Kings Dominion (KD) Discussion Thread

[chadster]

I'm sorry, but I think I am now convinced that either the General Public or people on the east coast are coaster weenies. (no offense) I've rode I305 pre trim and post trim, never blacked or greyed out, nor did I ever lose my sense of being. Sure, the original restraints were painful in the twisty's and the ride probably would've gotten a better inital review or acceptance by the GP and ECCW's had the new restraints been in place, however, I think people have missed the point of the ride, intense g's and twisty's to simulate that of an actual stock car race. If you've never whipped around a track at 150+ (I have, but don't anymore) and sliced and diced with other cars, or followed NASCAR/NHRA/IRL, then those who complain may not know what the true intent of the ride was other than it has Dale Earnhardt's name on it and thus was supposed to be cool. I've given Intamin a lot of crap over STR, and even a little on this ride, but in all reality, they designed a super intense ride and have been forced to slow it down, thus taking away from the original intent. While MF still blows I305 out of the ball park IMO, the diferrence between the two are one built for airtime/speed, the other built for twistys/speed. After a few people wrote intial comments, they traveled like the plague, people started forming their opinions before riding, all while the GP jumped on the hate I305 band wagon. No one's had a heart attack or died on it yet have they? I'm pretty sure that's the case, therfore its running as designed, take off the trims, and let it fly.

 

P.S. My Intamin complaint on this ride outside of the trims? - Design a better wheel compound to prevent delamination/deterioration , spraying water on them is a quick solution, but really, come on.

 

wow, i feel better now.

[imawesome1124]

I'm rather fond of Grizzly, too, although many people dislike it.

 

My favorite is Dominator which is followed by Grizzly.

 

I totally agree with both of these. What's with all the hate for Grizzly? It's a little rough and that first turn is the most boring thing ever, but that tunnel is something ELSE.

 

I concur,sure the turnaround is slow but it leads into that action packed tunnel which always has me ducking each & every time I ride...& I ride it quite a bit.

 

Hurler on the other hand has pain written all over it & deserves the bashing it gets....after all "you only get what you give" & unfortunately hurler gives out pain in spades.

Grizzly ran great during East Coast Bash. It was pretty smooth and yes the tunnel is great and I duck too. Plus that was the first time I had ever had significant airtime, like on the hill before the final turnaround where I was like ejected. Grizzly is underated in my opinion and has definately grown on me.

 

Oh yeah, Hurler is most certainly crap, I rode it a few years ago and swore I would never ride again, it is terrible.

[Fooz]

I don't think that the GP is on a bandwagon against the ride. In fact, I believe the most inflammatory opinions about the ride in general probably exist on this ans similar enthusiast boards. I've heard some people say that they didn't care for it, or that they like dominator better, but I've heard at least tenfold as many people excited and raving after riding. The lines are sometimes short, but I believe that is a testament to the capacity and "hardcore" status (even in appearance) of the ride. Was there a lot of noticeable negativity about or around the ride on ECB day?

 

I shared a similar experience as redfoot, after the first ride I was a bit baffled, after the 5th I was hooked, and after the 10th ride I was a true believer.

[chadster]

^

you may have a point, many enthusiasts would complain if they were all handed a twenty dollar bill with no strings attached...

[Brashnir]

^

you may have a point, many enthusiasts would complain if they were all handed a twenty dollar bill with no strings attached...

 

To be fair, Andrew Jackson was a bit of a jerk.

[robbalvey]

In fact, I believe the most inflammatory opinions about the ride in general probably exist on this and similar enthusiast boards.

Not anymore. Any further discussion about the trims on i305 will be deleted. It's all been said and it's pointless to keep bringing it up over and over and over and over again. We have about 200 pages of discussion saying the same thing. That's plenty.

 

Find something else about KD or i305 to discuss.

 

Was there a lot of noticeable negativity about or around the ride on ECB day?

No. Not at all. Other than a few KD locals who were being assholes.

 

--Robb

Edited August 31, 2010 by robbalvey

[Brashnir]

Oh yeah, Hurler is most certainly crap, I rode it a few years ago and swore I would never ride again, it is terrible.

 

Which is too bad, since it was actually a pretty fun coaster when it first opened. It's unfortunate that with a lot of woodies, the elements that make them fun to begin with end up causing them to run rough later in life. Hurler's layout would be a ton of fun as a steel coaster - but as a woodie it's not popular enough to justify the maintenance costs to keep it running smoothly.

[themeparkman25]

P.S. My Intamin complaint on this ride outside of the trims? - Design a better wheel compound to prevent delamination/deterioration , spraying water on them is a quick solution, but really, come on.

 

 

Intamin=Coaster. Uremet=Wheels. Different manufacturers we're talkin' about.

[robbalvey]

P.S. My Intamin complaint on this ride outside of the trims? - Design a better wheel compound to prevent delamination/deterioration , spraying water on them is a quick solution, but really, come on.

 

 

Intamin=Coaster. Uremet=Wheels. Different manufacturers we're talkin' about.

Thank you for posting that! I really love how everyone is always quick to point the fingers when really those people have no clue what goes into the construction or the vast amount of vendors involved with developing a project like i305. Oh, and this problem isn't exclusive to i305. You do realize that just about every coaster in the world has to go through some kind of wheel adjustment tweaking in their lifetime, right? And do you realize that it's just far more visible on i305 because it's one of a handfull of coasters in the world that are built like it? So their tweaking is going to be far more trial and error right now and that is TOTALLY NORMAL!!!!

 

What if I told you that on almost every coaster tour we took at BGW they also talked about the wheel adjusement tweaking that is STILL ONGOING with rides like Griffon and Alpengiest? You just don't notice it as much because when they have a problem with a coaster like that, they have quite a few other resources they can call and get different ideas.

 

How many other people in the world have an Intamin 300+ coaster? Not too many.

 

Cut them some slack. Or at least, have a better understanding of what you're talking about before you post.

 

--Robb

Edited August 31, 2010 by robbalvey

[Skycoastin Steve]

I can also add on that I232 has had its share of wheel troubles this year and they have started using different kinds of wheels than what they had in March.

[KDCOASTERFAN]

I can also add on that I232 has had its share of wheel troubles this year and they have started using different kinds of wheels than what they had in March.

 

Why should it vary from coaster to coaster? I mean one B&M hyper is the same pretty much as another as far as the rolling stock is concerned.

 

Any ideas on 2011 yet? With WOF,DP & VF adding the snoopy starlight package & CGA as well as MIA pretty much getting nothing(as usual) there should be some cash left out of the $80 to $100 million for the park to work with.

[robbalvey]

Why should it vary from coaster to coaster? I mean one B&M hyper is the same pretty much as another as far as the rolling stock is concerned.

Sure. If each B&M was built exactly the same on the exact same kind of soil with the exact same weather conditions by the exact same subcontractors, with the exact same park maintenance staff, etc, etc, etc...

 

Again, I just want to try to educate people in the fact that when you build a multi-million dollar giant engineering-heavy structure, there are a lot of factors that need to go into the design and building process.

 

And then once it's built, there are lots of tweaks that need to take place. No two rides are ever the same. EVER. Not even a Batman clone, a Boomerang, or an SLC which have been built multiple times. Each new installation comes with it's own set of challenges.

 

Does every single car that rolls off the production line act exactly the same from one another? No. Of course not. Because once you get that car into the hands of different people with different sets of parameters, you have different issues that arise. This is no different.

 

In a "perfect world scenario" a ride would be built and operational months before it opens to the public so that the tweaking can get done prior to the ride opening. And in theory, the first time the public would have experienced an attraction would have been after all the tweaking and changes were completed.

 

But lately the "norm" for the amusement industry hasn't allowed that to happen, and most of the final tweaks end up getting done while the ride is open to the public which greatly impacts the amount of time the park and the ride manufacturer have to make changes.

 

I absoultely put money on the fact that if i305 had 2-3 weeks of tweaking prior to the park's opening day, the ride you see today would have been what "opened to the public."

 

It's kind of like when you have to download a "patch" or an "update" to a game you play that fixes bugs and tweaks the gameplay. I've worked on projects that were shipped years ago that we are still tweaking to this day. It's no different. Any time you have a heavy amont of engineering involved with a project that litterally has more than a million different variables there is no doubt going to need changes and tweaks. It's impossible to get it 100% right from day one. Impossible. And many projects are never "100% complete" and will still be getting design tweaks years, even decades later.

 

--Robb

Edited August 31, 2010 by robbalvey

[BigDipper 80]

Does every single car that rolls off the production line act exactly the same from one another? No. Of course not.

 

I believe it was Plato that said that in the "ideal" (your mind), everything is perfect, but as soon as you try to duplicate that "ideal thing" from your mind, you run into problems. And as you make copies of the copies of the thing from your mind, more and more error is introduced, so yeah, pretty much anything is going to have issues, and as you said, Robb, with something as large and complex as a roller coaster, such problems are guaranteed to happen. It really is pretty amazing that so many things in life actually work as well as they do, coaster or otherwise.

[chadster]

What Robb said about the wheels was more or less hitting on part of the point I was trying to make when I said earlier they need a better wheel compound for I305, if that means switching wheels like Steve spoke of, or working with their current vendor to find something that works, so be it. I suppose what I should have said was that a problem crept up with the wheels and they need to work to fix it. (I'm sure they are) And I do agree that if the parks had more time than the week before park opening to tweak out the ride, they may have tried different wheels or at least got something different on order. As it stands now, they will most likely be doing a lot of experimenting this off season working with Intamin and wheel manufactures.

Edited August 31, 2010 by chadster

[robbalvey]

It really is pretty amazing that so many things in life actually work as well as they do, coaster or otherwise.

Exactly. And this is why I like to get credit where it's due. Getting i305 operational for the opening day of the season was no easy task. I was there on the Wednesday before media day, all day, watching them get things ready for opening. I was hoping that at any moment they would tell me that it would be ok for me to mount the camera onto the ride, but having seen this process many times before, I just knew the volume of work that still needed to be done, and only having so many hours with natual light in the day, that even having the ride ready for the media day was a brilliant achievement that should be praised.

 

Some people just have no clue at all what it takes to make all those things fall into place and work.

 

--Robb

[Skycoastin Steve]

^Two sayings hold true here. Seeing is believing, and ignorance is bliss. Most here haven't seen the process in person, therefore are quite ignorant to what goes on. Just from five years of working in the industry, I probably know a thousand-fold more than what I knew before 2006.

[robbalvey]

^Two sayings hold true here. Seeing is believing, and ignorance is bliss. Most here haven't seen the process in person, therefore are quite ignorant to what goes on. Just from five years of working in the industry, I probably know a thousand-fold more than what I knew before 2006.

And don't you just wish that some of the ones who are blissfully ignorant would just listen to one-one thousandth of what you've learned?

 

--Robb "It would make the forums such a better place if people would listen and learn..." Alvey

[Fat-G]

Even from working just one year in a park (Ride Associate), I understand and know a lot more than a year ago.

[alilstronger]

^Yikes, best not to ride Millennium Force then

 

That's totally fair, everyone has a right to their opinion. That being said, any reasons why (just so it doesn't flame any local fan discussions lol)? Also, what did you think of the park overall? Any rides that you enjoyed more?

 

I had a blast there over the July long weekend.

 

 

After the first drop it just twists and turns and I find that boring for it having such a huge drop. I wanted more hills and at least one inversion. I did not feel the need for over the shoulder restraints. I understand that may have something to do with safety or what not but I still do not see the point. The quick twist during the ride were quite rough as well. I had more fun on EVERY other coaster at the park. I have more fun on Steel Force at Dorney. Millennium Force looks fun, have not rode it yet. My BF did not like the coaster either and thinks Millennium Force is a way better ride. I will make my opinion once I ride it.

 

As for the park, I have been several times over the years (I do not live far at all from it). I have NO issues with the park at all, just that ride. The park is taken care of A LOT better now that Cedar Fair owns it in my opinion. The rest of the coasters are a lot of fun. My favorite is Dominator which is followed by Grizzly.

 

Just curious, but how many times did you ride I305? After my first ride I wasn't too impressed with it either. As I rode it more it really grew on my and by the end of the day it was my favorite steel.

 

 

Once and that was enough. It was way tooooo boring. After the first drop I wanted to get off, that is how bored I was. If I wanna twist and turn at Kings Dominion I'll get on Stunt Coaster. It will never be my favorite steel. Nitro/Kingda Ka share that spot in my heart.

[robbalvey]

Once and that was enough. It was way tooooo boring. After the first drop I wanted to get off, that is how bored I was. If I wanna twist and turn at Kings Dominion I'll get on Stunt Coaster. It will never be my favorite steel. Nitro/Kingda Ka share that spot in my heart.

No offense, but reading that makes me not take your opinion seriously. I can't tell if you're either just joking around (sounds like it), or if you went in with unrealistic expectations. Kinda sounds like you went to the park specifically to hate the ride. Rode it once so you can say "I rode it" and then hated it because that's all you wanted to get out of it.

 

Sorry, I'm not buying it.

 

--Robb "According to The Offspring, it's Cool To Hate." Alvey

Edited September 3, 2010 by robbalvey

[Skycoastin Steve]

^Not to mention Kingda Ka is one of his two favorite steel coasters. Seriously?

[alilstronger]

Once and that was enough. It was way tooooo boring. After the first drop I wanted to get off, that is how bored I was. If I wanna twist and turn at Kings Dominion I'll get on Stunt Coaster. It will never be my favorite steel. Nitro/Kingda Ka share that spot in my heart.

No offense, but reading that makes me not take your opinion seriously. I can't tell if you're either just joking around (sounds like it), or if you went in with unrealistic expectations. Kinda sounds like you went to the park specifically to hate the ride. Rode it once so you can say "I rode it" and then hated it because that's all you wanted to get out of it.

 

Sorry, I'm not buying it.

 

--Robb "According to The Offspring, it's Cool To Hate." Alvey

 

 

I apologize, but they are my true feelings. The only expectation I had was to have a good time on the ride. I am not saying it is not a good coaster, I can definitely see where so many people like it. I just was not impressed at all. I did like the first drop, just after that I was bored. I am not trying to be hated on this site cause I do not want that being I am going on the North East Trip next summer. I just thought since this is a forum we could share our opinion.

[alilstronger]

^Not to mention Kingda Ka is one of his two favorite steel coasters. Seriously?

 

 

And yes this is one of my top faves because of the sheer height. I am terrified of heights and that is what makes it so scary for me.

[cfc]

^^You've made your point. No need to belabor it.

 

^I'm not a fan of Kingda Ka, either, but to each his own.

[Philrad71]

While I certainly didn't find I305 boring, I was a little freaked out by the grey out at the first turn from the overall intensity.

 

I had read a lot of statements from people having grey-out's on this coaster, but it was my first experience with one and I have been on a quite a number of coasters over the years. It was definitely an unusual, if not somewhat scary experience for me. The rest of the ride was relentless, although I agree that a bit more airtime would have really made me want to get off it and get right back in line.

 

That being said, I really did want to get back and ride it (we only rode once) later in the day, but t-storms in the area kept closing it down. My partner went with his daughter-in-law to ride it while I took the grandkids on the kiddie rides, but they soon came back and said all of the coasters were shut down because the NWS had spotted lightning in the area.

 

Plus, it was about 98 degrees and humid as hell so we ended up spending most of the day in the water park. I believe we only did Dominator, Volcano, I305, Shockwave and Grizzly during our visit. Still an awesome day with the grandkids and I am most happy that they have a nice giga there!

 

Looking very forward to another visit next summer...