We hate to say it, but the day has come. The asteroid is coming down on Dinoland U.S.A. after today.
DINOSAUR
Today is the last day that DinoLand U.S.A. is open before it permanently closes to make way for Tropical Americas: Pueblo Esperanza. It’s hard for all of us to see the restaurants and the beloved attraction, DINOSAUR, go away. We expected there were going to be lots of guests at Animal Kingdom to say goodbye to the land, but we weren’t prepared for crowds like this!
Last year, Disney announced that DinoLand U.S.A. (or what’s left of it) would be permanently closing on February 2nd, 2026. This includes EVERYTHING that the land has to offer — DINOSAUR itself, its gift shop, Restaurantosaurus, the meet and greets remaining in the area, and everything in between.
DINOSAUR
When we stepped into Animal Kingdom for rope drop, crowds were pretty heavy, despite it being FREEZING cold (literally below freezing, we’re not being dramatic here!). The question remained, though — how many would be heading towards DinoLand, and who would be heading for other areas of the park?
Pretty big rope drop crowds!
Well, as we walked towards DinoLand, a LOT of people followed along with us, so it was safe to assume that probably around half of the crowd was on their way to the ride to experience their final time travel experience back to the Mesozoic era.
The crowds headed towards DINOSAUR
As we stepped up towards the ride, we saw the wait was already around 30 minutes, due to Early Entry crowds. The entire queue was being used, so we started winding our way through the line outside first, but continued moving pretty consistently to get inside.
The line outside
By the time we got out of our first ride, it was right around 9 AM, and the wait time was then sitting at the highest in the park, at 65 minutes. In previous days, we’ve seen this ride remain pretty high, even getting into 100+ waits, so we’re expecting to see the same today.
©Disney
We also noticed that the gift shop at the end of the ride was VERY busy, with the most popular items being the remote control ride vehicles and the puppets. Overall, the tone around the area was nostalgic and a little sad, but mostly everyone seemed to accept the fact that it was the ride’s final day. The Cast Members we spoke to told us that it’ll be dependent on each individual Cast Member where they’ll be relocated during the rest of the construction. We also haven’t been told about any wristbands being given out to be on the final ride, but we’ll be sure to keep our eyes peeled.
Only a few hours left!
By 3:15 PM, the ride’s wait time had jumped MAJORLY, all the way up to 245 minutes! It’s been a long time since we’ve seen any ride in Disney World with a wait as long as this, so this is quite the feat.
©Disney
At 8 PM, the very end of the night, the wait time had dropped to 100 minutes, but crowds were still pretty intense wit multiple people trying to be the last one on the attraction. Disney’s rule is that as long as you’re in line right before the park officially closes, you still get to ride, but a few seconds after? It’s a no-go, and you’re out of luck.
Getting in line for the last ride!
We were one of the final cars to go, so we can confidently say we had one of the final rides that guests got to experience. While we were walking out, we also got to see some fun dinosaur leaf art, thanks to some incredible custodial Cast Members!
Dinosaur leaf art!
DINOSAUR will eventually become an Indiana Jones-themed attraction as part of the Tropical Americas transformation. Alongside it will be an Encanto-themed attraction. We are very excited for what’s to come, but it is hard to say goodbye to something that’s been around for so long!
Pueblo Esperanza construction
Once Dinoland is gone, we’re expecting to start getting more news on what’s going on with Animal Kingdom and the new experiences to come. Make sure to stay tuned to the Disney Food Blog so you don’t miss out on any of it!
Why You Should Stay at a Disney World Deluxe Resort in 2026
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