Kings Dominion (KD) Discussion Thread

[coasterbill]

Kings Dominion is kind of an underrated park in general I would say. The ride lineup is one of my favorites of any park, since each ride has something completely unique to offer. I get most excited to go there over almost any other park other than maybe cedar point.

 

I love the diversity of KD's lineup. After I305, Volcano, Flight of Fear and Dominator there's a pretty big drop off in coaster quality unless you're a glutton for punishment like me and like Anaconda. That being said the supporting coasters are still a lot of fun. I've always been a fan of Backlot, Grizzly is running great, the mouse and Rebel Yell are good little rides and who doesn't enjoy Avalanche? The only coasters that suck are Hurler and Shockwave and even those are sort of okay.

 

I also really enjoy the flume (is there a flume anywhere with a nicer natural location?), Windseeker, Drop Tower (this one is really good), the Flyers which are very snappable, the Crypt, Berserker, Bad Apple and a Boo Blasters where the pointers and targets actually work. The Eiffel Tower of course is very nice as well.

 

I actually think this park is a lot nicer than Kings Island as there are a lot more trees (especially around Old Virginia and the main entrance area) and the coaster lineup is better too though it's close and certainty debatable. I'm a big fan of Kings Dominion and agree that it's very underrated.

Edited October 28, 2014 by coasterbill

[GwaziBSRider1]

I'll throw my hat into this ring as well. I've always preferred KD over KI, but for some reason, I go to KI much more often than KD. Cedar Fair has put a lot of love into this park and it shows. I will always applaud whoever decided to scrap that atrociously awful HyperSonic. One of these days, I really need to get back and experience some of my all-time favorites (I-305, Volcano, Dominator, and Grizzly).

[whatabeast]

Between KD and KI... I'd have to say they're pretty equal in my eyes. One of my friends put it this way, and I think it describes both parks pretty well: "They might not have the best rides in the world, but everything here is fun. You go to Cedar point and there are 8 or 9 really fun ones, and then the rest of them suck. That's not the case here."

 

I do like the significantly shorter lines at KD, though. Always a plus.

[coasterbill]

Between KD and KI... I'd have to say they're pretty equal in my eyes. One of my friends put it this way, and I think it describes both parks pretty well: "They might not have the best rides in the world, but everything here is fun. You go to Cedar point and there are 8 or 9 really fun ones, and then the rest of them suck. That's not the case here."

 

I do like the significantly shorter lines at KD, though. Always a plus.

 

I don't know that I agree with this... I actually think you're short changing both parks a little. I305 (any time) and the Beast at night are easily some of the best rides in the world. Both parks also have some crappy coasters though (Vortex, Hurler and Shockwave). I actually don't think Cedar Point (since you brought it up) has any crappy coasters as of a few weeks ago except for maybe Corkscrew but I hate mentioning that since kids seem to love it and it looks amazing over the midway so I never want them to remove it.

[Password121]

Between KD and KI... I'd have to say they're pretty equal in my eyes. One of my friends put it this way, and I think it describes both parks pretty well: "They might not have the best rides in the world, but everything here is fun. You go to Cedar point and there are 8 or 9 really fun ones, and then the rest of them suck. That's not the case here."

 

I do like the significantly shorter lines at KD, though. Always a plus.

I really like KD, don't get me wrong, but I'm not sure I completely agree with that quote.

I haven't been to KI, so I can only speak for KD and Cedar Point, but KD does have one of the best rides in the world (I-305), some good supporting coasters (Volcano, Dominator, FoF, Grizzly), and then a bunch of average, some mediocre coasters.

 

In my experience, that is not the case at all with Cedar Point. You have your world-class rides (MF and Maverick), the very, very good supporting coaster (Raptor, GateKeeper, Dragster), and the better "other" coasters (WT, Rougarou?), but none of CP's coasters "suck" in any sense of the word, other than maybe Mean Streak on a bad day.

 

Just my opinion. I see what you're saying though, and I really do like KD.

[DJeXeL]

I actually don't think Cedar Point (since you brought it up) has any crappy coasters as of a few weeks ago except for maybe Corkscrew but I hate mentioning that since kids seem to love it and it looks amazing over the midway so I never want them to remove it.

 

Agreed. I just love it for the fact that it runs 3 trains!

[cfc]

Hmm--I would say that Cedar Point has more than just one "crappy coaster." Not a fan of Corkscrew, Mean Streak, or Gemini.

 

But, to get this back on topic, I don't think CP has anything quite as "crappy" as KD's Anaconda.

Edited October 28, 2014 by cfc

[CPmillenia94]

^Umm.. corkscrew, mean streak, and gemini are all crappier imo

[whatabeast]

Well I mean, yeah, I305, volcano, beast and banshee are all among my favorites for sure, and Cedar Point's best rides are better than those. With the exception of I305. But when it gets to the "crappier" coasters and you make comparisons, flight deck is way better than iron dragon, racer and rebel yell are way better than Blue Streak, Grizzly is way better than mean streak (Hurler though... let's just not talk about that), Dominator is about to be way better than Rogarou, Vortex (and I'm assuming Anaconda, but I haven't been on it) is better than Corkscrew, Volcano is better than Wicked Twister... Cedar Point has more world class roller coasters than either of them, yes, but when it comes to the sheer number of rides that I actually want to go on when I get to the park? KD and KI win that.

[Propeller Factory]

I feel like I'm the only one here but I don't like grizzly it's rough and boring I like hurler better

[coasterbill]

^Umm.. corkscrew, mean streak, and gemini are all crappier imo

 

I don't get this Gemeni hate... I think Gemeni is a really solid ride when it's racing. It won't make any top 20 or even top 100 lists but it's fun.

[vacoaster09]

I feel like I'm the only one here but I don't like grizzly it's rough and boring I like hurler better

 

I too had a hate for Grizzly as it was always super rough and hurt a lot however, this season when I rode which was Friday Oct 10th, the ride was running absolutely amazing. Considerably smoother and delivered such a good ride I had to ride twice to make sure I was not delusional. I rode in the front and once in the back. It was so much better.

 

As for the wooden coaster at KD that I still despise... that accolade still goes to Hurler.

[prozach626]

So... next June I'm going to be 30 and my wife has awarded me a special trip. Here's what I have come up with so far:

 

Option 1: I305 has been on my wish list since it opened and BGW seems like a solid park.

King's Dominion (1 day)

Busch Gardens Williamsburg (1 day)

 

Option 2: We've been to Cedar Point before and had a great time. However, that was years ago when Maverick (edited) opened.

Cedar Point (2 days staying at Breakers)

 

Option 3:

Hershey Park (1 day)

SF Great Adventure or another NE park (1 day)

 

 

I really want to go to KD, but I wanted to see what you guys would say about my other options. Everything is about 12 hours away from me except for Cedar Point, which is 8 hours.

Edited October 29, 2014 by prozach626

[ejot]

Wow that is a tough choice! I would choose the Hershey/GAd trip but that's just based on personal coaster preference - Skyrush over I305, Nitro over AC, and I probably enjoy ElToro and Lightning Racer over the rest of the KD/BGW collection except perhaps Volcano. The Point is great of course but I'd prefer the two-park experience. But they are three sweet trips so you really can't go wrong. I'm also (alone, it seems) hugely excited for Laff Trakk so that is biasing my choice as well.

 

Did you mean Maverick? We were just wee tots @ Magnum's opening.

[Password121]

So... next June I'm going to be 30 and my wife has awarded me a special trip. Here's what I have come up with so far:

 

Option 1: I305 has been on my wish list since it opened and BGW seems like a solid park.

King's Dominion (1 day)

Busch Gardens Williamsburg (1 day)

 

Option 2: We've been to Cedar Point before and had a great time. However, that was years ago when Magnum opened.

Cedar Point (2 days staying at Breakers)

 

Option 3:

Hershey Park (1 day)

SF Great Adventure or another NE park (1 day)

 

 

I really want to go to KD, but I wanted to see what you guys would say about my other options. Everything is about 12 hours away from me except for Cedar Point, which is 8 hours.

If it were me, I would be most interested in options two or three. Obviously it is up to you and your priorities, but two and three look most appealing to me.

 

Don't get me wrong, KD and BGw are both very solid parks. I've been to both a few times. However, outside of I-305, KD doesn't have much in terms of truly memorable experiences. I can't say for BGW has it's been quite a few years, but the three B&M's are very good, but still, nothing incredible.

 

I've been to CP a total of three days in my life, and if you haven't been since Magnum just opened, I would certainly advise going back. Millennium Force (many would say otherwise, but I think it is outstanding at night) and Maverick are two of the best coasters in the world. Period.

If you haven't ridden one of the Intamin rocket coasters, Dragtser is probably the better of the two, and is certainly worth riding. Same to be said for Raptor, GateKeeper, and possibly Rougarou. You're not going to be disappointed by Cedar Point.

 

As for Gadv/Hershey, I've been to Gadv upwards of a dozen times in 2014. El Toro is worth a long trip alone, and is my favorite coaster, above I-305. On top of this, you have an old school B&M hyper and the talles t coaster and drop tower combo. Gadv is a great day with low crowds or a flash pass.

 

I haven't been to Hershey, but it is on my list of nearby parks to go to. Skyrush looks incredible- comparable to I-305, I would assume. The other Intamins and Great Bear all look very good.

 

At the end of the day, do what interests you most. If it were me, I'd be hard pressed between two and three. Set your priorities straight, maybe list which coasters you want to ride most and see which place offers the best combination. Have an awesome trip, Im super jealous!

[GwaziBSRider1]

Yeah, all three of these are tough. They all have great high-ticket coasters with great supporting casts. You really can't go wrong with any of these, but I'd lean toward 1 or 2, personally. You simply can't go wrong with Cedar Point; KD and BGW both have excellent coaster line ups and are both well-kept parks. I-305 certainly doesn't disappoint!

[coasterbill]

You can't go wrong with any of those but I'd lean towards one of the first 2 options. I think I would lean towards Cedar Point since it feels a lot more like a vacation when you stay at Breakers and don't have to drive between parks. The actual resort feel the park has is unmatched as far as regional parks go. I'm also a little biased as far as coasters go as I think Millennium Force and Maverick are both better rides than anything at Kings Dominion including I305 but that's my personal opinion that many people will disagree with. I love I305 but I feel like Maverick is a smaller, better and more intense version of it.

 

Both options are great though and if you decide to do the Virginia trip I think you'd love Busch Gardens Williamsburg as it's a very nice park with a great clientele. They have a few interesting animal exhibits too that aren't overly time consuming so they're worth checking out between rides. It's a great park with a relaxed atmosphere as you don't feel rushed like you do at most parks as they don't have as many coasters as the other parks you mentioned (though the coasters there are all great). Kings Dominion is a great park too but it's a much more standard corporate park experience.

[DanTheBooker]

We've been to Cedar Point before and had a great time. However, that was years ago when Maverick opened.

Cedar Point (2 days staying at Breakers)

 

I think I fixed that for you. Unless you went when you were four. Then definitely CP!!!!

[hey...hey]

I don't know about you guys, but I would have been 9 1/2 at the time Magnum opened, so anything is possible. Plus, I don't know your guys' background.

 

As for my choice, I would go with either option 2 or 3. Like the above reader mentioned, you could make the trip to Cedar Point into a mini-cation for option 2. As for option 3, Hershey is a top tier individual ran park. It has a great variety of coasters and a great atmosphere. Plus SFGAdv has a great line up as well.

 

Option 1 has some good coasters, but the rides fall off after that. Don't get me wrong, KD and BGW are great and close for me, but after I305, Volcano, and Dominator, KD falls off a little. In BGW's case, there isn't too many flats after the pretty good coaster lineup.

[DanTheBooker]

I don't know about you guys, but I would have been 9 1/2 at the time Magnum opened, so anything is possible. Plus, I don't know your guys' background.

 

As for my choice, I would go with either option 2 or 3. Like the above reader mentioned, you could make the trip to Cedar Point into a mini-cation for option 2. As for option 3, Hershey is a top tier individual ran park. It has a great variety of coasters and a great atmosphere. Plus SFGAdv has a great line up as well.

 

Option 1 has some good coasters, but the rides fall off after that. Don't get me wrong, KD and BGW are great and close for me, but after I305, Volcano, and Dominator, KD falls off a little. In BGW's case, there isn't too many flats after the pretty good coaster lineup.

 

He said he's gonna be 30 next year. I was only 9 months old when Magnum opened.

[hey...hey]

I don't know about you guys, but I would have been 9 1/2 at the time Magnum opened, so anything is possible. Plus, I don't know your guys' background.

 

As for my choice, I would go with either option 2 or 3. Like the above reader mentioned, you could make the trip to Cedar Point into a mini-cation for option 2. As for option 3, Hershey is a top tier individual ran park. It has a great variety of coasters and a great atmosphere. Plus SFGAdv has a great line up as well.

 

Option 1 has some good coasters, but the rides fall off after that. Don't get me wrong, KD and BGW are great and close for me, but after I305, Volcano, and Dominator, KD falls off a little. In BGW's case, there isn't too many flats after the pretty good coaster lineup.

 

He said he's gonna be 30 next year. I was only 9 months old when Magnum opened.

 

Didn't see that...makes sense then.

[prozach626]

Wow that is a tough choice! I would choose the Hershey/GAd trip but that's just based on personal coaster preference - Skyrush over I305, Nitro over AC, and I probably enjoy ElToro and Lightning Racer over the rest of the KD/BGW collection except perhaps Volcano. The Point is great of course but I'd prefer the two-park experience. But they are three sweet trips so you really can't go wrong. I'm also (alone, it seems) hugely excited for Laff Trakk so that is biasing my choice as well.

 

Did you mean Maverick? We were just wee tots @ Magnum's opening.

Yes... I meant Maverick. You'll have to excuse me, I'm hopped up on cold meds!

 

Damn, this is going to be a tough one. I've wanted to go to KD for years and I was hoping you guys would seal the deal for me, haha. I really want to see what all of the hype for I-305 is about. We stayed at breakers when we last went to CP and loved it, so that's always a good choice. However, last year was the year of the repeats for me, so I'm looking to up my count. As much as I would love CP, I'm going to have a hard time going another year without gaining more experience. I also went to SFGadv when Medusa was opened as the world's first floorless. A lot has changed since then. Hershey also looks amazing.

 

As far as KD not offering any more than 3-4 re rideable coasters, that doesn't bother me. I usually go to a new park, hit everything, and bounce between 2-3 different rides at night, once I have a few beers in me. I'd like to get in at least ten rides on I-305 if I end up going there. The standard corporate feel doesn't bother me. KI is very similar to KD from what I hear and KI is probably my favorite park. Fast lane /flash pass will be mandatory for all parks.

[coasterbill]

I'm changing my opinion... I was basing it off of you not going to Cedar Point since Magnum opened, not Maverick which would have meant Raptor, Millennium Force, Top Thrill Dragster, Wicked Twister, Maverick, Maxair, Skyhawk and a ton of other amazing rides would be new to you.

 

I think you should absolutely go to Kings Dominion in that case. Kings Dominion really has a lot of great coasters... Dominator, Flight of Fear, Volcano and I305 are the real standouts but Backlot Stunt Coaster, Rebel Yell, Avalanche, Ricochet and Grizzly are all very good too. Like I said yesterday I like Anaconda but the general consensus is that Hurler, Anaconda and Shockwave are complete crap. That still leaves you with a lot of great coasters though plus a great log flume, great drop tower, a great top spin (and I usually hate top spins) great flyers and 2 very cool observation rides / towers. It also means you get to go to Busch Gardens Williamsburg which is always a good thing. You might even end up liking it better than KD.

[rcdude]

So... next June I'm going to be 30 and my wife has awarded me a special trip. Here's what I have come up with so far:

 

Option 1: I305 has been on my wish list since it opened and BGW seems like a solid park.

King's Dominion (1 day)

Busch Gardens Williamsburg (1 day)

 

Option 2: We've been to Cedar Point before and had a great time. However, that was years ago when Maverick (edited) opened.

Cedar Point (2 days staying at Breakers)

 

Option 3:

Hershey Park (1 day)

SF Great Adventure or another NE park (1 day)

 

 

I really want to go to KD, but I wanted to see what you guys would say about my other options. Everything is about 12 hours away from me except for Cedar Point, which is 8 hours.

 

Having been to all these parks, I'll say this: Busch Gardens Williamsburg is my favorite overall, Kings Dominion is my least favorite overall. El Toro is the single best coaster among all of them, but Busch Gardens Williamsburg has the best average coaster quality and Cedar Point has the most top tier coasters. Hersheypark is the best for non-coaster attractions, and Busch Gardens Williamsburg is the best for theming and atmosphere.

 

Given this and the fact that you've been to Cedar Point since Maverick opened, I'd probably opt for option one. Kings Dominion does have three great coasters (Dominator, Intimidator 305, and Volcano), but the rest of their coasters are similar to what you'd get at Kings Island. The park also has a really good drop tower and decent flats, they're just fairly standard models. Busch Gardens Williamsburg has three outstanding B&M coasters and the best dark ride outside of Disney or Universal. HOWEVER, if you can manage to add Knoebels into option three and do it, Hersheypark, and Six Flags Great Adventure in one trip, do that one. Knoebels is an excellent park, Hersheypark is better than most of the Six Flags or Cedar Fair parks, and Six Flags Great Adventure does have El Toro (and several other above average coasters). Unless you really want to ride GateKeeper or Rougarou, I'd save Cedar Point for some other time.

[Paladin7485]

Can anyone tell me which places at Kings Dominion use the meal plan and is it worth the money for that pass. We've had passes for years but never had the meal plan and considering it this upcoming season. The website has little to no information on what places take it. Thanks.