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Weekend trip help


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Hiya, dudes!

 

I've got a bit of a last minute long weekend trip that I'm planning and I was hoping for any tips you could give me. I have a function going on in Philadelphia on Friday night, April 1st. I've decided that, once the event is finished, I'm going to do a mini-road trip to King's Dominion and Busch Gardens before heading back home to NJ.

 

The way I have the route planned now is to leave Philly around 10pm and try to make it to Fredricksburg, VA (approx. 1 hour north of KD) that night. King's Dominion would be all day on Saturday, afterwards I would head down to Williamsburg and shack up for the night. Busch Gardens would, of course, be Sunday, sleeping at the same hotel, followed by the trip home Monday.

 

Now, I was at Busch Gardens in 2009 mid-august and had a great time. The lines were small and I managed to ride everything at least twice. King's Dominion, though, I have not been to since 1999 and am clueless on how to attack the park, especially since I'll be there on a Saturday.

 

Should I think about swapping the parks so I would hit KD on Sunday instead? Its the very beginning of both parks' operating season and I have no idea what kind of crowds await me. Any help would be great. Thanks!

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Operations are usually very slow the first weekend at KD. Knowing how much you disliked your SFMM experience, you might want to skip KD.

 

Eh, I'm aware that the park hasn't been the greatest in the past, but with Cedar Fair now in charge, I'm hoping it'll be fun. Also, having not been there in over a decade and with the park having Intimidator 305, I'm not skipping it, haha. I appreciate the concern, though.

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^ The advice for KD I would give is focus on the "important, big" coasters, the ones you want to ride the most. So, lets say your list is I305, Volcano, Dominator, Flight of Fear, Rebel Yell and Shockwave, make an effort to ride those first no matter what rides you pass to get to them. The lines will be long, the temp in central Va is expected to be hovering around 60 degrees with partly cloudy skies. Those first four coaster I mentioned are must rides in my opinion. If had to choose the ride you can skip.... Hurler, El Dorado, Berserker, Log Flume, Action Theater, Anaconda.... The lesser know rides that really should be standout in my opinion are Shockwave, Ricochet, Triple Spin, Flying Eagles, Drop Tower, Avalanche, Backlot and Crypt. Lines will be unnecessarily long. Rides will shut down. but if you prioritize which rides you really want to ride, you should have a good day.

 

Now onto BGW, the park will be packed, as usual. But don't worry, this will be BGW third weekend of operation with all of their coaster operating at full capacity and efficiently I might add. Though the new attraction, Mach Tower is not open (or completed) yet, there are still many great ride to be ridden. My best rides in the park? Apollo's Chariot Back row far right seat. Griffon Far right seat front row. Alpinegiest front row. Loch Ness Monster anywhere. Curse of Darkastle is a must. Eating the German Sample Platter at the Festhaus. Davinci's Cradle. Celtic Fyre in the Abbeystone Theater. BGW is all about expriencing the sights and sounds. I really hope you enjoy.

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I've only been to these parks once before (in August of last year), but here is what I would say based on my experience.

 

Busch Gardens: This would probably be the better choice for Saturday, as although it will be crowded they have QuickQueue. Even the regular version is useful, and it isn't outrageously expensive. Go buy this, then focus on the attractions you want to ride that are not included with the pass. You can then use QuickQueue to get on most of the major rides whenever you want with little or no wait. The only downside is that you will not be allowed to choose your seat, but that seems like a small price to pay. When I visited, everything I would consider must ride was on the QuickQueue, but it is possible that it may have changed for this year, so pay attention to the ride list.

 

Kings Dominion: This park will likely be crowded as well, and I'm assuming that the beginning of the season will result in slower-than-normal operations and possibly one train on most coasters. That being said, here is what I would do:

 

1. Get to the gate early. If you are not waiting for the gate to open about twenty minutes before the scheduled opening time, you are probably too late.

2. Immediately go to Dominator. If you can get on one of the first few trains, that's good.

3. After Dominator, ride Volcano. Even with two trains, the line crawls on this one.

4. Do any other attraction you want to ride in the Congo now unless they are not open yet.

5. From here, it is up to you. The crowd should be dispersed by this point, so pick and choose what you are willing to wait for.

 

Other, more experienced visitors may have better advice than this, but if I was in your situation this is how I would attack the park.

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Hey!

 

It's been a while since I hit KD so I can't give you good advice on how to attack...

 

However, BGW is my homepark so I'd recommend attacking the big rides (coasters, water rides, DarKastle) first and then spending the rest of the day taking it easy, doing rerides, and watching the shows. Weekends have weird crowds (very light throughout the day and busier later when all the locals raid the park). If it's cold, you won't have any problems with lines.

 

Only the major rides (coasters, water rides, DarKastle) have Quick Queue. I've personally never had to use it so I can't give you too much advice on that. I know there are two kinds, regular which allows you to bypass lines on all the major rides once and premium which allows you to bypass lines on all major rides as many times as you like. If you're willing to spend the money to avoid waiting, go ahead and do it.

 

Because Mach Tower isn't here yet, the crowds shouldn't be too bad.

 

KD is a rides park, while BGW is more of an atmosphere park, so visiting whichever one first is a tossup. If you prefer rides, I'd visit BGW first and then hit KD after but for atmosphere, I'd visit KD then BGW.

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Thanks for all of the advice guys. I'm hoping this weather clears up for the weekend. Right now both parks are scheduled to have scattered showers on Saturday while Sunday should be nice. Ah, well, take what you get, I suppose, haha.

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I can't imagine either park being really busy. When I have been to parks in April I have had record days and had to take breaks from riding because everything was a walk on. However, when you are at Kings I would suggest riding I 305 first (assuming it is open) because it's still new and with the reprofile will still be popular, and then Volcano because of it's limited capacity. Take rerides if they are available. You could hit dominator after that, but it is high capacity and the line moves pretty quick. Those 3 are the best rides there. If you have any problem with blacking out, I would suggest riding I305 somewhere near the front. It was a harsh ride back in Oct. and that was with the trims and soft restraints. Have a good time!

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Opening day at KD last year was not good. Granted, it was a Friday, but things were not better Saturday. Volcano was running one train, Backlot only had one train on the track so it's line was really long, Rebel Yell was running one side, Grizzly had one train, etc. Hurler and Shockwave were still closed and scheduled to open later in the month. Dominator had two trains, but they were taking 4-5 minutes to dispatch each train (the supervisor of that ride was one of the laziest people I had ever seen at a park). The only great crew was I305. Anaconda ran both trains and had a decent crew, and Grizzly was doing the best they could with one train. Even if both parks are packed Saturday BGW is way better with their operations. I would do that Saturday and KD Sunday.

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^ I agree. I've had many days where there's crappy weather and the parks are empty. My concern, though, is the park closing the big rides (I305, namely). If the rain is consistent, I stand a good chance of getting jilted, haha.

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