EDIT: This blew up! Thanks guys and girls! I'll try to answer everybody.

ORGINAL

I'm an employee at Kings Dominion. It's an amusement park located in Virginia. I've been working there since May 2016. I work in Merchandise (stores). I've work all over the park, whether it's selling ride photos or the gift shop in the water park. In my year and a half working here I've seen/done a lot. AMA!

Proof:https://m.imgur.com/yPhonRT https://m.imgur.com/LkTVX22

Comments: 836 • Responses: 48  • Date: 

cat-socks319 karma

We were there yesterday! Do you get free park admission for working there?

JCPD10417 karma

Cool! I can visit the park whenever I want. I also get 8 free one day tickets for friends/family after I work a certain number of hours.

pinkiedash41780 karma

How often do you go to the park for recreation?

syrusbliz210 karma

As someone who worked at several parks in years past, while one can go 'for free' on their days off... the novelty wears off real fast when you work there 5+ days a week.

JCPD1014 karma

EXACTLY

JCPD1098 karma

Probably once every 10ish days. I don't like too many coasters, so I mainly walk the park.

PM_ME_A_PLANE_TICKET274 karma

They still got that coaster that launches you into a pitch black warehouse essentially? Went on that as a kid like 15 years ago.

JCPD10413 karma

Yep. Flight of Fear. Best ride IMO. We had a "Ride Night" for associates and I got to ride it with the lights on. 20x worse lol

tedkord4193 karma

What is the worst job in the park?

JCPD10269 karma

Probably the lifeguards. They're ALWAYS in the sun, plus they want them to be barefoot most of the time. #2 is food and beverage. I heard it STINKS in the restaurants... all the food in there lol

Jamie-Monster25 karma

[deleted]

JCPD1058 karma

Park service (janitors lol) isn't a bad job. They don't really clean too much, unless it rained. Plus they start off making $9 an hour I think...

Jackandahalfass179 karma

Do they still have the crooked house that Yogi Bear built? Sorry, I was last there in the '70s.

JCPD1092 karma

No. I'm not sure what is in its place. Was that in the kids area? We've changed are kids area so much recently. It looks totally different now. It looked way different from even when I went as a kid (2004-2010).

poopdaddy2105 karma

Is it a very incestuous work environment? I imagine a bunch of bored college kids working at an amusement park tend to pass the time by hooking up with each other.

JCPD1084 karma

Not really. I know a few couples, but they've been together for a decent amount of time. Two of my supervisors have been dating since last year and I didn't know until a few weeks ago lol. Most couples act professional. A lot of our workers are in HS anyway.

hanshotfirst42096 karma

Where is the best spot to sneak a smoke? Asking for a friend...

JCPD10120 karma

Smoke, or SMOOOOKE? Lol

Nosreaf91 karma

How do you feel about people trying to do the "float in your chair" thing on drop zone (i think that's what it's still called.) where you only secure to one click?

JCPD10111 karma

That's so dumb in my opinion. I would ride the drop tower, but I need EVERYTHING secured lol

Man_With_The_Lime67 karma

What's the stupidest thing you've ever caught a guest doing?

Jamie-Monster197 karma

I doubt OP's ever caught anyone doing anything remotely stupid compared to the dumb shit security sees on a constant basis.

When I worked there they had "sky gondola's" as a conveyance laterally across the park. People were constantly using it to smoke weed in (leaving a trail of skunk smell on the ground below them...they were easy to catch), have sex in the gondola (they almost never finished in time as back then KD was much smaller than it is now), and throwing shit at people from up there.

They were removed in '95

People liked to sneak into the employee canteen as the same food served in the park was available there, and was also much cheaper.

Hurricane Reef was known for people occasionally shitting in the pools (they usually said they knew they didn't feel right, but they still got in anyway), having sex in the changing rooms, sneaking glass items into the pool area.

Employees who worked rides got the great job of cleaning up a lot of vomit (gotta love Voban), but they also had the perk of gathering loose change that fell out of pockets, or wallets or etc, etc...

Games people usually witnessed agressive behavior as idiots competed over overpriced bullshit.

Merchandisers were victims of shoplifters, and you wouldn't believe the shit I saw people trying to steal. I mean, c'mon lady. You weren't pregnant with a misshapen, asymmetrical lump when you walked in...you're also like 12.

People are dumb

JCPD10127 karma

This guy knows!!!

JCPD1051 karma

A woman got upset cause they wouldn't let her 4/5 year old ride the Intimidator (our biggest ride). She said "He'll be fine!". That's about it. I'm lucky lol

xtorris63 karma

Do y'all still have klingons walking around the park? Because that shit will fuck you up if you're not expecting it and have a head full of acid.

JCPD1022 karma

Lmao nope

McCheetah58 karma

Had a friend that worked there in the summers when we were in high school. Thought he was gonna work at cool roller coasters, ended up working at one of the shitty pizza places.

What's the worst job you had to do there? And when is the best time to go to the park?

JCPD1082 karma

We have a Ride Photo booth-type thing that floods when it rains, one day I had to clean it out by myself. Took 45 min, a buch of paper towels, and a fan. My feet were soaked.

Best time of day is either around 10:30 or near close, around 9:00. It's best to go on days it "might" rain. Most people don't go when it's cloudy, but most rides stay up.

captmrwill54 karma

Y'all still got blue smurf soft serv?

JCPD1048 karma

Yes!!! We don't call it "spurf", just blue soft serve... or something like that. It is DELICIOUS.

minnick2749 karma

Do they make you watch the movie Rollercoaster during training?

JCPD1061 karma

No, I wish! We just watch a super cheesy video about an active shooter situation.

Slug_DC47 karma

What's the best newer ride at the park? I moved away from VA like 15 years ago and one of the things I miss is King's Dominion. I want to know what the "must do" ride is when I come back to visit.

JCPD1071 karma

The Dominator is about 9 years old. Its pretty cool, top 5 in the park. Delirium is new, got it last year. Really cool looking, I've never got on it though. Our main ride is the Intimidator. It's about 7 years old. It's CRAZY.

Top 5 Rides (In my opinion) Volcano Intimidator Dominator Delirium Flight of Fear

wutaing43 karma

Did they rebrand all the rides after it stppped being Paramount's Kings Dominion ?

JCPD1054 karma

Yeah. Our theme is now the Peanuts Gang. I hate it.

Cereyn31 karma

I grew up ten minutes from there and had a lot of friends and teachers who worked there over the summer. Are there any secrets of the park that only employees would know about? What is your favorite ride? Do you think they will ever make one side of the Rebel Yell go backwards again (it was my favorite, and I haven't been back since)?

JCPD1049 karma

•Secrets? Fast lane passes are more expensive on certain days (weekends and some Mondays). Also, most of the Halloween Haunt "monsters" are really nice teenagers lol. Rides get stuck a lot, but they don't like it when we tell customers. A lot of the food you guys pay $8 for employees can buy in our canteen for $1.50.

•Favorite ride is the Flight of Fear.

•The Rebell Yell probably won't go backwards again, unless we upgrade it. Sometimes we only run one train. It's a shame.

encogneeto22 karma

•The Rebell Yell probably won't go backwards again, unless we upgrade it. Sometimes we only run one train. It's a shame.

Wait, what? Why?

GODDZILLA2420 karma

IIRC, it's old as hell. It's an incredibly long wooden roller coaster. Big + old = lots of problems

JCPD108 karma

Yup

ditditdit30 karma

I used to live really close to KD. There was a time when they had a monorail safari with lions and everything. A friend of mine was a vet there. He took us into the lions' fields and that was really cool. Then he let us into the park through a small path and we got in for free.

It's really gone down hill lately.

Do you think they have any interest in updating the old faded fixtures? The place has 30 year old decor.

JCPD1017 karma

I wish they still had the safari. They don't update many fixtures, probably cause they don't wanna spend money. They probably call it "classic" lol

dewey210028 karma

Whats the worst ride in your opinion? I was there a month or so ago and my neck is STILL jacked the fuck up from riding the Grizzly. Rattled the shit out of me and gave me whiplash. I finally healed up and then went white water rafting and hurt it all over again. Fuck the Grizzly, never riding it or any other wooden coasters again, waaaaay too much rickity rattling!

JCPD1015 karma

Easily the Grizzly. It's too old. It looks like it's about to break.

vascrypt27 karma

how many times a day do you say "Ride on"?

JCPD1010 karma

I don't have to cause I work in merchandise. I can only imagine...

Goway_Baitin24 karma

I've lived like 40 minutes from KD for most of my life. I've been there probably 25+ times throughout the years. I've always wondered if the stories are true about the people who've died in the park?

When I was a kid I heard about a guy who somehow stood up on the Scooby Doo (not sure what it's called now) and got his head knocked off. Also I heard a story about someone who slipped out of the stand up restraints on the Shockwave and died.

Also, have you been there through a Halloween season for fearfest? I remember this one costume that made the person like 9 feet tall, had glowing eyes, and look kind of like the Scarecrow from Batman. That shit was scary and had to be a really expensive costume.

JCPD1031 karma

The thing with deaths is, we cover it up like Disney. The last death I've heard of was around 2001 I believe. The shockwave death is real. Scooby doo, not sure. A couple people have tried to commit suicide by jumping from the Eiffel Tower, but we don't know if they jumped or not. KD tries to hide that stuff.

We do have a guy during haunt that stands on stilts, but he has a clown face now. The makeup for the Haunt monsters is awesome.

Specialed839 karma

The last death was actually in 2012. A woman had a brain aneurysm on the Dominator. Source

JCPD1014 karma

Told you they don't tell us anything. Lol

squishynurse24 karma

What's your favorite kind of cheese 🧀?

JCPD1029 karma

Mozzarella all day

OutOfBounds1122 karma

OP, why have you only answered two questions in 2 hours?

JCPD1042 karma

I'm here now. Had a non serious emergency lol

CaptainMatthias16 karma

How common/uncommon is it to black out on Intimidator at the bottom of the drop? Those positive G's almost got me and I'm a full grown man. The 8 year old girl in front of me was full-on ragdoll mode for half the ride.

JCPD1015 karma

People black out on the Intimidator all the time. That poor girl lol

MasAcra15 karma

Wow! This is pretty sweet, I used to work there in the summer of 2015, also in Merchandise, mostly on Ride Photo in Dominator and Intimidator :) Is there a lot of Europeans in the park this year? Who's your supervisor, maybe I know her? Do you know a Catie Harris who works on those carts that sell toys? Did you just make this thread because you were really bored at work and couldn't stand it anymore? I know that feeling haha :) What's the shittiest interaction with a customer that you've had?

JCPD1033 karma

•We don't have that many Europeans in Merchandise this year. We don't have THAT many International people this year. Mostly people from Taiwan or Jamaica.

•The name Catie Harris doesn't ring a bell.

•I'm actually not working today, but I work tomorrow lol. It DOES get boring sometimes lol.

•I've never really had a bad interaction with a customer, but one of my supervisors once had a guy get mad because she didn't know when a ride was gonna start working again. He yelled "How do you not know, you're just sitting here not doing anything!". I'm glad I've never had a bad customer lol.

Hoptrollop3 karma

I worked there in '93 & '94 costume department.I did the smaller shows and the jugglers/magicians and the like. IOW Not at the main stage show.

My question is how much do all y'all hate us?

p.s. I married someone who worked rides at 6 Flags GA. It was a point of bonding for us.

JCPD103 karma

I'm not gonna lie, some of the performances are annoying! It's just cause the music in our park now is sooo loud. We have singers and dancers now. The performance is good, but it's so loud lol

You two are a match made in amusement park heaven lol

Sheath_your_phallus15 karma

Any nasty events occured at your park?

JCPD1035 karma

People throw up, ALOT. Not just after rides, either. Heat+Food=Vomit

Deast15 karma

I worked the main store in the children's (Planet Snoopy?) section back in '00-'02 (it was Nickelodeon themed back then)!

Is management still all over the place in competence?

Also, I haven't visited the park in a LONG time... are non-employees still able to use the shortcuts if they know them without really being called out? (In other words, are you able to use them off duty in plain clothes?)

JCPD1018 karma

You can only use the shortcuts if you're a current employee. But security guards won't notice though lol.

Management is.... something lol

I miss the Nickelodeon theme.

chef_7 karma

Shortcuts? Please elaborate

JCPD108 karma

Cut through "Authorized Personnel" areas. Some places don't even look like you can cut through.

TheRiverJordan7213 karma

VA resident here, used to come to KD all the time in the summer, still visit occasionally. My friend used to steal little gifts from the shops or grab one of the big stuffed animals hanging from the stands and book it. My question:

Do you notice people stealing very often there? Any incidents you'd like to share?

JCPD1012 karma

I've only noticed one person steal a poncho. I was far away so I didn't say anything. I looked for the dude later in the day, but I didn't see him. It's only $5, cmon man!

johna297 karma

Do you know Dale the ride op? I've seen him at Intimidator 305 and the Volcano. He is the nicest and most energetic old person I know. Here is a poor quality pic of him (it's the only one I could find): https://thedalelovers.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/dalepic1.jpg

JCPD105 karma

I've seen him! I've never talked to him though. I'll speak next time I see him.

RTWilliamson7 karma

Why doesn't the Rebel Yell go backwards anymore?

JCPD105 karma

Too old. It would have to be upgraded.

kobayashimaru136 karma

What happened to the model of the Enterprise?

JCPD104 karma

I have no idea.

green_tea_good6 karma

I went there a few years ago on a really rainy day, the park was mostly empty which was good, but lot of the rides were closed, which wasn't good. I've lived in Virginia most my life so been there quite a few times over the years. Anyway on to my questions

1)kings dominion use to have a safari drive through with live lions I believe, do you know why they stopped doing that(think was 80's,early 90's)
2) what's the work environment like there, do employees hook up a lot or not really, are manager hardline or relaxed?
3) There's been some deaths there, has paramount done anything to improve rollercoaster safety? and is there any rides you wouldn't get on because of safety concerns?
4) The dinosaur walk through thing was awful, had to pay extra money, most of the fake dinosaurs didn't work and that seemed to take up a tremendous amount of space, do you know if paramount plans on replacing that with something enjoyable? like a new rollercoaster?
5) what are the worst type of visitors to deal with? Other employees for other theme parks usually say Brazilians because they're loud, cause messes, etc...
6)What's some things visitors aren't suppose to know?
7) what are some perks you get for working there? and do you enjoy it overall?

JCPD106 karma

•Not sure, but I'm pretty sure it had something to do with money.

•No Hookups, but we do have some long-term couples. Managers are relaxed, but tough when needed to be.

•They claim the rides are safe, but I'm not sure how much they did, safety wise. I wouldn't get on the Dominator because I've seen it get stuck a couple times. Everybody was fine, but I'm not taking any chances.

•Dinosaurs Alive is gonna be here for a while... I wish we had another coaster.

•Worst visitors are anyone who is loud or think we know EVERYTHING about the park.

•Fast Lane is more expensive or certain days. If we say "We don't have any in the back", most times that means we don't wanna look.

•We can visit the park whenever we want, plus we get free tickets for friends/family. We get 20% off of anything in the park.

Overall it's a fun job.

pinkiedash4174 karma

What's your favorite ride in the park?

JCPD105 karma

Woodstock Express or Flight of Fear.

unitedmethod3 karma

Do y'all ever get park envy with six flags, Disney, or universal? Like compare yourselves?

JCPD109 karma

KD likes to think we're better than we are lol. I think we're as good as six flags, but nowhere near Disney. Customers usually compares us. "Six Flags has this", "Disney has more of these". YOURE AT KINGS DOMINION!!! Lol

bonzaijoe1 karma

Visiting DC with my family next week and plan on visiting the park! What are some must-do's and must-rides in the park that you would suggest?

JCPD102 karma

Either pack a lunch (you can't bring food in the park, but we have picnic tables outside), or bring a lot of money for food. Try the fried Oreos. Visit the water park. If you have young kids plan to be there for a long time. Our kids area "Planet Snoopy" is huge. Go on a day with fireworks. Try to be there all day, It's really fun. Bring money for games.

Best Rides Intimidator Flight of Fear Volcano Dominator Woodstock Express (Kids)

Enjoy!!!!

RomanMad1 karma

I'll be heading there in towards the end of July. We are planning to go on a Monday. Are Monday crowds significantly smaller than the weekend or isn't not that big of a difference?

JCPD102 karma

Mondays are only a little less crowded. Try going on a cloudy day. Days it "might" rain. The rides only close if it rains ALOT. The park isn't that crowded on cloudy days. Make sure you go on a day with fireworks!