3-Park East Coast Extravaganza

[Losantiville Mining Co.]

I recently took a trip to Dorney Park, Kings Dominion, and Six Flags America as part of a 3-Park East Coast Extravaganza to see SFA before it closes and KD for it's 50th Anniversary celebration! The decision was made to not ride any roller coasters as I wanted to take in the sights and save my coaster riding for a time when I could actually enjoy them without the intense heat wearing me down more than it already was. We made sure to ride other rides though. I didn't mind not riding the coasters at SFA due to their reputation and our time constraints. I'll be brief with my Kings Dominion and Dorney Park reports since SFA is what I'd really like to expand on. 

 

Kings Dominion 

We arrived at Kings Dominion a little later than expected and immediately used the front restroom. It was a lot better than the front men's restroom at Kings Island and had an appropriate number of urinals and stalls compared to the one at KI. Then we went to the front two stores and explored the merch to see if anything called out to us. I thought about getting a magnet, but I opted to save my money. I tried to get a drink from the new Biergarten but there was nobody at the (open) register window. We walked up International Street and caught the tail end of their 50 Years of Fun Street Party. It was... lackluster... when you compare it to the quality of shows we're used to at Kings Island. The performers seemed to be doing exactly what they were taught to do, simple dance moves with pop songs from each decade the park has been open. The two parade floats flanking the stage seemed to be what made it a "street party" and mixed the 2022 50 Years of Fun Street Party with Club KI from Kings Island's 50th celebration. I won't swear to it, but I also believe their big "50" setpiece came from Kings Island's front I.D. sign and had all of the sequins removed. It looked like the kinds of muted colors and textures that would come with that treatment. We were able to go up their Eiffel Tower to the 264' (lower/left elevator) observation deck and noticed the differences between it and the 278' deck. The view from up there was spectacular, but we didn't stay up there too long since I started to feel some slight acrophobia. I noticed that on the elevator they didn't say any of the typical spiel about dropping items over the edge or the height of the tower. 

On our way around the park we went from International Street to Old Virginia where I got a Coke (with bees on the machine  ) and perused the Grizzly Gulch gift shop. I enjoy the rustic feel of OV, but the area feels a little disconnected from itself and the rest of the park. We rode the Carousel in Candy Apple Grove and explored the land, including the new Victoria Gardens Patio. The Carousel looked like it needed a lot of love and I wish KD could have gotten some funds to at least clean and re-paint it. The Singing Mushrooms were very nice as always and I wish we had something similar at Kings Island. Jungle Xpedition is probably one of the best themed areas in a Six Flags park. Rapterra looked stunning and will look even better once all of the queue line foliage grows in more. Their version of Boo Blasters is also probably one of the best in the chain because it has working guns with lasers to show where you're pointing. I maintain that Kings Island should commit to remaking Phantom Theater or a similar new high-capacity dark ride though. KD's Planet Snoopy could easily become a Camp Snoopy with all of its trees and foliage. Dominator looked stunning as usual. The curbs appeared to have been replaced, but whoever did it did not do a great job cleaning up the path afterward. Kings Collection (their Emporium) was all decked out for the anniversary and had some awesome architectural drawings all over it. I even saw a Kings Productions (KECO subsidiary) item, which is a hard find. 

At that point it was time for dinner. I had the Pepperoni Pizza basket at Victoria's Pizza, which consists of one large slice of pizza and two breadsticks. It was fine, but I think I would've rather had something else. The restaurant feels kind of sterile and/or liminal/dead. They did a fine job with the new bar though. After dinner we went and saw part of Light the Night, took a night ride on the Blue Ridge Tollway (very dark, I wish the cars had functioning headlights for the ambiance), and rode the Carousel one last time. To end the night we watched the Street Party one more time and walked toward the park exit as Light the Night played in the background. The fountains were very nice to see and I wish Kings Island had something as grand as they appear to be. 

In conclusion, I enjoyed my time at Kings Dominion. It would have been made better if the park were able to put on a more substantial 50th Anniversary celebration like it deserved. I'm glad they got all of the ribbons and the giant Eiffel Tower medallion, but where Kings Island refreshed the entire park for its 50th, Kings Dominion was only able to put up some decorations and have some downgraded shows. And they built Rapterra, but I don't think that is what took all of the budget from the celebration. If more items could have been sent from Kings Island's 50th to Kings Dominion for theirs I think it would have at least looked a lot better. I understand why Kings Dominion is on a lower tier than Kings Island, I just wish they could have been allowed a better anniversary. Maybe they'll do something bigger and better for their 75th in 2050. 

 

Six Flags America 

Pulling up to the park was a new experience for us. Only one member of my group had ever been to a Legacy Six Flags park before, but we were relieved to find out that a Legacy Cedar Fair pass QR code worked for entry into this park with zero hassle. The approach, the entry I.D. sign, and the parking lot were all surprisingly nice/good looking. The main I.D. sign is large and situated toward the back of the split where the entry/exit driveways meet for the intersection. It is also surrounded by some lush foliage, nice fencing/stone pillars, and large gates. The other two signs (one tall sign along the road and a Hurricane Harbor sign) kind of soured the approach due to how unfinished they looked. We made our way through the parking toll and found a nice parking spot right up by their front entrance. The main section of their parking lot is situated on a hill with grass and trees between each row. We walked through their new-ish security line and noted that it was only one line for everyone coming in, and there may have been a second line they temporarily closed but that's it. I used my Six Flags app and barcode for my pass and we made it in smoothly. Something I found interesting was that it looked like all of the turnstile attendants and others throughout the park used an old smartphone for the barcode scanner. 

First stop: the restroom. It was not great but seemed mostly clean. There were no dividers between the urinals and the sinks did not work too well. The replica of the Liberty Bell was fun to see. Flags Emporium held some general Six Flags merch, some specific Six Flags America merch, and a Fiesta Texas shirt toward the back of the store. I'd compare it to how a Five Below would look if it only sold clothes and magnets. There was an abundance of poop emoji hats of all colors and faces. Going further down Main Street 1776 I noticed that their Flash Pass Headquarters is just a counter inside a dim alcove. The main fountain was nice to see, as was the scenery around the bridge to the rest of the park. For those wondering, the infamous digital clock on the Food Hall was actually showing the correct time! We rode their antique cars, followed by a ride on the Carousel. The cars were remarkably nice for this park and had larger seats than those at KI or KD, though the scenery was very blank once you left the wooded part of the track. The Carousel surprised us because it's only about 40 years old (constructed in the 1980s) and was decorated with circus animals. I remarked about how that might be from before the park became Six Flags America in 1999. We walked around more, looking at show times and taking in the sights, eventually going through Movie Town and Mardi Gras. It was nice to see Wild One while it's still operating. If I'd have ridden any of their coasters I would have gone on that one. After realizing that the train now only operates on Saturdays and Sundays, we walked into Gotham City and made the loop. We saw The Bat Mobile, the old arena with its bat-shaped fences, the large The Penguin themed dry slides, and the blocked-off plaza for Superman and Batwing. I didn't realize that they were both "waiting" on parts. The smallest stand-alone restroom building you'll ever see is also back there and is the only reason the path is open so far back. Heading back toward the front I once again stopped into the restroom, this time in Gotham City. Those restrooms were bad to say the least and the hand dryers didn't work. I ended up wiping my washed hands on my shirt. If anywhere needs A/C it's the restrooms. 

We watched Firebird run a few cycles and noticed it smoking a little, then remembered that it has a fire effect. I didn't look to see if Roar was running, but it looked like a big wooden coaster so good job on that. We saw "Steam Heist" on our way over to another show and I thoroughly enjoyed it for what it was. We were surprised to see them wielding daggers, swords, a bucket full of yellow water, other props, and a fire effect. It was genuinely a nice little 5 character stunt-ish show with a message of "dream for tomorrow" and comedic gags throughout. After that, we went to the main theater in the park — only to learn that there were no shows there that day. Not even any Looney Tunes characters like the sign next to it said there would be. Having been disappointed by the show sign we made our way into the New-for-2024 Steamtown. The area looked nice enough, the store had some anime and Fright Fest merch (Kings Island should sell some Haunt/Winterfest merch all year IMO), and the new NebulaZ ride looked like fun. That being said, a majority of the buildings in the area were very clearly permanently closed off with graphic boards replacing the doors and larger windows. Walking back to the front of the park I noticed a bridge to nowhere (I later found out that it used to be a return path from a demolished water slide for Hurricane Harbor). On our way out I took a few more pictures and walked into the Looney Tunes store. It was without a doubt the biggest and nicest place in the park with full air conditioning, nice paint schemes, and big statues of the characters. Before leaving the park I went and got my magnet and paid with my passholder discount using my Six Flags app. It didn't take off a lot of the price, but it was nice to see that it worked. I noticed that they also had Pride magnets/merch and was thoroughly pleased to see it. Pride merch is something that I hope comes to the Legacy Cedar Fair parks from the Legacy Six Flags chain. Even just a rainbow magnet would be better than nothing. As we left the security area we decided to take a photo with the "That's All Folks" wall mural and the wonderful security officer offered to take our photo for us! That was really nice of him and I personally appreciated it a ton. 

In conclusion, it is very obvious that Six Flags America is a park that is preparing to close. We are glad we didn't purchase a meal plan for the day since a lot of the stalls were either closed or did not interest us like the ones at other parks do. It's a nice little park that is suffering from a severe lack of funding and a disjointed planning scheme. If another company could take over this park I think it would do a lot of good. The only downside would be that Six Flags would not receive the huge sums of cash that they are trying to get out of selling the land. I made a joke about the federal government (you know who) buying it and turning it into The Most Patriotic Theme Park since it is called [Six Flags] America, but now I unironically think he'd try to do something like that. 

 

Dorney Park

Driving four hours up to Dorney was a fun little trip. We decided to go so we wouldn't be driving home all night and since we could get dinner with our meal plans. Getting into the park was a little odd since the ticket scanner broke right as we pulled up to the turnstile, but the nice associate quickly remedied the situation using what looked like a barcode scanner gun (as opposed to the square-ish QR code scanners). We watched one showing of their version of Hot Rhythm Nights and I thought it was way better than Kings Island's version. Afterwards we rode the carousel and got some pictures of/with the MVP sale billboard/podium setup because it was funny. Next, it was dinner time. I went to Clucks and Franks, ordered a Jumbo Hot Dog (and my drink) and proceeded to wait about a half hour while it cooked. Having worked in food service, I know food always feels like it takes forever to cook, but the timing seemed a little off. I think they had to thaw and boil the hot dogs. Luckily, all of this meant that once I got my food it was nice and hot and fresh. It was a really good hot dog and fries, and the wiener probably actually measured out to be a foot long. Eat your heart out Jukebox Diner  Before the park closed for the night we saw another showing of Hot Rhythm Nights, except the set list had changed a lot between these last two shows of the day! I was so confused and pleased at the same time! It was amazing. There were also properly blended harmonies, the dancers weren't just doing a step and repeat dance move the whole time, and the live band was AWESOME! I've said it before and I'll say it again: Kings Island needs a live band for both Country Crossroads and Hot Rhythm Nights. 

In conclusion, my time at Dorney Park was well spent. I enjoyed my dinner and got to see two different versions of the same show, of which I'd seen a third version of at Kings Island. If I had to suggest one improvement for the park to make it would be to install either a funicular or cable cars to bring guests from the lower section of the park up to the main midway. Those hill paths are brutal and could at least use more level areas for people to stop on.