cfc Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 (edited) Last weekend (April 5-6) marked the first time in it seems since forever that Virginia managed to put together two good consecutive weekend days. Earlier, we'd have a Saturday in which you could walk around in shorts followed by a Sunday that required a parka and possibly snowshoes. Yes, spring has sprung here at last! So, there was perfect Kings Dominion weather, with sunshine and a high temperature somewhere in the 60s with no humidity last Sunday when I made the short drive to Doswell from Williamsburg. I wanted to check out all the 40th-anniversary stuff the park had been hyping all winter, but mostly I wanted to ride Intimidator 305, one of the BEST DAMN COASTERS IN THE WORLD. (I rank it 4th overall, myself.) It is nice to have a world-class ride within easy driving distance, and it helped that crowds were quite light that day. But KD also offers Volcano, which is nothing to sneeze at--especially with its reconfigured station. Previously, you entered the station from the upper queue via a long ramp, which dumped you into a very cramped loading area. Now you head down some steps behind the gift shop (the former Fast Lane entrance), and the loading area is on the other side of the station (this was where they used to unload the ride). I'm not sure how this will shorten the wait on really busy days, but when I rode, the line was past the entrance cave; however, they weren't using any of the switchbacks, and the wait was a bit less than 15 minutes for a middle-of-the-train seat (longer if you wanted the front). You now use part of the old entrance ramp as the exit, and, yes, you still end up in the gift shop. And let's not forget the much hyped Singing Mushrooms in the re-christened Candy Apple Grove (as opposed to just "The Grove"). It's good to see them back, and they do brighten up that corner of the park very nicely (much more than the rather nondescript building that used to be there). Overall, the park looked "fresher" than it had in a few years; even Anaconda was considerably brighter, as was Rebel Yell, thanks to fresh paint. The park's entrance fountains look better too, as does the rest of International Street. Let's have a look around. Do not try to eat this cake! It is not real! Do not be deceived! (Besides, you can't have it and eat it, too.) The 40th-anniversary sign is nicer that the old one, which dated back to the Paramount Kings Dominion days (only without "Paramount"). The fountains look better than they have in a long time. "Everybody get up and dance! Cmon! Please! Ah, gee, we're just trying to do our jobs here . . ." Let's have a look from on high. Behold the vista of awesomeness (it's just behind Anaconda). I fell like Timothy Bottoms in the movie Rollercoaster. Time to start running George Segal ragged around the park. Gaze upon I305 again! You know you want to! I'm sorry Carowinds . . . . . . your Intimidator is nice and all, but it can't hold a candle to I305. Volcano says, "Yoo hoo! I'm here too!" Hi, Windseeker. I'm not going to ride you today, but it's always nice to see you. You now know the exact time in which I took this picture. Grizzly, I still like you, but you did give me quite a nice spine adjustment that day. The good news: Anaconda hasn't looked this good in years. Yes, some paint does wonders. The bad news: Well, it's still Anaconda. (To be fair, I didn't ride it. I think I'll save myself for Coasting for Kids. Hey, it's the Clown Band! "Look! I can blow this thing with just one hand!" Me and the Shrooms. I had a knack for catching the end of their show that day. I think they should do barbershop-quartet versions of Alice Cooper songs for Haunt. All that harmony applied to "Cold Ethyl" or "I Love the Dead" would be truly terrifying. Oh, how droll! Everyone talks about the Mushrooms, but they'd be nothing without the Frog. Nobody can play a stump like this amphibian. I didn't ride Shockwave, but I did take this purty picture. Remember--it's now, once again, Candy Apple Grove. More to come. Edited April 15, 2014 by cfc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigDipper 80 Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 KD really did a nice job refreshing the park this season. When I went there the for the first time a number of years ago, I was very pleasantly surprised at how nice it was. Operations weren't the best but the park and it's thick tree canopy were just wonderful. These little refresher projects have done a great job at breathing a little bit of life and quirky charm back into the place. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted April 10, 2014 Author Share Posted April 10, 2014 More KD 40th-anniversary-year fun! Uh oh! It's looking bad for the left side of Rebel Yell! At least it got the snazzy new running lights. Ah, doesn't Rebel Yell's old-school look nice. Well done, KD--much better than the previous sign. But will it spoil the whole wide world? "Hola! Win us, take us home, then grind us into cornmeal to make tortillas!" OK, I imagine some of you might like to see some more I305. So be it. You know what I liked best that day about I305? Two-train operations . . . . . . and no lines! (Yes, unless you wanted the front seat, it was pretty much a walk on, and they were still filling up the trains.) It was a tough fight building Volcano, because the Smurfs refused to be moved to a reservation. (Well, it was their mountain once.) Much Smurf blood was spilled to give us this ride. Ride it--or else the Smurfs will have died in vain! (Actually, they didn't die in vain. They died in Doswell, Va.) And here's Backlot Stunt Coaster, which I did bother to ride. The helicopter wasn't working, but there was plenty of fire. It's good to see the waterwheel and sluice working on the log ride station again. It's good to see these working, too. Well, nearly time to go, but first . . . . . . I think I'll let Dominator whack me upside the head. Yes, this B&M was a bit rougher than I'd remembered from last year. It was sort of "Scream-like" in that regard. I think the guy in front is the king of the world, as far as I know. You're welcome, Kings Dominion--and thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angle O. Descent Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 What was the wait time for I-305? I was thinking about going down this weekend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted April 10, 2014 Author Share Posted April 10, 2014 ^Pretty much a walk on or just one train last Sunday, unless you wanted the front row. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPSFMMCW Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 I was surprised at how it wasn't very crowded on opening day. I imagine the lines were worse for me, but even they werent bad at all. Backlot had the longest wait in the park on opening day, with maybe volcano as the exception. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted April 10, 2014 Author Share Posted April 10, 2014 ^Backlot's line was pretty long on Sunday, too. There was a bit of a delay when they had to rope off one seat in the back of one train, as well (I guess the restraint wasn't working properly). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Intimidator305 Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 Usually always get to the park for opening day/weekend but this year I'm holding off until Easter weekend for a 2 day trip. I'm anxious to see all the 40th improvements in person. Thanks for the update! Also, what's your opinion on the Volcano queue line reconfiguration? Any better aka not dusty? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted April 10, 2014 Author Share Posted April 10, 2014 I think the station looks a little nicer. They put up some fake rock work to hide the old ramp. There's still plenty of dust bunnies and cobwebs on the duct work, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meteornotes Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 Nice photos. Anaconda does look great. Though I'm sure that's the only great thing about it... dt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrillerman1 Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 So nice to see KD adding back some charm. Thanks for all the pics and update Chuck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterbill Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 Great report. I can't wait for our annual trip to Kings Dominion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simon8899 Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 Great to see the coasters I will ride next year... Thanks for the TR! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redfoot12 Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 Good stuff as usual, Chuck. I still need to process my Platinum Pass. Probably won't do that until next month after I'm done with school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerstlaueringvar Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 Thanks for the TR! KingsDominion looks much better than last year (judging from the photos). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
azza29 Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 Great report. KD is a fantastic park and looks even better this year, hopefully I can visit again soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanTheBooker Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 Great report. I curse you for including overview pictures of I305... I wasted five minutes just staring at that that gorgeous piece of art work! Thanks for sharing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tea Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 Nice report, Chuck. Should be visiting myself for the first time in around 7 weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodie Warrior Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 Why can't Kings Dominion be closer to me? I love that KD decided to focus 2014 on bringing some charm to the park instead of just adding an attraction. I'm not saying a new ride wouldn't have been awesome, but it is always cool to see a park working on improving the overall guest experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfkk Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 It is so strange to see the Kings Dominion logo without flags to dot the I's. It just looks unnatural to see regular dots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DevinC049 Posted April 21, 2014 Share Posted April 21, 2014 Ahh anaconda looks SO GOOD! I have a huge thing for arrow customs and have been dying to get over there and ride it. Anyone thats been to KD and KI, how would you compare it to vortex in terms of roughness? I don't think Vortex is that bad, but lots of people I know can't seem to stand it. Great report, Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_koppen Posted April 21, 2014 Share Posted April 21, 2014 Chuck, those are some awesome photos! It looks like I will be riding I305 next summer (along with Skyrush and El Toro), so the megalite in my top spot might be threatened. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreeFaller Posted April 21, 2014 Share Posted April 21, 2014 I enjoyed reading your trip report! Great job! I really hope to get there once and ride Intimidator 305. Looks like a thrilling roller coaster! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djcoastermark Posted April 21, 2014 Share Posted April 21, 2014 After riding Anna 2 weeks ago, I didn't notice any roughness really. Mostly I found it kinda boring. Mainly due to the near complete MCBR stop. It did however give some very odd, sloooow ,hang time in the corkscrew because of that. Anna is a much shorter and less exciting ride compared to Vortex imo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted April 21, 2014 Author Share Posted April 21, 2014 Anaconda when it's at its best is pretty "boring." At its worst, it's a migraine maker and a jaw breaker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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