Intimidator305

There definitely isn't anything like it! Sure, some can say that it is the height of MF and the layout of Maverick, but when I rode it for the first time on opening day last year it blew away my expectations and how I thought the ride was going to be. I think what the people who haven't ridden it yet don't understand is the actual intensity of the ride. I ride it 5+ times each time I'm at the park, and it never gets old! Thanks again for the positive feedback!

^ I thought the land behind Hurler could be used until the maintenance road, but I could be wrong. I also have no clue about the condition of the land back between the Grizzly and WWC, it could be a drainage area or swampy like sections of the 305 land was/is. I do think if they do actually use that land, it definitely needs to be a coaster added back there, I'm sure they could make something work. And thanks again for the responses!

Actually, there is a ton of room! I always thought an out-and-back hyper would have fit great back there that wrapped around Grizzly and Hurler before 305 came along... In fact, a coaster the size of 305 could almost fit back there! BTW, thank you all for all the responses, this was my first TPR photo trip report!

The slight bump that you barely feel where the old track meets the new track...

^^^ Thanks Robb!! I also haven't seen a POV of the new 305 so far, not even an illegal one which is a shocker considering I thought a few of the GP would compete to get the first one!

Last weekend I made the 3 1/2 hour trip to my "home park", the fun and only Kings Dominion! Although Carowinds is ironically the same exact distance (205 miles) away, I typically visit KD 6+ times a season and only visit Carowinds once a season, just because I love KD that much more. Of course, the main goal of this trip was to check out all of the 2011 changes in the park including the new, improved, and once again trimless Intimidator 305 (my #1 coaster)! Ride Count: Saturday (4/9) 11:00-5:00 -Intimidator 305 x5 -Anaconda -Backlot Stunt Coaster -The Crypt -Avalanche -Drop Tower -Triple Spin -Rebel Yell -Flying Eagles -Eiffel Tower -Beserker -Dominator -Boo Blasters on Boo Hill Sunday (4/10) 10:00-2:00 -Intimidator 305 x10 -Volcano -Flight of Fear x3 -Drop Tower -Shockwave -Rebel Yell We got on the road at 7:30 am, and got to the park at exactly 11:00 am (with only a stop by McDonalds for breakfast) which was pretty good considering it was pouring down rain and really foggy 3/4 of the drive. As we were pulling up to the parking lot, we were suprised to see the $2 increase in parking to $12, but luckily that is the only time we would have to pay that thanks to the VIP passes. We bought our season passes, got them processed, and then headed through the gates... The mandatory shot for every visit to KD! This is also my favorite Cedar Fair entrance plaza... KD fixed the fountains over the offseason so they are looking great once again! Why hello there Dominator, as much as I like you, Intimidator 305 gets my first ride of the season! As sad as it was to see Geauga Lake close down, atleast KD got the best ride from there! Temperatures in the upper 50s and low 60s and a gloomy sky really helped keep the crowds away! Didn't take many pictures while runnin... I mean "speedwalking" to 305, but I was thrilled to see Volcano actually open! After riding Intimidator 305 three times (which is even better now), Anaconda, Backlot, Crypt, and Avalache we headed over to the Grove... and since I realized the crowds were going to be light all day, I figured I could take my time and snap some photos once again. Shockwaves new paint and logo look fabulous, but the 2nd half of the ride is still torture... The new color scheme that they selected for the ride really fits in well with the north side of The Grove! Triple Spin even got a new paint job for 2011! After taking a few pictures of The Grove and getting ripped off for the Season Souvenir 305 cup and Boardwalk Fries ($20), we rode the Drop Zone! Hey, atleast its only $2 refills all season long! I believe a total of 5 new planters were added in The Grove during the offseason as well, including these two in front of Johnny's. Attempted artsy shot, but I didn't take the four minutes to wait for a Shockwave train... TOGO standups take FOREVER to load. Thought this shot was pretty cool on the way to ride Rebel Yell, which was actually RACING! North side definitely is the better side because IMO it is really smooth! After riding Rebel Yell, we went to ride Flying Eagles... 305 and Drop Tower snuck into the picture! My brother and I (I'm in the 305 hoodie) in front of one of the better flats in the park. All Access will be in the KD Theater beginning Memorial Day weekend! I really like the Old Virginia section because of the details like this, I just think it needs that "signature attraction" placed in between White Water Canyon and Grizzly behind the KD Theater, something really BIG! Oh yeah, Spongeboob is still here too, chasing that stupid pickle! Maybe next year will finally be the year he leaves, HOPEFULLY! Next Stop: top of the Eiffel Tower! OoOoOoHhHhHh Ahhh... Intimidator 305! Volcano looks great since it got the new paint last season! Flight of Fear also has an full queue now too, NO MORE HAUNT CRAP! Here is a bit of Planet Snoopy, The Grove, and Waterworks. Shockwave looks 100% better now! Overview of the east side of the park... I remember when I thought Volcano seemed tall from here before another kick-a$$ Intamin came in! Overview of the south side of the park... including the future home of Snoopy's Starlight Spectacular (on Center Walkway)! Say hello the old turn of Intimidator 305 back behind Grizzly! Or better yet, THANK YOU for not being crowded and hot as hell for a change! The fountains looking great once again and the stage being used for Spin and the Peanuts Rockin' Party which can be seen daily until Labor Day! This is how a B&M floorless parking lot coaster should look SFMM! 3 trains out of 4 possible ones, SO CLOSE! 1/2 second sooner! Who would have ever guessed a giga would be built at KD? Well, besides that clever Dippin' Dots guy... This is the moment of the ride where you hear cursing flying out of the passengers mouths because they are scared to death... My brother probably regrets saying that he loved 305 after I made him ride it 8 times in a row on Sunday with no breaks... But I could ride 305 all day long! Definitely gets my 2 thumbs up as it is my #1 coaster! Finally, back at the bottom of the tower... I am glad that KD added Snoopy's Moon Bounce when they rethemed Nick Central to Planet Snoopy because it makes the section actually seem large enough to be considered an "area" of the park now with 3 attractions, 3 souvenir places, 3 places to grab a bite to eat, and a restroom. After the Eiffel Tower, we got a ride on Beserker and then Dominator, which was smoother this season (I rode in the 2nd row). Next up was Boo Blasters, where I barely won by 10 points! I would have killed him, but I was stupid in the loading platform and forgot the gun cord was under the lapbar... Boo Blasters > Scooby-Doo. After Boo Blasters, it was back to the Congo! Volcano still had about a 30 minute wait so we skipped it and figured we would ride it first thing Sunday! KD's second best coaster IMO... Sorry B&M lovers, but Dominator is third! Finally back to Intimidator 305 for the last ride of the day! We rode it twice before we left for a total of 5 times on Saturday! Good view of 305 lift hill and 3 spots of extreme airtime! Many people just like to hang around in the 305 plaza because not only fun to ride, but amazing to watch it go up the lift hill and see how fast it goes. The wait was still walk-on at around 4:30-5:00 but we were whipped so we only rode it twice... The extreme air is BACK! I never thought in a million years that I would be seen wearing race-looking merchandise, but I do just because 305 is that awesome, they got $80 out of me on souvenirs (including the 305 Coaster Dynamix) this trip! Thanks KD for using my name as the example in the gift shop! If you look at the turn from the lift hill, you can tell that the radius of the first turn did not change at all with the new turn! The footers just had to be extended for the taller/larger supports. The transitions at full-speed with the new straps are fantastic! Maverick needs these straps ASAP! Many (including myself) believe that there are less trims on the 3rd hill than there were on Opening Day last year which provides great air on that hill! Not crowded + Cool cloudy day + Improved 305 = One of the best experiences at KD ever! 305 gets two thumbs up! Who knew that flowers and Nascar could go together? Oh yeah, they replaced all of the 305 flags in the plaza this season since last years faded a bit. Still only new paint on the brakerun and station for Anaconda... The ride wasn't rough besides right after the MCBR when I rode it. Although the theme of Backlot doesn't go with the Congo at all, I do like the location because it separates the Congo and WaterWorks really well. 305 and Anaconda hidden deep in the Congo! I don't think I have ever taken a picture of the Crypt from the side before... Looks pretty cool! "Welcome to the Congo! Home of avalanches, crypts, active volcanoes, downtown Los Angeles, anacondas, aliens, and a tribute to the world's greatest racecar driver!" We cut through KidZville instead of taking the Dominator path on the way out for a change. This year at the KidZville Stage there is a show called Charlie Brown's Pirate Adventure, and when it was going on there was quite a crowd watching it! This year in Planet Snoopy at the PEANUTS Showplace there will be a show called Saddle Up! featuring country music from today, the show opens up Memorial Day weekend. Although many claim that kids don't have any idea who the Peanuts are, I always find kids so excited to see them at every Cedar Fair park I go to. Dominator rises above Planet Snoopy's Joe Cool's Driving School. 4 coasters, no trains, just my luck! But I must say, KD has an awesome skyline from the parking lot now! We left the park at 5:00 pm, went to check in the Marriott in Glen Allen, had dinner at Chilis, and went back to the hotel because we were whipped... Day 2 (Sunday 4/10) was another cloudy cool day, but it did get sunny and warmer in the afternoon! Beserker was testing as we were waiting on the rest of the park to open to go ride Volcano before the line got long! We didn't ride Dominator because we were worried we wouldn't be done in time for the rest of the park to open, and we wanted to get to Volcano before the rest of the stampede got there. Neat shot of Dominator going back into the station with the signature loop. Waiting for the rope to drop at the entrance of Planet Snoopy we noticed several trees marked with ribbons for lights for Snoopy's Starlight Spectacular! Supposedly there will be lights on the Eiffel Tower like at KI. After getting off of Volcano (which is still a a great thrill after 13 years), we rode Flight of Fear 3 times in a row! We were the only ones on the train 1 time. After 3 rides on Flight of Fear we rode Intimidator 305 8 times in a row, yes 8 in about 40 minutes! NOOO LINE! This was Dippin' Dots stand who claimed they were building Intimidator 305! Intimidator 305 rises above everything! Beat that theming BGW! HAH! The creepy monkey is freaked out because there are racecars and aliens in his Congo! I wonder if this will ever be a huge Planet Snoopy? Retro bumper cars! I never ride them, I like the building better when it is a Haunt maze! You get a great view of how 305 towers over Anaconda and Rebel Yell from the WaterWorks/Drop Tower Plaza. BEST FLAT RIDE NAME EVER..... not. But what's sad is it is not that much worse that Mach Tower... Up... ...Up... ...Up & then finally drop more than 270 ft. back down to Earth. Hypersonic > El Dorado... but atleast they got something for the "asphalt jungle". North side for the win! It is smoother... 82.bmp 2nd half is still rough, but it sure looks purrrdy! The Grove got lots of new paint, so hopefully it gets something new next year, Windseeker? They need to cut down the trees so you can get the Eiffel Tower in the loop picture again! The lengendary Congo got one more visit from me to ride 305 two more times (to make it 10 for the day and 15 for the weekend) before we headed back home! Once again, another attempted artsy shot while leaving the park... 87.bmp Goodbye KD, see you soon, and thanks for a great trip! We left at 2:00 and got home at 5:30 with only stopping once at McDonalds!

HAHA! I'm still wondering how that employee even did that and how in the world he/she didn't notice when raising the flag/walking away looking at it... But anyways, nice reference and a very good trip report so far!

All of a sudden, Texas seems like a great place to visit! But in all honesty, this ride looks amazing, and I'm guessing it would definitely be my number 1 wooden coaster (if you even count that as wood!)...

I think I would put 5 Intamins in the park... Giga (like 305 not MF please) Strata Launch (like Cheetah Hunt, iSpeed, or Maverick) Pre-Fab Mega-Lite (built for airtime purposes only) On the ones that need OTSRs... I would like 305 straps instead of the hard Intamin restraints!

Since when did Invertigo have its loop removed? HAHA! But anyways, I actually like KD's Cedar Fair map (besides the lifthill on Avalanche being on the wrong side), but KI's Cedar Fair map is so "plain" and it just looks like its missing something...

^ After riding it 8 times in a row this morning, I agree! I was completely whipped, especially my shoulders! When I went back to get 2 final rides in the afternoon I was fine, but 8 was a bit too much! And speaking of FOF, I actually got to ride it 3 times in a row this morning (around 10:40-10:55), right after Volcano with nobody else on the train but my brother... The ride goes extremely fast when only 2 out of 20 seats are filled!

^ Good trip report. I didn't notice the flag out front though, that's hillarious! I saw you at the park today, we were in 305's station and Shockwave's station at the same time I believe. I obviously knew you were from TPR with the shirt, but I didn't know your name... I was in the black Intimidator 305 hoodie with the brownish red hair. But I'm glad to hear another person enjoys the "new" 305!

Just got back home from my trip... I still am proud to say that 305 is better than ever before! I rode the ride 10 times today, yes 10, mostly in rows 2 and 16. I actually rode it 8 times in a row and then went back right before I left to get 2 more rides. The ride ops were doing an amazing job getting the trains in and out of the station! Other notes: -Mostly walk-on/one train waits on rides today except for Volcano and Shockwave. -Row 3 on Shockwave is down for some reason on one train? -Shockwave is smooth with the new paint on the drop, loop, and airtime hill... then once you get to the helix and second half of the ride its DEATH! -I think I counted 5 new tree/flower beds in the Grove! -Racing Rebel Yell again today... and NORTH side is really smooth! -KD got 85 bucks out of me on souvenirs. -Full trip report will be posted sometime this week. 305 still has my number one spot, and its going to be hard to beat now with this new version...

^ I was actually next in line for FOF and saw the ride do that. It was a very weak launch and it only went to the very end of the launch tunnel right before the cobra roll. I didn't know how long it would be so I just went and rode 305.

Just got settled in the hotel... Intimidator 305 better than ever before! I rode the ride 5 times today, twice in the back and three times in row 2. Row 2 is the rides hidden jewel, because its basically the same exact thing as the front with the "stadium" seating (or whatever they call it) but with 1/20 of the wait! There is more air now than on any other version... and the grey out is still there as well. Actually, I know for a fact that I greyed out more this year than any of the times last year, BUT IT IS SO AWESOME! Also, the radius of the turn was not increased at all... if you look at the footers while going up the lift hill (if you have the chance since it FLYS up it, haha!), you can tell that they just added concrete to each existing turn footer for the taller supports since they need larger footers. Other notes: -One train waits almost all day on 305 and most rides except for Volcano, FOF, and Shockwave (guess the paint job catches peoples eyes)! -FOF has a full queue again (no more Haunt maze crap). -There are new flags in the 305 plaza, so no more faded ones! -Drop Tower is opened this weekend! -The Grove looks great this year with all the new paint and flowers! -Rebel Yell was actually RACING. -Full photo trip report will be posted later. Can't wait to get back on 305 tomorrow!

Leaving my house right now for Kings Dominion! Should get there around 11:00... If any of you see me, it will probably at 305! Haha! I'll be in my "All You Fear Is Here!" Halloween Haunt shirt (or 305 hoodie if its cold) with white sunglasses. Can't wait!

My best ones within the past year: "Lets get back in line for Interminator!" Dominator & Intimidator are extremely confusing apparently! "They had to get rid of Big Bad Wolf to make room for Mach Tower..." It is on the opposite side of the path... "Dollywood is bigger than Disney World!" Gotta love band kids and their theme park knowledge!

Me too! (and Sunday)... I'll probably do a photo trip report as well, unless Anaconda breaks my camera again!

I personally thought TTD needed paint paint more than MF... but I'm excited to see a shiny Millenium!

^ It was a really dark navy, I could see where people get it mixed up... ^^ I actually really like both the new and original color schemes, but I absolutely hated the neon one! The new lime green track, teal supports, and orange station (& queue) rails/train color scheme definitely just "fits in" with the atmosphere of the Grove perfectly. The lime green and orange tie end with Drop Tower across the midway and teal is used on a few of the Grove's buildings. KD/CF did a great job picking a new color scheme! Triple Spin looks great as well now. I'm glad they didn't change the color, because there are a few building in the Grove (like Victoria's Pizza and Johnny's) that have the same maroon color so it all goes together as well too. I can't wait to see the changes in person this weekend though!

^ I'll be also be there Saturday... and I'm going Sunday. I can't wait to see how many times I can ride Intimidator 305! 70 degrees on Saturday and 76 degrees on Sunday so it is going to be perfect weather! Oh and Shockwave has never been lime green and teal until 2011... This was it's first color scheme.

Those are from the Paramount days... and Cedar Fair can't even keep the special effects working on the three that already exist, so they don't need another one.

Yeah, they used the area back where the station was for Toxic Plague, which is a Haunt maze and then put El Dorado in front of that in 2009. But still the so called "plaza" in front of El Dorado is just a big asphalt mess with patches. Hopefully you all get a Haunt maze for that area if there isn't a project planned there for 2012!

^ Nice photos and nice to hear another positive review! That's very interesting that the old turns track is back behind Hurler and Grizzly. I wonder if KD gets to keep it or if it just hasn't been shipped back to Intamin yet? 6 days left until I get to try out 305 2.0!

^ That's a great comparison! With all these great reviews, I don't think I can wait all the way until next weekend!