MovieCoast
Posts: 1359
Registered: 1/1/2002
Rank: Platinum Critic
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 6/17/2006 5:06:50 PM
After a week long wait, my band trip finally led me to Paramount King's Dominion. I had been wanting to visit this park for so long, and I was very excited about what was in store for me. The weather was absolutely goregous, and, for a Friday, crowds were actually light. My longest wait of the day was 45 minutes for Volcano, which we hit first thing. The park is a gem in and of itself, with some very nice landscaping throughout. The selection of rides is great and there is something for everyone, although I only sampled one non-coaster ride. The one downside was food prices, which were absolutely ridiculous. They need to go down! Anyway, onto the coasters...
Volcano: The Blast Coaster (9/10)
Ah yes, I first this one first thing. Let me just start off by saying that the ride itself is breathtaking to look at it. The immensity of the attraction doesn't hit until you are actually in the queue. It's just so awesome. Not only that, but the ride is quite nice as well. Dispatching on this attraction is stunning, so the long line we were in only took 45 minutes to get through, which was quite nice. Finally, the moment had arrived. The launches were absolutely insane, particularly the first one. I couldn't even yell, because my breath was literally taken away. It was incredible! The second launch, while not as powerful, was still pretty cool. Then, it happened. We were blasted right out of that volcano, and it was incredible! I found the remainder of the ride to be good, but I couldn't help think how much better it could have been had the speed not let up. The final drop back down was really great, with some good laterals, but I hated how after that it was all over. I wanted another ride, but sadly we had to move on. Volcano was an amazing rush, and I can't wait to ride it again some day.
Avalance (5/10)
After starting with Volcano, I knew this one wouldn't even come slightly close to satisfactory. However, it was still an enjoyable ride. The beginning was a bit boring just coasting along, but the end run had fantastic speed and laterals. I was almost hanging out of the car on the last turn! Pretty standard bobsled fare though and not too thrilling.
Italian Job Turbo Coaster (7/10)
I was afraid I'd have to wait for hours for this ride, but thankfully the line was shorter and moved very quickly so we only had about a 10 minute wait. The themeing was also better than I had anticipated, although it still looked like a concrete playground. The cars are very small and a little tight, so riders may have to squeeze a bit. Anyway, the initial launch was ok, obviously nothing specialy compared to Volcano! The upward helix through the "parking garage" provided some nice laterals, and then the ride went through a few drops and turns before coming to the second launch. Now the ride got cooking! Fire and steam went off, and then so did the cars! We were blasted off into darkness through some disorienting twists and turns before dropping out of the tunnel, under a bridge, around a bend, and into the break-run. Again, like Volcano, the ride was too short. I really don't know why King's Dominion insists this is a family coaster. It's a little wild for a family ride I think, but I suppose tame enough for older kids. Beware of the first launch, because you are not warned before you are shot off!
Anaconda (6/10)
This coaster is absolutely stunning being over the lake, but the majority of it is quite boring. The first half is wonderful though! Dropping down towards the lake and then into the underwater tunnel is fantastic, and there are some good laterals on the way down. The loop and loop-screw that follow have great speed and very smooth as well. The ride is runied after this though when the brakes stop the ride, which forces the train to meander through the rest of the course. The turns are so boring at this speed, but the corkscrews do provide some good hangtime. In all, a ruined ride, but the first half is still great!
Shockwave (5
Message updated 6/18/2006 12:23:27 PM by MovieCoast
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