orangeguy Posted July 15, 2011 Share Posted July 15, 2011 (edited) I had the pleasure of visiting Kings Dominion on Wednesday, July 13th, 2011. My Dad and I went with two of my friends. This was technically my third visit, but I was very young on my first visit, so I couldn't go on any coasters at the time. I had a very thrilling experience, and I can't wait to return. The lines were incredibly short, which made for a day jam-packed with roller coasters galore. Our first ride of the day was Grizzly. This was my first time riding it--I believe it was closed the last time I visited the park, so I hadn't been able to ride it. Since this was my first roller coaster in about two years, its intensity caught me off-guard. I loved the tunnel, and overall it was a great warm-up for the rest of the day. Rating: 8/10 Next up was the Rebel Yell. I was wary of it because it had hurt my neck when I'd gone on it during my last KD visit, but I gave it a try anyway. It was a fantastic out-and-back wooden coaster, and it reminded me how much I love bunny hops. In my Dad's words, "This used to be the good stuff." We went on the forward train; the backward train wasn't operating, and I've heard that it will not operate again. Rating: 7/10 After going on two wooden coasters, I decided I wanted to hit up an old favorite--Ricochet! I recalled preferring Ricochet over Hersheypark's Wild Mouse when I rode it on my last visit. I was not let down. The first drop on Ricochet strikes me as rather tall for a Wild Mouse coaster, and it allows for optimal picture-posing. The turns were a little less intense than I had anticipated, but maybe that's just because I've grown since the last time I visited. Unfortunately, the photo booth wasn't open. Even so, we rode it again for good measure. Rating: 8/10 Next, it was time to hurl. (I'm a laugh a minute, I know.) Hurler was way more rough than I remembered from my last visit, and we sat in the middle, so I'm not sure what was up with that. The helices were really intense, but then, I feel like every helix is intense no matter what coaster I'm on. Fortunately, it was short enough that I didn't get a headache. I enjoyed the first half, but I could have done without the second. Rating: 6/10 Aside from Ricochet, all these wooden coasters were wearing us out. We decided to take a little break and head over to Americana. I learned that I really don't like when the gondola stops and starts to shake when you're at the top of the wheel...But it was a good ride in that it allowed me to get some pictures of the park. Rating: 6/10 Spinning rides make my Dad and I extremely nauseous, so we passed on the Triple Spin while my friends rode it. For once, I was glad to have both feet on the ground at a theme park. Our final ride before lunch was the Backlot Stunt Coaster. The cars looked different than they had during my last visit due to the switchover from Paramount to Cedar Fair. I didn't mind that the on-ride soundtrack had been removed. The helix coming out of the launch was very intense, just as I suspected. Fortunately, I chose not to eat ice cream before riding like I had during my last visit. My stomach approved of this decision. I remember glowing material inside the tunnel when the ride bore the Italian Job label, and I didn't see it this time around. That was a disappointment. I'm a sucker for the little things. Rating: 7/10 We stopped at the Trail's End Grill for lunch. I had a grilled chicken sandwich, fries, and a Sprite. It wasn't a gourmet meal, but I enjoyed it. My Dad and one of my friends said their burgers tasted like soy, so I'm glad I ordered what I ordered! Rating: 8/10 We didn't want to rush onto coasters right after eating, so we rode a couple tame rides. The first of these was the Blue Ridge Tollway. My friends insisted that I drive, and I was all over it. I only hit the center line once, and I was quite proud of myself. One of my friends helped me out by doing hand signals. I love the setting of this ride among the trees; it adds character. This ride was a nice surprise. Rating: 9/10 The high was 97 degrees, so I really wanted to cool off. What better way to do that than to take White Water Canyon for a spin? This was the longest line we encountered, and it was still a modest wait-time. The rapids pulled a fast one on us by saving all the water cannons until the ride was nearly over. Getting completely drenched was a welcome relief from the heat. Plus, the other people in our ride vehicle--AKA, the Giant Tire--were really sociable, which was nice. Rating: 8/10 Okay, enough with the small fry. It was time to try something wild--something I'd never tried before. It was time to go floorless. I took off my shoes, partly because I wanted to feel free like the wind, and also because I wanted my socks to dry off from the rapids. But anyway, Dominator became my new #1, a position formerly held by Storm Runner. The corkscrews were the best part. Plus, my favorite color is orange, so I wanted to marry the track. Rating: 10/10 We stopped at the Eiffel Tower to get an oh-so-necessary scenic view of the park. Our elevator operator sounded like a robot--you could tell he was really bored with his job. Once we reached the top, I snapped some pictures and we went back down soon after. The tower itself doesn't look pretty, but it has a certain charm to it. Rating: 6/10 After that, we headed over to Avalanche...or at least, we attempted to go there, but we somehow ended up at the Ghoster Coaster. Once we realized that the Volcano area differed from the Volcano entrance, it was all good. I took the front seat on Avalanche, and I was kind of confused by the car. Something about lying down on a roller coaster threw me off. This ride surprised me; it was way more intense than I thought it would be. The helices were very tight. I love that there isn't any track underneath you--what a unique ride! Rating: 7/10 Volcano, the Blast Coaster was my biggest challenge of the day. I had never been on an inverted coaster before, let alone a launched inverted coaster. It was actually less intense than I thought it would be. The first launch was great, and the second launch up the volcano was awesome. The heartline rolls were my favorite part of the ride--I love falling into the restraints! This was my second favorite ride of the day. Rating: 9/10 My friends got me to go on Flight of Fear against my wishes. I was afraid that the Spaghetti Bowl layout would make me sick, but I'd been on the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster at WDW, so I just hoped it would be similar to that. The theming for the queue was impressive; there was a UFO and everything! I didn't get off to a very good start on the ride itself--I couldn't figure out where to fasten my seatbelt, and I got paranoid that the launch was going to happen before I had the chance to buckle myself in properly. Fortunately, I figured it out in time and I'm still standing, haha. The launch was great--I prefer sit-down coaster launches to inverted coaster launches because you can really feel the acceleration in the former. The first inversion was great, and the ride was really fun overall. It was less intense than I had anticipated, but that was okay. I liked that it wasn't pitch-black, but it was still dark enough to make for an interesting experience. Rating: 8/10 After all the coasters, it was nice to take a break and watch a Rock 'n' Roll show in the Kings Dominion Theater. The actors did a great job performing rock hits through the years. My personal favorite was Bohemian Rhapsody. I was the only one in my group who didn't fall asleep during the show, but hey, I liked it! Rating: 8/10 The next coaster we tackled was against my wishes once again, but this time it came in the form of Anaconda. After browsing various theme park enthusiasts' websites, I discovered that Arrow has quite the reputation for terrible coasters. I went into this expecting it to be a head-banger, and it actually didn't bang my head around as much as I thought it would. In fact, I loved the first drop into the underwater tunnel, and the first loop was great! I would actually give this ride a decent rating if it weren't for the terrible, back-breaking turn after the mid-course brake run. Ow. Rating: 4/10 For our last ride of the day, we came crawling back to Dominator. I was exhausted as I climbed up the steps to the station, but I was determined to ride it one more time. Sometime during the vertical loop after the first drop, I saw black spots in my vision for a moment. It quickly went away, but it kind of freaked me out. I kept thinking it was going to happen again, especially on the cobra roll, but luckily it didn't. I was disappointed that my last ride had to be a paranoia-saturated one, but I still enjoyed my second Domination. Overall, Kings Dominion gave me exactly what I wanted--a fun day in the summer sun with my Dad and my friends. This is one happy camper. Here are some pictures for your enjoyment: You rock that green look, Shockwave, but I don't know--Dominator's orange track wins my heart every time. Ricochet was a must-ride. I love me some wild mice. View of the park from the Eiffel Tower. Intimidator 305 stands above the rest. Dominator, AKA my first floorless love. Berserker's there too, I guess. The Drop Tower was looking all menacing. I wasn't brave enough to ride; conveniently enough, no one else in my group wanted to ride it. Anaconda, I305, and Rebel Yell make a name for themselves. The waterslides are just kind of there. Edited July 15, 2011 by orangeguy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BaMiTsPaT Posted July 15, 2011 Share Posted July 15, 2011 No I305?! BLASPHEMY! Just kidding. In all seriousness, based on your ratings of the rides you went on, it seems like you really enjoyed your day at Kings Dominion! Nice pictures by the way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
netdvn Posted July 15, 2011 Share Posted July 15, 2011 Welcome to TPR Orangedude! Glad to see you got your TR together! Looks like you had a good day at KD and the pics are pretty good, sans the bad quality of the images. I do think you should've hit I305 though. I'd be interested in your take for intense coasters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Intimidator305 Posted July 15, 2011 Share Posted July 15, 2011 Ahhh no 305 or Drop Tower? Haha, the Intamins are the top 3 at KD: 305, Volcano, Drop Tower. But I'm glad you liked Volcano and the rest of the park! This was a good detailed trip report! Good job. I'm glad KD has your number 1 coaster too, Dominator! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orangeguy Posted July 15, 2011 Author Share Posted July 15, 2011 No I305?! BLASPHEMY! Just kidding. In all seriousness, based on your ratings of the rides you went on, it seems like you really enjoyed your day at Kings Dominion! Nice pictures by the way. Haha--I know, I know, I'm a traitor to mankind. Before I went to Kings Dominion, I kept hearing from my other friends who've been on I305 that it makes them lose vision at the bottom of the first hill, and I didn't want to deal with that. Of course, Dominator hit me with it, instead! Haha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orangeguy Posted July 15, 2011 Author Share Posted July 15, 2011 Welcome to TPR Orangedude! Glad to see you got your TR together! Looks like you had a good day at KD and the pics are pretty good, sans the bad quality of the images. I do think you should've hit I305 though. I'd be interested in your take for intense coasters. Thank you! Yeah, I had a great time. Sorry about the image quality. I don't know about I305. Maybe I'll be brave enough to try it another day, but I just wasn't feeling it. I think I would actually try Drop Tower before I'd try I305. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imawesome1124 Posted July 15, 2011 Share Posted July 15, 2011 ^A visit to KD IS NEVER complete unless you ride I305. Next time you go, man up and ride it. Nice report by the way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
braztaz Posted July 15, 2011 Share Posted July 15, 2011 Welcome to TPR! Great detailed trip report, though there isn't enough i305 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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