A few weeks ago my friend John from BigFatPanda.com made some disparaging remarks on Facebook about my beloved coaster. I told him it was my favorite and he suggested we ride it together and record our adventure so on June 28th I met John for a fun-filled day at Animal Kingdom. I hope you enjoy our video:

I don’t know when I have laughed so hard. Poor John is truly scared by this ride. He is scared for most of the reasons I love this ride.

• To be true to the Dino-rama theming, it appears to be a ride that belongs to a traveling carnival. Thus it appears less safe than Disney’s other coasters.
• It spins! The tilt-a-whirl fan in me LOVES that Primeval Whirl spins after the two drops.
• The camel back bumps at the end of the ride. John hates them because they are a bit jarring I love them, especially if you are still spinning and not facing forward as you go over them.

Primeval Whirl is a Fastpass attraction and you must be 48 inches tall to ride. I suggest you try it once and for your own opinion.

If you have ridden Primeval Whirl, I’d love for you to leave your thoughts about this ride in the comments.

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The musical was created with the help of some of Broadway’s best-the 14 original songs are composed by Robert Lopez, Tony Award winner for “Avenue Q” and his wife Kristen Anderson-Lopez noted for the a cappella musical “Along the Way.” The puppets for Finding Nemo the Musical were designed by Michael Curry, creator of the beautiful puppets for Disney’s smash Broadway hit, “The Lion King.”

The show is located in the 1500-seat, indoor Theater in the Wild in DinoLand USA at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The seats are not very comfortable benches with backs. The show takes place several times a day so check your times guide for more information. I love this show so much I own the CD and I can recite the entire thing!

What are your thoughts on Finding Nemo the Musical? Love it? Hate it? Leave me a comment and let me know.

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Everest at Night

After a busy conference day I met the family in our room to freshen up, then we headed over to Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Our evening party was at this park but we wanted to make sure Summer had a chance to experience the Kilimanjaro Safari since this was her first trip to Animal Kingdom. After the safari we wandered the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail checking out all of the cool animals. Next the kids wanted to head to Expedition Everest and I was getting tired to they went to ride the ride and Ron and I found a bench and relaxed. When the kids had ridden Everest twice they joined us and we headed out to the front of the park to meet our group as they arrived on the buses.

Rildey Pearson and Jordan

When the buses arrived, we were escorted back to Dinoland USA which is where our party was being held! For the next few hours we would dine, ride and dance throughout Dinoland! There were buffet stations and dining tables set up along the winding pathways of Dinoland, we chose a table on the path between TriceraTop Spin and Dinosaur. Just as we were sitting down Jordan grabbed my arm all excited because he had spotted Ridley Pearson, author of his favorite series of books, The Kingdom Keepers, walking straight towards us. We spoke with Mr Pearson for a brief moment and Jordan had his picture taken with him. We ate a delicious dinner of carved roast beef with all the trimmings and the kids chose meatball subs. After dinner it was time for some rides! During the party we had free run of Dinoland USA including Expedition Everest, Primeval Whirl, TriceraTop Spin and Dinosaur. Making it even more exciting was the fact that guests are seldom in Animal Kingdom after dark and the fun carnival lights of Dinoland USA just added to the magic of the evening.

First we headed over to Primeval Whirl (though we weren’t sure if this was the best decision right after eating!). After two rides on that roller coaster the kids headed over to ride Expedition Everest in the dark a few times. I headed back to the buffet for some make-your-own strawberry shortcake dessert. When the kids returned they grabbed Ron and headed to Dinosaur, which scared Summer out of her skin Then the kids took a dessert break with cotton candy as their food of choice before we headed over by the DJ to join in on the Cha-Cha Slide and some Hand Jive. Then we took a spin on TriceraTop Spin before snagging a few more rides on Primeval Whirl before the magical evening ended.

TriceraTop Spinning

My boys have been raised at Walt Disney World and this night in Dinoland USA is one of their favorite Disney experiences EVER! To see my 19 year old son as giddy as a 5 year old running around Dinoland snapping photos (most of the photos in this post are his), eating great food and riding rides with no wait-made me a happy mom. I don’t know if the Disney Social Media Moms team is going to be able to top this one…but I can’t wait to see them try!

Primeval Whirl

Disclosure: I paid to attend the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration. In exchange for my registration fee, I received deeply discounted rates on hotel, park tickets, free events, meals, and swag. I am not required nor was I asked to write about the events by Disney or any other brands, celebrities, or speakers affiliated with the event. All opinions are my own.

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Every Thursday Heidi at Reviews by Heidi hosts a Disney themed photo meme called Destination Disney. Each week she posts a different topic and we post photos and/or a story about that part of our previous Walt Disney World vacations. It is a lot of fun and gives me another reason to dig through my Disney photos.

This week’s topic is Animal Kingdom-Dinoland USA

Dinoland USA is a fun kitschy area of Animal Kingdom. There is The Boneyard-an amazing play area for kids. The Boneyard is a great place to let the kids run and play for a while-especially if they have spent a lot of time waiting in lines. Next is the Dinosaur ride. This ride is not for the faint of heart. It is a thrill ride and the ride itself is very jerky. I don’t recommend this for young children or people with back and neck issues.

The 1500 seat Theatre in the Wild orginally was home to Tarzan Rocks an awesome rock concert show based on the Disney’s Tarzan movie. The first picture is of Tarzan and Jane and the second is of the full stage and the extreme skating monkeys. The Theatre in the Wild is now home to Finding Nemo-The Musical. This is currently my favorite show on Disney property. I love the acting, scenery, puppetry and music. We own the soundtrack and listen to it all the time. None of my pictures for this show have come out well but trust me, this is a beautiful show and is not to be missed.

As you head into Chester and Hester’s Dino-rama, you go back to a 50’s style midway complete with games of chance, 2 rides and you may even get to have your picture taken with your hosts Chester and Hester. Triceratop Spin is a Dumbo-esgue ride. One of my all time favorite rides is also found in Dino-rama, Primeval Whirl. It is a wild mouse coaster with a twist. Each car also spins like a tilt-a-whirl car! It is so much fun! Here you have myself, my husband, my son Jordan and my father-in-law heading off on our Primeval Whirl adventure.

Dinoland USA is a lot of fun and has plenty of rides and shows to keep you entertained.

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