Four-year-old Spencer Voss of Alexandria, KY., was initially scared of the dinosaurs, but soon found he enjoyed trying to find the motion sensors to make them move.
“T-Rex was the best,” Spencer reported.
“He was scared at first until he realized he could control what they were doing,” his mother Shannon Voss said.
While no one is sure what killed the dinosaurs, Kings Island vice president and general manager Greg Scheid said weather nearly proved to be the animatronic counterparts’ undoing.
“We had four months to complete this and the weather has been totally against us,” Scheid said. “We’ve been working a lot of long hours to make it happen but it’s worth every minute.”
The opening day festivities were also cut short by a thunder shower around 3 p.m. that sent dinosaur fanatics running for shelter.
Scheid said park employee Matt Shafer first thought of the idea.
“At first I thought Matt was crazy,” Scheid said. “But then I realized what he knew — the dinosaurs would have a wide variety of appeal to every demographic.”
A corresponding 10-minute 3-D movie also opened with the exhibit.
One not ready for the launch was the Ruyang Yellow River dinosaur, which was to be the largest animatronic dinosaur ever built. The dinosaur caught fire Tuesday evening. Scheid said a replacement would be ready for the park by August.
Six-year-old Conor O’Neil and his mother Ashley of Waynesville said the attraction was “tremendous.”
“It’s full of dinosaurs,” Conor said. “They are awesome.”
Admission to Dinosaurs Alive! is $5 on top of regular park admission per person. The 3-D movie is $4 per person or a combination ticket can be purchased for $7.
About the Author