This is one of the most underrated parks in the country. The coaster lineup is deep, I agree that Anaconda isn't as bad as everyone says, the flat ride lineup is solid & the water rides are excellent too. It's pretty, well maintained and lots of shade. Of the two, Carowinds seems to get all the love from the coaster/theme park community but I prefer KD any day.
I work here as an operator on Delirium and this video just made me feel good about being an employee. And it’s honestly an honor to know and be friends with all the different amazing ride crews! It really is a charming park and hopefully I’ll work there for years to come!
Grew up in the DC area and pretty much went there nearly every year, either as a kid or a college student, until moving to TX in 2019. I really miss the Volcano coaster.
Don't forget Berserker when talking about Kings Dominion. That inverting pirate ship is awesome! Especially seeing the Eiffel Tower upside while riding it.
As a Virginian who has been going to KD religiously all her life, this place has a homey feel that I’ve never had at any other park - and not just because it’s in my home state. It’s cozy, relaxed, not super flashy and I have never felt unsafe there. My grandparents & mom where there opening week in the 70s and we’ve been going ever since. Their halloween event, Halloween Haunt (or as the OGs still call it, FearFest) and their new Winterfest are amazing too. Out of towners who are huge in to Disney and Six Flags love to talk down about KD but it’s truly the best
I've been to KD twice and it really surprised me how amazing the park is and I love how country it feels. You are definitely right about how you feel like you're in Virginia in the park.
I think opening the Volcano replacement in 2025 for the 50th anniversary, along with other park improvements like repainting I305 and Rebel Yell, restoring the Backlot Srunt Coaster theming, etc . . . , would be absolutely amazing. This is my home park, and it's great to see it get the love it deserves with Jungle Expedition.
Hope they retheme Backlot to a ride thru the Jungle to fit it into jungle expedition. Perhaps the search for another temple. Be great to replace the city view with vegetation.
It was inspiring to hear you talk about King's Dominion working so hard to get coasters open even on a bad weather day. I went to Magic Mountain not too long ago. West Coast Racers was having technical difficulties along with Apocalypse. I don't think Wonder Woman ever opened. Early on in the day, it felt like they just completely gave up, and shut down the rides. They had an employee blocking off the path to prevent people from walking there. Almost like they just didn't want to pay for staffing for the rides.
The only problem I see with a B&M hyper coaster at this park is that Busch Gardens Williamsburg already has one named Apollo's Chariot. I think Cedar Fair has purposefully shied away from adding things they know their competitors are adding so that they can bring something unique to the table. What this park lacks but Busch Gardens isn't adding any time soon is a single-rail coaster, so sometime soon, I think there will be a large-scale RMC Raptor coaster called Monstrosity that opens on the right side of International Street, just opposite Dominator and Bezerker. Its custom layout would pass over the Shenandoah Lumber Co and White Water Canyon rides, with an overbanked curve reaching Grizzly. Its colour scheme would involve the track painted green with blue supports, contrasting with Intimidator 305’s red colour scheme. If they wanted to push the envelope, they could have it pass over a newly renovated front gate created for this season and beyond, or if the park is very ambitious, make it an RMC T-Rex model instead. None of them have been built yet, but this new coaster could bring more excitement and thrills to a park that, according to Airtime Thrills, is “on the fence.”
If one park were not permitted to add a coaster type that their next closest park already has then neither BGW nor KD can expect to get another coaster ever again by that logic. CF isn't gonna give a rat's ass if BGW already has AC because by adding s similar ride to KD it would draw in the crowds that would otherwise HAVE to travel to BGW to experience that type of ride. Unfortunately after 305 turned out to be too intense for the general public however that changed the future course of develpoment for KD and as a result CF is too afraid to take a chance like that on KD again which is also why the park has been relegated to redheaded stepchild status in terms of future development.
While you do bring up a good point, the park still needs a B&M hyper. Something has got to compliment I305 and Twisted Timbers. Now if you want to get creative you can do a launch hyper for the replacement for Volcano but something needs to go in that spot and a B&M hyper you can never go wrong with. They have for sure perfected that model since Apollo’s Chariot so why not.
As someone who grew up in VA and have watched the transition of ownership. Cedar has done an amazing job. They're working on fixing the older rides and overall, I was so happy to see this after covid. It's cleaner than Disney and I still have a blast the entire way. You're absolutely right. Kd handled covid so well and cedar is 100x better owner than Paramount
Until 2020 I would buy season passes every summer here. Growing up in KY at my father's was Kings Island and Holiday World. Then in 04' I moved to Hagerstown it became Kings Dominion and occasionally Busch Gardens the next day. I absolutely love Kings Dominion but losing the Volcano hurts. I cannot count how many times a)I got to ride that awesome coaster and b) it was closed many times during the summers we would go. It wasn't a big deal when you go all summer but some people only went once all summer or once in their whole life that's what sucked it was constantly down. The Hypersonic was cool but way to short and stalled at the top many times. Rebel Yell was awesome when it would dual forward and back but eventually that changed. The Hurler was fun I absolutely love wooden coasters BUT these new hybrid coasters are amazing and Twisted Timbers is the most underrated coaster I've been on. I absolutely love it it's so smooth. I was impressed with what they turned The Hurler into it was worth losing. I 305 is just not fast enough. The drop is great the g forces yes but needs to be 105-110 mph.
Im from Midlothian and have season passes at KD, i used to not be a roller coaster dude, but my friend managed to get me on Dominator and ever since then ive had so much more fun they i had ever had at KD, great staff, and pretty much no wait times, and really good food. (If you have the food season pass). I recommend KD very much.
KD is my favorite park in the country just because of the 1-2 punch is so elite. Still love my home park of SFGAm cuz I grew up there but KD is great! Pretty park too!
Whenever someone talks about Volcano, I legit start tearing up. That was my favorite coaster. They really have to work hard to find something that replaces it :(
When I first came here in 2008, it wasn't a great visit as it was way too crowded everywhere, there were long lines for every single attraction and everything broke down near the end of the day. Then we came back in 2013 and it was a complete 180 as it wasn't very busy, we had plenty of time to do everything and the rides on both the dry section and waterpark were awesome. It's currently my third favorite Cedar Fair park behind Kings Island and Cedar Point and I can't wait to head back one year.
Enjoyed the video 😊!! If u think KD is nice now, it was glorious in the 70's ! They have come a long with their theming, landscaping, food quality, etc.. They really could use some "smoother" coasters...they can never stop improving because BGW is right down the road...
I'd say that Dominator is the 3rd best and makes KD have a Top 3. Riding Dominator in the back was really an eye opener and was seriously awesome and intense. I'm not someone who likes laterals at all, but I love crushing turns and whippy transitions, I305 is my current number 1, and TT is my number 3. I place KD over Carowinds just because of I305 and Twisted Timbers, seriously However, I absolutely DESPISE Grizzly. I hate extreme roughness and that's what I got out of Grizzly, Flight of Fear and Anaconda, 2 of them are in my bottom 15
I have bad news regarding your theory about the wing coaster; I talked with fans close to KD about it and they said that ironically the park didn’t want the layout leaked, and that it was a single concept, possibly out of a few, being considered for Volcano’s old site. Of course, simply because plans were leaked doesn’t mean they’ll happen, but they also said it’s impossible to know if public reaction caused the park to not continue with those plans. Hopefully this doesn’t detract from a great investment on that site. The same people also claim that KD and CF possibly have planning for Volcano’s replacement underway with the vision that it’ll live up to the spectacle of what was once there
KD is my HP. There are still some staffing issues but they try to keep in the water park so the Enthusiasts don’t worry. Still sucks for GP who like to go to the water park.
It’s not even a top 2 for me it’s i305 alone. Twisted Timbers is the weakest RMC I’ve ridden and is super overhyped. Once I rode i305 the rest of the coasters at that park were underwhelming.
I very nearly dislocated my shoulder on the intimidator. Not for anything bad, but I had the hubris of putting my arms up on the downhill, and trying to keep them up at the bottom did it, without even like, hitting the bar in front of me or anything, just pure force
Gotta disagree with you on Grizzly. That is the only coaster that has ever actually HURT me. I was sore as soon as I got off, and was hurting for almost a week after.
its my home park, i visited yesterday, but grizzly left a VERY sour taste in my mouth. literally on the last hill, something flew into my eye, potentially scratching it. it still hurts today, and i probably wont ride it anymore. sucks, because i really liked it
The parks lacking an invert, b&m namely. An intamin multi-launch would be awesome but they have intensity with i305. They have a floorless and a more retro looper. And since they already have an rmc, i think a b&m airtime-centric hyper would be the perfect next move for this park to compliment i305 and the rest of its lineup
Holy crap I wrote my comment before finishing your video my bad! Perfect idea. And since they were already exploring working with b and m with the wing coaster in that location, they can easily keep the team together and shift the plans to a more desirable ride type.
@@davidnevolo4402 That wing coaster rumor was never going to happen in the first place and was just some fanboy's wishlist item that even he knew had no chance in hell of being built. I think CF lost interest in the wing coaster concept after gatekeeper since no other wing coaster has been built in the chain in the nearly 10 years since that time.
@@michaezell4607 For sure. Everyone should lose interest in building wing coasters. Dives as well, honestly. I don't understand why parks keep ordering them but thats just my take.
@@YungStrokerTheBodySnatcha Not happening ever because of the S&S free spin that's now at the park. They'll probably get XGA's invert once CF decides to remove it as there's NO WAY in hell that VF is getting it.
It does not take twenty minutes to walk from one end of KD to the other. It maybe takes ten minutes. That statement would be true for BGW with its terrible labyrinthian layout and cattle shoots.
This is one of the most underrated parks in the country. The coaster lineup is deep, I agree that Anaconda isn't as bad as everyone says, the flat ride lineup is solid & the water rides are excellent too. It's pretty, well maintained and lots of shade. Of the two, Carowinds seems to get all the love from the coaster/theme park community but I prefer KD any day.
I work here as an operator on Delirium and this video just made me feel good about being an employee. And it’s honestly an honor to know and be friends with all the different amazing ride crews! It really is a charming park and hopefully I’ll work there for years to come!
Grew up in the DC area and pretty much went there nearly every year, either as a kid or a college student, until moving to TX in 2019. I really miss the Volcano coaster.
Don't forget Berserker when talking about Kings Dominion. That inverting pirate ship is awesome! Especially seeing the Eiffel Tower upside while riding it.
As a Virginian who has been going to KD religiously all her life, this place has a homey feel that I’ve never had at any other park - and not just because it’s in my home state. It’s cozy, relaxed, not super flashy and I have never felt unsafe there. My grandparents & mom where there opening week in the 70s and we’ve been going ever since.
Their halloween event, Halloween Haunt (or as the OGs still call it, FearFest) and their new Winterfest are amazing too.
Out of towners who are huge in to Disney and Six Flags love to talk down about KD but it’s truly the best
I've been to KD twice and it really surprised me how amazing the park is and I love how country it feels. You are definitely right about how you feel like you're in Virginia in the park.
I think opening the Volcano replacement in 2025 for the 50th anniversary, along with other park improvements like repainting I305 and Rebel Yell, restoring the Backlot Srunt Coaster theming, etc . . . , would be absolutely amazing. This is my home park, and it's great to see it get the love it deserves with Jungle Expedition.
Hope they retheme Backlot to a ride thru the Jungle to fit it into jungle expedition. Perhaps the search for another temple. Be great to replace the city view with vegetation.
@@idunois riding in jungle buggies and going on a quest through the jungle would be fun
If you ride Twisted Timbers on a nice hot day, that final lap is insane!
It was inspiring to hear you talk about King's Dominion working so hard to get coasters open even on a bad weather day. I went to Magic Mountain not too long ago. West Coast Racers was having technical difficulties along with Apocalypse. I don't think Wonder Woman ever opened. Early on in the day, it felt like they just completely gave up, and shut down the rides. They had an employee blocking off the path to prevent people from walking there. Almost like they just didn't want to pay for staffing for the rides.
Visiting this park for the first time next weekend! Even more excited now!
So underrated… I don’t understand why CF Doesn’t try to compete with BG.
One of the best coaster channels out there without question
Thanks man!
When I was at KD in 2021 they were running I305 in the pouring rain! I didn’t even try to ride it, I just rode Twisted Timbers.
Kings Dominion has an amazing Halloween event too
I use to go every year as a kid and hoping to go back either this year or the next. Glad it still a great and beautiful park
I recently went to KD as well. I really liked it. I305 is my 3rd favorite coaster behind voyage and skyrush
The only problem I see with a B&M hyper coaster at this park is that Busch Gardens Williamsburg already has one named Apollo's Chariot. I think Cedar Fair has purposefully shied away from adding things they know their competitors are adding so that they can bring something unique to the table. What this park lacks but Busch Gardens isn't adding any time soon is a single-rail coaster, so sometime soon, I think there will be a large-scale RMC Raptor coaster called Monstrosity that opens on the right side of International Street, just opposite Dominator and Bezerker. Its custom layout would pass over the Shenandoah Lumber Co and White Water Canyon rides, with an overbanked curve reaching Grizzly. Its colour scheme would involve the track painted green with blue supports, contrasting with Intimidator 305’s red colour scheme. If they wanted to push the envelope, they could have it pass over a newly renovated front gate created for this season and beyond, or if the park is very ambitious, make it an RMC T-Rex model instead. None of them have been built yet, but this new coaster could bring more excitement and thrills to a park that, according to Airtime Thrills, is “on the fence.”
If one park were not permitted to add a coaster type that their next closest park already has then neither BGW nor KD can expect to get another coaster ever again by that logic. CF isn't gonna give a rat's ass if BGW already has AC because by adding s similar ride to KD it would draw in the crowds that would otherwise HAVE to travel to BGW to experience that type of ride. Unfortunately after 305 turned out to be too intense for the general public however that changed the future course of develpoment for KD and as a result CF is too afraid to take a chance like that on KD again which is also why the park has been relegated to redheaded stepchild status in terms of future development.
While you do bring up a good point, the park still needs a B&M hyper. Something has got to compliment I305 and Twisted Timbers. Now if you want to get creative you can do a launch hyper for the replacement for Volcano but something needs to go in that spot and a B&M hyper you can never go wrong with. They have for sure perfected that model since Apollo’s Chariot so why not.
an intamin launch coaster or a launched flying coaster from b and m would be a great idea!
As someone who grew up in VA and have watched the transition of ownership. Cedar has done an amazing job. They're working on fixing the older rides and overall, I was so happy to see this after covid. It's cleaner than Disney and I still have a blast the entire way. You're absolutely right. Kd handled covid so well and cedar is 100x better owner than Paramount
i went to this park years ago, my family and i still talk about this park
Until 2020 I would buy season passes every summer here. Growing up in KY at my father's was Kings Island and Holiday World. Then in 04' I moved to Hagerstown it became Kings Dominion and occasionally Busch Gardens the next day. I absolutely love Kings Dominion but losing the Volcano hurts. I cannot count how many times a)I got to ride that awesome coaster and b) it was closed many times during the summers we would go. It wasn't a big deal when you go all summer but some people only went once all summer or once in their whole life that's what sucked it was constantly down. The Hypersonic was cool but way to short and stalled at the top many times. Rebel Yell was awesome when it would dual forward and back but eventually that changed. The Hurler was fun I absolutely love wooden coasters BUT these new hybrid coasters are amazing and Twisted Timbers is the most underrated coaster I've been on. I absolutely love it it's so smooth. I was impressed with what they turned The Hurler into it was worth losing. I 305 is just not fast enough. The drop is great the g forces yes but needs to be 105-110 mph.
My home park ❤
Im from Midlothian and have season passes at KD, i used to not be a roller coaster dude, but my friend managed to get me on Dominator and ever since then ive had so much more fun they i had ever had at KD, great staff, and pretty much no wait times, and really good food. (If you have the food season pass). I recommend KD very much.
KD is my favorite park in the country just because of the 1-2 punch is so elite. Still love my home park of SFGAm cuz I grew up there but KD is great! Pretty park too!
Thank you for making this video, to show that my home park shouldn’t be “the middle child” to cedar fair 😅
Whenever someone talks about Volcano, I legit start tearing up. That was my favorite coaster. They really have to work hard to find something that replaces it :(
I haven't been to KD since 2016, so I'm super excited for Twisted Timbers. I hope to get to both Virginia parks next year.
When I first came here in 2008, it wasn't a great visit as it was way too crowded everywhere, there were long lines for every single attraction and everything broke down near the end of the day. Then we came back in 2013 and it was a complete 180 as it wasn't very busy, we had plenty of time to do everything and the rides on both the dry section and waterpark were awesome. It's currently my third favorite Cedar Fair park behind Kings Island and Cedar Point and I can't wait to head back one year.
Enjoyed the video 😊!! If u think KD is nice now, it was glorious in the 70's ! They have come a long with their theming, landscaping, food quality, etc.. They really could use some "smoother" coasters...they can never stop improving because BGW is right down the road...
I'd say that Dominator is the 3rd best and makes KD have a Top 3. Riding Dominator in the back was really an eye opener and was seriously awesome and intense. I'm not someone who likes laterals at all, but I love crushing turns and whippy transitions, I305 is my current number 1, and TT is my number 3. I place KD over Carowinds just because of I305 and Twisted Timbers, seriously
However, I absolutely DESPISE Grizzly. I hate extreme roughness and that's what I got out of Grizzly, Flight of Fear and Anaconda, 2 of them are in my bottom 15
I swear all your vids are bangers
Thanks bro
Agreed! Honestly it’s a prettier park than KI, it’s just missing one more headliner attraction.
I have bad news regarding your theory about the wing coaster; I talked with fans close to KD about it and they said that ironically the park didn’t want the layout leaked, and that it was a single concept, possibly out of a few, being considered for Volcano’s old site. Of course, simply because plans were leaked doesn’t mean they’ll happen, but they also said it’s impossible to know if public reaction caused the park to not continue with those plans.
Hopefully this doesn’t detract from a great investment on that site. The same people also claim that KD and CF possibly have planning for Volcano’s replacement underway with the vision that it’ll live up to the spectacle of what was once there
Grizzly is getting retracked and change in the profile so I wonder what you'll think on your next visit. Great park
KD is my HP. There are still some staffing issues but they try to keep in the water park so the Enthusiasts don’t worry. Still sucks for GP who like to go to the water park.
While I feel KI is the overall better park, I think KD has a nicer atmosphere with all the trees.
My favorite park with my favorite coaster i305!
going on the 14th this month !!!! Thanks for getting me excited to ride !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
How was your trip?
love this park, going tormowow
Yessir KD on top Virginia best!!!!
It’s a top tier park in the food chain!!
they easily have the best top 2 in the country i305 is so insanely fun and twisted timbers is one of the best rmcs
Cedar Point definitely does but respect the opinion
@@kylebetz9684 its hard to say what the top 2 for cedar point is since there is so many good rides
I wouldn’t consider it the best top two but it’s certainly up there
Personally, SFNE has the better Intamin and RMC
Ill take Superman and Wicked Cyclone over I305 and Twisted Timbers any day
It’s not even a top 2 for me it’s i305 alone. Twisted Timbers is the weakest RMC I’ve ridden and is super overhyped. Once I rode i305 the rest of the coasters at that park were underwhelming.
I very nearly dislocated my shoulder on the intimidator. Not for anything bad, but I had the hubris of putting my arms up on the downhill, and trying to keep them up at the bottom did it, without even like, hitting the bar in front of me or anything, just pure force
What??? There's a B&M hyper at BGW right down the road think dude!!
No thoughts on Outer Limits. Ive found that to be an old favorite
they should bulid a b&m invert to replace volcano
KD is on CP’s level for the one-two punch at the top. Not even Kings Island or Carowinds can say that
Twisted Timbers is way overrated it’s just Intimidator 305. Copperhead Strike and Intimidator at carowinds are way better than twisted timbers.
Fun Fact: Kings Dominion is 25 minutes away from Richmond Raceway
Kings Dominion is the 3rd best Cedar Fair park if we’re honest.
A park with Time Warp and Mighty Canadian Mindbuster isn’t better than KD.
😂
As brutal as Grizzly and Anaconda are...I actually broke a rib on Backlot Stunt Coaster cuz of those stupid premier restraints
Gotta disagree with you on Grizzly. That is the only coaster that has ever actually HURT me. I was sore as soon as I got off, and was hurting for almost a week after.
its my home park, i visited yesterday, but grizzly left a VERY sour taste in my mouth. literally on the last hill, something flew into my eye, potentially scratching it. it still hurts today, and i probably wont ride it anymore. sucks, because i really liked it
Disaster transport and reptilian are very different ride types. Incomparable.
Just look at the vehicles, also the track.
Intimidator 305 is in a completely different class from Twisted Timbers. I think that was the weakest RMC I’ve ridden.
Kd is a top 4 for me behind cp ki carrowinds
The parks lacking an invert, b&m namely. An intamin multi-launch would be awesome but they have intensity with i305. They have a floorless and a more retro looper. And since they already have an rmc, i think a b&m airtime-centric hyper would be the perfect next move for this park to compliment i305 and the rest of its lineup
Holy crap I wrote my comment before finishing your video my bad! Perfect idea. And since they were already exploring working with b and m with the wing coaster in that location, they can easily keep the team together and shift the plans to a more desirable ride type.
@@davidnevolo4402 That wing coaster rumor was never going to happen in the first place and was just some fanboy's wishlist item that even he knew had no chance in hell of being built.
I think CF lost interest in the wing coaster concept after gatekeeper since no other wing coaster has been built in the chain in the nearly 10 years since that time.
@@michaezell4607 For sure. Everyone should lose interest in building wing coasters. Dives as well, honestly. I don't understand why parks keep ordering them but thats just my take.
I would rather have a B&M invert to replace the Intamin invert over a B&M hyper.
That’s a take.
bgw already has an invert, KD would put something different in.
@@RideOfPablo wing coaster sound like a good idea for the park
@@YungStrokerTheBodySnatcha Not happening ever because of the S&S free spin that's now at the park. They'll probably get XGA's invert once CF decides to remove it as there's NO WAY in hell that VF is getting it.
It does not take twenty minutes to walk from one end of KD to the other. It maybe takes ten minutes. That statement would be true for BGW with its terrible labyrinthian layout and cattle shoots.
There's 3 intamin giga
Hershey is STILL claiming staffing is an issue opening 11-7, even though there is over 10 people per station platform when I went.
Kings Dominion closes at 9PM in peak season. The Water Park closes at 6PM. They cut an hour from operations.
Honestly, I think they should get a Mack Extreme Spinner