Kings Dominion
Kings Dominion is another member of the Cedar Fair stable, and is mostly a sister to Ohio's Kings Island. It shares some of that park's rides and beauty, whilst having enough different rides to make it worth a short visit. The park is located in Virginia south of Washington DC and is easily accessible.
Last visited June 2022
INVESTMENT
7
THRILL FACTOR
6
FUN &
LAUGHTER
6
STAFF &
FACILITIES
8
UNIQUNESS
4
VALUE
6
THEMEING &
IMMERSION
4
THOMPSONS'
RATING
6
Dominator - a good floorless coaster
BEST BITS
-
The best rides are Dominator and Intimidator 305
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There is a good range of different types of coasters.
-
It is good value
-
Facilities and operations were good; could always find what we needed
-
The entrance in particular is very scenic
-
There is a water park too
DOWN-SIDES
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There aren't any outstanding, world-class rides, but the ones they have are generally good
-
There are no printed park maps, although there are maps on boards within the park. It might be a bit unfair to hold this against this park because most parks seem to operate like this post-Covid.
TOP TIPS
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Multi use lockers are only $5. But if you want to save you can use the Flight of Fear lockers for that ride, Intimidator 305, Backlot Stunt Coaster and Tumbali, because they are all close together.
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We suggest getting to the park early to avoid queues, as people seem to arrive later (even though it doesn't usually open until 11am).
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It's only an hour from Williamsburg so is easy to combine with Busch Gardens.
Intimidator 305
Thompsons' overall rating 7
Thrill
Fun
Themeing
Immersion
Smoothness
9
6
3
8
7
Twisted Timbers
Thompsons' overall rating 4
Thrill
Fun
Themeing
Immersion
Smoothness
8
2
3
6
4
Flight of Fear
Thompsons' overall rating 5
Thrill
Fun
Themeing
Immersion
Smoothness
6
4
7
4
5
Backlot Stunt Coaster
Thompsons' overall rating 6
Thrill
Fun
Themeing
Immersion
Smoothness
5
8
8
6
7
Delirium
Thompsons' overall rating 5
Thrill
Fun
Themeing
Immersion
Smoothness
6
6
1
6
N/A
Tumbali
Thompsons' overall rating 6
Thrill
Fun
Themeing
Immersion
Smoothness
8
7
6
8
6
Dominator
Thompsons' overall rating 7
Thrill
Fun
Themeing
Immersion
Smoothness
8
7
4
7
6
Racer 75
Thompsons' overall rating 4
Thrill
Fun
Themeing
Immersion
Smoothness
5
4
4
2
4
Boo Blasters on Boo Hill
Thompsons' overall rating 4
Thrill
Fun
Themeing
Immersion
Smoothness
1
6
5
3
N/A
Intimidator 305
Twisted Timbers
Tumbali - a typical 4D coaster
One of the elements on Dominator
Delirium - a typical pendulum ride. Of course, those are Joe's legs sticking up in the air!
Our view on the rides
As with many parks there are no standout rides. Instead, Kings Dominion has a solid collection of enjoyable coasters. The main ride in terms of size, speed and thrill is Intimidator 305. This is a hypercoaster and shares the same theming as its cousin Intimidator at Carowinds. Unfortunately Intimidator 305 is made by Intamin rather than B&M, and we find their hypercoasters are generally too focused on speed and not enough on airtime. Intimidator 305 is fast and thrilling, but does not give the 'flying' feeling that B&M coasters offer. The first drop is very intense although it has been known to cause people to greyout. There are a number of sudden changes of direction which impact the smoothness; more so when sat towards the back. But it is still a very enjoyable ride. As this coaster is at the back of the park it's a good one to start with; especially as Flight of Fear, Backlot Stunt Coaster and Tumbali are all nearby.
The pick of the other rides is the floorless coaster Dominator, which has a number of inversions. Backlot Stunt Coaster is a fairly gentle launched coaster with good theming, and is a good ride for those who are afraid of the larger coasters. Flight of Fear is another launched coaster, this time indoors in the dark. It's enjoyable and well themed, although the ride is a little rough at times.
The biggest disappointment was Twisted Timbers. It's a former wooden coaster which has been converted into a hybrid. We never used to like hybrids that much, but have become fans of them thanks to Zadra at Energylandia. Unfortunately, although Twisted Timbers has some really fun elements (particularly the inversion before the first drop) the ride is uncomfortably rough. There are too many small hills where riders are thrown against the harness. Hayley came off with a few bruises.