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Dominator
Website: Geauga Lake Homepage
Ride Type: Floorless Coaster
Ride Status: Defunct
Average Rating: 4.3836
TPC Overall Rank: #73 out of 2933 rides.
Reviews: 83
Last Review: 12/20/2007 12:41:00 PM
In User Top 10: 83 times.
User Tracker Count: 217 times.
 


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3 Rating
0 Rating Rate Down Rate Up T-Rex on 12/20/2007 12:41:00 PM
Dominator proved that bigger isnt always better. On the way up the lift hill there were great views of the lake and the first drop was very long and fast. Afterwards was the record breaking vertical loop that gave good air time at the top, but not as much Gs as I had hoped. Afterwards came two fast turns followed by a great cobra roll that had pretty strong Gs during it. Then came the brake run and an amazing drop off the brake run that gave great ejector air for back seat riders. Following that were two interlocking corkscrews that had a little headbanging and that was followed by some rather boring twists and turns.

3 Rating
+1 Rating Rate Down Rate Up BobFunland on 8/14/2007 1:34:00 PM
I personally though Dominator was pretty lame. I hate to say it, but if Im gonna ride a boring floorless coaster, Id probably choose Hydra since the jojo is at least really cool, it has a zero-G roll, and the rest of the ride is pretty unique. Seriously, what kind of floorless coaster doesnt have a zero-G roll? Well throw in some oversized inversions and an otherwise lame layout, and there you have Dominator, a pretty overrated piece of junk if you ask me. At least it was only a 1-train wait for the front row, and I didnt find it rough at all.

3 Rating
-3 Rating Rate Down Rate Up spartanfan on 5/23/2007 10:17:00 PM
Its just not as good as Kraken and other floorless coasters.

4 Rating
+3 Rating Rate Down Rate Up PhantomNik on 12/13/2006 5:01:00 PM
The year 2000 ushered in a new millennium, one chalked full of possibilities. Six Flags decided to head into the new century with huge aspirations for its newest acquisition at that time, out in Aurora, Ohio. The plan was simple really – plop down as much coaster track as humanly possible in one off-season. Then, go after the big boys up in Sandusky. Some were skeptical, and it turned out those skeptics were justified, as this ill-conceived plan fell apart and the park was sold to Cedar Fair. Many know of the horror stories that came from this park in its Six Flags days. Yet, despite all that mess, and somehow lost in the shuffle of park owners and coaster names, there is an incredible floorless coaster from B&M that happened to be one of the few, if not the only, good decisions that Six Flags made while in possession of the park. That coaster is Dominator.

It’s an appropriate name for the ride, because that’s what it does – it dominates the skyline towards the back of the park along the lake or swamp or whatever they’d like to call that murky gunk that festers underneath the coaster’s supports. It actually makes for a neat setting for the ride, as you various times skim the marshy surface just waiting for Nessie, an alligator, or just about anything to emerge and say howdy! Heading towards the back of the park through "Power City" (don’t blink or you’ll miss it, as it’s essentially "Dominator and Pizza City", you see the massive structure that is Dominator glisten in its yellow and purple hues, creating a stunning eyesight that will grab even the most novice coaster fan’s attention. When we went to Geauga Lake, the crowds were sparse at best, and I was delighted (yet also stunned) that this marvel of B&M expertise was a walk-on! We rode 17 times over our 2 shorter days at the park, which is a testament to 2 things: 1) The greatness of this floorless roller coaster, and 2) The level of my coaster riding craving! Once you quickly parade up the stairs to the station, I recommend heading to the very front seat, as that is the best spot on this thrilling journey. The back gives a few better airtime moments, but not enough to offset the incredible views up front, where frankly the floorless effect works best.

Dominator boasts the highest traditional lift hill in the park, at 160 feet, and as you climb high into the sky, you get some great views of the lake and park. Once you reach the summit, the quick paced blend of speed and forces is about to get underway. The first drop is just as good, if not better, than it looks, as the train swoops down a tightly twisting drop that is rather steep. The speed picks up wonderfully at the bottom of the 150 foot plummet, and you immediately head into a massive 135 foot vertical loop. This dynamic one-two punch to kick off the ride is truly the highlight in my opinion, and the sensations in both the drop and loop are quite stunning! After swooping up and over the station, the coaster then dives down and tackles the cobra roll, aptly named in this instance. Like the snake it is named after, the roll hits with a biting ferocity, yet is almost unimaginably still smooth! I do love cobra rolls on coasters, and it continually amazes me how B&M can create such a wicked element that is equal parts thrill and intensity and still keep it from being rough. Exiting the cobra roll, the train heads back up and turns left, hitting the mid course brakes. After the pause to take a breath, the coaster dives down a wonderfully designed drop with impressive airtime. In the back of the train, this little dive produces airtime that is massive, especially considering that this is a floorless train with shoulder harnesses. Due to the small footprint the park had to work with, the ending portion of the ride is very tight and the elements are packed close together, which adds to the thrill. Dominator concludes with interlocking corkscrews and a ground-hugging end turn that leads to a hop up to the brakes.<

4 Rating
0 Rating Rate Down Rate Up sowinski on 10/9/2006 5:16:00 PM
This is a very good floorless, but a step or 2 below the truly great ones. Easily the best coaster in this park. Fast, smooth, scenic, and powerful. Everything a good steel coaster should be.

4 Rating
+1 Rating Rate Down Rate Up cjeagle35 on 7/31/2006 7:33:00 PM - User's Top Ride #19
This is an intense ride! 150ft drop and a huge loop offer tremendous G forces. This ride is big, smooth, fast, and intense. The layout is long and action packed with lots of inversions. Definatly the best ride at Geauga Lake.

5 Rating
+2 Rating Rate Down Rate Up fergusonat on 7/19/2006 12:10:00 AM
The Floorless genre has been somewhat of a frustration for me. My first encounter with this coaster-type was Hydra: The Revenge, which came across as fantastic upon my initial series of rides in July 2005, but seemed pretty average after re-riding it this season. My second swing at the Floorless-type was Medusa at Six Flags Great Adventure, which also was somewhat of a disappointment. It definitely lacked the unique layout of Hydra but was packed with great forces that Dorneys new B&M simply cannot deliver. Just under one week after taking on Medusa, I had a chance to try yet another B&M Floorless, only this time B&M found that sweet spot between a unique layout and powerful forces. Dominator, despite its uninspired title, is an epic experience. The initial 148 foot plunge offers some nice floater air both in the front and back seats as well as some breathtaking vistas of the bubbling, algae-encrusted swamp that sits stagnant beneath the rides mammoth structure. The enormous vertical loop seems somewhat mundane, but still adds to the ride experience. The train really crawls through the top of this meanuever, creating some nice hangtime for the riders. The train then plunges through what I believe to be the highlight of the entire coaster: the low-to-ground highspeed overbanked curve. This element (which is virtually unheard of among coaster layouts, unfortunately) is maneuvered smoothly yet sustains some extremely powerful g-forces. Following this overbanked turn is another very nice overbank that crosses over the station and twists back into the Cobra Roll inversion which also provides some very nice forces. Exiting the Cobra Roll, Dominator then scorches over a wide banked curve that slams into the MCBR. The drop out of these brakes is phenomenal in the back row, but be warned: the rides ending can be awfully rough in this back seat. I for one think the uncanny headbanging through the flatspins is worth the precious floater air on this MCBR drop. Otherwise, for the smoothest ride, sit right up front and enjoy pure-floorless-goodness through the final interlocking flatspins and ensuing ground-hugging helix. Overall, Dominator met my expectations and strengthened the Floorless image for me personally.

4 Rating
+1 Rating Rate Down Rate Up calla999 on 10/25/2005 8:24:00 PM
I love all floorless B&M coasters and this one is no different. Not as smooth as Kraken at Sea World, but still much better than most coasters. The best component of the ride is the interlocking corkscrews that give you the sensation of falling out of the ride. Something probably needs to be done to get rid of the still visible references to Batman and Gotham City.

3 Rating
0 Rating Rate Down Rate Up CoastrGlxy on 10/11/2005 3:43:00 PM
Dominator was probably the coaster I was most excited to ride at Geauga Lake because Im such a big B&M fan and have been for years. Since the ride was a walk on (b/c of the weather and b/c it was late in the season) my wife and I took the very front car. We had the entire train to ourselves and we werent only beaten by the wind but surprisingly by the rough inversions. Needless to say I was shocked that a fairly new B&M installation could be rough, but later in the day on a packed train in one of the last cars the Dominator redeemed itself. The pull down the first drop was better from the back (as expected). The inversions were all fun and smooth with very minimal headbanging. The large vertical loop is great, the cobra roll is okay as are the corkscrews. I have to say I like the layout of this coaster as it uses the land well, but I wish it wouldve included a different lineup of inversions like the dive loop, my favorite the zero-g roll, or even an immelman. The drop out of the mid-course break run is great, reminiscient of Talon at Dorney I think. Also, the floorless aspect doesnt do much for the Dominator. Other than watching the floor come up and attach to the trains in the station, that is pretty neat. I liked the marshy setting on the edge of the lake with the queue over the green slime-esque sludge. Overall, its a great coaster but only good in terms of other steel coasters. Its really close to an 8, but that rough ride in the front is a deal breaker. Roughness on a B&M?!?! Final Rating - 7.5 (Good-Really Close to Great)

5 Rating
-2 Rating Rate Down Rate Up Predator on 9/7/2005 5:40:00 PM
This ride is completely awesome. I wish more parks had this ride.

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