× Expand Photos: Jennifer Carlile Dalgamouni

Sept. 2018 Editor's Note: The animatronic dinosaur exhibit currently in Hawai‘i is called Jurassic Tour. However, the website reflects the same photos, descriptions and the contact information for the company is the same as T-Rex Planet. So here is our take when T-Rex Planet visited in 2016. Also note, 2018 online ticket prices are $29 for each adult and $39 for each child plus an processing fee. Dino rocking and ATV rides are included, but the virtual reality ride requires an additional fee.

The ads promise dozens of dinosaurs, ride-able T-Rex's, a fossil dig and Jurassic-themed bounce houses. So when we asked the kids if they wanted to see the T-Rex Planet exhibit, the answer from my dino-crazy 3 year old was a resounding “Yes! Roar!” So our family checked out it out last weekend at the Hawai‘i Convention Center just before it moved to Windward Mall.

The cost of admission is pretty high, $25 for each person older than 1 plus $5 per ride, or $38 for admission and unlimited rides ($23 and $35 at Windward Mall). So, was it worth it? Yes, at least for my preschooler who is still talking about how he got to ride a rocking dilophosaurus. But, it may not be for everyone. Here are my tips on who should go and how to navigate the exhibit:

1. Be prepared to wait. The organizers said the busiest time would be when T-Rex Planet opened in the morning. We arrived at 2 p.m., four hours later, and there was still a long line to get in and 30 to 60 minute waits for each of the rides. There were no lines after 7 p.m., so that would be ideal for anyone with older children or younger ones who have had a good nap.

2) Visit the animatronic dinosaurs first. The set-up will be different at Windward Mall, but we would recommend visiting this spacious area first. There were a couple dozen tail-wagging, head-bobbing, arm-moving creatures from the Jurassic, Triassic and Cretaceous periods. The dinosaurs are a little smaller and don’t move as realistically as those we’ve seen in temporary exhibits and at larger natural history museums. But, our boys didn’t seem to mind. Our 3 year old was shaking with excitement as he ran, screaming, “Look! Ankylosaurus! Spinosuarus! Velociraptor!” He darted from dinosaur to dinosaur so quickly we had a hard time keeping up with him. Our 6-year-old wanted us to read the placards to him. They appeared informative, but it was so crowded and loud he couldn’t hear us or concentrate. We stayed in this area for about 20 minutes, but I wish we’d stayed longer.

3) Take advantage of the photo ops. This is another area that does not cost extra and is worth hitting. Kids could hop on the back of the little dinos or peep out of an egg shell. It was crowded with parents taking photos, but it only took a few minutes before we had our chance. The creatures are not in great condition. One was even missing its hands. While this didn’t bother our keiki, parents may want to crop those areas out for their holiday photos! You’ll also find three small dinosaurs rocking out to music for that Chuck E Cheese experience.

4) Ride a dinosaur, but check the wait times first. This is original and a lot of fun. There are three types of dinosaurs to ride: Four larger, realistic dinosaurs that rock in place, three smaller, walking realistic dinosaurs that you can steer all around an enclosed area and four brightly colored stuffed-animal-looking driveable dinos on wheels. Each ride costs $5. We waited almost 10 minutes to buy two tickets for the rides and then chose the shortest line which was for the large, rocking dilophosaurus. It still took a half-hour but both of our boys enjoyed it, especially our preschooler who squealed and talked in a dino voice the whole way through. Each ride lasts about three minutes. These rides are very cool and our little boy begged to go on more, but the lines for both of the steerable dinosaurs were about an hour long.

5) Try the fossil dig, basketball and darts games, but don't set your hopes too high. These activities do not cost extra so they are worth taking a look at. Our 6-year-old was really looking forward to the dinosaur fossil dig as he’s enjoyed taking part in kids’ archaeology projects before. The dig site is the size of a large sand box. But, our son was disappointed to find that the pretend bones were stuck to the bottom of the box. He couldn’t take them out or examine them and there was no information on what he had found. The basketball and darts games looked like carnival-type attractions, but were very crowded, so we didn’t get to try them.

6) Burn off energy in the dinosaur bounce houses. There were seven dinosaur-themed bouncers. Each costs $5 and kids can bounce for as long as they like. This could be a great place for kids to let off some steam and get their energy out after waiting in the long lines.

7) Decide if you want dino gear before letting your keiki shop. There were several long tables covered in dino gear. A tiny plastic pteradon cost $6.99, soft-touch plastic models cost around $16 and medium to large plush stuffed animals ranged from about $25 to $40. Our 3 year old wanted to play with all of them. This is a tough area to tear your keiki away from and there was a sizeable line for the cash registers. But, a small souvenir at the end of the visit could be a good way to get your keiki to agree to leave!

Verdict: Riding the dilophosaurus was the highlight of our 3 year old’s day and perhaps life. We loved watching him have fun and we keep reliving the experience through the video we took. Both boys enjoyed the exhibit overall, but the high cost and long lines put a damper on the outing. We felt it was more of a carnival atmosphere than a learning experience. We say: Go only if you have a T-Rex-crazy young paleontologist living with you!

T-Rex Planet, trexplanet.com.

2018 information: Saturday, Sept. 22, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 23, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Windward Mall, 46-056 Kamehameha Highway, Kāne‘ohe. jurassictour.com.