TriceraTop Spin closing for refurbishment next week

May 07, 2015 in "TriceraTop Spin"

Posted: Thursday May 7, 2015 9:06am EDT by WDWMAGIC Staff

TriceraTop Spin at Disney's Animal Kingdom is closing for a short refurbishment starting next week.

The closure of the spinner will begin on May 11, through to May 23, reopening to guests on May 24 2015.

View all current and upcoming refurbishments.

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RSoxNo1May 12, 2015

Simply put - They went for cheap and they succeeded. Primeval Whirl is an eyesore on the most beautiful park in the country.

Fox&HoundMay 12, 2015

Great question!!! I've been outspoken on how I hope Dinoland/Chester and Hester's/Dino USA gets a MAJOR renovation once this movie comes out and is a hit (we can always hope, right?). But, IF it is a hit, I don't think it would jive with what's already there. My understanding is that the movie focuses on what happens if Dinosaurs never went extinct, and I think the caveboy is like a pet to the Dinosaur (don't quote me on that last part). That would mean, to me, the boneyard and even Dinosaur where you are going back in time to capture a dinosaur, would not really fit in the new storyline. Hence, I would think a major renovation would need to happen. But, that takes a lot into consideration: that the movie is a hit, that Disney wants to spend money, and that they want another major renovation for AK. I would think, sadly, that once Pandora is finished, they may want to stop construction for a little bit and let everyone marvel at what's been created. I think the beauty of Avatar and the new Africa section will force Disney to fix up the Dino section which will stick out like a sore thumb, but, that's just my take =) Either way, I'm excited for the movie and what it could be. Neil Patrick Harris provides a voice- how great is that?!?

Fox&HoundMay 12, 2015

First of all,thank you for the kind words =) I love these boards and the people who populate them. I love that we can all have different opinions but still come to consensus on our love of Disney- no matter how we choose to express it. I completely agree with your walking with Dinosaurs comment. I truly enjoy Nemo, it's a really cool show, but if it was replaced with a show themed to dinosaurs, I think it would make the land more cohesive. Not sure how Nemo really fits there. But, back on topic, I'm glad to see Triceratop Spin get some love, even if just a little paint job.

DisneyJeffMay 12, 2015

I did not know the back story ahead of time. In fact, I didn't know the whole back story until I Google'd it yesterday. To me it just seemed like an area that was randomly put together with the Boneyard area, the Dino Institute, and this weird dino street-fair place. What made it seem even more odd to me was based on the way we toured the park. We always seem to take a clockwise path around the park, going from an African town, to a Nepalese village, to a dinosaur themed carnival setup in a parking lot. Knowing the whole back story really adds a lot to the area and it makes sense. Maybe I was in the minority and most people are aware of the whole story around Dinoland. I doubt it, though.

jakemanMay 12, 2015

I think they lost quite a bit of the Disney quality in communicating the "roadside" attraction aspect of it. I know space is somewhat limited right there, but it needed to be a bit more substantial and over the top. They also needed someway to communicate the Chester and Hester relationship to the Dino Insititue more. You have this dichotomy of science versus tourism (which if you think about is a snarky evaluation of the rest of the park), but I'm not sure if the connection is clearly made that they are two chapters of the same book if you don't know it ahead of time. All in my opinion of course.

BairstowMay 12, 2015

I think it's too early to tell. Last I heard the film still had serious script problems and was being re-written again.

BairstowMay 12, 2015

Very true. Dino-Rama was an extension of their extension of the Chester and Hester's gift shop, both literally and in-storyline. It continues the exact same Route 66 roadside attraction aesthetic present in this part of the park since day one. How so? I think they did a brilliant job.

RSoxNo1May 11, 2015

No amount of overwritten backstory can save what Chester and Hester's Dinorama is right now. You can have a great back story (which it arguably is) but it doesn't make something look any better. The original Dinoland included DINOSAUR and The Boneyard.

Christian FronckowiakMay 11, 2015

Alright, this may sound like an obvious question, but I am not as familiar with Animal Kingdom as I am with the other parks, so thanks to anyone who can answer this. Knowing what we know about The Good Dinosaur, would it fit in Dinoland with what is already there, aside from Dinorama?

flyerjabMay 11, 2015

No offense taken from anyone (I would hope). You are a good poster and also honest, but you are never rude in anyway. But I think that most people on here know that. The more I visit, I actually find that I have less and less of an issue with the Dinoland USA/ carnival area. Again, I find the theming spot on. But for those that were aware of concepts for another incredible E-Ticket coaster for this section but were given this instead, well, they will obviously be disappointed. This is another real big section for kids, and my 3 have always liked it. We were there for almost an hour last week, and didn't even ride Dinosaur or go in the actual boneyard play area. The place was packed too, but then again all of DAK seemed stuffed to the gills on Saturday. My hope has always been that they removed the Nemo show and replaced it with that traveling Walking with Dinosaurs show. That show is very impressive and I would think that it would really help improve the dinosaur area of the park.

doctornickMay 11, 2015

That's correct: Dinorama is a part of the greater Dinoland USA land. I am saying that The Boneyard (the kiddie play area) isn't part of Dinorama, but is part of Dinoland USA.

DisneyJeffMay 11, 2015

I agree. I knew that there was a back story, but didn't really know what it was. After looking into it, you can see the details that they put into the whole area to make it tie together. Whether or not it belongs in Animal Kingdom, that's another (back) story.

jakemanMay 11, 2015

The back story was in place well before Dinorama exist. It's a great story once you know what it is, but they do a poor job of communicating it. That was compounded by not giving Dinorama the means to tell the second part of the story effectively.

CaptainAmericaMay 11, 2015

You're correct.