FeelTheFORCE Posted August 15, 2010 Posted August 15, 2010 (edited) My visit was on Tuesday, August 10th, 2010. It was a HOT one with the temps reaching 100+ degrees, which probably means the heat index was 110-120 with all that concrete and asphalt. However, it was a nice, clear day with minimal crowds nonetheless. I'll get right to it...I305 was a great coaster, but I think I had my expectations set a bit high, and it didn't really blow me away like I thought it would. Still an awesome, one-of-a-kind coaster that puts KD on the map, nonetheless. As others have said, the straps are awesome, best OTSR's ever! However, I was disappointed in the fact that my first ride in the very last seat had a noticeable Intamin shuffle, very similar to an aged Intamin, like Millennium. It only happened that first ride, though, so I guess i'll chalk it up to the extreme heat and the fact that I was in the very last row. I was really surprised by Volcano, a great coaster, but it's too bad the capacity sucks. Although it was only about a 15-30 minute wait max for the entire day, it was the only coaster with a real line all day. Avalanche is an underrated coaster, very fun! For some reason I really like KD's FoF and BLSC over KI's. They both seem faster and more intense (especially FoF). Maybe it was just the heat? Either way a pleasant surprise nonetheless. I did like how KD's FoF doesn't come to a complete stop at the MCBR, unlike KI's. Regardless, I really like Flight of Fear and think both KD's and KI's are extremely underrated coasters. Can't get enough of Dominator. I was really happy to ride it again after 3 long years since my last visit to Geauga Lake. Still a great ride and very smooth. Once again, the heat probably played a factor, and the fact that they aren't that great to begin with, but all of KD's woodies were only average at best. It's a shame that Hurler's turns beat you up so much because it's straight sections were actually very smooth and fun. Anaconda was fun, a lot less rough than I thought it would be. Shockwave sucks, a lot MORE rough than I thought it would be, lol. Drop Tower was great, I can't get enough of those style of drop rides. All in all, awesome park to end my summer on, and one that I definitely want to return to some day. I am definitely jealous of everyone who is going on the 22nd! Hopefully this Trip Report will quench their thirsts a bit until then. Here's my ride count for the major rides: Intimidator 305 - 3 Dominator - 3 Volcano - 2 Anaconda - 1 Flight of Fear - 1 Back Lot Stunt Coaster - 1 Hurler - 1 Rebel Yell (South) - 1 Grizzly - 1 Shockwave - 1 Ricochet - 1 Drop Tower - 1 Avalanche - 1 On to the pictures, enjoy and thanks for looking! People having fun around one of Avalanche's turns. Intimidator 305 from Rebel Yell's exit ramp. Hurler's first drop. Eiffel Tower rising above the trees. A random picture I took, but I like how it turned out. Still an awesome ride, and very smooth. Hypersonic's former spot. Aerial view. Dominator. I305. I305. I305. Dominator closer. Volcano and Flight of Fear. Back half of I305. Entrance area and fountains. Volcano doing it's thing. I305 entrance area. Dale's car. Such a cool touch, like the Dragster at TTD. I really liked the I305 plaza. Well done KD. More Volcano while waiting in line. Volcano's fire. Funny thing, I didn't even know it was coming, the fire in this picture was a complete accident. Cool coincidence, huh? Dominator's back half. I really like this one for some reason. I305 from it's exit ramp. KD's entrance area. Dominator from the parking lot on the way back to the car. Edited August 16, 2010 by FeelTheFORCE
Tezee Posted August 15, 2010 Posted August 15, 2010 Thank you for your nice TR. How do you like the ride on Avalanche?
Nozzy Posted August 16, 2010 Posted August 16, 2010 I agree with you with regards to FoF and Backlot Stunt Coaster- better than King's Island, but don't really know why. A pleasant surprise though. Thanks for the report.
FeelTheFORCE Posted August 16, 2010 Author Posted August 16, 2010 ^^ Avalanche is a great coaster! I really liked it, and think it's an extremely underrated coaster.
CPmaverick Posted August 16, 2010 Posted August 16, 2010 Can't get enough of Dominator. I was really happy to ride it again after 3 long years since my last visit to Geauga Lake. Still a great ride and very smooth. After finally riding Dominator a few weeks ago, I can't believe this ride used to be two hours away from me. Unfortunatly the last time I went to Geauga Lake, I was to short to ride . Even more shocking to me is that I prefer Dominator over I305 .
Lenaapple1974 Posted August 16, 2010 Posted August 16, 2010 Thanks for posting! I am going in two weeks! I cannot wait. I have to say, from that high angle - I305 looks quite intimidating! ha ha!! Question for you - what kind of proceedure does KD have for people's belongings? I will probably have a bag with my camera. Do you just leave it on the side and pray no one takes it or do they have a situation for them??
FeelTheFORCE Posted August 16, 2010 Author Posted August 16, 2010 From what I remember, almost all (if not all) major rides have some sort of bin for your loose articles. Have fun! It's a great park!
imawesome1124 Posted August 17, 2010 Posted August 17, 2010 Nice TR and I agree with just about everything you said. Kings Dominion is a great park, and it doesn't get the credit it deserves.
thrillrider Posted August 18, 2010 Posted August 18, 2010 Nice pictures. I don't know why, but it seems that everytime I go to this park, it's a million degrees outside.
Goliath513 Posted August 18, 2010 Posted August 18, 2010 I was there that day too and spent most of my time there in the water park because it was too hot for standing in line for coasters. Good thing we rode everything the previous day. With another day of one train operation on Intimidator, I was not about to stand in line later in the day after riding it in the morning. Just one question, does anyone know why they were running only one train? The previous day they were running the red train and the next day they switched over to the silver train. This does not make sense being the biggest newest ride in the park, especially when they ran two on Shockwave, one of the least popular in the park.
Intimidator305 Posted August 18, 2010 Posted August 18, 2010 (edited) I was there that day too and spent most of my time there in the water park because it was too hot for standing in line for coasters. Good thing we rode everything the previous day. With another day of one train operation on Intimidator, I was not about to stand in line later in the day after riding it in the morning. Just one question, does anyone know why they were running only one train? The previous day they were running the red train and the next day they switched over to the silver train. This does not make sense being the biggest newest ride in the park, especially when they ran two on Shockwave, one of the least popular in the park. They tend to ALWAYS do this on weekdays for 305. I personally think it is either because of the melting wheels/wheel cost OR the park's marketing standpoint. My guess is that they don't want their new 25 million dollar giga coaster not having a line. I know for us coaster enthusiasts, we love the fact that there is no line and when rides are walk-on, but when you think about it from the parks standpoint, that doesn't look good for first-time clueless riders who do not understand why the newest ride in the park doesn't have a line. Usually (atleast from my experiences), even with one train on a weekday, the wait is only 5-15 minutes WHICH IS TOTALLY WORTH IT. I always ride the ride back-row or 2nd row! 2nd row is just like front row because the seats are up higher and you can totally see over the first row and you still get all the wind in your face, but the line is about 1/10 as long. The backrow almost makes you forget about the trims... I ride 305 5 times each day I visit the park. Edited August 18, 2010 by Intimidator305
Goliath513 Posted August 18, 2010 Posted August 18, 2010 That's really too bad, especially when waiting for the front. We waited two hours for that (not worth that wait at all when the back gives a much better ride in my opinion). Not to mention most of the queue has no shade whatsoever so queuing can be quite unpleasant. Given the fact that they switched the trains, it probably has something to do with reducing maintenance like you said, however creating a huge line to show how awesome the ride is wouldn't surprise me at all. You would think they would want to cycle people through as quickly as possible to give them a better day at the park (and give them more time to spend money in the shops and on food). Thanks for the insight.
FeelTheFORCE Posted August 18, 2010 Author Posted August 18, 2010 ^ That's just it though, aside from the front row, every other row had no more than a 2-3 train wait. There was no need whatsoever to add a second train, it would have been overkill and they would have been sending mostly empty trains (except the front row). It would have been a complete waste. As far as switching trains go, I'd agree with the fact that it's maintenance, to give the trains an even amount of wear and use, and to prevent one train from incurring increased stress. Many parks do this with low crowds. I've been at Cedar Point with minimal crowds when Gemini ran the red side, then the next day the blue side was running. I'm sure KD probably does this also with Rebel Yell, and their other coasters with two trains (that regularly only need one during the week), not just I305.
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