We got to the Fluid Event Center in Champaign IL at about 8:30am this morning for Jurassic Quest. The doors didn't open until 9am but people were already filling the parking lot and lining up to get tickets. We stood in line a while, no big deal. As we stood we started reading signs that read All Sales Final this should have been our cue to turn around and find something else to do. But all the reviews I'd read on Facebook were good (I'll get to why that is in a minute) and I'd been looking at pictures and video for weeks while waiting for the day to come to go. Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a planner and a researcher. I want my kids to have a good time when we go on trips and I want to know I'm getting a good experience for the money I'm paying. So after doing that research, I decided it was probably safe to say this was a good time for all.
When it was finally time to buy our tickets we paid $110. $18 for adults and $22 for the kids VIP (which included unlimited digs and rides). Walking in the area where the exhibit was, I have to admit was pretty cool. We were met face to face with a T-Rex and many other dinosaurs. But that's about when my excitement ended also. As we were walking around I noticed you could see zippers on the dinosaurs. Zippers. Now I'm not stupid, I know that these things aren't going to be 100% perfect 100% of the time. But I also know museums do it all the time and I've never been to one where I was so taken aback at the lack of attention to detail as this. The illusion was quickly shot when Owen saw them too. After spending all of 10 minutes touring the exhibit we headed out some doors to a smaller room where you could get your face painted or do some other small activity, which was not included in the price of the ticket so we passed on those. Out the back doors of the center is where my husband and I knew we had been swindled. (Excuse the picture quality, the light in there was terrible for pictures)
There were three tents that divided areas. One area was a row of bounce houses. What kid doesn't love those? Well, a kid that can see from standing in front of them that they're deflating/falling down and dirty. Dawn and Owen went in two of them and she said there was straw in them. Since there was no straw to be seen at this event, I can only assume that it was from the previous space they were at. I don't expect them to be like brand new, but cleaning them after each event is not that hard. I don't even have any pictures of them on the ones that looked deflated..they didn't stay on long enough.
The T-Rex head...and the attendant photobombing.
We moved on to the dig area. Now, when I think of an archaeological dig, I think of brushing off hidden bones. There was little to no sand in the boxes, kind of makes it hard to discover anything since you can plainly see it sitting right of you. Owen didn't even want to bother. Gaige didn't do anything lol. Dawn said it was dumb.
The dino rides were probably the best part of the whole event. Owen rode the T-Rex and seemed to enjoy it. The ride lasted all of about a minute or two. We could have stood in line to ride the others but the lines were getting long at that point and we just wanted to go.
We ended up leaving and were only there maybe half an hour to 50 minutes. We didn't even bother staying for the babies to be brought out. Which was kind of what I was most looking forward to. But I was so pissed about the already craptacular eperience that I had no desire to stay a minute longer.
Now, remember how I said that all the reviews I'd read on facebook were good? Well that could be because they were deleting anything negative and leaving only the good posts. I (along with several others) left a bad review (they took away the star option also..which should tell you something) and within an hour my post was gone. So I posted again informing them that I would now be blogging about it for sure and that I'd be sure everyone who views my blog, twitter, and facebook that they were no one to waste money on. So there you have it folks. My review of the Jurassic Quest event. Don't bother going. Or do..and then you can tell me if they got any better.
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