MidlifeCoasterCrisis
Roller Poster
I finally got back to King's Dominion since my only other trip in the 1980s. My brother and I made a day trip, which was really long since we're about 3 and 1/2 hours away WITHOUT traffic. We got there right around gate opening at 9AM. We got a parking spot really close to the front gate, which was really nice. There were a few pleasant surprises early on. Nearly all of the rides were ready as soon as we entered the park and the park operators were really hustling to make sure dispatches were quick. I really appreciate this, since we were only spending one day there. It's annoying when rides are still testing when the park opens or when the operators are taking their sweet old time (*COUGH*, Hersheypark ,*COUGH*). We barely waited for any rides all day, which was awesome. Most were either walk-ons or station waits. We packed our own food so we wouldn't have to get ripped off for food in the park. After checking out the food prices, I'm glad we did that. It was also nice that they had picnic tables. Overall, the atmosphere in the park was really good. The biggest annoyance was that both Grizzly and Racer were only running a single train. We ended up skipping Grizzly entirely because of how slow the line was moving. We had been on Grizzly years ago, but it would have been nice to ride it after the recent re-tracking.
1) Pantherian (5 rides) - We got 3 rides immediately after park opening. These rides were fun, but definitely quite tame compared to our later 2 rides. We came back later in the afternoon for 2 more rides immediately after getting 2 rides on Dominator. These rides were MUCH more intense. We both got the gray out on the first curve, which has never happened to either of us. Overall, I think it's an excellent ride, but I have 2 main issues with it. First off, there is a badly placed trim brake on the 2nd big hill that totally kills any chance of air time. They should have at least moved it to after that hill. Secondly, the 2nd half of this ride is basically just big turns with whippy side-to-side transitions. It would be nice to have at least 1 or 2 different elements thrown in there.
2) Rapterra (4 rides) - This was a very fun ride, as long as we didn't have an outside seat in the back of the train. Those seats are very bumpy, which makes for a much more unpleasant ride experience. I know this ride gets slammed for its "rattle", but I only found those back outside seats bad. Even the inside seats on the back row were okay. Obviously, the front row was best on this one. I loved the launch and the unique elements. The theming was pretty decent too. It's not going to make my top 10, but it's a great supporting ride for a park.
3) Backlot Stunt Coaster (1 ride) - This was a pretty cool, unique coaster. It wasn't super fast, but it has a lot of quick turns and the launches are pretty cool. I'd much prefer to ride this coaster than many of the other "family" coasters. The highlight was the 2nd launch and indoor section.
4) Tumbili (1 ride) - Unfortunately, we got 0 rotations on this ride. When I went on Joker at SFGAdv, I got quite a few rotations. I guess that's the reality with this type of ride. We would have tried again, but we were more focused on hitting the other high priority coasters.
5) Flight of Fear (1 ride) - This was super fun for an indoor coaster. I enjoyed Batman and Robin: The Chiller before it was removed and this is a pretty similar ride. Being completely in the dark definitely added to the excitement. We would have gotten more rides on this, but the line was much longer when we returned later in the day.
6) Twisted Timbers (6 rides) - HELL YEAH! RMC never disappoints! I loved this ride. The only other RMC hybrids I've been on are Wildcat's Revenge and Steel Vengeance. Twisted Timbers was right up there with those. I loved the inversion into the first drop. I love air time and this one definitely delivered. I love the mix of vanilla air time hills and smaller quirky ones like the left banked hill followed immediately by the right banked hill. The outward banked turn around was super fun as well. This was my favorite coaster at KD and definitely makes my top 10. Now I have to get another ride on Wildcat's Revenge to see which one I like better.
7) Dominator (2 rides) - This is the most intense floorless coaster I've been on. I enjoyed the extra speed and intensity on this one, but I do miss the zero G roll and dive loop that Medusa has. It's still a very solid ride.
8) Racer 75 (1 ride) - Not bad for an old wooden coaster. They were only running one side and only a single train, so that was a bummer. There's not much air time so it's basically just a bunch of hills and a turn around curve.
1) Pantherian (5 rides) - We got 3 rides immediately after park opening. These rides were fun, but definitely quite tame compared to our later 2 rides. We came back later in the afternoon for 2 more rides immediately after getting 2 rides on Dominator. These rides were MUCH more intense. We both got the gray out on the first curve, which has never happened to either of us. Overall, I think it's an excellent ride, but I have 2 main issues with it. First off, there is a badly placed trim brake on the 2nd big hill that totally kills any chance of air time. They should have at least moved it to after that hill. Secondly, the 2nd half of this ride is basically just big turns with whippy side-to-side transitions. It would be nice to have at least 1 or 2 different elements thrown in there.
2) Rapterra (4 rides) - This was a very fun ride, as long as we didn't have an outside seat in the back of the train. Those seats are very bumpy, which makes for a much more unpleasant ride experience. I know this ride gets slammed for its "rattle", but I only found those back outside seats bad. Even the inside seats on the back row were okay. Obviously, the front row was best on this one. I loved the launch and the unique elements. The theming was pretty decent too. It's not going to make my top 10, but it's a great supporting ride for a park.
3) Backlot Stunt Coaster (1 ride) - This was a pretty cool, unique coaster. It wasn't super fast, but it has a lot of quick turns and the launches are pretty cool. I'd much prefer to ride this coaster than many of the other "family" coasters. The highlight was the 2nd launch and indoor section.
4) Tumbili (1 ride) - Unfortunately, we got 0 rotations on this ride. When I went on Joker at SFGAdv, I got quite a few rotations. I guess that's the reality with this type of ride. We would have tried again, but we were more focused on hitting the other high priority coasters.
5) Flight of Fear (1 ride) - This was super fun for an indoor coaster. I enjoyed Batman and Robin: The Chiller before it was removed and this is a pretty similar ride. Being completely in the dark definitely added to the excitement. We would have gotten more rides on this, but the line was much longer when we returned later in the day.
6) Twisted Timbers (6 rides) - HELL YEAH! RMC never disappoints! I loved this ride. The only other RMC hybrids I've been on are Wildcat's Revenge and Steel Vengeance. Twisted Timbers was right up there with those. I loved the inversion into the first drop. I love air time and this one definitely delivered. I love the mix of vanilla air time hills and smaller quirky ones like the left banked hill followed immediately by the right banked hill. The outward banked turn around was super fun as well. This was my favorite coaster at KD and definitely makes my top 10. Now I have to get another ride on Wildcat's Revenge to see which one I like better.
7) Dominator (2 rides) - This is the most intense floorless coaster I've been on. I enjoyed the extra speed and intensity on this one, but I do miss the zero G roll and dive loop that Medusa has. It's still a very solid ride.
8) Racer 75 (1 ride) - Not bad for an old wooden coaster. They were only running one side and only a single train, so that was a bummer. There's not much air time so it's basically just a bunch of hills and a turn around curve.
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