Primeval Whirl
Primeval Whirl was a steel Wild Mouse roller coaster at Disney's Animal Kingdom at the Walt Disney World Resort. The ride was a spinning roller coaster purchased from Reverchon Industries. The ride was part of Chester and Hester's Dino-Rama, which is itself part of DinoLand U.S.A. It was a roller coaster in the "Mild But Wild Thrills" category. It had cars that spin in circles while traveling on tracks, permitting the ride experience to vary greatly each time it is ridden. The ride featured 13 cars, each seating up to 4 riders.
| Primeval Whirl | |
|---|---|
 Car going up chain lift | |
| Disney's Animal Kingdom | |
| Location | Disney's Animal Kingdom |
| Park section | DinoLand U.S.A. - Chester & Hester's Dino-Rama |
| Coordinates | 28°21′23.05″N 81°35′15.8″W |
| Status | Closed |
| Opening date | March 31, 2002 |
| Closing date | June 17, 2019 |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Steel – Spinning – Wild Mouse |
| Manufacturer | Reverchon Industries |
| Designer | Walt Disney Imagineering |
| Model | Spinning Coaster |
| Track layout | Wild Mouse |
| Lift/launch system | Chain lift hill |
| Height | 42.7 ft (13.0 m) |
| Length | 1,377.9 ft (420.0 m) |
| Speed | 29.1 mph (46.8 km/h) |
| Inversions | 0 |
| Duration | 1:30 |
| Capacity | 900 riders per hour |
| G-force | 2.5 |
| Height restriction | 48 in (122 cm) |
 | |
| Primeval Whirl at RCDB Pictures of Primeval Whirl at RCDB | |
Similar to Space Mountain at the Magic Kingdom, Primeval Whirl was actually two roller coasters facing opposite directions. Unlike Space Mountain, both tracks had an identical layout instead of the mirrored track.
Since June 17, 2019, the ride has been out of operation. In September 2019, park officials stated that the attraction would operate on a seasonal basis. On July 16, 2020, officials confirmed rumors that the attraction would not re-open.[1]
The ride
The ride was themed to time travel and to the meteor which was believed to have caused the extinction of the dinosaurs. This gave the coaster a storyline very similar to that of Dinosaur, the nearby dark ride.
Incidents
On November 29, 2007, a Disney employee died in a hospital after falling from the Primeval Whirl ride platform and hitting her head. Four months later, Disney announced it was adding sensors that would detect if a cast member entered into areas that are off-limits and stop the movement of the ride vehicles in the immediate area.[2][3]
On March 14, 2011, another Disney employee died after suffering from head trauma while working on a dip on the ride the previous day.[4]
See also
- DinoLand U.S.A.
- Dinosaur
- TriceraTop Spin
References
- Tuttle, Brittani (July 16, 2020). "Disney World permanently closes of Rivers of Light, Primeval Whirl, Stitch's Great Escape". Attractions Magazine. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
- "Primeval Whirl". WDWHistory.com. Archived from the original on March 17, 2012.
- Powers, Scott. "Disney's Animal Kingdom ride gets added safety features". Orlando Sentinel.
- Curtis, Henry Pierson. "Disney's Animal Kingdom worker dies from injuries". Orlando Sentinel.
External links
- Official Page
- WDWMAGIC Dino-Rama page - includes details about Primeval Whirl