Kings Dominion TR

[eddie200330]

Spent Labor Day weekend at the park celebrating our 5th anniversary. Had a great time and spent 2 nights at Kings Quarters using the 2 day/night vacation package. No pics to post as we didn't really fart with a camera and there are plenty of them on here anyhow, so I will just tell of thoughts and ideas.

 

Overall the time was awesome, crowds were very minimal and wait times were pretty much nonexistent (with a few exceptions).

 

We hit up Dominator upon arrival Saturday which was @ 12 noon. The wait was just about 15 minutes with a 2 train operation. First time I have ridden this ride at either park and my only other floorless was Hydra, so this pretty much kicked it's butt!!! I can almost rate this as one of my top 3 coasters now. I really liked the turn after the loop taken at high speed, that was pretty freaking amazing!!

 

Volcano was a pass as the whole queue upstairs was filled and they were waiting at the bottom of the entrance out on the midway, managed it first thing Sunday morning at park opening.

 

First time on a BLSC, thought it was very good for what it was, and the tunnel part was really good. The helicopter did not move, but the flames were on and the sound of bullets were there.....

 

Rebel Yell did one side alternating both days, walk on Saturday, little wait Sunday.

 

Anaconda was walk on Saturday, Sunday the line started all the way at the entrance?? Nothing much here, same old jerk and bang it always has been.

 

Shockwave was good as usual, 10 minute wait both days.

 

Grizzly was awesome as ever, especially at night. Sunday night they took it down to 1 train and that caused some backup in the station queue, nothing more than that though.

 

Skipped Riccochet, not much of a mouse fan.

 

Outer limits was short wait Saturday, Sunday the line was full queued outside with some on the midway!!! Not waiting that long with only 2 train ops.

 

I guess that leaves me with Hurler.... You all can say what you want about SOB and Mean Streak, but this pile of crap and the one at Carowinds need to go long before CF demolishes anything else!! I have never been jackhammered and beat up so bad as what we went through Sunday afternoon, and that was in the 3rd seat back from the front!!! Never again.......

 

Anyhow, my only real problem with the park was the fact that I imagine most employees are back in school now so they were really understaffed. Dispatch times were pretty awful, and when you only have 2 young boys operating Grizzly, I don't find that a very safe practice. By that I mean 1 pushing buttons and 1 doing seat checks!!!!

 

One last thought....DAMN those food and drink prices are high!!!!!! Thank God we had our own stuff in the hotel to eat or I would have to mortgage my home to buy snacks in the park!! I mean come on CF, $4 for a 20 oz. Coke????

 

Oh, BTW didn't look like anything was going on over in I305 land, the big crane is still in pieces and there were no signs of movement anywhere all weekend.

[pkdcoaster]

Glad to hear you had a good time.

 

I agree with your thoughts on Dominator, such an outstanding ride.

 

Hurler is just such a mystery. Paramount & CF have done nothing to the ride.

The biggest problem is the turns they have NEVER been fully retracked, a few times they replaced the top layer but that is it.

 

CF made Rebel yell awesome this year, running better than it has in a long time, and same with Grizzly.

 

JEFF

[eddie200330]

Yeah, RY and Grizzly were great. Took a front seat night ride on Rebel Yell and it blew us away!!

[Capitalize]

Hurler is better then Mean Streak to me because Hurler at least has a couple moments of good airtime... The turns are brutal, though. The front seat can be decent but any other row is too rough.

[Philrad71]

^ I wish I could say the same...we rode in the front seat last year and were jackhammered like nobody's business. No airtime felt on the hills at all and the turns felt like we were running on square wheels. This coaster is simply not fun at all.

 

I have never been beaten this bad on Mean Streak and probably have over 50 rides on it since it's debut. Definitely not what it used to be, but I would not rate it in the top five worst wooden coaster experiences.

 

Hurler is definitely in my top five for worst wooden coasters...probably #2 behind SOB.

[cfc]

^Which is too bad, because Hurler was a great ride when it first opened. Nowadays, it's never better than "OK."

[kingsdominionlvr]

I wish Hurler would get the TLC it needs, maybe next year, that will be on their to-do list.

[eddie200330]

If it keeps running as bad as it is, it won't be around to get any TLC. I swear it feels like it could go right through the structure at any given time. I've never felt a ride shuffle so bad through the corners.

[kingsdominionlvr]

If it keeps running as bad as it is, it won't be around to get any TLC. I swear it feels like it could go right through the structure at any given time. I've never felt a ride shuffle so bad through the corners.

 

It really does not affect me too bad, I have no clue why. It seems like I am the only one not moaning when we get back into the station. The one that hurts me, is Anaconda, it always snaps my neck. I really cannot blame that on the ride (Arrows are almost always that way), but the train's restraints feel like two cinder blocks. I really hope they can add the new Vekoma trains used on Carolina Cobra, to all the CF Arrow Coasters. I believe that would fix dear old Anaconda, and a re-paint would not hurt as well.