dudecoasterman Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 I am going on vacation the week of July 14th with my family and a friend, we are going to be stopping by Kings Dominion for a day trip. I was wondering if anyone had been there and had tips on things to ride,things to eat, and things to do. Everyone that is going rides rides of all sorts and is tall enough to ride everything. I already plan on riding the following. Intimidator 305, Dominator, Volcano: The Blast Coaster, Hurler, Berserker, Shockwave, and Anaconda. Are there any other rides that we should ride? Is there a specific order that things should be ridden? and Should we get fast passes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkroz Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 You'll want to ride their Crypt, too. It's a fantastic flat ride. Stop to watch a cycle before or after you ride, too, because it adds a whole new dimension to the experience. Even the rides that are similar take on very different forms at Kings Dominion. You'll likely trip over yourself finding the station for Flight of Fear, and the different lighting / sound combos will be noticeable. WindSeeker provides a completely different view than at Kings Island and is worth doing. Their Boo Blasters uses a different ride system that makes the experience in each room much more personal (each effect triggers just for you instead of being on a constant, 5-second loop). Don't miss Avalanche, tucked away behind Volcano. The wooden coasters will give you an experience that Kings Island's and Cedar Point's don't (not saying if that's good or bad). To get to Grizzly, you have to go through the Dinosaurs Alive entrance, so don't get confused and walk right past it. Their Drop Zone also claims to be the tallest gyro drop in the world. The tower itself is shorter than Kings Island's, but the brakes begin lower down on the tower so the actual "drop" portion is larger. The brakes catching the gondola so low to the ground also provides a really odd sensation when you're so used to Kings Island's. Their Backlot Stunt Coaster is in thematic disrepair. Absolutely zero effects work besides half of the splashdown - no flames, no helicopter, no sound effects, so music, no fog, nothing. Worth riding just to see how good we have it after last season's awesome little refurb (is our BLSC still doing well, by the way?). To reiterate: Rides that the two parks have in common have all been maintained and aged separately, so even identical clones provide crazy different experiences. If you're old enough to appreciate it, their Planet Snoopy and Kidzville areas are really worth strolling through just for a look. They have what must be the world's smallest swinging ship ride and an awesome, guiderail-less car ride where kids can literally drive around a little Peanuts town at will. Just something that's fun to see and different from anything I've seen elsewhere. They had a really awesome little walkthrough called the Treasure Cave, but it appeared to me in my trip earlier this year that it was closed for good - a real shame. Basically plan on riding everything. No reason to pick out five or six coasters when you'll have time for it all! And on that note, I can't imagine that you'd need Fast Lane, but I'd definitely wait until you're actually there to make any decisions about that... I don't doubt that a good amount of money is made on the park's end by patrons who buy the Fast Lane passes way ahead of time, then find 5 - 10 minute waits once they arrive at the park. Oops! I've never been to the park on an extremely busy day, but even in its first year I never waited more than 10 minutes for Intimidator. Volcano is the only really low capacity ride (so much so that even with Fast Lane, that one ride is limited to two times per person), so head there first. You shouldn't have a problem with anything else. Kings Dominion's food is still like Kings Island's was last year - you'll spend $7.00 for a plain, mediocre hamburger with no fries or drink. Add a dollar if you want cheese, another if you want a moist bacon circle, and four more if you'll take fries with that. After that experience, I had a bad taste in my mouth (literally) toward the park's food options. In The Grove (their Coney Mall) I noticed a sign for a $7.00 turkey sub combo at some little restaurant. It occurred to me that it would've been a little bit less of a rip-off, so maybe check that out. Locals would probably advise you to leave and get fast food nearby, just as many of us would've for Dominionites visiting our park in past years. While the park is always improving, it's not always been well-loved from an operations point of view. Many week days, even in the summer, rides run as few trains as possible. Intimidator often runs one. Two wouldn't necessarily help much, but there's a psychological aspect to sitting and waiting in an empty station while the train races through the course around you. Their Congo section, by the way, is easily the best themed area I've seen in any Cedar Fair park. Keep an eye out for Tomb Raider's film score playing there, movie props scattered around the area, and the film's Triangle of Light carved in many places... Enjoy your trip! Take pictures for us! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TOPGUN1993 Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 I went last season for the first time. Best ride there is Crypt. I however was disappointed by the park, Volcano, Avalanche, I305, and Crypt were our favorites. Shockwave, and Dominator are good but easily forgettable and Berserker hurts like a mofo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkroz Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 Unfortunately, I agree. Disappointed. Yep. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dudecoasterman Posted July 2, 2012 Author Share Posted July 2, 2012 Thanks GYK, I will definitely try to ride as much as possible, I completely forgot that they have their own version of Crypt and I also overlooked their FoF and WindSeeker because I thought they would be very similar. I also don't really like Drop rides but I will check theirs out to see how different it is from ours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkiboy Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 Go to Volcano first Its a capaicty nightmare uassly when I go I305 is a Walk on .enjoy KD its KI of the south!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCrypt Posted July 3, 2012 Share Posted July 3, 2012 I echo all of GYK's thoughts. But here are some individual ride reviews: The Crypt: As you can tell by my screen name and About Me section of my profile, you can see that it's a given that you're gonna hear positive reviews about it. I must say, this is an amazing ride that packs a punch. However, if you take away the fire, water, and score (again, something I'm a fanatic about--soundtracks/scores), you just have a basic TopSpin cycle. I personally don't think it'd be worth it to ride if it has a long wait and the effects are down. Judging by GYK's excellent photo trip report, the effects now are of the hit and miss variety. Volcano: The Blast Coaster: Honestly, I can't remember too much about this ride, except for the first launch, the fire out of the top of the volcano, and crawling around through a half-assed attempt in a volcano (within, you can clearly see the scaffolding supports--or some kind of scaffolding, and you just crawl around the room for awhile before the brakes). Seeing as how that's the only thing I remember, it doesn't seem too worthy (someone correct me if my review is terrible!) Intimidator 305: This Intamin giga does not let down until the final brakes. During the offseason, I heard it got its trims removed, so that's always a good thing! I loved this ride from start to finish, even how fast it goes up the initial hill. Ride it at night, as I'm sure it'll be quite disorienting! Anaconda: This Arrow looper is really fun, but I can't remember for the life of me if this was rough or not. With a loop, followed by a sidewinder, followed by 2 corkscrews and a couple helixes (helices?), you'll have FUN. As a side note, while it's shorter than Vortex, the setting almost completely over the water makes up for the loss, plus the underwater tunnel. Grizzly: This ride was pretty fun. It starts out mirrored to The Beast (literally- you make a left turn out of the station 180*). I can remember it crawling around the turns, perhaps there's a braking mechanism there? But the end quickly picks up the pace. I feel like it was great fun. Dominator: From start to finish, Batman's Night Flight Dominator never lets up. The cobra roll, massive loop, and intertwining corkscrews, combined with the floorless train design, makes this ride quite memorable. Plus, I always love watching the floors in the station fold up! Beserker: Skip. I rode this and Phoenix @ Busch Gardens Africa and had the same experience at both. If it had less painful restraints, maybe ride. But when I rode, I could barely breathe, the OTSRs push down on you with so much force. Don't ride. Ricochet: Your standard wild-mouse coaster. Go up, do some quick hairpin turns, throw in a couple drops, brakes. I had fun, quite possibly you, too. White Water Canyon: OH MY GOD skip. If my experience isn't typical, so be it. But when I went, I didn't get A SINGLE DROP of water on me. None. Zilch. Considering that I waited about 45 minutes for this and didn't get wet, let's just say I wasn't a happy watermelon. Maybe you'll get wet, though? But I have no idea if my expirience was typical. Don't pass up their Flying Eagles. IMO, if you pass them up, it's a waste of your day (I know, extreme, but I just absolutely loved this ride! ). I cannot say anything but positive comments on it, as it was like reliving my childhood. I last visited in 2010, so you might experience different than what I did. Also, do make sure you check out GYK's excellent PTR, if you haven't already. I feel he expressed his opinions in the park wonderfully. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkroz Posted July 3, 2012 Share Posted July 3, 2012 My visit from that year was also very good. At least back then, I would've said I preferred Kings Dominion to Kings Island by a fairly wide margin, and not just because I wasn't as used to it. EDIT: Dudecoasterman, not sure how flexible your trip is or if you have the means, but you'll be about an hour from Busch Gardens, which is very easily one of the best seasonal amusement parks - or maybe, one of the best amusement parks period - in the U.S. Not a thrill capitol, mind you, but worth the effort if you can get there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dudecoasterman Posted July 3, 2012 Author Share Posted July 3, 2012 The only problem that we would have with going to BGW is the cost, there are 4 of us going so that's almost $300. The only reason that we could even go to KD is the fact that 3 of us have Platinum passes so only one would have to pay. I was also wondering would the fact that we are probably going on a Saturday mean that there will be more crowds? or will the crowds still manage to be pretty light? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCrypt Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 If you're planning to shell out the money for Fast Lane @ Kings Dominion, but end up not buying it, you can either use the money for a nice souvenier, or pay a little more for the ticket to Busch Gardens Europe. It is one of my absolute favorite parks, and I would never want to pass it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBEASTunchained Posted July 5, 2012 Share Posted July 5, 2012 If you're planning to shell out the money for Fast Lane @ Kings Dominion, but end up not buying it, you can either use the money for a nice souvenier, or pay a little more for the ticket to Busch Gardens Europe. It is one of my absolute favorite parks, and I would never want to pass it up. Fast pass has really helped me when riding The Beast but I've never got a Fast Pass at Kings Dominion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcgoble3 Posted July 5, 2012 Share Posted July 5, 2012 If you're planning to shell out the money for Fast Lane @ Kings Dominion, but end up not buying it, you can either use the money for a nice souvenier, or pay a little more for the ticket to Busch Gardens Europe. It is one of my absolute favorite parks, and I would never want to pass it up. Fast pass has really helped me when riding The Beast but I've never got a Fast Pass at Kings Dominion. Fast Lane, not Fast Pass. The latter is found only at Disney and bears little, if any, resemblance to Fast Lane. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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