Tumbili is the newest roller coaster at Kings Dominion. If you had told me a few years ago
the Washington DC area was getting an S&S free spin, I would have assumed it would have gone to
Six Flags America. This one of the few S&S free spins not built by Six Flags and it opened in
spring of 2022. While the ride itself is fine, Tumbili also headlined a completely reimagined
section of the park. So in this video, I will be reviewing Tumbili and explaining why this
is a positive addition for Kings Dominion. The land where Tumbili is located was previously
known as Congo and Safari Village. And this area looked way different just a few years ago.
The land was home to the beloved Volcano-the Blast Coaster,
an Intamin invert featuring 2 launches. The ride literally shot riders out of a volcano and then
treated guests to four different inversions as the track wrapped its way around the structure. This
was arguably the park’s most popular attraction and fans were devasted by its removal in 2018.
Shortly thereafter, Kings Dominion also removed the Crypt, a Huss top spin located
across from Volcano. The removal of these two attractions decimated Safari Village.
Something had to be done. For the 2022 season, Kings Dominion
transformed Safari Village into Jungle X-Pedition. This land featured all new thematic elements. The
two remaining rides were rethemed and renamed with the most notable being the Avalanche bobsled being
turned into Reptilian. And most importantly, the area received a shiny new coaster in Tumbili.
Adding a S&S free spin seemed like an odd move for Cedar Fair.
It seemed like a Six Flags move. There were 8 free spins in North America
and 7 were owned by Six Flags. Cedar Fair is famous for adding large custom coasters
and fans were distraught thinking that Tumbili was a replacement for Volcano.
Especially since it was the chain’s only roller coaster in 2022 and a smaller free spin.
But this isn’t the Volcano replacement. Tumbili is a replacement for Crypt.
When viewed in those terms, it’s an upgrade. Kings Dominion fans will have to wait a little
longer for the land’s signature attraction, but the park knows they need something impressive.
But back to Tumbili, the ride looks great. Cedar Fair has been improving their theming
in recent years and Tumbili is another example of this. No one will mistake this
ride for something at a Disney park, but it’s presentation is on par with a Herschend coaster.
I love the jungle green track and brown supports. It fits the area perfectly.
Each dispatch is accompanied by an awesome musical score. The sound dominates the area
and hypes riders up for their experience. It’s probably my favorite aspect about Tumbili.
And then there are ruins and archaeological paraphernalia placed around the queue.
Now you may be in that queue line for a while. Tumbili has wretched capacity.
Unlike the larger free spins that load two vehicles at once,
Tumbili only loads one. So instead of operating with 4-5 cars, Tumbili operates with just two. And
since each train is comprised of 2 cars seats just 8 riders total, lines for this attraction crawl.
On a day when almost every other roller coaster was a walk-on, Tumbili sported a 30-45 minute wait
all-day. I shudder to think how long this queue will take on a busy day. Dispatches
were reasonably consistent, but the ride’s maximum theoretical throughput is crazy low.
And one other note, Tumbili is not on Fast Lane as of this recording. So if you want to ride this
attraction with the shortest waits, either be one of the first people to this attraction or
come back at the very end of the day. This fourth dimension coaster positions
riders on the outside of the track in vehicles that can freely rotate. So towards the end of
the queue line, you are assigned to one of two sides. I only experienced Tumbili once,
but I heard from others that the side facing Dominator was the superior one. This was the
side I was assigned, but I suspect the park would allow you to request a side if desired.
The restraints are identical to the other free spins. You have a snug vest restraint.
These securely keep you in place during the chaotic ride without becoming uncomfortable.
While some of the flips are pretty abrupt, the cars track quite smoothly.
Once dispatched, you ascend up the 112 foot or 34 meter tall lift hill.
If you’re like me, you’ll be rocking out to the booming drum beat and monkey cries.
Once at the top, the mayhem begins. No two rides will be identical since the cars
rotate freely based on the weight distribution and inertia. But there are magnetic fins positioned
along the course that influence your direction of travel and almost always cause a flip.
The first of these magnets is on the initial drop off the lift, which results in a rapid
and disorienting flip. The second bunny hill has another set of magnets. On my ride, my vehicle was
flipping forwards into the hill, but the magnets jarringly forced my car to flip in the opposite
direction. This stunted my car’s momentum. Had it pushed me in the direction I was going,
I suspect I would have had non-stop flipping for the rest of the ride.
One of the biggest differences with Tumbili over the other free spins are the trim brakes on the
raven turns. These 180 degree half loops change your vehicle’s direction of travel.
It’s a quick and disorienting maneuver on the other free spins, but on Tumbili
it’s a slower and more controlled transition. The second pass has a few lackluster bunny hills,
but before the second raven turn, there’s another set of fins that force a flip.
I saw some vehicles spin uncontrollably into the second raven turn, but I just got a single flip.
The second raven turn is immediately followed by a third raven turn
that slowly lowers you into the brake run, ending the ride. Tumbili is super short. It has less than
20 seconds of prime ride time and just 770 feet or 230 meters of track. That’s a major con for me,
but I know extra ride time could make the ride far more nauseating for some.
So what would I rate Tumbili? I would give this coaster a 5 out of 10.
This is the weakest free spin I have ridden. Not only is it the smaller and shorter layout,
but the trim brakes really harm the pacing and intensity.
I admittedly did only ride Tumbili once, but the three flips I received seemed on
par with most other cars I observed. I prefer the other free spins I’ve ridden elsewhere.
However, I do think Tumbili is an improvement over the former Crypt top spin. The ride also offers a
different experience than any of the park’s other coasters. And I love what Kings Dominion did
with this ride’s theme and presentation. This coaster seamlessly fits into the revitalized
Jungle X-Pedition area and I can’t wait to see how this area continues to evolve over time.
So while Tumbili isn’t one of Kings Dominion’s top tier coasters,
it definitely has a place in the park’s lineup and is worth a spin- quite literally-
as long as the wait time is manageable. So those are my thoughts on Tumbili, Kings
Dominion’s newest attraction and the only roller coaster Cedar Fair installed for the 2022 season.
What are your thoughts on this ride? Do you like the S&S free spins? Let me know if you
think this is one of the better or weaker free spins out there. If you enjoyed this review, I’d
appreciate it if you gave this video a like and you considered subscribing since there will be a
lot more roller coaster and amusement park videos here at Canobie Coaster. Thanks for watching!