Kings Dominion (KD) Discussion Thread

[KDCOASTERFAN]

I know some King Cobra parts used to be in and behind FOF's building.

 

Not sure wether they used just parts or entire trains but some of KC's hardware is now on shockwave.It wouldn't be too hard to rehab the KC trains,repaint them & test them on the ride to put them in operation as shockwaves original trains are now 26 years old.

[DRACHEN_FIRE_FAN-BOY]

I know some King Cobra parts used to be in and behind FOF's building.

 

Not sure wether they used just parts or entire trains but some of KC's hardware is now on shockwave.It wouldn't be too hard to rehab the KC trains,repaint them & test them on the ride to put them in operation as shockwaves original trains are now 26 years old.

 

I used to be a ride-op for Shockwave for almost three years. Yes we have one full train from King Cobra, as does CW. We also have most of the parts reproduced/refurbished by Premier Rides. And the Shockwave trains though being 26 are younger than the one stored outside from King Cobra.

 

I feel if anything was to be removed it would be Anaconda, mostly because it has gotten horrible over the years. I would hope they would refurbish it, but I don't see that happening.

[A.J.]

Hmm - that makes me curious again. Does all the exposed hardware of Shock Wave's trains (the springs, restraint mechanisms, etc) cause any problems for guests (like pant legs getting caught for example)?

[DRACHEN_FIRE_FAN-BOY]

Hmm - that makes me curious again. Does all the exposed hardware of Shock Wave's trains (the springs, restraint mechanisms, etc) cause any problems for guests (like pant legs getting caught for example)?

 

To be honest, the worst for the bottom parts that I have personally seen, is a grease stain. The bottom mechanisms don't really do too much in the way of damaging a person by moving parts. However I have seen a guests' hair get caught inside the shoulder restraints inside the fiberglass casing. I may not have seen anything like a pant leg getting caught, but thats not to say it hasn't or won't happen.

[Schrecken]

I'm afraid I wouldn't shed a single tear for either the jarring pile of lumber or the clanking bucket of bolts known respectively as Hurler and Shockwave, as both are currently on my "no ride' list. However, I also doubt very seriously that either will be put out of its misery any time soon as last fall I got the chance to speak to one of the park's managers during an event and he said (much to my chagrin) that Shockwave was one of the easiest and cheapest coasters for the park to maintain. And that they had been doing a lot of off-season work in an attempt to improve (though not nearly enough for me) the Hurler.

 

That said, being that woodies seem to be more easily improved, if some serious re-tracking was done and perhaps new trains were put on Hurler, I might at some point in the future be able to remove it from my no-ride list and give it another shot. Bad woodies can sometimes be helped, bad steel coasters not so much. I remember actually getting some really fun rides on it when it was brand-new, so the Hurler was actually a pretty good coaster at one point in its lifetime and possibly could be so again. Now Shockwave, I've never gotten a fun ride on that thing and I can't imagine what could be done to make it a fun ride, other than something drastic like new trains or re-profiling it to get rid of that pelvis-cracking helix and bunny hops at the end. The new paint job looks really nice, but for the foreseeable future I'm content to admire from a distance.

[KDCOASTERFAN]

I know some King Cobra parts used to be in and behind FOF's building.

 

Not sure wether they used just parts or entire trains but some of KC's hardware is now on shockwave.It wouldn't be too hard to rehab the KC trains,repaint them & test them on the ride to put them in operation as shockwaves original trains are now 26 years old.

 

I used to be a ride-op for Shockwave for almost three years. Yes we have one full train from King Cobra, as does CW. We also have most of the parts reproduced/refurbished by Premier Rides. And the Shockwave trains though being 26 are younger than the one stored outside from King Cobra.

 

I feel if anything was to be removed it would be Anaconda, mostly because it has gotten horrible over the years. I would hope they would refurbish it, but I don't see that happening.

 

Someone asked KD via facebook about the rumors they heard about anaconda's removal & much like with shockwave has said that anaconda is staying for the forseeable future as well.

[DRACHEN_FIRE_FAN-BOY]

^ Thats why I said I DON'T see it happening.

[coasterfreak101]

I think you're putting way too much faith in the people that handle the park's social media outlets. Those guys aren't the ones at the top of the food chain, making decisions about what's going where and what's leaving. Wildcat at Cedar Point also wasn't being removed, but they managed to do that in just the two weeks before the park opened without much of a warning. And I bet if you had asked on Cedar Point's Facebook back in July of last year, they would've told you that it was staying for the forseeable future.

 

I'm not saying that anything is leaving right now, just that you asking on a Facebook page doesn't mean much when the decisions are being handed down from corporate and the guys in charge of that page are probably some of the last to find out.

[_koppen]

I think you're putting way too much faith in the people that handle the park's social media outlets. Those guys aren't the ones at the top of the food chain, making decisions about what's going where and what's leaving. Wildcat at Cedar Point also wasn't being removed, but they managed to do that in just the two weeks before the park opened without much of a warning. And I bet if you had asked on Cedar Point's Facebook back in July of last year, they would've told you that it was staying for the forseeable future.

 

I'm not saying that anything is leaving right now, just that you asking on a Facebook page doesn't mean much when the decisions are being handed down from corporate and the guys in charge of that page are probably some of the last to find out.

 

This!

[willh51]

I think Anaconda will be around for awhile. There is just no reason to remove it before Shockwave. Although, Shockwave did get fresh paint a year or two ago.

[Coaster_Fanatic]

I hope you all know, Kings Dominion isn't going to just come out and say that they have plans (or none) to remove Shockwave, when the general public asks them. They will announce it in an announcement later this year if any of it is in fact true.

Edited July 19, 2012 by Coaster_Fanatic

[megametal]

The park's "improvements" to Hurler amounts to putting a strong trim break at the bottom of the first hill, making the ride airtimeless and taking away the only saving grace to the ride. I would so love them to put in a coaster along the lines of American Thunder in it's place, but I don't see it happening, sadly. I mean, this is the company that still keeps Mean Streak up, even though it hasn't given a good ride in a decade or two.

 

As for Shockwave, unlike others here, I'd prefer them to put either a huge flat in it's place like Kennywood's Black Widow or to move one of the inverted impulse coasters down from Valleyfair or Dorney to replace it. However, if they do that, either of those two parks need to get a hell of a good coaster in it's place. Now, in order to put a good sized coaster in Shockwave's place (which I can't see removed in the next 3 years anyway), they could move Flying Ace to where the former Yogi's Cave sits now dormant, and take out the walk through water attraction. That would make room for a bigger coaster, while also potentially saving the small amount of wooded area behind Shockwave. Future Wingrider in this area?

[KDCOASTERFAN]

I hope you all know, Kings Dominion isn't going to just come out and say that they have plans (or none) to remove Shockwave. They will announce it in an announcement later this year if any of it is in fact true.

 

We all know that when it comes to asking the parks on their facebook pages about new rides that may be coming in the next season or two that of course they're not gonna respond as they want to keep those things secret but asking about existing rides is slightly different as there's nothing to hide by saying """"yes it's being removed or no it's staying"....besides,now that the question has been asked & the ball is rolling it may lead people to post never ending questions on their FB page concerning the ride's fate...questions that they'll grow tired of answering & will most likely address in a separate post/status update at a later time.

 

Wildcat got removed at CP with little to no warning as maintenance/operations discovered problems that prohibitted the safe operation of the ride so we can't use that as an example,besides it was easy for CP to remove it since it was designed to be portable & taken apart within a matter of hours/days.Had it been one of the bigger/permanently built coasters(Mantis/Iron dragon) then CP would've just let it go SBNO for the season while determining what to do with it.

[larrygator]

I highly doubt that will happen anytime soon. What I want to see is for them to tear down Shockwave and put it a compact GCI coaster about the same size as American Thunder.

 

Also, exactly how much land does KD have available for expansion? Just curious.

 

They own enough land they could double the size of the park easy. But that's never gonna happen. The Animal Country Safari (ACS) has not been touch by the modern park other than the Intimidator/Flight of Fear site

 

 

To be more precise to Cedar Fair owns 738 acres of which 279 acres are developed and 459 acres remaining available for future expansion. Source: 2012 Annual Report 10K

[T-BONDIcoasterkid]

If Shockwave is easy to maintain, then I think Anaconda will be leaving first.

[KDCOASTERFAN]

If Shockwave is easy to maintain, then I think Anaconda will be leaving first.

 

Anaconda is also staying as that question was asked by a number of people on KD's facebook page as well.

 

Anyone going to the park tomorrow? I hear that the forecast calls for a 40% chance of showers/t-storms throughout the day,if anything it may be a good day to go since the forecast might keep the crowds down.

[Voxelmatic]

Anyone going to the park tomorrow? I hear that the forecast calls for a 40% chance of showers/t-storms throughout the day,if anything it may be a good day to go since the forecast might keep the crowds down.

I'm going on Monday when the ratio is lower... less likely to rain, and hopefully less crowds. Speaking of which, how long are the lines for i305 and Shockwave on Mondays?

[KDCOASTERFAN]

Anyone going to the park tomorrow? I hear that the forecast calls for a 40% chance of showers/t-storms throughout the day,if anything it may be a good day to go since the forecast might keep the crowds down.

I'm going on Monday when the ratio is lower... less likely to rain, and hopefully less crowds. Speaking of which, how long are the lines for i305 and Shockwave on Mondays?

 

Not sure as I always end up going on saturday's.

[donkeyman18]

Ok I enjoy anaconda I thought it was a solid ride and the corkscrew's at the end over the water gave me a great hanging moment unlike any other coaster (besides volcano) I've ridden so I would be bummed if it's the next one to go.

[Hugecoltsfan]

I just left the park about five minutes ago and there was a fire truck, ambulance, suspervisors, and other trucks rushing over to dominator. I couldn't tell what was happening though.

[stashua123]

I just left the park about five minutes ago and there was a fire truck, ambulance, suspervisors, and other trucks rushing over to dominator. I couldn't tell what was happening though.

 

That sounds exactly like the SOB accident of 06 .Lets hope its fate dosent turn into SBNO!!!!

[KDCOASTERFAN]

I just left the park about five minutes ago and there was a fire truck, ambulance, suspervisors, and other trucks rushing over to dominator. I couldn't tell what was happening though.

 

Ohh man does that suck,I hope it's nothing serious that could put the ride out of commission tomorrow.

[Voxelmatic]

I just left the park about five minutes ago and there was a fire truck, ambulance, suspervisors, and other trucks rushing over to dominator. I couldn't tell what was happening though.

 

Ohh man does that suck,I hope it's nothing serious that could put the ride out of commission tomorrow.

If there was an accident, it wouldn't be open till either Sunday or Monday.

[Voxelmatic]

Okay, I know this is a double post, and I am so, very sorry, but is it better to pre-purchase Fast Lane online, or to buy it at the park? Because I would like to know which one would be easier... thanks in advance and sorry for the double post!

[KDCOASTERFAN]

I just left the park about five minutes ago and there was a fire truck, ambulance, suspervisors, and other trucks rushing over to dominator. I couldn't tell what was happening though.

 

Ohh man does that suck,I hope it's nothing serious that could put the ride out of commission tomorrow.

If there was an accident, it wouldn't be open till either Sunday or Monday.

 

Went to the park saturday & Dominator was indeed closed all day....when talking to a staff member inquiring about how to get to the "item storage facility" in waterworks I inquired about it mentioning what I'd read here last night & was told that,indeed an incident occurred friday evening & that the ride would be shut down but of course no further details were given.

 

When leaving the park at around 8:30 saturday evening I said hi to one of the security staff & a higher up near the gate & again inquired about the situation & was told that they hope to re-open the ride by monday at the earliest....still no word from either of them on just what happened frieday evening as well.Has anyone else heard any new information lately?