Walt Disney Global will quickly completely shut one among its in style thrill rides, DINOSAUR at Animal Kingdom, because the entirety of Dinoland USA is reimagined into Tropical Americas. Right here’s the newest, together with predicted wait instances and crowd ranges within the lead-up to the extinction degree match and what to anticipate when you’re within the park for a last farewell over the weekend.
As a reminder, Walt Disney Global formally introduced that the closure date for DINOSAUR is February 2, 2026. That means the closing day to revel in the enchantment ahead of extinction is Sunday, February 1, 2026.
This has been a protracted good-bye, with Disney first indicating that DINOSAUR would keep open after the everlasting closure of Dino-Rama, which took place over a yr in the past. Disney then printed that DINOSAUR can be open for everything of closing yr.
After all, early closing September, Walt Disney Global set the February 2, 2026 final date. And with that, the legit countdown to extinction was once on. That is clearly bittersweet information for DINOSAUR enthusiasts, however they will have to take solace in simply how lengthy they’ve needed to make peace with the verdict.
The writing has been at the wall for DINOSAUR since all of the long ago on the 2022 D23 Expo when blue sky “plans” had been printed to switch this yr. Twelve months later, utterly other, however really-for-real plans (no air quotes) had been shared on the 2023 Vacation spot D23.
Two and a part years is longer than we anticipated to mention good-bye to DINOSAUR, and significantly better than Rivers of The united states or MuppetVision enthusiasts won for the ones respective sights and spaces (now not that I’m sour or anything else). At this level, I’ve made a number of ‘farewell’ rides on DINOSAUR over the process the closing couple years (maximum ahead of the date was once set).
The longer and extra advance understand additionally will increase the chance that out of state Annual Passholders and different non-local enthusiasts will display up in complete drive for one ultimate spin in a Time Rover ahead of that closing meteor hits and wipes out the experience as soon as and for all.
Any other contributing issue to final weekend crowds is this is occurring in iciness versus the summer time months. January and February are very popular instances for enthusiasts from the Midwest and Northeast to make escapes from the iciness climate, while summer time isn’t. No such ‘get away’ might be imaginable this weekend given the uncommon low wind relax and tough freeze watch these days in position for Central Florida, however enthusiasts wouldn’t have recognized that once making plans journeys.
That freeze may well be a mitigating issue for crowds amongst locals with borderline pastime within the ultimate day of DINOSAUR. This may sound foolish to the diehards in the market, however climate is frequently a consider such things as this for locals; now not everyone seems to be hardcore. At minimal, you’ll be able to be expecting the morning to start out out slower because the temperature is forecast to be 29 levels (now not a typo) at park opening.
A last issue is that DINOSAUR is almost definitely extra in style than different fresh closures. That’s now not the tale that the comparative on-line outrage would inform, however in what’s turning into a pattern with this week’s content material, our sturdy suspicion is that genuine global reactions fluctuate.
It’s imaginable that extra enthusiasts past the web bubble care about DINOSAUR than MuppetVision or the Rivers of The united states. Therefore Walt Disney Global providing a lot more understand about this closure than the others, as they sought after enthusiasts as a way to say correct goodbyes…and provides DAK a wanted gate-click within the procedure to spice up attendance stats.
Or now not. It’s additionally imaginable that Walt Disney Global has merely deliberate higher and extra meticulously for Dinoland’s loss of life, since Animal Kingdom can’t find the money for to lose capability upfront. This could provide an explanation for the staggered closures, and not anything being taken offline any previous than completely essential. (In contrast to MuppetVision.)
Regardless, we wouldn’t be too nervous about crowds for the following couple of days. Even if DINOSAUR has noticed its wait time spike to 60 minute territory and been the longest line in Animal Kingdom a few instances this week, that’s now not the norm. It’s additionally now not inconsistent with this time of yr. In taking a look at ‘smoothed out’ day by day wait instances knowledge, I’m now not seeing anything else extraordinary…but.
Even at this time as I write this, it’s ~90 mins after park opening only some days ahead of DINOSAUR’s extinction match, and it has a ten minute posted wait time. That’s the second-shortest line in Animal Kingdom, forward of most effective Kali River Rapids. (The temperature is these days a balmy 42 levels.)
It wouldn’t marvel me the least bit if that 10 minute wait is in reality a walk-on, and DINOSAUR is dispatching Time Rovers that aren’t totally complete. The wait time will completely building up later this morning and afternoon, however the low wait at this time isn’t a surprise. Mornings get started gradual at Animal Kingdom.
Suffice to mention, if you’ll be able to seek advice from Animal Kingdom within the subsequent couple of days all over Early Access or at common rope drop, you should not have any factor knocking out DINOSAUR comfortably. Saturday may deliver larger crowds and longer strains, however we doubt the morning might be even remotely unhealthy.
Truthfully, I might nonetheless prioritize Pandora despite the fact that I sought after to mention good-bye to DINOSAUR within the subsequent couple of days. See Animal Kingdom Park Opening & Early Access Journey Technique (or, “How I Did Each and every Journey at DAK Earlier than 10:30am.”) I’d almost definitely bump up DINOSAUR within the order of sights for the following couple of days, however to not #1 total.
The past due afternoon and night are extra of a wildcard. Animal Kingdom is open from 8 AM till 7 PM or 8 PM each and every of the following 3 days after lately, and typically, the park would filter out all over the ones ultimate few hours and DINOSAUR can be a walk-on, or on the subject of it. We wouldn’t depend on that going ahead, as Floridians may go for good-bye rides after paintings or doing one thing else within the morning at the weekend.
All bets are off on Sunday. The most efficient time to do DINOSAUR might be all over Early Access or at common rope drop, and it nonetheless wouldn’t marvel me if it’s a walk-on (or on the subject of it) for the primary hour of the day given the iciness climate. However as soon as 10 am rolls round, we absolutely be expecting a 60+ minute wait. I might err at the aspect of prioritizing it over Pandora; the Avatar sights could have decrease waits later within the day, however DINOSAUR will most effective worsen nearer to park final.
It’s now not a query of whether or not DINOSAUR might be busy; it’s what number of hours the height wait time might be. My bet is between 180 and 200 mins. I wouldn’t guess towards it exceeding a 240 and even 300 minute posted wait time, however I’d be stunned if the prime is beneath 180 mins.
On the other hand, this doesn’t imply the true wait is that lengthy. It’s very tricky for Walt Disney Global to correctly forecast waits in those form of one-off instances, so that they frequently err at the aspect of aiming prime with estimates. Nonetheless, we wouldn’t be in the slightest degree stunned if the closing visitors out of DAK on Sunday evening depart later than the closing visitors out of all 3 different parks. That’s a rarity.
As at all times, those farewell day crowds are virtually at all times localized to the enchantment and space in query. If you have already got company plans to seek advice from Animal Kingdom on Sunday and at the moment are nervous that it’ll be a ten/10 crowd day…don’t. It gained’t.
Simply get in and get out of Dinoland USA as temporarily as imaginable, as that complete land–or what stays of it–might be busy during the day. DINOSAUR, strains for PhotoPass, the characters, or even Restaurantosaurus. All of it is going to have prime appears like crowds and congestion. Should you’ve were given a culinary yearning that just a mediocre meal can fulfill, it’s possible you’ll need to position a Cell Order for Restaurantosaurus very first thing within the morning. However when you’ve were given operating style buds, crowds shouldn’t be any worse than commonplace at Satu’li Canteen.
The remainder of the park may see a gentle uptick in moderate wait instances, but it surely shouldn’t be anything else too horrible or all that noticeable. Most often, the enthusiasts who attend those farewell days are there for that categorical function and don’t do a lot else. This might fluctuate reasonably, in that the improvement understand may draw in additional non-locals. There’s additionally the truth that Animal Kingdom is terrible at soaking up crowds, so what can be a negligible affect at DHS or MK may well be non-negligible at DAK.
Accordingly, Animal Kingdom as an entire may well be busier than would another way be the case on a random Sunday in early February, however now not considerably so. The most efficient apply is averting the park that day when you don’t care about DINOSAUR, but when that’s now not imaginable, don’t sweat it. That is nonetheless the least strategy-intensive park at Walt Disney Global, and the park is open from 8 AM to eight PM. As an alternative of completing the whole thing by way of standby strains via 2 PM, possibly it’ll take till 3 PM.
The silver lining in all of this for DINOSAUR diehards is that the experience’s spirit and literal structure will continue to exist. It is a experience reimagining, and the enchantment changing DINOSAUR is a new model of Indiana Jones Journey. As diehard enthusiasts most likely know, the observe structure of the 2 sights is just about equivalent, and DINOSAUR itself is/was once a brand new twist on IJA when the concept that was once ported from Disneyland.
This reimagined experience might be a brand new twist on Indiana Jones Journey that might be other from the present variations of the enchantment at Disneyland in California and Tokyo DisneySea. Either one of the ones are somewhat other from one any other, and this would be the 3rd non-cloned model of the enchantment. Clearly, all of them undergo similarities–but additionally all inform distinctive and distinct tales.
On this new journey, Indiana Jones has came upon a superbly preserved Maya temple, and that may most effective imply something: it’s time to discover it. He’s heard rumors a few legendary creature deep throughout the temple — and he’s were given to look it for himself. So, he brings us alongside at the journey.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Will you be at Animal Kingdom for a last farewell to DINOSAUR and Dinoland this weekend ahead of they move extinct on February 2, 2026? Top wait time prediction? Be expecting it to be a madhouse or suspect iciness climate will stay Floridians away? Do you settle or disagree with our checks? Any questions we will be able to permit you to resolution? Listening to your comments–even whilst you disagree with us–is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please proportion your ideas beneath within the feedback!
