Over a month ago, I received an email invitation to visit the Dinoscovery by Dinosaurs Live! exhibition at the sprawling 13,000 sqft Discoveria, Avenue K which is located near Petronas Twin Towers. To be honest, up until that moment I received the invitation, I have never set foot in Avenue K and I was not aware there is a dinosaur exhibition as well.
So without any doubt, of course I jumped at the chance hahahah.... but, but, thanks to the generosity of the sponsor, I managed to secure not just complimentary tickets for our family (2 adults and 3 kiddos), I also get additional 2 tickets which I invited 2 of our kiddos' favorite cousins along. I figured an outing like this, the more children the merrier, plus I can foresee our kiddos having much more fun if their favorite cousins are following as well, so yay!
Before I begin, do note that there is a sign at the ticketing counter showing no pictures allowed so the pictures you see in this post are taken sheepishly and secretly by yours truly here at the risk of my mummy blogger reputation as I would want to present as much info as possible to you guys. Without further ado, check out my review below...
About the exhibition:
"From now until 28 February 2015, EMS Entertainment is bringing the Dinoscovery by Dinosaurs Live! exhibition at the sprawling 13,000 sqft Discoveria, Avenue K. Dinoscovery features a number of reengineered, life size, animatronic dinosaurs in true-to-life adventure like settings where you can hear them move and roar.
The exhibition's star attraction, the Dino Quest where children will be transformed into mini Indiana Jones complete with a Paleontologist vest, torchlight, map and a RFID band to help them in their scavenger hunt for dinosaurs' specimens. Upon completion of each activity, they'll just have to stick the relevant stickers onto the map accordingly in order to redeem either a Junior or Expert Paleontologist certificate at the end of the tour. Other attractions the may enjoy are such as scaling a wall to take a peek at Pteranodon's eggs, racing a Gallimimus in a 10-metre race and saving a herd of Diplodocuses from mosquitoes amongst others."
We arranged for the outing on a Saturday early this month (need to arrange timing with nephew and niece) and we reached there at 2pm.
** Location wise to the exhibition: As a first-timer to Avenue K, it is quite easy to locate the exhibition. Just go all the way up to 4th floor, you can easily see the giant half-bodied dinosaur at the exit (right outside the cafeteria). There are some games you can play outside the exhibition as well. Do note that children below 60cm go into the exhibition for FREE! In case you are not sure of your kiddo's height, there is a pillar with height wall sticker which you can get your kiddo to lean against to check on their height. Altogether, there are a total of 2 adults (hubby and myself) and 5 kiddos - age 12, 10, 5, 2.5 and 9.5months.
** Preparation before beginning the adventure: We went in through this huge wooden door, I personally need a minute or two to adjust to the light and darkness once we stepped inside. Inside, only 5 of us were each given a Paleontologist vest (hubby and baby didn't have one), while only 1 person was given the torchlight and a RFID band, which we appointed our 10 year old nephew to be our expedition leader. We were also given a map with stickers provided which we just have to stick the relevant stickers onto the map accordingly in order to redeem a certificate at the end of the exhibition.
** The adventure: We were first ushered into a small room to watch a mini orientation video on what to look out for and how to use the RFID band to look for clues etc. Once done, we started our expedition.
We were greeted with some very high quality dinosaur animatronics that moves its head, tails and the kiddos made a pit stop whenever they see those LCD stand so they can get clues to complete their map.
Some of the exhibits that are clearly enjoyed by our kiddos are the rock-climbing (see picture above of our 2.5 years old girl trying out rock-climbing), race the Theropod (very cool to race against the Theropod and see who wins), excavation pit (sand digging to find dinosaur fossils) and erupt an active volcano (foam balls shooting out from the air machine).
I learned some cool stuff such as spinosaurus tooth which has been found in Malaysia and how it feels like to be touching dinosaur's poop, all thanks to our curious nephew who dug into the hole and grabbed some icky gooey substance which can only be wiped off with baby wipes.
The kiddos were given some coloring paper to draw on (color pencils provided) after which their artwork will be submitted for the coloring contest. There is a small memorabilia shop next to it which you can browse and buy souvenirs from. We also sat in the 3D room to watch a documentary about dinosaurs. And of course, a Junior Paleontologist certificate for completing the map for the kiddos.
** Facilities provided in the exhibition:
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As a mother of 3 hyperactive kiddos, I would appreciate some sort of benches or stool for tired parents to rest on.
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You need to exit the place to go to the restroom in 3rd floor (quite a distance walk - especially when you are totting a 2.5 years old girl) and I wished there is a small room for baby - be it for diaper changing or for breastfeeding. I had to nurse our 9.5 months old girl in the 3D movie room.
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Towards the exit of the exhibition, there is an area for kiddos to draw stuff (for coloring contest submission), a small shop for memorabilia and a cafeteria.
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The place is stroller-friendly so no worries for parents, bring on the strollers!
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The staffs are courteous and friendly, fast to assist and accommodating as well.
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There are a few photography spots where there will be a designated photographer to take pictures of you and family (and superimposed with awesome background like volcano erupting or T-rex roaring at you), you can choose to print out and buy the pictures towards the end of the exhibition at the Photo Op station (same area with kiddos coloring area). I do feel the picture fees is a bit expensive (RM20 a piece, it gets lower if you print more) but still maybe it's just me but after considering the good quality exhibits, enjoyable adventure and cool photos taken, I guess paying RM65 for 4 pictures are okay.
** SUMMARY OF REVIEW:
We spent about 3 hours in the exhibition! We enjoyed ourselves and glad to see all kiddos enjoyed themselves. You should checkout this exhibition as it is unique and have activities and games catered for children's mind and creativity not to forget for the learning opportunities as well.
Dinoscovery is open every day from 10am to 10pm including school and public holidays.
You can find out more from http://discoveria.com.my/
Do note that I received no monetary compensation for this review, I was provided with the complimentary tickets in order to facilitate my review. All opinions expressed in this post are my own. Please do your own research when purchasing products, as your opinions may differ from mine.
