JoeKD

Delirium will be a a 40-person Mondial Revolution. The ride will be placed directly behind the Bad Apple flat ride (the same as KI's Shake Rattle & Roll), and will be roughly where Shockwave's entrance and station currently stand. Our "Candy Apple Grove" section is also supposed to majorly renovated along with the new ride. Expanded restrooms, two renovated restaurants, a new Coca-Cola Marketplace, new pavers, and a new shaded seating area are all planned as well (though they have yet to be announced). There is also a mysterious, fairly large building slated to be built on the ground of Shockwave's lift hill, although I haven't a clue what it is for. Some have speculated that it will be a permanent Haunt building like Dorney Park is building. Needless to say, I am excited.

Full article here: http://wavy.com/2015/07/07/busch-gardens-collar-that-came-loose-during-tempesto-isnt-a-safety-issue/ For those who aren't aware, Tempesto at Busch Gardens Williamsburg features "comfort collars": over-the-shoulder restraint-like devices made of a soft, flexible material, similar to the material on Intimidator 305's restraints. However, unlike over-the-shoulder-restraints, the "comfort collars" are meant to provide nothing more than a feeling of added security. The lap bar restraints to which the "comfort collars" attach do 100% of the work to restrain riders. Truthfully, the "comfort collars" serve no real purpose and have already proven themselves to be a bit of a nuisance. They slow down loading times and limit the freedom of the ride vehicle. It should be noted that Tempesto is the only Sky Rocket II clone to feature such a device; the others utilize only lap bars. The "comfort collars" were requested by the park. Here's a picture of the comfort collars: Also keep in mind that, although the "comfort collars" do not actually restrain riders and the coaster's safe operation is not reliant on them, the person who called the news cannot be faulted for her reaction. The general public does not know, and cannot be expected to know, the difference between a legitimate restraint device and a "comfort collar." All they know is that the device they thought was securing them has released, which would quickly raise red flags for most people. Just thought you all would be interested in this.

Umm..... there are quite a lot of Intamin Gyro Drops, and many more Drop Towers that don't launch you. I didn't know King's--err, Kings Dominion has a ride called Drop Zone.

Hi guys! "Kings Dominion" guy again. I struck up a conversation with a few of Kings Dominion's high-ups, including the vice president and general major, about future park prospects. While they obviously didn't confirm anything, they massively hinted that Dinosaurs Alive will be on its way out within the next few years. This should, of course, be taken with a massive grain of salt, but my understanding is that Cedar Fair's contract with the manufacturer of Dinosaurs Alive (who also maintain the attraction) is up, and that they are opting not to renew (perhaps due to all the technical difficulties?). That would bring about a removal of all eight Dinosaurs Alive attractions across the Cedar Fair chain. Take that for what it's worth, I suppose.

Not meaning for this to sound like I'm attacking you: outside of the nonexistent promotion of Tempesto during its construction, how has it been a failure? Good question! Simply put, it hasn't achieved the numbers it's been expected to. I wish I could provide you with exact numbers, but they're not what one would typically expect with the opening of a new coaster. I'm not sure if it has to do with the nonexistent advertising or not. I will say that BGW's park president, Carl Lum, explicitly stated that Tempesto wasn't meant to be a "major" coaster, so perhaps it was never intended to bring in the masses like, say, Verbolten. I don't mean to knock the coaster itself- it's a very fun attraction. I highly recommend experiencing it. I should also add that, personally, I don't mind Hurler. I am of smaller stature, which is perhaps why I don't find it rough at all. It is, however, a somewhat boring ride, with a fairly lackluster layout. It's certainly worth at least one ride, though. Also, thanks for the warm welcome. Sorry about the misspelling of King Cobra- I didn't realize there was a difference in spelling!

Hi guys! I’m a longtime lurker on here, first time poster. I live in Virginia and am a member of a Kings Dominion and Busch Gardens Williamsburg fansite, so perhaps I can provide some insight. As for the exclusivity contract between BGW and B&M, it is believed that it in fact did exist. However, with BGW’s last three coasters coming from Zierer and Premier, we believe the contract expired a few years ago. If KD were waiting to jump in and build a B&M as soon as they could, they would have done it already. Shockwave, our TOGO standup, is likely not in danger of removal… at least not right now. It’s located smack in the middle of our Candy Apple Grove midway (equivalent to KI’s Coney Mall), surrounded by other attractions and without any backstage access. It also has a small footprint, high popularity, and some of the best reliability in the park. Plus, with the spare parts from King Kobra and SkyRider, it has plenty of parts. I cannot imagine this coaster leaving any time soon, and it’s difficult to envision an E-ticket coaster taking its place. All signs are pointing towards Hurler for removal. Hurler is located in a somewhat remote corner of the park, and behind it sits a fairly large amount of open land. It also takes up a large amount of space, which is considerably unjustified given its dismally low ridership. In fact, the last bit of Wayne’s World theming was stripped away from its station this season. Most people criticize Hurler for either being: A.) extremely rough, or B.) boring. Even if KD’s next coaster doesn’t replace Hurler, I am confident that it will be the next coaster to be removed. Whenever KD gets a new coaster, it will almost certainly go on Hurler’s side of the park, the west side. With the exception of our Mack mouse and the long-gone Hypersonic, every coaster added to KD since 1996 has gone into the “Safari Village” section on the east side of the park. This makes the park feel lopsided and foot traffic uneven. There is room behind the Kings Dominion Theatre in the “Old Virginia” section (west side of the park) for a coaster to go along the interstate, and Dinosaurs Alive and our go-karts, both located beside the Theatre in Old Virginia, are both rumored to be on the short list for removal. Other posters here pretty much hit the mark though: whenever KD gets a new coaster, it likely will be a B&M. Especially with the failure of Tempesto at BGW, KD has the chance to come in with a swing and dominate Virginia for quite a few years. A B&M flyer or wing rider are both possibilities, and they are both unique to the region. Hopefully this has provided a little more info on what’s going on down in Virginia. I really enjoy the discussions you all have here, and I’d love to be able to provide insight about KI’s sister park for you all. If you have any KD questions, I guess I’m your guy!