Last Chance to Ride! Disney Reveals Closing Date for Animal Kingdom’s DINOSAUR!
For the past couple of years on our Disney vacations, we’ve laughed and said, “Let’s ride DINOSAUR one last time”, never really knowing when that last time would come. Well, fellow Disney Nerds, the moment has finally arrived. Disney has officially set the countdown to extinction for this prehistoric favorite at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Before long, the roar of the Carnotaurus will fade into Disney history, making every remaining ride through feel like a treasure from another era. If DINOSAUR has been your family’s must do “one more time” ride too, now’s the time to grab your Time Rover and journey back to the age of the dinosaurs before it disappears for good!
When Disney first teased plans to reimagine DinoLand U.S.A. back at Destination D23 in 2023, it felt like a far off dream, one of those blue sky ideas that might linger in the realm of someday. Then, last summer at the 2024 D23 Fan Event, the news became delightfully real: this corner of Animal Kingdom will be reborn as the vibrant Tropical Americas, with adventures inspired by Indiana Jones and Encanto. The very thought sets our hearts racing like the Time Rover on a midnight dash! It’s a bittersweet kind of magic, saying goodbye to a dinosaur sized classic while imagining the wonders waiting just beyond the construction walls.
Over the past year, little by little, pieces of DinoLand U.S.A. have already slipped into Disney history. The whimsical midway games and spinning TriceraTop Spin bid their farewells back in January 2025, and the beloved Boneyard play area followed on September 2, 2025. Now the biggest chapter is about to close, Disney has set February 1, 2026 as the final day to ride DINOSAUR and to enjoy favorites like Restaurantosaurus and the current character meet and greets that are part of Donald’s Dino Bash. Each goodbye feels like a quiet page turning in this prehistoric storybook, one last twinkle of lights on the midway, one last dusty dig in the Boneyard sand, making every visit feel more like a treasured keepsake of a land slowly preparing for its next grand adventure.
So, what does this mean for those of us who still can’t resist one more prehistoric romp? It means every trip to Animal Kingdom over the next few months is sprinkled with a little extra pixie dust, and maybe a few misty eyes. Each rumble of the Time Rover, every flash of starlight in that prehistoric sky, suddenly feels like a keepsake. We find ourselves lingering a little longer in the queue, snapping “just one more” photo of the towering fossil, and listening a bit closer to the jungle’s mysterious calls. This is the sweet kind of Disney goodbye, a chance to savor the memories while the future quietly takes shape just beyond those tall, green construction walls.
As the countdown to extinction officially begins, there’s something truly special about watching the past and future of Disney magic meet in the very heart of Animal Kingdom. We’ll keep saying, “Let’s ride DINOSAUR one last time”, and now we really mean it. Each spin of the Time Rover a memory to tuck away like a keepsake pin. While it’s bittersweet to say goodbye to a prehistoric favorite, we know that every ending at Walt Disney World makes room for a brand new story filled with wonder. Here’s to one more dash through the prehistoric forest, and to the bright, tropical adventures waiting just beyond the construction walls. After all, as Disney teaches us again and again, the next great adventure is always just around the riverbend.
Just Keep Dreaming (and Disney-ing)!
Terri Lee
