond memories of South of the Border, both there and seeing the signs on the way! Were Chester and Hester in a Disney movie or something? I'm clueless....

[MEK]

I am trip report impaired as I try to read this without the benefit of pictures (at work), but I enjoyed reading your impressions of Dinorama. I'm not sure how I feel about it. I get the idea for the theming - it's supposed to look like a carnival - I get that, but sometimes it seems like a bit of an eye sore compared to everything else in the park. I think it served its purpose for awhile (before EE was built), but it seems like the area that would be most slated for a rehab.