Kings Dominion (KD) Discussion Thread

[cal1br3tto]

Ahhhh.... To be mid twenties again.

THIS!!!

 

Source: am late twenties.

[larrygator]

Ask anyone if they have tried the new gourmet mac and cheese place as that sounded interesting. If no one has, why not try it out and give us a report?

 

I tried it last Thursday. They start by giving you a huge base of mac and cheese for the price. It would have been better if the base was a little cheesier. I added grilled chicken, bacon bites, deep fried shoestring onions and jack cheese. I really liked my concoction but wish I cold have added more of the base cheese versus a second cheese. In the end I could only eat half of the macaroni because the portion was too big.

 

I'm sorry I can't remember all the possible items you could add besides the pulled pork and plenty of veggies. You could also top it with ranch, buffalo or BBQ sauces, but I don't like mixing sauces.

Edited April 10, 2018 by larrygator

[bill_s]

The big eatery at KD is and always has been Country Kitchen and any discussion of their offerings is incomplete without it. I had the roast chicken once last year at lunchtime when it's fresh and it was amazing. Later in the day it may be a bit dry. However this year they have omitted chicken tenders, which are a silly choice when you have real fried chicken but sometimes were fresher, but maybe without them they'll get more turnover on the other chicken. Pulled pork has also been discontinued in favor of the pot roast. Except for the topping at the Mac Bowl, Wayside Grill is now the barbeque place. I hear it's good this year, it was last year but I'd rather have mashed potatoes and the option of air conditioning at CK.

 

Panda Express is also good.

[Card]

Thanks again, everybody. The reason I asked was because I think I ate at Sharky's once and paid nearly $20 for the most pathetic chicken "strips" meal I ever ate in my life. When I last visited, I think I even left the park several times to go eat at a nearby truck stop and Fuddrucker's because the park food was that damn bad.

 

Once I grab my platinum pass this year, I'm hoping to see if they, along with Cedar Point and others have stepped up their game in the food department, because places like Busch Gardens were blowing them out of the water.

[Philrad71]

Ask anyone if they have tried the new gourmet mac and cheese place as that sounded interesting. If no one has, why not try it out and give us a report?

 

I tried it last Thursday. They start by giving you a huge base of mac and cheese for the price. It would have been better if the base was a little cheesier. I added grilled chicken, bacon bites, deep fried shoestring onions and jack cheese. I really liked my concoction but wish I cold have added more of the base cheese versus a second cheese. In the end I could only eat half of the macaroni because the portion was too big.

 

I'm sorry I can't remember all the possible items you could add besides the pulled pork and plenty of veggies. You could also top it with ranch, buffalo or BBQ sauces, but I don't like mixing sauces.

 

Thanks to Larry and others for their reports on the mac and cheese bowls - definitely something that I plan to try the next time we go!

[CO.Coaster]

So there is unconfirmed info from a few different people on reddit that says Twisted Timbers has been running much faster than expected causing the sensors on the break run to stop the train, creating much of the down time the ride has been having. Supposedly, the park tried using a different wheel combination which caused the train to valley that one morning a few weeks ago.

 

I have heard about it running faster than expected for a little while now, but this is the first time I have seen someone mentioning it being an issue. Can anyone verify the accuracy of any of this?

[defrocker]

I spent a couple hours in the park this past weekend. Just wanted to give everyone an update on Twisted Timbers. I rode it on the opening Saturday when it was 40ish degrees out. I was very impressed and didn't really feel like the ride was "sluggish" when I rode it then. Saturday it was in the high 70s/low 80s and TT was delayed in opening. I wasn't sure that I was going to get a chance to ride it before I had to leave at noon but they started testing it around 11. After a few runs they opened the ride and we were on in the first 10 or so trains.

 

I don't know if it will be the norm going forward, but they have actually slowed the lift down at the top to slow down the train. It was just barely creeping over the apex. That being said, the first half of the layout felt just as fast as it did opening weekend. However, the second half... Mother of Pearl this thing was absolutely hauling through every element after the cutback. Even knowing the layout I was caught off guard by the quick succession of the elements. This thing is nuts, even more so than I originally thought!

 

I think they're still having issues with the second row. I think it was blocked off. I rode in the back so I didn't get a great look. They have installed the screens that show the restraints along the train and a dispatch timer. Hopefully that will help the crew.

 

Also, Rebel Yell's retracking is glass smooth and I'm still wondering if the back row on Volcano is ever going to carry riders again.

 

One more thing of note. If you are arriving for early entry, the only way to access the rides is by going straight by the Eiffel Tower. You cannot access Twisted Timbers via Old Virginia even though they let you go back that way. Just word to the wise...

[Card]

Yeah, I went Saturday as well. Twisted Timbers was down for several large chunks of the day, it seemed like. I was also one of the first in line and was there when some woman passed out in line and laid on the ground for a good 15 minutes with her eyes twitching. Scary stuff, but I digress.

 

TT was my first RMC, and I have to say... damn. That ride is good. Really, REALLY good. Glass smooth, great airtime, lots of fun and unique elements, and it kept up the frantic pace all the way to the brake run. Think it might be my new favorite in the park. Since the park's app wasn't working properly and because the coaster itself is, for the most part, shrouded by trees and other rides, it doesn't attract enormous crowds when it reopens, so I managed to squeeze four rides in the day.

 

Also yeah, during the latter half of the day, rows 2, 3, and 4 were closed off on one of the trains. Not sure what the deal was there.

 

As far as food goes, the Mac Bowl was pretty solid (bacon, popcorn chicken, and buffalo sauce FTW) though I agree with one of the earlier posters that more of the base cheese would be a huge improvement.

 

I was pretty disappointed with the park's other offerings, though. The only place I could find a milkshake was at the Juke Box Diner, and I later spent an age waiting for a lukewarm brisket sandwich meal that hardly had any brisket on it at all. That, plus a bottle of water came out to nearly $20, even with the Platinum Pass discount. I was borderline FURIOUS. I know that kind of pricing coupled with mediocre food isn't limited to Cedar Fair, but they seem to epitomize the whole "we've essentially got you trapped here, so you have no choice but to pay our obscene prices" approach towards their guests.

 

I'm sure I'll be visiting the park a few more times before the year's up, but I seriously doubt their concessions will see much more money from me. Maybe the burrito place or the Chick-Fil-A, though the latter is typically insanely crowded. Time to pack the cooler and also make trips to the Popeye's and Fuddruckers in Ashland, methinks.

[Philrad71]

^ Thanks for the update about the mac and cheese bowls.

 

I will either choose this place or grab a slice of pizza and a beer if we get there this season. We typically eat a big breakfast/brunch before we go into a park, so we usually only get one "meal" at a park per day.

[JBARBTHECOASTERFREAK]

I also went to KD this past weekend. Rode Twisted for my 35th time. Rebel Yell is as running as smooth as a B&M. Only bad part about this weekend is that it was packed. Food was average as normal, pizza is one of the best food items at the park. Staff was very kind and awesome to work with, I usually feel this way, and overall KD (other than Twisted's downtime) is off to a great start this year!!!

[Card]

Huh... so the pizza's that good, eh? Would this be near the front of the park or the big parlor by the drop tower?

 

Oh, one other thing I noticed: no southern rock being played around I305 and no fire/eruption sounds at Volcano. Too early in the season maybe?

[BeansproutMidget]

^By 305? At least one or two songs are on the park playlist that we've heard. But then again, there's probably a good 200+ songs on the 'park playlist'.

 

As for Volcano, I've seen Volcano only once with back row riders. I've seen fire only once as well. But the rumble sounds are defintely still around.

[Canobie Coaster]

Twisted Timbers is running well today. It opened an hour late due to the cold, but I haven't seen it down since. Row 2 is blocked off though.

 

I loved Twisted Timbers. The ride had fantastic airtime from start to finish.

[prozach626]

I was pretty disappointed with the park's other offerings, though. The only place I could find a milkshake was at the Juke Box Diner, and I later spent an age waiting for a lukewarm brisket sandwich meal that hardly had any brisket on it at all. That, plus a bottle of water came out to nearly $20, even with the Platinum Pass discount. I was borderline FURIOUS. I know that kind of pricing coupled with mediocre food isn't limited to Cedar Fair, but they seem to epitomize the whole "we've essentially got you trapped here, so you have no choice but to pay our obscene prices" approach towards their guests.

That sucks you had to deal with this. I'm not sure when the expectations of park food and service to be average AT BEST happened. Maybe try out our formula we always use?

 

We eat breakfast before going to the park, which is pretty early. We pack a cooler for lunch and eat in our AC'd car around 12. We leave the park for dinner around 430 and pick a place with cold beer and decent food within 10-15 minutes from the park. After that we return to the park and have a few beers throughout the evening.

 

Although lately we have revised out plan a little which gives us even more park time. It takes us about 5+ hours to get to several parks from where we live. We eat breakfast at the butt crack of dawn before leaving (0430), have a driving/eat in the car brunch about 30 minutes prior to getting to the park, and leave before 4 for early dinner. I like this plan the best, because it gives us a ton of time left when we get back to the park.

 

Really, eating dinner outside of the park is not inconvenient like people think it is. As a matter of fact, in most cases I don't think it's any less convenient that eating within the park when it's crowded. Our preference is to choose a sit down place to relax and take a break from the park, but even close fast food places have typically much better offerings than the park can provide. If you choose close fast food options you can be back in under an hour, which isn't much more than the time it takes at the park for you to wait in line, order, find a table in a crowded dining area, and eat disappointing park food. We have our staple go-to restaurants when we're out of town on a trip. The only park we eat at is BGW, which is just above acceptable.

 

Even when we go to SFSTL, which is our local park, we only go for the back half of the day and eat at one of our well liked sit down places on the way. Lately that has been O'Fallon Brewery for a burger and a beer. After getting to the park around 5 or 6 we'll typically drink a couple beers and we're done eating for the day.

 

If you choose to stay the course I hope you have better luck. At least it seems like park food is getting better than it was when I was a teenager. Stale nacho chips and powdered cheese was about the norm or soft pretzels, if you were lucky enough to find the perfect timing in between "not yet cooked" or dry as a bone. If you were feeling really dangerous you'd grab a dry piece of pizza, chicken strips that make McNuggets look high quality, a dried up hot dog where you can expect to bite into cartilage and bone, or a hamburger made of god knows what. Granted, my usual experience was at a SF park, which I thought was the only game in town.

[Philrad71]

^ Heyyy...you forgot to mention the beer in said cooler!

 

Sorry for derailing the thread for just one minute, but is the brewery close to SFStL, Zach? Not sure if we will be stopping at the park on the way through or not, but if we do, I certainly love breweries and places with good burgers!

[ytterbiumanalyst]

It's not exactly close, but not too far away. 270 & 364.

 

45 Progress Pkwy, Maryland Heights, MO 63043, USA

[steamedturtle]

So there is unconfirmed info from a few different people on reddit that says Twisted Timbers has been running much faster than expected causing the sensors on the break run to stop the train, creating much of the down time the ride has been having. Supposedly, the park tried using a different wheel combination which caused the train to valley that one morning a few weeks ago.

 

I have heard about it running faster than expected for a little while now, but this is the first time I have seen someone mentioning it being an issue. Can anyone verify the accuracy of any of this?

 

I was at the park today for a few hours, and it was the first time of 4 times I've been so far this season that they were actually running 2 trains on TT. I saw that reddit post as well, and I can confirm that they've slowed down the lift speed at the very top to the slowest possible speed as it crests the hill. I don't buy that the the trains are going too fast as they come into the brake run, but maybe there is some kind of issue with the sensors / ride systems. I'm sure they'll work it out. It froze overnight last night, but once TT warms up for an hour or two, it still f**king hauls.

[Canobie Coaster]

^ My first ride when it opened was slower (especially since it wasn't a full train), but by my third ride it had heated up and was hauling. Even the slower ride still had a ton of ejector air.

[Philrad71]

^^^ Thanks Andrew!

[cfc]

^ My first ride when it opened was slower (especially since it wasn't a full train), but by my third ride it had heated up and was hauling. Even the slower ride still had a ton of ejector air.

 

Erik Johnson and I were there yesterday, and that was our experience. We rode in the front seat early, and it was fun. Then we sat toward the rear of the train and it was "holy crap" fun! Lots of ejector air on the hills and lots of crazy stunts in a fairly small space.

[Erik Johnson]

Twisted Timbers is a fantastic addition to KD. I found that my best rides were, after it warmed up after a couple of trains, in the back car. Lots of airtime and unexpected elements. As with any new ride there are still some bugs that still need to be worked out as it seems they were having some issues with the blue train getting stuck on the lift hill. Rows 2, 3 and 4 were closed off on the blue train all day. So there were several hours of downtime throughout the day. We did get about 6-7 rides due to us having Flash Pass Plus which I do recommend if you are traveling from out of town. Here are a few photos I took during the day.

Ok one of I-305.

[Intimidator305]

^ Always great to hear another Twisted Timbers review.

 

I just love the "Hanover Hill" merchandise as I'm not one to buy coaster shirts with stats, a ton of graphics, etc. I would like to see KI do more "Miami River Lumber Co." merchandise for Mystic Timbers.

[Canobie Coaster]

^^ Nice report! Sounds like you have the same opinion on Twisted Timbers as me. The hangtime in that cutback was really surprising for me.

[coasterbill]

Great report!

 

Twisted Timbers is phenomenal.

[Card]

Seems like I'm in the same boat as many of you. As a first time RMC rider, I was really surprised by all these really weird, wacky elements. I spent most of the ride thinking to myself, "Hey, this is different, but hey, this is FUN!!!" It was so unlike anything else I've ever ridden. With some of the ejector and hanging elements, I half expected to be clutching my legs in pain like I do when I get off Skyrush, but I was never really in any pain or discomfort, save perhaps for the leg restraints (I'm 6'0", and have freakishly long legs). My second RMC will be Steel Vengeance on May 24/25, and I'm REALLY excited to see what a hyper version of Twisted Timbers will be like.

 

I was pretty disappointed with the park's other offerings, though. The only place I could find a milkshake was at the Juke Box Diner, and I later spent an age waiting for a lukewarm brisket sandwich meal that hardly had any brisket on it at all. That, plus a bottle of water came out to nearly $20, even with the Platinum Pass discount. I was borderline FURIOUS. I know that kind of pricing coupled with mediocre food isn't limited to Cedar Fair, but they seem to epitomize the whole "we've essentially got you trapped here, so you have no choice but to pay our obscene prices" approach towards their guests.

That sucks you had to deal with this. I'm not sure when the expectations of park food and service to be average AT BEST happened. Maybe try out our formula we always use?

 

We eat breakfast before going to the park, which is pretty early. We pack a cooler for lunch and eat in our AC'd car around 12. We leave the park for dinner around 430 and pick a place with cold beer and decent food within 10-15 minutes from the park. After that we return to the park and have a few beers throughout the evening.

 

Although lately we have revised out plan a little which gives us even more park time. It takes us about 5+ hours to get to several parks from where we live. We eat breakfast at the butt crack of dawn before leaving (0430), have a driving/eat in the car brunch about 30 minutes prior to getting to the park, and leave before 4 for early dinner. I like this plan the best, because it gives us a ton of time left when we get back to the park.

 

Really, eating dinner outside of the park is not inconvenient like people think it is. As a matter of fact, in most cases I don't think it's any less convenient that eating within the park when it's crowded. Our preference is to choose a sit down place to relax and take a break from the park, but even close fast food places have typically much better offerings than the park can provide. If you choose close fast food options you can be back in under an hour, which isn't much more than the time it takes at the park for you to wait in line, order, find a table in a crowded dining area, and eat disappointing park food. We have our staple go-to restaurants when we're out of town on a trip. The only park we eat at is BGW, which is just above acceptable.

 

Even when we go to SFSTL, which is our local park, we only go for the back half of the day and eat at one of our well liked sit down places on the way. Lately that has been O'Fallon Brewery for a burger and a beer. After getting to the park around 5 or 6 we'll typically drink a couple beers and we're done eating for the day.

 

If you choose to stay the course I hope you have better luck. At least it seems like park food is getting better than it was when I was a teenager. Stale nacho chips and powdered cheese was about the norm or soft pretzels, if you were lucky enough to find the perfect timing in between "not yet cooked" or dry as a bone. If you were feeling really dangerous you'd grab a dry piece of pizza, chicken strips that make McNuggets look high quality, a dried up hot dog where you can expect to bite into cartilage and bone, or a hamburger made of god knows what. Granted, my usual experience was at a SF park, which I thought was the only game in town.

Thanks, Zach. Yeah, sounds like a pretty good plan to me. Whether or not the food's gotten better over the years is subject to debate, given how awful my brisket was, especially for the price.

 

Like I said, I might roll the dice on a burrito or pizza (though both will be obscenely overpriced, and I'm not exactly thrilled to be handing money over to the park for these kinds of shitty business practices) next time I visit, but there's a TON of places to eat down in Ashland that are good and much more reasonably priced. I'm willing to spend the time leaving the park to take my dining business elsewhere and stick it to the park.

 

Cedar Fair, this is what you make me do now.

 

P.S. - Busch Gardens is one park I willingly make an exception for because the quality is so good that you don't feel like the park's totally bending you over.