Kings Dominion June 9th 2007

So I had really avoided this park for a while because the last time I was their the experience was less than stellar. That changes this time by leaps and bounds.

We arrived at the park around 10 am and got in line to get our tickets. Here we discovered that when you get a regular day admission it is good for a return visit any time during the season. You have to love the two for one deals.

After making it thru the gates and being peppered by photo people we were off and running. We grabbed a locker in Water Works because we knew that part of the day would be spent in the water park.

Italian Job: This ride is great and has always been since it was installed. Some of the effects were not working but with a walk on ride that did not matter. **This ride was shut down by noon and did not reopen for the rest of the day***

Avalance: Great coaster all around the crew was fast and it made for a good ride.

Scooby Doo Haunted Mansion: So we all know that the scooby and gang were doing major drugs in the mystery machine, but this ride was fun in its concept. I wish it was a little bit longer but other than that it was good.

Anaconda: Crew was fast and very attentive. The ride was a little bumpy but other than that it was good.

Shockwave: Those origional bicycle seats are killer but if your into riding everything at the park then it is worth it.

Hypersonic XLC: OUCH!!!!!!!

Grizzly: Great front seat ride. The only problem was the girl who was running the ride was falling asleep in the control booth.

Hurler: Ouch @#$@#$@!!!!!! This ride should go before some one is seriously hurt on this wooden disaster. It hurt like a mother.

Ricochet: Great little mouse coaster that is enjoyed by all

Water Works: The new exspanded area is great. Having two wave pools makes it so much easier to find a place to sit and relax and just enjoy the surroundings. The zoom flume was also a lot of fun. The water playhouse is showing its age but that big bucket still spills all the time.

Over all this park has shown major improvement. Trash cans are abundant as with any cedar fair park. The staff was actually enjoying their jobs. I even happened to see management picking up trash in the midways and around rides.

In water works a lady asked a security guard where the entrance was to the lazy river. The guard walked her personally to the entrance.

I think this park has a good future in its sights.

I see that Hurler is still the same old piece of firewood that it's always been....I skipped it last year & I'll be sure to skip it again this year as well.

Now I'm not suprised to hear about the effects on IJ:TC not working,this always seems to happen with new rides about a year after they're installed but I'm glad to hear that the wait wasn't so long.As expected the wait last year was almost unbearable.

I'll be heading out there on july 14th myself & certainly look forward to seeing the changes that CF has made during their first full season of park ownership,at least this time FOF should beopen seeing as how I missed it by about a week last season.

I cannot vouch for KD's Hurler, because I haven't been to the park in two or three years, however, I slipped in a ride on the Carowinds Hurler Saturday and was pleasantly surprised. The ride is by no means smooth (at least not like it was in its early years), but there's some new wood on it and it definitely rides better than the painful experience that it's been for the past couple of years. Only got in one ride, near the front, so I can't vouch for the back, which is traditionally far more painful than the front...

^ Seems to me that PCar's (Thunder Road and Hurler) wood gets better care in general. PKD's wood (Rebel Yell and Hurler moreso than Grizzly) just seems to steadily decline over time... :(