Jump to content
  TPR Home | Parks | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram 

Kings Dominion (KD) Discussion Thread


Recommended Posts

MAJOR LEAK

 

http://www.kingsdominion.com/rides-attractions/ride-detail.cfm/ride_alias/WindSeeker/ride_category/Thrill-Rides

 

WindSeeker is a 301-foot-tall tower that spins riders nearly 30 stories above the Central Virginia Countryside. Seated in two-person swings that will allow their feet to dangle, riders slowly begin rotating in a circular motion as the swings ascend the tower. At the top, the swings reach speeds between 25-30 mph, flaring out almost 45 degrees from the tower.

 

WindSeeker will be joining Kings Dominion’s “300-Foot Club,” Intimidator 305, Drop Tower and the Eiffel Tower. These iconic and elite attractions help Kings Dominion stand tall above the rest as the Premier Amusement Park in the Mid-Atlantic.

 

Year Opene

Location

Grove Section of the Park near Juke Box Diner

 

Ride Stats

Height – 301 feet

Diameter – 81 feet

Diameter with swing arms extended – 110 feet

Swing Arm Angle – 45 degrees

 

Seating

Number of seats – 32 two-person swings; 64 total riders

Restraint System – Individual over-the-head lap bar with interlocking seat belt

Capacity – 960 riders per hour

 

Speed

Rotation Speed – 25-30 mph (8 rotations per minute)

Ride Time – approximately 3 minutes

 

Cost

$6.5 million

 

Special Features

Arms are installed with an elaborate LED lighting package, which will make for a dramatic and exciting ride for riders and spectators.

 

On-board Audio playing 18 different music tracks during the ride

 

Manufacturer

Mondial, a Dutch-based ride manufacturer

 

I want to ride that ride someday

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow... They installed the dampers already, right? With it being new, I thought it would be stiff and need time to break in but the seats are swaying back and forth quite a bit.

 

Yeah that's what I was thinking after seeing the video just a few minutes ago on facebook...seeing this has got me pumped up to ride in just 12 days but I sure hope they're not gonna be playing that "winds of change" song as part of the ride's onboard audio system.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

While I do think Star Flyers definitely look and sound more thrilling, I'm glad Cedar Fair went with the WindSeeker designs. They seem much more pernament, don't look like something at your local fair, have on board audio, just overall look better and have one hell of a LED light package.

 

Not to mention this makes KD's skyline very impressive with 4 attractions 300+ ft. tall!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Seems like the rocking/swaying of the seat pods start as the ride decelerates and starts to lower. Maybe they need to do some adjusting on the motor controls for the carriage rotation to let it slow down more gradually. It looks like someone stepped on the "brake pedal" a little too quickly.

 

Now an for an abrupt 180 degree turn, does anyone know if the show content for the live entertainment is changing for this year? (I know they are keeping the same show names from 2011, just wondering if they are exactly the same music numbers/sets or have things been switched/changed up for 2012?).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Seems like the rocking/swaying of the seat pods start as the ride decelerates and starts to lower. Maybe they need to do some adjusting on the motor controls for the carriage rotation to let it slow down more gradually. It looks like someone stepped on the "brake pedal" a little too quickly.

 

Now an for an abrupt 180 degree turn, does anyone know if the show content for the live entertainment is changing for this year? (I know they are keeping the same show names from 2011, just wondering if they are exactly the same music numbers/sets or have things been switched/changed up for 2012?).

 

Not sure on the shows since I generally spend time on rides all day.

 

Do any of the other windseeker's sway that much on the descent? to me it looks like they didn't even install the dampers yet.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Seems like the rocking/swaying of the seat pods start as the ride decelerates and starts to lower. Maybe they need to do some adjusting on the motor controls for the carriage rotation to let it slow down more gradually. It looks like someone stepped on the "brake pedal" a little too quickly.

 

Now an for an abrupt 180 degree turn, does anyone know if the show content for the live entertainment is changing for this year? (I know they are keeping the same show names from 2011, just wondering if they are exactly the same music numbers/sets or have things been switched/changed up for 2012?).

 

Not sure on the shows since I generally spend time on rides all day.

 

Do any of the other windseeker's sway that much on the descent? to me it looks like they didn't even install the dampers yet.

 

 

Keep in mind that there is little weight to the seats without riders actually in them in this pov. Rocking/Swaying is natural and will be after spinning around. Both Kings Island's and Cedar Point's WindSeekers sway that much on descent. When actually riding them I've never felt like the seats in front of me would have collided with my knees and I'm a tall dude!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Seems like the rocking/swaying of the seat pods start as the ride decelerates and starts to lower. Maybe they need to do some adjusting on the motor controls for the carriage rotation to let it slow down more gradually. It looks like someone stepped on the "brake pedal" a little too quickly.

 

Now an for an abrupt 180 degree turn, does anyone know if the show content for the live entertainment is changing for this year? (I know they are keeping the same show names from 2011, just wondering if they are exactly the same music numbers/sets or have things been switched/changed up for 2012?).

 

Not sure on the shows since I generally spend time on rides all day.

 

Do any of the other windseeker's sway that much on the descent? to me it looks like they didn't even install the dampers yet.

 

 

Keep in mind that there is little weight to the seats without riders actually in them in this pov. Rocking/Swaying is natural and will be after spinning around. Both Kings Island's and Cedar Point's WindSeekers sway that much on descent. When actually riding them I've never felt like the seats in front of me would have collided with my knees and I'm a tall dude!

 

I'll have to review the video but it does look like they've got a water dummy in the seat just in front of the camera on the outside row.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In the POV, if you look at the trees and sky it looks like it was about to storm, so I'm sure it was windy when this video was taken. When you are at the top of the Eiffel Tower, it is always breezy up there because you are nearly 300 feet in the air so it is going to be the same on WindSeeker. If Cedar Point's Windseeker can handle the Lake Erie winds, ours can certainly handle the central Virginia winds.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorry to double post, but there is a big update on the Coaster Crew Facebook page that has some great pictures. http://www.facebook.com/#!/media/set/?s%20...%20425&type=1

Few key things I liked and noticed:

-There is NO more legendary "asphalt jungle"! RIP 2008-2011 There is a new brick circle around the base of Windseeker.

-We were lucky enough to recieve a cool LED WindSeeker sign.

-Big new planter in the Drop Tower plaza.

-There will be dinosaurs in the entrance plaza outside the park and on International Street to advertise Dinosaurs Alive.

-Avalanche's trains got new paint and stickers this offseason.

-It looks very hard to put the stickers on KD trashcans apparently.

 

EDIT: There is also a new Kings Dominion commerical!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uzq3oEe_KiA&list=UU3IwLP2Qfe7-JCPpvFG_hbA&index=1&feature=plcp

I personally like it much better than the old advertisments. Instead of the whole lame "Ride Warriors" and "Fun & Only!" campaign, they are focusing on families. Also, there isn't random video footage of rides at other Cedar Fair parks. I think they should have put a shot of 305 from the commercial they shot at the park in 2010, but overall it is still a lot better than the old Cedar Fair commercials for the park.

Edited by Intimidator305
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Terms of Use https://themeparkreview.com/forum/topic/116-terms-of-service-please-read/