[GoodYellowKoRn182]

So, photos will be coming soon, but a quick breakdown of the things I've really noticed.

Overall - Kings Dominion really is beautiful. I guess you have to be when you're up against Busch Gardens, but I feel like the whole park was build in the dense forests of Virginia. International Street really is like, fountains dug through dense foliage which has clearly been around for years and years. You can immediately tell that Kings Island was the "prototype" and that Kings Dominion was built after Taft has some moolah. The International Street buildings are all beautifully textured. And the entrance to the park has castle turrets and lanterns... Very well-themed!

As far as atmosphere, I am literally jealous of Kings Dominion. The Congo area is so incredible. It's ground is brick work similar to our new Rivertown, but throughout. And to make things even better, the entire Congo area plays (literally) the score from Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. Trust me, I have it on my iPod. The movie score is literally broadcast throughout the Congo area.

As expected, the park is beautiful. Especially at night. Here's some ride-specific details.

Dominator - A walk on. I know this ride's layout by heart from it's Batman: Knight Flight days, so it was no surprise to me. As expected, it's smooth as the day is long. I know this sounds odd, but I'd have liked it if they flipped the layout. The hill dives towards the parking lot.

Volcano: The Blast Coaster - Truly a surprise for me. I knew this ride's wait was the longest in the park on most days (and it was so today - 40 minutes in the morning, 20 at night), and that after the launch, the rest of the ride was sort of coasting with some inline-twists. And while literally seconds after the launch you do realize you're at "cruising" speed and will be so for the remainder of the short ride, the inversions (which turned out to be heartline rolls - my first ever!) are incredible. I'd never been through a heartline roll, and they're so unbelievable. Inline-twists / barrel rolls usually leave me feeling drained. But these rolls were incredible! Relaxing, almost. Obviously I'd love a longer ride, but I'd say that no matter how long the ride was.

The Crypt - Original Tomb Raider music... Fire... Fountains... This ride was, as expected, great. It does nine complete inversions. To be honest, though, it's more fun to watch than it is to ride. Most top spins are that way when they're special-effects-laden. This only amplified by belief that Kings Island needs to get a suspended Top Spin with an identical blueprint and setup with identical effects and music in place of the current Crypt. I can't even explain how amazing the Congo is at night... With Volcano exploding, The Crypt sending up fire and water, pulse-pounding music... It's unparalleled. I'm very jealous of Kings Dominion for having this section of the park.

Flight of Fear - First of all, the queue. Be happy we have the one we do. All of the inner queue's switchbacks are taken up by a haunted house that took place (will take place?) inside the building. That means all of the switchbacks are guarded by eight foot tall black plywood, so you can't see the saucer til you're at the steps of it. Also, all of the hanger lighting is off. The house lights are on, and none of the "effect" lights are utilized. On the flip side, the lights within their ship still work, and their station is lit very beautifully. Surprising, their ride takes place in pitch black darkness. It caught me very much by surprise. I know that's how Paramount used to run it (right?), but to be honest, I like the red and purple lights in the spaghetti bowl. The launch passes right through the center of the knot, and it looks incredible to see all the track around you. It was literally pitch black inside. You couldn't see a hand in front of your face. It definitely made the ride more intense, but I truly do prefer it with the lights on.

Backlot Stunt Coaster Kings Dominion's Backlot Stunt Coaster needs some TLC. We rode at 9:30 (it was very dark) and none of the lights on the ride were turned on. No police cars, no billboards, no road signs... Just darkness. It sucked, because BLSC really is one of my favorite rides to ride at night. The fire, the signs, the police... It's such an experience. Also, only the fire closest to helicopter works correctly. The one closest to the train doesn't ignite (its pilot light does, but it never plumes) and the large upward explosion happens (get this) just as the final car passes under it. So riders in the blue and red car don't see it. People in the first row of the back car only hear it, and the very last row can catch a glimpse if they look up as they pass under it. And yes, it does that every day. I asked.

Drop Zone The world's other and proper tallest drop ride... Kings Dominion's Drop Tower is some pretty ugly colors. I love how ours is different colored sections all the way up, very bright and attention-grabbing. Kings Dominion's is alternating pink and orange back and forth all the way up, with avocado seats and catch car. It doesn't rotate on the way up, which is actually to its advantage... It goes up and comes down in probably 30 seconds total... It's a people eater! The catch car comes down just as quickly.

Scooby Doo & The Haunted Mansion - Sorry, but their SDATHM is a billion times better than ours. You enter the mansion by crossing a bayou (complete with crocodile, bubbling swamp water, and life-sized, stuck-in-the-mud mystery machine). The queue line has "profiles" of all the Mystery Inc. (ex. Shaggy. Real Name: Norville Rogers. Hair: Messy. Height: 6' ... Who knew Velma was 15 and Fred and Daphne were 17?!). The ride itself is better not only because it features so many more scenes and more intricate props, but also because you can actually see where your lasers are shooting at. I always feel embarassed on our SDATHC when I have to tell my friends "Oh yeah, and you can't see where you're shooting." I really don't know why you can't see with ours? KD's guns are the same, and you can see a red dot wherever you hit the wall.




I'll be writing more shortly! I'm spending another day at Kings Dominion, but tomorrow I'm going to Busch Gardens, where I got the special Unlimited Quick Queue. That means no lines for anything all day long. (: I'm very pumped.

[DiSab]

Sounds like you had a good time. KD is one park that's on my list of places to visit.

I've heard a lot of good things about Dominator/Knight Flight, but I've always found it odd that its the only (or one of the only) floorless coasters without a zero-G roll. Regardless, it seems like a great ride and one I'll be looking forward to riding when I get to the park.

[Lake Charles Guy]

I'm glad you enjoyed my home park the way I enjoy Kings Island.

[thunderbeast1968]

I visites KD in June, and I agree it is a very nice park. I love the amount of trees around the Eifel Tower and elsewhere. Dominator 2.0 great and again I agree, the track layout needs flipped around. The crypt at KD is how it should be done. I rode it 8 times in 2 days. Music , theming, fire, water A+++, plus it fit in real well with Volcano. I tell you my favorite coaster was a simple one, avalanche. This was a lot of fun. I guess Kings Island has ruined me as in woodies, the ride length seem too short for me, Hurler was O.K. but a little rough not too bad. Grizzly I really liked, but again, I know all wooden coaster cannot be as long as Beast or SOB but the coaster was fun.


All around I had a good time, ride wait times were bot too bad. My only complaint, I could not find any discount coupons for the park. I asked my hotel, which was across the street from the park, I asked grocery stores, gas stations ect. but no luck. I will probably return next year for a lap on the new coaster. I give the park a 9/10.

Sorry my sentence structure is bad, I just put several random thoughts together. Please forgive me.

[Thundercracker]

Great so far I also love KD's Tomb Raider:The Ride at Night so cool.

*As for Kings Island's Scooby-Doo & The Haunted Castle it was to get some really cool unique stuff which included

-The Mystery Machine out front of the castle's small graveyard
-A Small Graveyard out in front of the castle with fog! (as listed above)
-A Large Spooky Tree with an owl perched on a branch hooting& a Hole in the Tree with Spooky glowing eyes!
-Wooden cutouts ofShaggy and Scooby-Doo Tip-toeing in the graveyard
-Wooden Cutouts of Fred,Daphne,Velma placed in front of the Mystery Machine
-Real Mini-Mystery Machines! Kings Island told Sally Inc No!Not to install them that's why we have those re-painted Phantom Theater Doom Buggies.

Anyway Fantastic Report so far.

This post has been edited by Haunted Castle Guy: 02 August 2009 - 02:37 PM

[GoodYellowKoRn182]

PART TWO: BUSCH GARDENS

For anyone who's been to Busch Gardens Europe, it will come as no surprise to you (if you're privy to my tendency towards theme) that I am in love with Busch Gardens Europe. This is going to be hurtful, and please know that I'm just on a vacation high so I probably don't mean this, but I swear I'd rather live in between Busch Gardens and Kings Dominion. Like, I realize I'm only big into Kings Island because of the whole Paramount thing. Well, Kings Dominion only changed two things when Paramount left - Tomb Raider & Italian Job, both of which didn't actually change at all at Kings Dominion. Meanwhile, every Kings Island attraction is covered between the two parks. Diamondback? Apollo's Chariot. Scooby Doo? Curse of DarKastle / Better version of Scooby Doo. Spongebob Squarepants? Corkscrew Hill. It's like the Virginia parks just one-up us.

And it's easy to see why. I mean, one day at Busch Gardens and you'd have to bring a lot of proof to me to convince me that Busch Gardens is a seasonal park. It's absolutely unbelievable. Truly. It's beautiful, it's well cared for, it's thrilling, it's just all around impressive. Kings Dominion has to contend with that and, in turn, has to be as beautiful and yet thrilling as any Cedar Fair park.

The day was made even more spectacular since I went ahead and purchased the $40 ticket upgrade to Unlimited Quick Queue. Essentially, they chose like, eight or nine major rides (which is all the major rides) to have a Quick Queue System (aka you walk up the exit of the ride). There, an employee checks your wristband and crosses off the name of that ride since you can only go once. Well of course, with Unlimited Quick Queue, you can just ride over and over all day. I highly highly highly suggest you do it. I mean, $40.00 and literally limitless rides all day with no wait. It breaks down to like, $5.00 per ride, and that's if you only ride once. Wouldn’t you pay $5.00 to skip the two hour wait in the sweltering heat for Griffon? I just feel like it increases the overall experience, you know? Cedar Fair should invest in something like this. Imagine how it would explode at Cedar Point!


Employees - aka Cast Members (took that one from Disney). The employees at Busch Gardens are incredible. I really don't think I just managed to hit the park on a "good day". I think it's always that lively and friendly thanks to the workers. From the tram to the park all the way to the tram ride back to the car, it was just mind-boggling. I can't say enough of the people who work at the park. They deserve so much for the crap they have to do. I'm sure that's true of most parks, but it's just... Such enthusiasm! I love it. Sometimes I feel like Cedar Fair workers are friendly, but clearly would rather not be there. The BG employees are so excited to do what they do, even in the "worst" positions.

Big Bad Wolf As you all have heard tons about by now. There's quite a huff about the Big Bad Wolf. Truly, today was proof that it is the best suspended coaster out there. It’s just breathtaking. Swerving through that Bavarian village, literally a near-miss with a little German house every five seconds… And that river dive! It’s truly ferocious, and ought to be recognized for how incredible it is! A 99 foot plummet to a river… What a finale! Since we had our Quick Queue which got us right into the station, we went ahead and waited for front row (why wouldn’t you when you got to skip the hour and a half regular queue?!) and man, my life has changed. Iron Dragon who? Flight Deck what? It’s all about the Big Bad Wolf. 10/10

Apollo’s Chariot – Apollo’s Chariot is a really decent B&M “Mega.” The first drop is above average, of course, but it only gets better from there. It’s all airtime, all the way. Very, very similar to Diamondback, but instead of our turnaround, it has a tremendous upward helix. Really breathtaking. And one of its best features, in my opinion, is that it’s bunny hills all the way back, then just as you pass the first drop, the train vaults to the side to pass under the lift hill. It’s very graceful. Overall, a tremendous ride. 9.5 / 10

Alpengeist – One of the better B&M Invert layouts I’ve experienced. The Immelmann was great. And for one reason or another, I prefer B&M’s which dive while twisting (ex. Dominator), so I just naturally enjoyed this ride! And props to the park for being incredible in themeing. The station is a ski-lodge (the train is a ski-lift) into the Alps. (Alpengeist = Ghost of the Alps = Yeti), and it’s all very well done with snow and icicles on buildings and… Ahh, it’s perfect.

Griffon – If you haven’t been on a B&M Dive Machine, get on to Busch Garden’s website this instant, buy a ticket (and a Quick Queue Unlimited) and for the love of God, ride this ride. There’s no way to explain it. In images, I always said to myself, “Well it’s only vertical for like, five feet of the drop.” In person, I’ve never been so intimidated by a roller coaster. Ever. Not Millennium. Not Top Thrill. Never. Maybe it’s the fact that the track is twice as wide as any other coaster. Maybe it’s because of the floorlessness or the ten people per row… But it’s huge. It rockets down the first hill, then goes into an Immelmann, which occurs a good 200 feet above the heads of onlookers. Even the inversion towers over everything in the park. I rode it once in the exact middle, once on the very right end. And let me tell you, there’s nothing like the end. No track. No nothing. You’re just floating. What an incredible ride.

Loch Ness Monster – And why can’t we have an Arrow like this? Of course it’s not smooth, of course it has the awkward transitions, but man is it fun! A triple helix in pitch-black darkness, dives towards the water… And of course, those interlocking loops. Half the fun of LNM, though, is in the woodsy setting… A great ride altogether. And if this one is great, you know that Busch Gardens is quality over quantity and it really pays off. I enjoy this parks five coasters more than Cedar Point’s 17, because at least all of BG’s coasters are well-cared for, well-themed, and fun. And yet, they’re just as thrilling! So apparently, you don’t have to sacrifice quality to have thrilling rides: a lesson Cedar Fair could stand to learn.


Curse of DarKastle – Yes, the Spiderman ripoff. But this ride is mind-boggling in and of itself. It’s very very toned down for families, with the car doing about 25% of the movement it’s capable of. They changed the story a bit since I was at the park in like, 2002. But man is it still fun. I mean, it’s obvious that it’s the low-budget version of Spiderman. They’re not trying to fool anyone. But it’s still a lot of fun. See, this ride is another reason I’m glad I had the Quick Queue. Like, you walk directly into the station and onto the ride in maybe two and a half minutes of waiting. Maybe. And when that’s the case, it’s a fun ride! But if I were out there for an hour, even a half hour, in the sweltering heat going back and forth in endless switchbacks (which I did do all those years ago, so trust me), I would be extremely let down by the final ride experience. It’s fun, but not after an hour long buildup. One of my favorite rides at a seasonal park, no question. And hands down the best modern dark ride I’ve been on.

More later, and I’ll go back and update the whole thing with pictures!

[Lake Charles Guy]

I'm glad you're having a good time in my home state!

[Geauga Dog]

Great TR's so far! Busch Gardens Williamsburg is my overall favorite theme park and while my last visit was back in 2003 the experience there is miles above anything we have around here. I just wish it was a bit closer. I need to get back there soon.

As for Volcano, when I first saw the ride from the parking lot I didn't think it would be all that great but I have to agree that I was also quite surprised at the launch, especially the second launch up through the top of the mountain, and the gracefulness of the inline twists. I also agree that it could have been just a little longer. It has that Adventure Express moment where you have a great twisting drop to the right only to find the final brakes at the bottom of the drop. It's as if there should have been more to the ride after it.

[TH13TEEN]

I can't wait to see the pics. Great TR!

[guitarkevin4life]

I did the same two parks a week after you did. I went to KD on a Thursday and Friday, and went to BGE on Saturday. Busch is now my all time favorite park. The Griffon line was about an hour and a half, but we got in the single riders line and got on in about 5 minutes. The thing about Griffon's singles line is that it moves SO FAST! Diamondback's moves very slow, because there's only 2 to a row. But with 10, there's like 2 empty seats a row! Plus there were only like 15 people in the line, so it was 15 minutes on the longest line. Everything else was pretty much a station wait except for BBW, which was about an hour. But we waited it out.

As for KD, Volcano is by far my favorite ride there. Dominator is good, but Volcano is a truly unique and special coaster. The closest comparison I can think of is Maverick, and that's not very close. As for KI being a prototype KD, I disagree. Dominion's International Street is much narrower than our's is. However, there are a lot of trees. If I had to choose between the Island or the Dominion, I think I'd pick KI. It's where I grew up and I know it best.

My thoughts.

[Sheikra_rocks]

I was at Busch Gardens on the 1st, and KD the day before.

Now that you have gone to Busch Williamsburg, you HAVE to do Busch Tampa. They are the difference between night and day.

Montu is a G-force machine, Alpie is more gracefull.

Griffon is forcefull, while SheiKra is graceful.

Kumba is a force all on it's own. Apollo's Chariot is another gracefull one as you mentioned in your TR.

Rode Loch Ness once for the credit. RIP Python, Florida's first looping roller coaster.

................

Spiderman vs. Darkastle: Darkastle moves EXACTLY like Spiderman, but less "jolty" I know this, because I have ridden Spiderman so many times I can point out effects not working properly, when notifying an employee they thank me and offer me a complimentary ride.

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Staffing: The people at Busch were so happy to assist anyone with needs. BBW employees wave and smile at riders as they dispatch trains, and when the trains return. Cedar Fair employees seem so grumpy compaired to them.

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To add to what you said about the fountain at Kings Dominion, I had to look at it twice to even know it was a concrete pool and not water in a hole in the ground... The park is really beautiful. The Tower is completely surrounded by trees. I didn't notice as much highway (asphault) in KD as there is in KI.

KI needs to do something with the asphault in Coney Mall. I know it is probably cheaper than the cobble stones they just installed in Rivertown, but dang it is HOT.

............

Words and pictures do not do these parks justice. You guys HAVE to get out to the VA parks...

.........

Hurry and upload them pics, as I did not take any. My partner did manage a video of Busch Gardens from the Skyride: http://www.youtube.c...re=channel_page

[GoodYellowKoRn182]

^^

That's exactly what I mean. Everything at Kings Island has sort of an "I'll-do-you-one-better" equivalent in Virginia. I mean, we have Coney Mall, the long hot stretch of black searing pavement with over-the-top ridiculous carnival games. Kings Dominion has (in the exact same place in the park and in the same vein) The Grove, a deliciously shaded pathway which is pretty much through the woods as far as we Kings Islanders are concerned... And it contains the parks Shockwave TOGO standup, Drop Zone, etc.


I promise that a mesh between Kings Island and Kings Dominion would yeild one of the best seasonal parks on Earth. I love the idea of our Action Zone, so I would keep that and keep DZ, F/O, SOB, BLSC and FD.

But Kings Dominion's Congo area is so unbelievably impressive... (And I might just be saying that because of the fire, the music and the water. But that's exactly my point! We need fire, music and water!) So my ideal Cedar Fair park would also have the Congo, with Volcano and KD's Crypt. Obviously it'd have Diamondback, but it belongs in the Congo in my park.

Their Grove pummels our Coney Mall for me, so we'd have a Grove in this ideal park.

And an Oktoberfest: Gotta love Adventure Express and Festhaus).

Flight of Fear and Dominator get X-Base and sorry, but I prefer Kings Dominion's in-the-middle-of-the-forest International Street.

Mix that all in with Rivertown (containing the Beast and KCKC), our Nickelodeon Universe and their Scooby Doo dark ride. Voila. Perfect park. (:

[Thundercracker]

Yeah I love KD's Scooby-Doo Dark Ride so wonderful just think our Scooby-doo dark ride would have been almost like that but the ''Big Wigs'' at KI didn't want to send money.

I missed the Wayne's World part of the park at KD does anyone else love hurler?

[guitarkevin4life]

^Hurler is my favorite wooden coaster at the Dominion. It's kind of like a longer version of Thunder Run at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom.

[rollercoastermom]

I think Kings Dominion is a pretty park! I enjoyed it very much Kings Island is pretty too! I love the trees!