- August 25th, 2010, 4:28 pm
#42591
My friend and I headed up to King's Dominion for a weekend vacation. This was my first time at the park in 9 years, and my friend's first time at a park other than Carowinds.
I didn't get to take many pictures, but I'll post the ones that I did along the way with this trip report.
We arrived the park at around noon Friday, August 13th. There wasn't an outrageous amount of people as rain was sprinkling on and off, but there were quite allot, finding a decent parking spot took a while. We got into the park without having to deal with a line at the gate.
After arriving in the park, we decided to head over to Dominator first. They were only running 1 train, and the line was well out of the queue, so we decided to come back later.
We headed over to the Volcano area next, and took a ride on crypt. We walked on with no wait. I was rather impressed with the ride, as the one at King's Island is much shorter and less thrilling. It wasn't worth a repeat ride though.
Afterwards we headed over to Volcano. They were only running one train, and the line was backed up quite a bit, but my friend had never been on a launcher before, so we decided to wait it out. 2 hours later, we're in the queue for the front car, about 3 cycles away. They then announce that the ride is being delayed to add a second train. While we were happy they were finally adding another train, after waiting 2 hours with only 1 train running, we were both a bit pissed. After about 10 minutes to transfer the trains, and another 5 to test run, they had the ride back up and running. It took a little over 5 minutes to cycle the 3 loads in front of us. After 2 and a half hours, it was finally our turn to ride. We both enjoyed the ride very much, and decided it was worth the wait. But never again would we wait that long for it.
At this point we were rather hungry, so we decided to grab a couple foot long hot dogs from the stall in front of Volcano. They were small and didn't fill either of us up [granted we're both a bit big], but they tasted great. Worth the $5 in our thoughts.
Next up we headed towards Anaconda. I had ridden this ride as a kid, and I have always loved Arrow Loopers, so I talked up the ride to my friend on the way over to it. It was pretty much walk on, no real line, so we waited a few cycles for the front seat. We both agreed it was a great ride, and debated re-ridding, but decided it was time to head over to Intimidator 305.
We both have a strict "first ride is always front seat" policy, and the Intimidator 305 definitely wasn't going to be an exception. What we didn't know though, was that the 305 has an incredibly slow turnover when there is only 1 train running. It was taking about 5 minutes to cycle a train. We waited almost 2 hours before it was finally our turn to ride. As soon as we sat down in our seats, we were both in awe at the incredibly "intimidating" view of the lift hill. I was rather surprised at how comfortable the 305's restraints were, as I was expecting them to be similar to Maverick's, but they were actually the most comfortable OTSR's I had ever felt. Our seats were checked, we were cleared off, and BAM, we shot up the lift hill. We were amazed at the speed of the train going up. As we crested the hill, we both were braced and ready. Down we go, with some of the most intense G's either of us had ever felt. Insane airtime, tight twists and turns, and incredible G's. We were both amazed, and easily agreed it was the best ride we had ever ridden. It was worth the 2 hour wait.
At this point we were going to ride Flight of Fear, but the queue line was over 45 minutes, and since I had ridden it before, I explained to my friend it wasn't really worth waiting for at the time and that we'd come back later.
We then headed over to the Backlot Stunt Coaster. I had ridden the ride at King's Island, so I knew what to expect, my friend on the other hand, had no idea. It was walk on as well, so again we waited for the front seat. The staff was quick and funny too. They would always say something different to trick the riders, launching them off with no warning. Our turn came up, and we stepped into the trains. My friend commented about how comfortable the restraint system felt for a tight lap bar. Even though we knew about the no warning trick, it got me. I was fumbling with my sunglasses the entire beginning twist trying to get them on right. I wear contacts, so I have to wear them on rides. Anyways, I was rather upset when I noticed they didn't have the minigun sounds on, nor the fire like they have at King's Island. Overall though the ride was great, and both my friend and I enjoyed it enough for a re-ride.
Next up came drop tower. I had ridden the one at King's Island earlier this year, so it wasn't new for me. My friend on the other hand, had only ridden the one at Carowinds, which fails to even begin to compare. We walked straight on, no wait. The staff were friendly and joked around while they were checking everyone. Up we go. At the top, we all got a surprise, a voice came over the intercom telling us various states about the ride, then a fake out, random drop with no warning. Oddly enough, even though the drop tower at King's Island is taller, I enjoyed this one more.
Rebel Yell was our next stop. They were only running one side, but had both trains going thankfully. Since we have the clone of this ride at Carowinds [Thunder Road], we decided just to ride it in the shortest line, which just to happened to be the back seat. The staff were rather slow getting us out of the station, as they were goofing off and joking around a bit too much. Considering Rebel Yell is close to original without much being rebuilt, we both expected a rougher ride than Thunder Road. Boy were we wrong. Rebel Yell seems faster, and overall a much better ride than Thunder Road. Another plus is that the seats only have a small divider in the center, giving us both more room, this is unlike Thunder Road, with the full divider between the seats.
The Ricochet fell into our route next. It was another walk on. Considering we have one at Carowinds, we were expecting a rather boring ride. Turns out, we were again wrong. The staff took a while, it was taking over 2 minutes to send a car off. Even though we walked right up to the station, we had to wait quite a bit for them to ready everything. Once we were in the seats though, they sent us right off. Up the lift we go. The full-height drop is a nice change as opposed to most of these rides which only drop half their peak height. The turns were sharp as usual, and we both felt like it was coming of the tracks. Overall, it's a great ride, but if you have 2 larger [6ft. +] people, I'd recommend you not ride in the same row. We both were hurting quite a bit from pushing against the other.
Afterwards we hit the Hurler. Even though we have the one at Carowinds, we had heard this one had been retracked back in 06, so we decided to take a ride. Another walk on. We rode in the back to test out the roughness compared to ours at Carowinds. To our surprise, it was quite smooth compared to Carowinds'.
Next up was the Grizzly. I'm a huge fan of woodies, I love the rickety feeling, it gives me more of a rush. Another walk on. We decided to ride in the front seat since neither of us had ridden it before. The staff were quick and very nice, we joked around with them a little and they appreciated it, seeing as most people wouldn't bother trying to give them a laugh. Off we go. The ride was great, I loved it. In my opinion, it's better than both Rebel Yell and Hurler put together. My friend on the other hand, couldn't concentrate on the ride. Why? When we went through the tunnel, his hand got cut wide open by the roof. We re-rode it later and he agreed it was a great ride. Be wary of putting your hands up on it if you ride it though.
We decided to ride El Dorado just for the credit, since it looked weak. We were the only two riding. It was actually a pretty fun little ride. We rode it twice, as the breeze felt great on such a hot and humid day.
By this point it was getting close to 8pm and we were both hungry, so we decided to stop at that little grill behind shockwave. We both ordered a 1lb turkey leg. All I can say is WOW! It was delicious, easily the best food I had ever eaten in a theme park, and well worth the $7.
After we finished eating, we got in line for Shockwave. I had heard it was the most painful ride of its type, so we both prepared ourselves for pain. We waited about half an hour because there was only one train running at the time. It was our turn, and we boarded the train ... what an awkward ride to get into! The restraint system was annoying and seemed like it would cause allot of pain, but we both were able to get situated comfortably. Off we go. We were both bracing for pain, but contrary to what had been said, it wasn't that bad. Neither of us hurt, and we quite enjoyed the ride, as we were expecting much worse. Although, we both agreed it was a one-time ride, not worth waiting for again on such a limited time frame, and that Vortex at Carowinds is a better stand-up coaster.
Next up we headed back up front towards Dominator. On the way we noticed the Boo Blasters sign ... I had an idea. I got my friend to pose for a few pictures.
We both like to joke around and goof off, we were doing things like this all day.
As we got around to the front of Dominator, we noticed they were running all three trains at this point. YAY! We hopped in line and waited for the front seat. Overall it took about 20 minutes. The staff were working quickly, and were joking around too, they were great to watch while we were waiting in line. Neither I nor my friend had ridden a floorless coaster before, so this was a whole new experience. As the floors dropped out from under us and we left the station, we were both in awe at how cool it was seeing the track under our feet. Up the hill we go. My friends and I have a little thing we do every so often. One of us will yell "When I say Hillshire you Say Farms. Hillshire" Then the others will join in. "Farms! Go meat!" From the commercials. When we did this, over half the train joined in, that was the first time that had happened. Anyways, Dominator was great! It's in my top 5 list, and my friend's 2nd favorite coaster overall. We'd rate it as worth a wait of an hour for the front seat, and 45 minutes for anywhere else.
At this point it was getting dark. We decided to run over to Flight of Fear and check it out again. Walk on. Yet another ride where the staff would trick you. On our run he said "Ready! 10 ... 9.... 8" *launches*. I had ridden this at King's Island so I knew what to expect, my friend on the other hand had never ridden one. He had never ridden an indoor coaster before either, let alone pitch black. When we got off he was shaking, and commenting about how great of a ride it was. We both agreed Volcano is better though.
At this point it was 9:30, and dark. We headed over to Intimidator 305 for our last ride of the night.... I had an idea though. We got in the front row queue, and kept letting people in front of us. Since they can't kick you out when the park closes if you're still in line, we kept doing this.
It worked! we were the only 2 people on the train, on the last ride of the night, at this point it was 10:30. My friend and I loaded into the train, and off we went. Being alone on the ride was crazy enough, but when we peaked the top of the hill ... WOW! We couldn't see the ground, and had no idea of any of the track because it was so dark. Apparently the ride is allot more intense with just 2 people on it as well. We both got Tunnel Vision, it whipped us around harder, and the G's were allot stronger. What a ride!
Anyways, I won't go into details for Saturday, but what I will say is the lines were longer for virtually everything. The shortest wait for a coaster was over 20 minutes [305]. The only exception to this was the Grizzly, which was again a walk on.
Hope you enjoyed this TR, and expect allot more from me soon!
I plan to be more active on the forums.
I do have one more picture of my friend though. Hope it get's you a good laugh!
I didn't get to take many pictures, but I'll post the ones that I did along the way with this trip report.
We arrived the park at around noon Friday, August 13th. There wasn't an outrageous amount of people as rain was sprinkling on and off, but there were quite allot, finding a decent parking spot took a while. We got into the park without having to deal with a line at the gate.
After arriving in the park, we decided to head over to Dominator first. They were only running 1 train, and the line was well out of the queue, so we decided to come back later.
We headed over to the Volcano area next, and took a ride on crypt. We walked on with no wait. I was rather impressed with the ride, as the one at King's Island is much shorter and less thrilling. It wasn't worth a repeat ride though.
Afterwards we headed over to Volcano. They were only running one train, and the line was backed up quite a bit, but my friend had never been on a launcher before, so we decided to wait it out. 2 hours later, we're in the queue for the front car, about 3 cycles away. They then announce that the ride is being delayed to add a second train. While we were happy they were finally adding another train, after waiting 2 hours with only 1 train running, we were both a bit pissed. After about 10 minutes to transfer the trains, and another 5 to test run, they had the ride back up and running. It took a little over 5 minutes to cycle the 3 loads in front of us. After 2 and a half hours, it was finally our turn to ride. We both enjoyed the ride very much, and decided it was worth the wait. But never again would we wait that long for it.
At this point we were rather hungry, so we decided to grab a couple foot long hot dogs from the stall in front of Volcano. They were small and didn't fill either of us up [granted we're both a bit big], but they tasted great. Worth the $5 in our thoughts.
Next up we headed towards Anaconda. I had ridden this ride as a kid, and I have always loved Arrow Loopers, so I talked up the ride to my friend on the way over to it. It was pretty much walk on, no real line, so we waited a few cycles for the front seat. We both agreed it was a great ride, and debated re-ridding, but decided it was time to head over to Intimidator 305.
We both have a strict "first ride is always front seat" policy, and the Intimidator 305 definitely wasn't going to be an exception. What we didn't know though, was that the 305 has an incredibly slow turnover when there is only 1 train running. It was taking about 5 minutes to cycle a train. We waited almost 2 hours before it was finally our turn to ride. As soon as we sat down in our seats, we were both in awe at the incredibly "intimidating" view of the lift hill. I was rather surprised at how comfortable the 305's restraints were, as I was expecting them to be similar to Maverick's, but they were actually the most comfortable OTSR's I had ever felt. Our seats were checked, we were cleared off, and BAM, we shot up the lift hill. We were amazed at the speed of the train going up. As we crested the hill, we both were braced and ready. Down we go, with some of the most intense G's either of us had ever felt. Insane airtime, tight twists and turns, and incredible G's. We were both amazed, and easily agreed it was the best ride we had ever ridden. It was worth the 2 hour wait.
At this point we were going to ride Flight of Fear, but the queue line was over 45 minutes, and since I had ridden it before, I explained to my friend it wasn't really worth waiting for at the time and that we'd come back later.
We then headed over to the Backlot Stunt Coaster. I had ridden the ride at King's Island, so I knew what to expect, my friend on the other hand, had no idea. It was walk on as well, so again we waited for the front seat. The staff was quick and funny too. They would always say something different to trick the riders, launching them off with no warning. Our turn came up, and we stepped into the trains. My friend commented about how comfortable the restraint system felt for a tight lap bar. Even though we knew about the no warning trick, it got me. I was fumbling with my sunglasses the entire beginning twist trying to get them on right. I wear contacts, so I have to wear them on rides. Anyways, I was rather upset when I noticed they didn't have the minigun sounds on, nor the fire like they have at King's Island. Overall though the ride was great, and both my friend and I enjoyed it enough for a re-ride.
Next up came drop tower. I had ridden the one at King's Island earlier this year, so it wasn't new for me. My friend on the other hand, had only ridden the one at Carowinds, which fails to even begin to compare. We walked straight on, no wait. The staff were friendly and joked around while they were checking everyone. Up we go. At the top, we all got a surprise, a voice came over the intercom telling us various states about the ride, then a fake out, random drop with no warning. Oddly enough, even though the drop tower at King's Island is taller, I enjoyed this one more.
Rebel Yell was our next stop. They were only running one side, but had both trains going thankfully. Since we have the clone of this ride at Carowinds [Thunder Road], we decided just to ride it in the shortest line, which just to happened to be the back seat. The staff were rather slow getting us out of the station, as they were goofing off and joking around a bit too much. Considering Rebel Yell is close to original without much being rebuilt, we both expected a rougher ride than Thunder Road. Boy were we wrong. Rebel Yell seems faster, and overall a much better ride than Thunder Road. Another plus is that the seats only have a small divider in the center, giving us both more room, this is unlike Thunder Road, with the full divider between the seats.
The Ricochet fell into our route next. It was another walk on. Considering we have one at Carowinds, we were expecting a rather boring ride. Turns out, we were again wrong. The staff took a while, it was taking over 2 minutes to send a car off. Even though we walked right up to the station, we had to wait quite a bit for them to ready everything. Once we were in the seats though, they sent us right off. Up the lift we go. The full-height drop is a nice change as opposed to most of these rides which only drop half their peak height. The turns were sharp as usual, and we both felt like it was coming of the tracks. Overall, it's a great ride, but if you have 2 larger [6ft. +] people, I'd recommend you not ride in the same row. We both were hurting quite a bit from pushing against the other.
Afterwards we hit the Hurler. Even though we have the one at Carowinds, we had heard this one had been retracked back in 06, so we decided to take a ride. Another walk on. We rode in the back to test out the roughness compared to ours at Carowinds. To our surprise, it was quite smooth compared to Carowinds'.
Next up was the Grizzly. I'm a huge fan of woodies, I love the rickety feeling, it gives me more of a rush. Another walk on. We decided to ride in the front seat since neither of us had ridden it before. The staff were quick and very nice, we joked around with them a little and they appreciated it, seeing as most people wouldn't bother trying to give them a laugh. Off we go. The ride was great, I loved it. In my opinion, it's better than both Rebel Yell and Hurler put together. My friend on the other hand, couldn't concentrate on the ride. Why? When we went through the tunnel, his hand got cut wide open by the roof. We re-rode it later and he agreed it was a great ride. Be wary of putting your hands up on it if you ride it though.
We decided to ride El Dorado just for the credit, since it looked weak. We were the only two riding. It was actually a pretty fun little ride. We rode it twice, as the breeze felt great on such a hot and humid day.
By this point it was getting close to 8pm and we were both hungry, so we decided to stop at that little grill behind shockwave. We both ordered a 1lb turkey leg. All I can say is WOW! It was delicious, easily the best food I had ever eaten in a theme park, and well worth the $7.
After we finished eating, we got in line for Shockwave. I had heard it was the most painful ride of its type, so we both prepared ourselves for pain. We waited about half an hour because there was only one train running at the time. It was our turn, and we boarded the train ... what an awkward ride to get into! The restraint system was annoying and seemed like it would cause allot of pain, but we both were able to get situated comfortably. Off we go. We were both bracing for pain, but contrary to what had been said, it wasn't that bad. Neither of us hurt, and we quite enjoyed the ride, as we were expecting much worse. Although, we both agreed it was a one-time ride, not worth waiting for again on such a limited time frame, and that Vortex at Carowinds is a better stand-up coaster.
Next up we headed back up front towards Dominator. On the way we noticed the Boo Blasters sign ... I had an idea. I got my friend to pose for a few pictures.
We both like to joke around and goof off, we were doing things like this all day.
As we got around to the front of Dominator, we noticed they were running all three trains at this point. YAY! We hopped in line and waited for the front seat. Overall it took about 20 minutes. The staff were working quickly, and were joking around too, they were great to watch while we were waiting in line. Neither I nor my friend had ridden a floorless coaster before, so this was a whole new experience. As the floors dropped out from under us and we left the station, we were both in awe at how cool it was seeing the track under our feet. Up the hill we go. My friends and I have a little thing we do every so often. One of us will yell "When I say Hillshire you Say Farms. Hillshire" Then the others will join in. "Farms! Go meat!" From the commercials. When we did this, over half the train joined in, that was the first time that had happened. Anyways, Dominator was great! It's in my top 5 list, and my friend's 2nd favorite coaster overall. We'd rate it as worth a wait of an hour for the front seat, and 45 minutes for anywhere else.
At this point it was getting dark. We decided to run over to Flight of Fear and check it out again. Walk on. Yet another ride where the staff would trick you. On our run he said "Ready! 10 ... 9.... 8" *launches*. I had ridden this at King's Island so I knew what to expect, my friend on the other hand had never ridden one. He had never ridden an indoor coaster before either, let alone pitch black. When we got off he was shaking, and commenting about how great of a ride it was. We both agreed Volcano is better though.
At this point it was 9:30, and dark. We headed over to Intimidator 305 for our last ride of the night.... I had an idea though. We got in the front row queue, and kept letting people in front of us. Since they can't kick you out when the park closes if you're still in line, we kept doing this.
It worked! we were the only 2 people on the train, on the last ride of the night, at this point it was 10:30. My friend and I loaded into the train, and off we went. Being alone on the ride was crazy enough, but when we peaked the top of the hill ... WOW! We couldn't see the ground, and had no idea of any of the track because it was so dark. Apparently the ride is allot more intense with just 2 people on it as well. We both got Tunnel Vision, it whipped us around harder, and the G's were allot stronger. What a ride!
Anyways, I won't go into details for Saturday, but what I will say is the lines were longer for virtually everything. The shortest wait for a coaster was over 20 minutes [305]. The only exception to this was the Grizzly, which was again a walk on.
Hope you enjoyed this TR, and expect allot more from me soon!
I plan to be more active on the forums.
I do have one more picture of my friend though. Hope it get's you a good laugh!
