certifiedcoastergeek

I'll actually take the rumor with a grain of flash-frozen ice cream, thank you. In all honesty, this wouldn't be *that* surprising, although I might expect that this happens at the end of 2019/2020, with a new coaster in the cards for '22ish. KD just got a world-class coaster after ripping two horrible ones out, so I think this progress is inevitable but not anywhere in the immediate future. Speculation for the win!

Great report! (Also realized I made a cameo in the second row of picture #14. ) Great coaster as well - the airtime combined with the exceptionally smooth ride easily puts this one in my top ten all-time. I can't wait for the summer passholder ERT to really stack up those re-rides! Speed - 7/10. Who cares? That's not the point of this ride, although the first drop and its immediate successors are notably faster than Hurler's. Even in the cold weather, TT maintained a decent pace for the entire ride. Intensity - 9/10. Quick, smooth turns that keep you on your toes without giving you a headache. Ejector airtime falls *just* short of the very best like Skyrush, Maverick, and Intimidator 305, but considering the scale of this ride, that's impressive. Smoothness - 10/10. Wow. This is coming from someone who thinks Fury is a bit rough, for comparison's sake. Duration - 7/10. This coaster, like KD's other flagships, tends to be on the shorter side at about a minute and a half, but given that every second not spent on the lift hill or the brake run is consumed by an exciting element of some variety, I would be hard-pressed to deduct additional points for the ride time. Overall - 9.5/10. Waiting for the queue to open - and absolutely worth the wait! Miscellaneous - Yes, the lockers are real, but if you really don't want to pay the two dollars, they can be easily avoided by leaving unnecessary items in your car or in a zippered pocket while on the ride. The loose article policy also now requires that you put all hats and glasses not secured with an athletic strap in a pocket or locker. There are even more season pass drink-refill stations across the park, with one about every 100 yards in every direction. As usual, the upcharge Skycoaster and go-karts were free, which are great perks for passholders. Food prices are about the same at $16 per meal, although the Gold Pass meal and drink passes (a soda every 15 minutes and meals twice a day, separated by 3 hours) come out to about $135 with taxes and fees. Meal pass now includes Chick-fil-A, Panda Express, and Boardwalk Fries in addition to the park's in-house restaurants. Looks like this season will be another great one at KD!

Actually, this is the least regular morning ERT KD passholders have had in years (not complaining, just stating a fact). In the past (at least the past year or two as I recall), generally ERT was available almost every operating morning, with Volcano every day and a rotating second coaster (Intimidator on weekends, FoF on Tuesdays, etc.). I haven't heard anything about the FL+ merge point. However, I understand the change given TT's distance from the previous ERT rides, and from experience there was a fair chance that testing (especially with Volcano) would require the park to delay ride openings to regular opening anyway, so this may actually result more ERT on average than that available in the past ( ). Not that I'm aware of. I would assume that there will be a new one built, as I believe the old Hurler FL entrance was just the exit given the low ridership. If so, it will probably meet up somewhere with the old queue that is being rebuilt according to photos released. There's actually still a strategy to beat the Volcano line even if it isn't offered. ERT means that passholders can enter the areas past Int'l Street 30 minutes before opening, meaning after a quick TT ride you can easily shoot over to Safari Village and be the first to queue at Volcano before non-passholders can get there. Not quite "ERT", but you can still take advantage of the ERT time window to guarantee a spot at the front of the line. No need to despair!

Per KDFans, only $2/hr. To be honest, I'm not surprised about the new policy for TT, as it was rolled out to platform-article friendly CF parks with major coasters à la Fury, but I'm a bit confused as to why I305 and FoF were chosen as well, as opposed to rides with longer lines and more inversions like Dominator and Volcano. Unfortunately, while most of the time this will not be a problem and the fee is minor, I think this will be an unpopular change because visitors are accustomed to KD's former platform policy and may be caught off guard, at least in the short term. (Cargo shorts for the win! )

I mean... so far they made a sign that says the name of the ride in plain, Helvetica font and out it on the roof of a rectangular metal building. Look at the bottom left of the FB picture... they're building a pretty substantial faux-brick entrance there, and apparently some covered structures in that pavilion area as well. All indicators point to some pretty good theme elements, although I sincerely hope that the "covered pavilion structure" isn't cover for KD's first fluffy bunny rental location, and that fluffy bunnies will continue to live in freedom on ride platforms ( ). Otherwise, two thumbs up so far!

I'm sure that's the plan but I'm not sure how you expect a definitive answer on this. Media Day will be on Thursday 3/22, although I don't know if TPR members/admins will be allowed to attend as it appears that another group got the primary invitation ( ). Barring major technical issues, I would consider TT also soft-opening on Friday's (3/23) Preview Day confirmed at this point.

Kings Dominion officially released the height of TT: https://www.kingsdominion.com/blog/2017/twisted-timbers-its-not-just-hurler-reborn Previously, they had only mentioned the 109-foot drop in press releases, but here it explicitly mentions an "extra 28 feet" of height, which, when added to the Hurler height of 83', gives a confirmed height of 111'. Not that big of a deal, but interesting nonetheless. (In other news, grass is green; water is wet.)

Congrats on one million! You should bring the Gold Play Button on a celebration ride!

No they cant! It's sill stands out after 15 years! That would be tragic. That's my favorite Accelerator model! However, removing it for 2018 space might make sense, given that I have a suspicion that this is the biggest announcement of the day (separated by a few hours from the others, Robb is on-site, etc.), and Knott's is pretty much maxed out in terms of space. Let's wait and see what happens before we succumb to Dippin' Dots rumors.

Ten years ahead of his time...

KD's website describes the rides to be open as "family rides and attractions", so that probably quashes any hope of Winter Twisted Timbers or Winter I305. Regardless, WinterFest is a great addition!

The POV if I'm looking correctly makes it seem they have extended the structure beyond the original Hurler layout? I could be wrong but can't wait to see the actual layout! I think the additional length comes from the extra height added to the ride, especially on that insane airtime alley after the first overbank.

Looks like a terrific and intense layout, and the 1950s/Candy Apple Grove theming looks to be top-notch (classic pickup truck trains, probably station and queue theming)! Can't renew my gold pass fast enough!

Sounds weird, but yeah. FoF has an additional staffing requirement of two due to its separate unload platform, and is of similar intensity to Dominator. You may well be right, families are a big draw. But with your plan, considering Twisted Timbers likely won't be open for this winter, that leaves families and holiday enthusiasts as the only draw since there are one or two adult-sized coasters left open. Either way, I agree, it will be interesting to see what they do. I305 has more crew than FoF, to my best recollection. I305: 1 booth op, 4 restraint ops (1 at each corner) FoF: 1 booth op, 3 restraint ops (1 on each side to load, 1 at unload) Personally, I think coasterbill is right, and we shouldn't expect more than 1-2 coasters to be open, if at all. Dominator is the most logical choice, especially since the activities will center on the fountain-turned-giant ice skating rink ( ) on Int'l St. I would say FoF for the other, as it will put the least stress on the climate-controlled ride, but that does require opening large swaths of Safari Village. We may just have Dominator, although I'd be fine with that as it would essentially be offseason ride time. Keep in mind that KD opens the earliest of any of the Winterfest parks (late March/early April), so the maintenance turnaround might eliminate the winter coaster prospects.

I wonder how Twisted Timbers will be in terms of ride capacity... Obviously, the ride will now be 54 MPH (a slight increase over the original 50 MPH), so even though it will be longer (3351 feet vs 3157 feet) the trains should traverse the track faster, and combined with a probable increase in chain lift speed I think the TT duration will be closer to 1:45 as opposed to the original 2:00. Unfortunately, the leaked train image apparently has 6 cars of 4 compared to the original 7 cars of 4 (although it looks like we're keeping the lap bar ), and the brake run does not appear to have a third train storage track, so it seems that TT will keep the 2-train format. Assuming perfect operations (train 1 dispatched as train 2 enters station, and vice versa): Hurler Theoretical Ride Capacity: 30 rides per hour * 28 people per train = 840 riders / hour Twisted Timbers Theoretical Ride Capacity: 34 rides per hour * 24 people per train = 816 riders / hour Either way, this may be the Achilles' heel of the otherwise fantastic ride, and would make adding this to passholder ERT *that* much sweeter. However, despite its probable low capacity, Twisted Timbers will distribute the lines away from Safari Village, which is a MAJOR upside for I305/Volcano megafans! Let me know about your thoughts on this, and feel free to roast my math!

I wouldn't expect crowds to be too bad, since many local schools are heading back into session, although if you want to get re-rides on Volcano I would recommend a FL+. KD is very lenient with its article policy; bring a string bag for your stuff and every dry ride has -free- article bins on the ride platform (this may change next year with Twisted Timbers, but enjoy it while it lasts). The only mandatory fluffy bunnies are in the waterpark, but cargo shorts should also be fine. I would recommend jumping on I305 first thing in the morning to get a front-seat ride and a few rerides, since the front-row line is sequestered and inaccessible to FL+. I would also recommend jumping on I305 after dark for one of the best night rides ever. Have fun!

What's sad is even with all those awesome things (and more) in that park there's a lot of locals who demand so much more. I don't even really know what more I could want at KD? Maybe more flats? I love having it 40 minutes down 95. Local here. I, too, am thoroughly disappointed with this mediocre RMC addition, and hereby demand that KD install a B&M wing strata coaster over the front gate and relocate Millennium Force!!!!! This is a great addition! Ice skating will be great!

I really think people put way too much stock into completely arbitrary terms. I highly doubt this will be a "bigger announcement" than Intimidator 305 in the eyes of anyone on this forum but it doesn't have to be for them to claim that. Maybe this comes with some general upgrades (a new parking gate seems likely since the chain seems to be in the process of renovating those) but I don't think the phrase "biggest announcement in history." is something people should get hung up on since it can mean whatever they want it to mean. "Biggest announcement in the park's history" is a direct quote from park marketing materials released to . Considering that they have to top Intimidator 305 ($30M when added, about $34M in today's dollars), that's a pretty high bar to clear assuming that RMC Hurler should cost no more than $10-13M in today's dollars. Even if they're not counting money as a qualification for "biggest announcement", I would still anticipate at least one of the following, from most to least likely:1. Winterfest. CF has begun to roll this out to more parks. 2. Revamped Hurler plaza, possibly including back entrance to waterpark and new restaurant, among other additions. Maybe a flat ride or two? 3. Knott's Boomerang, if they haven't sold it already. Unlikely, since construction would have already started on this. 4. Removing RMC Hurler in sections and installing it at Carowinds, then building Camp Snoopy in its place with three new family-friendly thrill rides!

I think "RO⊥TEN Apple" fits the pattern best, especially with the background image in the most recent teaser. It's definitely a bit awkward, especially with the Bad Apple just down the way, but I care less about the theming/paint job and more about the ride quality. Also, yes, KD, I do see a pattern. First teaser: announcement date Teasers 2-4: "BE⊥TER than" teasers. Comparisons between Old/New Hurler. Teasers 5-8: Name allusions. The only real argument against the "RO⊥TEN Apple" name would be that teasers 5 and 6 seem to refer to a monster rather than fruit, although they could be referring to ride intensity. Teaser 9: GIVE ⊥HEM WHAT ⊥HEY WANT. 816. Also, a park employee in Candy Apple Grove gave me a USB stick with a during my visit on Saturday, which I uploaded to YouTube. Please let me know if you can make sense of it.

Hurler was topped off last night... Enjoy some low quality pics for proof!

Richmond news organizations are still sticking to their guns with the "roller coaster" claim... Busch Gardens applies for waiver to build new roller coaster A link to the James City County Board of Supervisors document is provided in the article; that document only refers to an "attraction", although the news article very clearly describes the new ride as a coaster. Additionally, according to the Supervisors doc, Busch Gardens can loophole its way around the no-lights-above-60-feet restriction people were referring to by claiming that such lights are "necessary for safety purposes". No need to panic, Starflyer light package fans. Personally, I'm extremely skeptical, and will continue to operate on the assumption that this is simply a well-intentioned miscommunication of the fake news variety. Bring on the Starflyer!

If they put a coaster there... This is an exceptionally optimistic at best prediction. BGW -just- got InvadR this year, and now a gigacoaster? And curious? We're getting RMC Hurler next year (confirmed), with a very high probability of a significant side attraction (thrill ride, Knott's Boomerang, Winterfest, etc.), given the billing as the "biggest addition in KD's history", per the park.

Just dropping by to analyze some of the (RMC Hurler) teasers that have given people headaches for a while. (For reference, you can see most of the teasers here and today's teaser here.) I'll go in chronological order. Feel free to update me/roast me if I'm spewing old news or missing anything. I'm also speculating, and operating on the assumption that all of these teasers pertain to RMC Hurler rather than Haunt. Stick with me, the explanations are long-winded but will make more sense as they progress. Teaser #1: "816". Pretty obvious IMO, this is the announcement date, and Screamscape reported the same three days ago. Teaser #2: "20. BE⊥TER than 4." I think this is probably a reference to airtime moments, since I remember four major airtime hills on Old Hurler (two after the first turn, two after the second). See Teaser #3 for more on this. Teaser #3: "3. BE⊥TER than none." This is definitely a reference to inversions. I am hedging my bets that this ride will be very similar to , another I-Box coaster, in size, speed, and layout. A YouTube channel did a rough estimate of the new Hurler height (they came up with about 110 feet), which is very similar to Medusa's. Medusa Steel Coaster has three inversions, including the inverted drop that would fit Hurler's drop well. This also lends credibility to the airtime explanation for Teaser 2 because both follow the "better than" format, which seems to compare RMC Hurler and Old Hurler. Teaser #4: "28. Makes it BE⊥TER." This teaser is one of the hardest to decode, but I'm pretty sure I figured it out. Obviously, it follows a slightly different format than the previous two, since there's no concrete point of reference to Old Hurler. However, as discussed in Teaser 3, the new height of RMC Hurler should be somewhere around 110 feet. The height of Old Hurler was 83 feet. Simple addition leads to the realization that adding 28 feet of height to Old Hurler would make it 111 feet tall. 28 feet makes it BE⊥TER. Teaser #5: "It left everything TA⊥TERED and torn in its wake." This one has the highest probability of being a reference to RMC Hurler's real name, and suggests that it will be themed after some sort of beast or monster, an interesting choice given the ride's original Wayne's World theme. Teaser #6: "It can be a bit KNO⊥TY." I think this is another inversion reference, although as with #5, this one is harder to pinpoint as it contains less concrete references and will probably require context to understand when we get more details in two weeks. TL;DR I am pretty confident that I decoded RMC Hurler's first four teasers, which are references to the ride's announcement date and new stats. As for the last two, well, 816. Thanks for reading!

This year, I took advantage of the two-park Fun Card/Silver Pass sale and visited BGW for a couple of hours today. I arrived around 2. By then, they were letting people park for free in the overflow Scotland/Bavaria lot by the brewery. Around 3, they closed the gates for capacity. Nevertheless, I rode InvadR after waiting in an hour-and-a-half line... Beyond the short ride duration (1 minute), everything else about the ride is fantastic - the intensity, the restraints, the theming, the smoothness, the ejector airtime - it's all there. 8.5/10 - go and ride now, but avoid being a fool like me. Ride first thing in the morning to avoid the numerous queue switchbacks. (Sidenote: does anyone else appreciate the flatscreen in the corner of the station that shows ride capacity stats and a live dispatch countdown? Maybe it's just me...) Now for some airtime smilies to provide a pictorial description of the InvadR experience: (Second sidenote: Robb, I look forward to the next "We Are On a Log Flume" rendition involving simultaneous TPR teams on Le Scoot and InvadR. Gotta make use of the interactive rides. )