Kings Dominion (KD) Discussion Thread

[coneyislandchris]

Shockwave was fun too. The last turn around before the brakes was the only brutal part. Loved the air time and the loop was very forceful. Operations were fine, better than apocalypse and green lantern. The line was overflowing all day, but it moved right along. Everyone seemed to really enjoy it.

 

Apacolypse and lantern were the only two stand ups that I have gone on before this, I found this to be better than both.

 

I hit up SFGAdv yesterday for the first time in decades, and gave Green Lantern a whirl... while I felt that it was a better ride overall than Shockwave, it was still pretty unpleasant with a lot of headbanging and discomfort. I think I may just have to resign myself to the fact that standers and me do not get along.

[Intimidator305]

All standups and flyers are the devil's coasters in my opinion. Not the largest fan.

 

I hope a flyer never makes its way to Virginia... although it has been a long-term rumor for BGW to get one eventually.

 

I believe KD's next coaster in 2016/2017 will be less 'generic' than many are speculating.

[marth555]

Shockwave was surprisingly fun its way better then Vortex at Carowinds which is the only other standup ive rode

[DrachenfireOP]

I think I've posted my pipe dream about a B&M flyer taking the place of Anaconda 4 or 5 times in this thread.

 

I get that a lot of enthusiasts hate Arrows, but I'd rather see Anaconda stay and have another coaster interact with it. It's a huge lake, and Anaconda doesn't really take up much space of it. I suppose that's an even bigger pipe dream than it being replaced with a flyer though! I really don't find Anaconda a bad ride except the jerk between the two helix's. People talk about how weird getting into the corkscrews is, but that's how 100% of Arrows enter their corkscrews. They just carbon copied the elements coaster to coaster.

[ScreaminNewEngland]

Kings Dominion:

I'll give it to you short, this is my new favorite park. This is one of the cleaniest, nicest, most well-rounded park that I have been to. All the rides were great and very well maintained, the employees were efficient and friendly and the park had some unique features.

 

Score Card:

 

Intimidator 305: 8x

Flight of Fear: 6x

Volcano: 4x

Dominator: 3x

Backlot Stunt Coaster: 4x

Anaconda: 1x

Grizzly: 4x

Rebel Yell: 2x

Woodstock Express: 1x

Drop Tower: 4x

Log Flume: 2x

Hurler: 1x

Windseeker: 1x

Bad Apple: 1x

Shockwave: 1x

 

I305: I need to talk about this first. It smashed it's way up to my #1 spot. This ride is INSANE. Everything about it, from the first drop, to the airtime to the ridiculous turns that pull some serious G's. I could go on forever. I love the whole NASCAR style on this ride, it's crazy fast, smooth and such a fun ride. I have never seen the general public be so excited for a coaster before, everyone waiting in line and on the ride was cheering and shouting with excitement. The op's were just fantastic. Out last ride of the night was at 10pm, we watched the fireworks launch off as we got ready for the drop. I would walk back to Virginia to ride this again if I had to. 10/10 (it deserves higher)

 

Volcano: God was this thing incredible too! The two launches were super fast and insanely forceful! The loops gave some crazy hangtime and the drop into the volcano at the end was awesome! Volcano is byfar the park's most popular ride. There was a two hour wait for the thing all day! (Thanks fastlane plus!) Overall the theme to the ride was top notch. 10/10

 

Grizzly:

The best wooden coaster in the park! Loved this ride, tons of airtime, great tunnel and very very deep in the woods. I loved the seclusion of the ride, it was the parks hidden gem. Wasn't rough and was a very enjoyable ride. The line never got out of the station for it, the entrance is hidden behind a gift shop. Not sure why they don't have a bigger sign to get people over there, they're missing out! 9.5/10

 

 

Dominator:

I was having a hard time deciding which is better, Kraken or Dominator. My last ride of the night detirmined my choice, and it was Dominator. This is such a unique B&M. It's actually fast and forceful, unlike others.......(BMDK, Bizarro, Hydra) The ride is butter smooth and with three trains, the line moves quick. My favorite part is the sharp turn after the big vertical loop. Loved it all. 10/10

 

Avalanche: This was a really cool ride. More of a family/lovers ride. Fun turns, especially when it gets up to full speed. This ride also had three trains, but the queue still overflowed. Thanks again fastlane! 8/10

 

Anaconda: Next up was this beast. We sat in the back row. Once we hit the brake run, we both looked at each other in surprise. "I don't get it". What is so bad about this ride? It's Butter smooth compared to Canobie Corkscrew! Realy no head banging at all and it was a very fun, re-ridable coaster. I loved the location, the tunnel into the loops was awesome. The butterfly loop was strange but unique. I actually liked the slow corkscrews. It was like going in slowmotion upsidedown, with tons of hangtime. It was also pulling a huge line all day, bigger than most of the other rides, which was great to see. I'd say that FOF, I305, Volcano, Shockwave and Anaconda were their most popular rides of the day. Great ride and very underrated. 8.5/10

 

Flight of Fear: Best themed ride of the trip hands down. The station was so awesome looking, the aliens were creepy looking and the audio just sold the whole thing. The launch was noticeably faster and smoother than Joker's Jinx. A very disorienting first half with the three inversions into tight twists. The trim at the top wasn't bad, It was nice to take everything in. I just wish there was a big UFO above the brake, that would be the icing on the cake. The second half starts a tad slower than Joker but ends just as forceful. Overrall it was better than Joker and is now one of my favorite indoor coasters. (Mummy is still my #1) 9/10

 

Woodstock Express: Very fun, well kept family coaster with fun airtime in the back. The ride ops were spectacular on this one. For what it is I give it an 8/10

 

Bad Apple: Very fun Trokia. This is my third one so far, and it's most likely the best. Palace Playland in Maine has a great one too. But this had a very long ride cycle and it was running well. 9/10

 

Drop Tower: Tied with Demon Drop as my favorite freefall. Love this one, the capacity on it is insane. I like how it doesn't brake until the very bottom. It's really the only ride in the park that needs a new paint job though. 10/10

 

Backlot Stunt Coaster: A big surprise of the trip, very awesome little coaster. The launch was not that fast but it throws you into some sharp spirals that pull some serious G's. Awesome drops and dips, the theming was great, all the props worked. The water was even on at the very end of the ride. I really liked the indoor section. 9/10

 

Rebel Yell:

My first actual racing coaster! (Dueling Dragons is much different) I really loved the airtime on this, you were out of your seat the entire time. It was hard to notice because you kept looking back at the other train. I give the park props for taking the time and effort to race the two sides, yet still do it efficiently. There were four trains on the ride so fast lane wasn't even needed. 8.5/10

 

Hurler: Wayne's World!!! Well, what's left of it atleast. Now the station just looks like an eyesoar and the chainlinked fencing doesn't make sense. The ride itself was......interesting. The track layout is just bizzare but it actually had some decent airtime. In order to appreciate the airtime, you had to look past the horrible first turn after the drop. That is one of the most brutal turns in coaster history. I wish they would retrack it so it is more on an angle. It's so rough, but after that the rides pretty decent. Still doesn't help it from being the worst coaster in the park. 7/10

 

Shockwave: Enthusists. Are. Babbies. After all the coasters that I rode this weekend, especially the ones that get hated on for being too rough (Grizzly, Anaconda, Shockwave, Batwing) I have come to beleive that people just like to complain. I found shockwave to be superfun. Much much better than that B&M horror show over in Maryland. Even better than that snoozefest in Jersey. I will admit, the restraints are really bizarre, but not as uncomftorable as Apocolypse. The drop into the loop was very forceful and actually a lot of fun. The airtime hill right after turned out to have some great air, not bad at all. The helix had a slight jolt in the middle but was also pretty good. The airtime after was not "ball busting" at all. It was the last turnaround that was the brutal part. My body was not preppared for that. But then you get a couple nice hops and into the brakes. I found it to be really fun. Everyone in the station seemd to love it and everyone on facebook is devistated to see it go. The ride had a line out into the midway all day long. And opperations were good on it! It took us about 20-25 minutes to get on from the bottom of the ramp. (begining of queue). I am happy to say that Shockwave was my 100th coaster but I am sad to see it go, it's very rare now. Hopefully it goes somewhere close-by. 8/10

 

 

We walked into Soak City around 6-630, so we could avoid the big lines. Wow that was a mistake. The waterpark was overcrowded just like Dorney's was when we went. Hunter and I just walked around, check out the new slides in the back and walked back out. The waterpark itself is nothing special, we already did Snake Pit at Dorney so there was no need to wait for it. Pipeline Peak and Baja Bends looked like their best slides. I loved the "deep woods" feel to it though. They just need to keep expanding.

 

The fastlane plus was a life saver. We lapped I305 and FOF at the end of the night. I really wish they had more rides on it though, like Shockwave, some water slides, the Crypt and especially Anaconda. Hopefully they add more soon. But all in all, this park is amazing and I am going to try and make it a yearly stop.

[Coaster Hero]

^Great TR! I completely agree with your opinion of the park and especially I305

[Hugecoltsfan]

I have never found Anaconda to be a rough ride. The only part that ever gives me a problem is that weird transition between the two helices.

[Fooz]

Sounds like you had a blast.

[bill_s]

Shockwave: Enthusists. Are. Babbies. After all the coasters that I rode this weekend, especially the ones that get hated on for being too rough (Grizzly, Anaconda, Shockwave, Batwing) I have come to beleive that people just like to complain. I found shockwave to be superfun. Much much better than that B&M horror show over in Maryland. Even better than that snoozefest in Jersey.

 

I wanted to say that, but didn't. Currently at 6 rides since the announcement and not done.

[marth555]

I was able to ride shockwave 4 times without getting off last monday so I guess the lack of ridership is why its being removed

[Fooz]

Shockwave's first drop in the back is amazing. The rest would be fun without all the punches to the ribcage.

[I305isadrug]

Love the TR. Im glad kd is staying busy with loads of guests. I think it truly means a new coaster is on it's way very soon. Cedar Fair has been so great for the park. Very successful indeed. Tell all your friends and family about your kd experience too lol

[I305isadrug]

Id love to be a i305 ride op. Best job in the park

[Sheikra5]

As someone who had never been to Kings Dominion before, I had heard all about Shockwave and I found all of the complaints to be unfounded. Little rattle in the transitions but it wasn't terrible. I'd ride it 10 times in a row before I walk on Hurler ever again. It does have a lot more bite than Green Lantern at Great Adventure regardless of what it looks like. Green Lantern is too tame.

[redfoot12]

My biggest complaint for Shockwave is the restraints. It was fine for me when I was 12 and thin. Not so much when you're 6'2 and 275 lbs.

 

As I mentioned earlier, I was really surprised by my last ride on Anaconda. It's moved up in my rankings from horrible and headache-inducing to merely mediocre and tolerable.

I have a fond memory of going to KD on opening day with my friends in 1991 to be among the first to ride that sucker in the rain. I guess I liked it more than other Arrow loopers I rode last year like CP's Corkscrew (backbreaking), Vortex (rough as all hell), and Demon (headbanging). I also rode Viper at SFMM and that one wasn't too bad either. At least, not as bad as those others.

[DILinator]

All standups and flyers are the devil's coasters in my opinion. Not the largest fan.

 

Have you ridden the good Flyers? Manta and Tatsu? Because the concept isn't the problem, it's the typically boring execution. Both of these coasters, especially Manta, fix that problem though, and make for a really fun ride experience! I'm more in love with the idea of what a Flying coaster could do, than what most of them have done, but some of the more recent models lead me to believe that parks are starting to get more creative with their layout, and some awesome models are coming!

 

I get that a lot of enthusiasts hate Arrows, but I'd rather see Anaconda stay and have another coaster interact with it. It's a huge lake, and Anaconda doesn't really take up much space of it.

 

I'm with you on this! A Flyer interacting with Anaconda would be even better than taking the old Arrow looper out! I don't recall hating Anaconda when I rode it 13 years ago, which, when it comes to an old Arrow looper, is really a win! So that would place it in my upper echelon for that ride type!

 

Shockwave: Enthusists. Are. Babbies. After all the coasters that I rode this weekend, especially the ones that get hated on for being too rough (Grizzly, Anaconda, Shockwave, Batwing) I have come to beleive that people just like to complain.

 

Actually, this isn't an "enthusiast" issue. If anything, enthusiasts are going to be more tolerant of rough, or unusual coasters, such as Shockwave. The non-enthusiasts are much more practical when it comes to coasters. You ride it. You get off. Either you liked it, or you didn't. Either it was rough for you, or it wasn't. There is no factoring it against other coasters of its type, or various manufacturers. There is no comparing it with other enthusiasts' opinions to determine whether it's overrated or underrated.

 

My wife enjoys riding roller coasters, but not at all to the extent I do. She is definitely still firmly in the "GP" category. When she rode Shockwave 13 years ago, she didn't like it, and found it rough. It's not because she's a baby. It's because Shockwave is rough. Period. There's a reason it's getting removed, and it's not because the "babyish" enthusiasts didn't like its alleged roughness. It's because it's an older, rougher coaster, and wasn't getting the ridership numbers that CF and KD felt justified its continued existence. Sure, it's packing a line now, but that's because it's getting removed, and people, including the non-enthusiasts who may not have even liked the ride, are getting their final rides in. I'm sure Mantis experienced the same thing a year ago after it was announced that it getting "removed."

 

To cite a personal example, I loved Drachen Fire. I wish it was still around, as I thought it was an awesome coaster experience! However, I clearly overlooked its deficiencies to come to that conclusion, as its roughness was too extreme for many people, apparently, and BGW made the decision to remove it. And it wasn't because the small subset of the population known as roller coaster enthusiasts, who are normally more tolerant of coaster roughness to begin with, thought it was too rough. It's because the GP thought it was too rough, and they received many complaints.

 

Look, I'm not saying enthusiasts can't be "babies" about things. They most certainly can (and frequently, are!) However, this issue of thinking Shockwave was rough, and good riddance to it, is not one of those times. It's great you, and some others here and there, enjoyed the ride, and think it shouldn't be removed. That's your personal opinion, and prerogative! Heck, I still feel the same way about Drachen Fire! But you (and I) are the exception, not the rule, and those who see it differently aren't "babies" because of disagreeing any more than all of those people who couldn't handle Drachen Fire are babies.

[certifiedcoastergeek]

Some of these "this proves a coaster for [insert year here]" posts are getting to be more ridiculous than those Illuminati confirmed joke videos on YouTube.

[TB305]

Some of these "this proves a coaster for [insert year here]" posts are getting to be more ridiculous than those Illuminati confirmed joke videos on YouTube.

 

Says the guy who told everyone that we were getting a new coaster because of an artists mistake in a KD website banner, then said it was your grand discovery and anyone else talking about it must credit you.

[XSupremacy]

 

If you haven't seen this, you haven't lived

[redfoot12]

 

If you haven't seen this, you haven't lived

 

Ahh. Good ole Coaster Studios. Not always a fan of his content and opinions but I give him kudos for putting his heart into something.

[Tee1999]

Some of these "this proves a coaster for [insert year here]" posts are getting to be more ridiculous than those Illuminati confirmed joke videos on YouTube.

 

You're right, we don't need a new coaster. We can keep getting screwed over while other parks like Cedar point, kings island, carowinds, and canada wonderland gets all the love while we're stuck with for minor improvements for the next 50+ years

[grsupercity]

Some of these "this proves a coaster for [insert year here]" posts are getting to be more ridiculous than those Illuminati confirmed joke videos on YouTube.

 

You're right, we don't need a new coaster. We can keep getting screwed over while other parks like Cedar point, kings island, carowinds, and canada wonderland gets all the love while we're stuck with for minor improvements for the next 50+ years

 

Look at what KD has got since 2008 compared to VF, Dorney, MIA, and WOF

[Intimidator305]

Look at what KD has got since 2008 compared to VF, Dorney, MIA, and WOF

 

VF, Dorney, MIA, and WOF don't have the competition and attendance Kings Dominion does either...

[cfc]

Another food festival at Kings Dominion!

 

Inaugural BBQ & Brew Festival at Kings Dominion

Local breweries join forces with Kings Dominion for food, drinks and fun!

 

Doswell, VA (July 28, 2015) – Get your taste buds ready for Kings Dominion’s first ever BBQ & Brew Fest. The two weekend-long event is dedicated to celebrating all things barbecue, from sauce to ribs. Guests can enjoy live music while sipping signature craft brews from some of our area’s best local breweries.

Kings Dominion’s Executive Chef Paul Maloney’s exclusive BBQ & Brew menu features classic BBQ recipes with a unique twist such as Tennessee Moonshine pulled pork and slow smoked beef brisket. For the full menu, visit https://www.kingsdominion.com/item/BBQ-and-Brew-Fest/Food..

 

Representatives from several of the area’s best breweries will be on tap pouring their craft beer and cider including:

 

Legend Brewing Co.

Ardent Craft Ales

Triple Crossing Brewing

Center of the Universe

Strangeways Brewing

O’Connor Brewing Co.

Brothers Craft Brewing

Bold Rock Hard Cider

Hardywood Craft Brewery

 

Kick off the fun with the USO Military Chef’s BBQ Challenge on Saturday, August 1 and Sunday, August 2. Some of the military’s best Chefs will battle head-to-head right under the Eiffel Tower. Guests can watch their favorite military teams fight for the championship. The cook-off will be judged by an all-star panel of local Chefs as well as Dr. BBQ himself, Ray Lampe, author and contestant on Food Network’s “Chopped Grillmasters.”

 

BBQ & Brew Fest will also feature ice carving demonstrations which will take place on August 1. Judging of the Military Chef Cook Off is set for August 2 at 1 p.m. For more information, visit our website at https://www.kingsdominion.com/what-s-new/bbq-brew-fest.

 

Save $15 on single day park admission with the special USO admission ticket. These discounted park tickets are available for purchase online and are valid through August 9. A portion of all ticket sales will be donated directly to USO-Metro.

[Intimidator305]

I like that the park is starting to do more and more events like this - I hope to see this event and the Spring Bloom Festival grow in the coming years.

 

Those final riders on Shockwave are definitely going to need some of the beers!