by Daisy Diva
You read that right…my first spin may have been my last. Primeval Whirl is what happens when Disney collides with kitschy carnival-style rides; it’s a nod to the old “wild mouse” rides of yore. Primeval Whirl is located in Chester & Hester’s Dino-Rama within the Dinoland U.S.A. section of Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Chester & Hester’s Dino-Rama is, in and of itself, quite kitschy and has the definite feel of being at a carnival complete with carnival-style games, snacks, and an additional ride—Tricera Top Spin.
Like most of Disney’s rides and experiences, Primeval Whirl has a back story. According to the Disney World website, Primeval Whirl is a “time-machine-styled contraption—created by research-scientist cousins Esther, Fester, Nester and Lester.” The initial ascent takes you up a steep hill through four crazy rings that will send you back to a pre-historic era with several cartoon dinosaurs anxiously awaiting their imminent extinction.
The riders sit four per car in a round bowl-shaped contraption that is open to the front. Initially, you face forward and can see the hills and bumps coming, but once you reach the spinning, zig-zag section, you are pretty much just all over the place until the end of the ride.
This ride definitely feels like a carnival ride. There are lots of steep dips, drops, jerks, direction changes, and you are really in for a trip when things start to spin. For those reasons, there are a few things you should know before boarding your time-machine—aside from the typical heart condition and pregnancy warnings:
- There is a 48” minimum height requirement for this ride. This is the tallest height requirement in all of Disney World, and I’m honestly not sure why…but I’m assuming it’s just to make sure the riders are tall enough for the seat and can be properly harnessed with the lap bar.
- Anyone with back, neck or other chiropractic issues should avoid this ride. As I mentioned, it is quite jerky, the drops are very steep and sudden, and the spinning can be pretty sudden and intense as well.
- Anyone with vertigo or dizziness issues should probably avoid this ride as well. The spinning is no joke…you will feel like you are still spinning once the spinning stops.
Honestly, I had no intentions of riding Primeval Whirl. I loved going to the Georgia National Fair in high school and could enjoy (a few of) those wild rides with the best of them. But I’m in my mid-thirties now for Pete’s sake and pride myself in having a realistic concept of what I can and can’t take on. But my son and I were embarking on our Four Parks in One Day Birthday Challenge (more on that later), and he wanted to ride it. There was literally no line (which is not uncommon for this ride)—we were able to walk right on the ride. So I said a prayer pleading for God to please spare my vertebrae as it was barely 9:30 in the morning and we still had three parks to go, climbed into the spinning contraption of doom, and braced myself. I walked off the ride with no regrets, no back or neck pain, and no long-lasting dizziness, but I also had no desire to ride it again. And that’s why this spin may have been my last. There are just way too many rides, shows, and experiences at Disney World that I walk away from thinking, “I can’t wait to do that again.” Why waste my precious Disney moments on a ride I just feel “meh” about?
But I’m glad I did it once and could check it off my Disney bucket list. If you don’t have any physical limitations that would keep you off the ride, I would recommend giving it a shot once. You may really love it. But if you’re looking for Daisy Diva around Dinoland U.S.A., you can find me on Tricera Top Spin.
Contact Patricia at All For Dreams Travel to plan your next Disney vacation.
