Opened: April 18, 2002
Location: Chester and Hester’s Dino-Rama in DinoLand USA
Extra Magic Hours: Evening
FASTPASS: Yes
Type: Spinning Roller Coaster
Similar To: Nothing similar at Disney World. It’s basically a “Wild-Mouse” roller coaster similar to ones found at many state or county fairs, except the ride vehicles spin throughout the ride.
Requirements: Must be 48” tall to ride
Scary Factor: Low. Primeval Whirl isn’t as intense as Thunder Mountain Railroad, Space Mountain, Dinosaur, or other roller coasters, but it is more thrilling than Peter Pan’s Flight or Pirates of the Caribbean.
When To Go: Try to ride before noon, after 4pm, with FASTPASS (if available), or during evening Extra Magic Hours.
Expect to Wait: Lines are usually 20 minutes or less before 12pm and may increase to 30+ minutes in the afternoon.
Length: About 90 seconds
What to Expect: Primeval Whirl is a short, spinning, “Wild Mouse” type ride that seems like it belongs in a carnival rather than a billion dollar Disney World Park. Nonetheless, this is precisely what Disney wanted and it fits in with the overall theme of the area which is full of other carnival games and rides. The only problem most riders have is with the “jerkiness” of the motion. The spinning abruptly starts and stops throughout the ride which causes a sort of “snapping” of the body back and forth against the restraints. If you would prefer the ride to spin less, try to even out the weight on both sides of the ride vehicle. For example, have one adult and one child on each side rather than two children on one side and two adults on the other. This will result in the ride spinning less. Despite potential jerkiness, it is a fun ride and the theme is distinctly funky.
Oops: Reverchon Industries, the amusement ride company that Disney purchased the Primeval Whirl from, filed bankruptcy in 2008 and closed down all manufacturing and operations.
Rating: 6/10
Commentary: Primeval Whirl isn’t a headlining ride, but it’s worth doing if there’s a relatively short wait or if you can FASTPASS it. It’s extremely short and will be over before you know it. The ride is jerky though, so if you don’t like spinning or have a particularly bad back or neck then I would consider skipping it altogether.
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I really want to like this ride. But it’s so jerky. Also, the line can be incredible slow (and hot!) My daughter was tall enough to ride this in 2009 but it was closed so she rode it last year for the first time. She thought it was okay, but not a must do. They did pair us up with a father and daughter which was fine. He took a picture of the 2 of us on the ride.