Dinosaurs Alive!

Did anyone see this attraction? What are your thoughts? And is it going to be there next year?

I wish I had the time to see it during my one and only visit this season :(
Its something reclusive and relaxing, and surprisingly seems interesting. And yes, the Dinos & Fast Lane are returning for the 2013 season.

Even though people moan about it being "lame", I'd rather CP make another addition to the park than not have anything new to look forward to. Sure a coaster sounds better, but only coasters will not bring in the desired ca$h-something everyone seems to forget.

Somewhere in the many press releases it was stated that they are actually going got add a few more dino's and/or add onto the attraction.

I saw it in May on my first visit this year but was very reluctant to do so. I mostly did it for my kids who wanted to see it. I grew up with Western Cruise/Paddlewheel Excursions and wasn't happy to see it removed for this attraction. I did however want to go on the MF island so I checked it out. Needless to say, there are some cool views of the Millenium Force tracks and bunny hills of MF from that angle. The huge 50+ foot tall dino was ok. I saw the dinos once, won't pay the $5 upcharge again. I guess it's worth? checking out once, but once you've seen it, yeah, that's it. You'll be set for 10 more years. Just my 2c

I walked through it twice this year, mainly to film Millennium Force.

IIRC, I remember hearing that DA is contracted for 7 or 10 years (I don't remember which one). It was a very smart investment for kids and families to enjoy, especially at $5 a person. Its worth checking out, but it really isn't worth going through more than once for me.

I'm just as salty about Paddlewheel having to leave. It still could have ran if CP wanted to install some kind of draw bridge or arched bridge instead of that floating dock. But its too late now.

Last I heard was 7 years. But, the first I heard was 3 years. So, who knows. They may have decided to keep it longer again.

Out of curiosity, CPfan, what did your kids think of it?

^ They were more thrilled with the rides in the park and with the giant "sandbox" at the attraction than with the dinosaurs themselves. They never asked to see it again on our 5 remaining visits the rest of the year. They "dug" (no pun intended) the sandbox area because you could dig for fossils, uncover large dinosaur bones,etc. and it gave us a break to sit down. Like CoasterBob, I always wanted to go on the island from when I was a kid and agree with him that the view of Millenium is awesome from there, that was the highlight for me. Yes, the fake dinosaurs are better looking than some others I've seen and I'm sure the park got their $1 million investment back easily in admission alone; but was the attraction worth tearing out a classic ride for? no.

As an employee of Dinos I can say that we were told it was a 7 year contract. If it didn't make a high enough profit Cedar Fair or Dinos Alive could opt out of the contract. We were also told the long term goal was every couple of years a new animal/animitronic attraction like Dinos would be added as the old was removed.....

I didn't even bother with it...

I went though it...dozens of times last year...going very fast...with my seat belt latched...and my lap bar down.

I enjoyed the attraction. It's a great break from the park and I thought the dinos were really good. Yes it would be nicer if it was free but hopefully the extra charge will guarantee the attraction will stay top notch as long as the park wants to keep it. The dinos look really small when your riding Millennium however.

I am a huge dinoasaur enthusiast (I have no clue why, but I've become one recently) and I liked the attraction a lot. I admit, it's frustrating that it's another upcharge but it was something new and different. I doubt I'd go through it again though.

Off Season = Graveyard thread time...

Anyway...

I noticed that online tickets for Dinosaur's Alive are available for only $2.50, making it less than a small soda or a cheap keychain in the souvenir shop. It begs the question... wouldn't a lot of us enjoy (or at least tolerate) this attraction if they made it free?

I remember when SeaWorld Orlando stopped charging for the SkyTower... I think a change here would greatly decrease the overall complaining about what young families can enjoy at Cedar Point and be an added bonus for what's included in a one day ticket.

Thoughts?

Also- I know there have always been rumors this attraction had a limited time span (5 years?). I have never read that anywhere from the park. Where did this rumor originate?

It is free with a Platinum Pass.

Most of the reason for the charge is crowd control. It's actually a very small area and when it gets crowded it makes it almost impossible to walk let alone see the interactive dinos.

I remember the first year when even employees had to pay if they wanted to walk the trail. But the last few years I was at the point I remember how crowded it got a few times and with a bunch of people it wasn't nearly as interesting.

Tilt-a-Whirl said:

Off Season = Graveyard thread time...

Anyway...

I think a change here would greatly decrease the overall complaining...

Complainers would just find something else to complain about.

The 5 year contract rumors appear to be untrue, as this is year #6 for Cedar Point and year #7 for Kings Island. An earlier post in this thread claims that the contract was for 7 years, so I suppose we can see what happens after this season at Kings Island.

Due to the higher season pass demographics at Kings Island, I could see the attraction staying there for longer...maybe on a year by year basis. As for Cedar Point, I would think it would just get re-purposed for Haunt again. I still think Paddlewheel might make a come back eventually.

As for the contract (and I have NO information beyond what is stated here) but I kinda think it's more of a lease style thing. Where Cedar Fair paid the company who put it on a percentage every year for 5 (or 7) years then Cedar Fair owns the attraction (including the dinos) outright and can do what they want with it.

I do remember hearing the 5 year rumor starting from King's Island, then when Cedar Point signed on they signed a 7 year deal. At some point I think I remember hearing that King's Island signed a 2 year extension to bring them to the same terms as the rest of the parks.