Jonathan Vandermark

Review of King's Dominion-Cedar Fair Ent...

Some work to do... but overall, great start to 201...

Some work to do... but overall, great start to 2019 season. We have been three times in 2019, the Season Pass Preview 3/24/19, Opening Day 3/30/19, and Spring Break Monday - 4/1/19.

Food: We have the all season dinning plan, which allows for 2 entrees and sides spaced out by 4 hours. All three trips, we were able to eat, twice. We also purchased 2 all season orange mugs. They are $30 each, and allow free refills all season. More on the mugs latter... So, after the initial $60, we will not have to pay for drinks all season, or meals. For our first 6 meals, we tried 6 different spots.

Chick-Fil-A - Closed on Sundays, so take that into account for planned weekend trips. This was by far, the BEST place to dine for us. Our meal plan allows for a Chick-Fil-A Sandwich and large fry, an 8 count nugget and large fry, or a spicy sandwich and large fry. We found this to be more than enough food for us, more than we normally get at a Chick-Fil-A, and were very satisfied. The food is real Chick-Fil-A and is amazing. Plenty of sauces and condiments, and a nice climate controlled dinning area. Located at Planet Snoopy, this will be a regular stop for our 2019 visits.

SUBWAY - Located in the games and arcade area "Candy Apple Grove" - this was a great stop. This is a limited menu SUBWAY, so if you are very specific on your sandwich, you may be disappointed, but for us, some ham and cheese subs and turkey subs and some chips were great! No seating, so grab your sub and find a place to eat. Will be visiting SUBWAY again.

Juke Box Diner, also in Candy Apple Grove, and it was ok. We prob. will not be back to it. There is a self order Kiosk that was not working properly, and was causing some noticeable irritation among the guests and staff. The atmosphere was fun, and the outside tables were great. The food was not that good though, and we ended up throwing away most of it. The fries were good, but the chicken was tough, and the burger was disgusting. Also, the condiment station is inside, next to an exit only door, so if you need more ketchup for those fries... be ready to sneak back in through the exit, or awkwardly slide through the line of people, or under the line railing, to get back to the station.

Chicken Shack in Safari Village, and that was a BIG hit for my boys. The chicken was great, but the outside seating was not convenient and was filled with non-Chicken Shack guests resting. Condiment station was outside the shack, so was very convenient to re-fill and get what you needed. This will be our Sunday place, when Chick-Fil-A is closed. Good food, just bad location for our normal day at the park.

Pizza Parlor on International Street - very pleased. The pizza was great, and the service was quick. Limited seating will be an issue on crowded days, but we were there on a Monday around 4PM and there were plenty of spots to sit outside.

Hungry Hippo in the Safari Village - was absolutely disgusting. I still can't get that taste out of my mind.. We got, what we thought were some nice bacon burgers and fries... DO NOT recommend.

Orange cups: These are a fantastic option if you are season pass holders, and meal plan holders too. I would not recommend the meal plan without the orange cup... overall, we are very satisfied, however, the system was acting up on Season pass day we were told, and the cups were not linking properly to our pass. By the third visit, it seems to be fixed, but was a side joke on who would get the refill and get embarrassed like we stole the cup. Keep your receipt for some peace of mind until it is refilling without issues.

Overall, 4 out of 5 stars, and a happy family ready for the 2019 season, and the water park in the summer!!! Keep up the good work. We do miss the Volcano, I loved that ride... but the new rides, and noticeable improvements are moving KD in the right direction. It will be even better when the park is fully operational and staffed in the summer, but these preview days, and limited Spring Break days have us excited for 2019 fun.