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A Night at Busch Gardens' Christmas Celebration Busch Gardens Williamsburg is pushing on with its limited attendance/reservations-only events schedule with an abridged version of their extremely popular Christmas Town: A "Christmas Celebration." I was there on opening night, and felt the same about the park as I did during their earlier "abbreviated" events: They're making the best they can of state-required restrictions. One big difference is that the state is now allowing 4,000 guests, as opposed to the 1,000 the park was allowed during earlier events, such as "Halloween Harvest." I'm pretty sure there weren't 4,000 guests there on November 13, but the park was using the France parking lot, which holds more cars than the England lot they've been using since late summer (you can pay extra to park there). The same restrictions apply. Guests must wear "face coverings" (except when eating or drinking) and social distancing is required. For the most part, guests complied. (However, they weren't taking temperatures when I went in). The park is, indeed, decked out for the holidays, only not as heavily as it was during pre-pandemic Christmas Town. England, with its large wreaths and garlands, looks about the same, but there's no "Polar Pathway" by the Escape from Pompeii, and no "Holiday Hills" in Festa Italia (those sections are closed, but the Sesame Street Forest of Fun is open). The trains are running, but not the Skyway. You can also ride Verbolten, Alpengeist, and InvadR, as well as some of the flat rides (such as Finnigan's Flyer in Ireland). The Festhaus is open and serving their usual Christmas fare, such as a turkey dinner and sirloin sandwiches. No Brauhaus (it's being used as the entrance to the Festhaus serving area), but you can score some craft beer and holiday cocktails at Grogan's Pub in Ireland (there's some indoor seating available there, too). No big shows this year, but there are some "street performers," such as carolers in England, to create a festive atmosphere. You can get a socially distanced photo with Santa and Mrs. Claus at Santa's Workshop in Germany, along with some Sesame Street characters in the Forest of Fun and Frosty the Snowman in France. Who's ready for a bit of pre-Thanksgiving Christmas cheer? All masked up and ready to get festive. The tree with big balls is a familiar sight. England looks pretty much like it does during Christmas Town. There were carolers, too. It wins the Christmas-decorating contest this year. “I’ll have a Blue Christmas in Scotland, without you.” My grandmother always liked blue Christmas trees, too. No Griffon during the Christmas Celebration. Looks nice at sunset, though. There’s no big Christmas show in Ireland this year . . . . . . but they have a good band. The path from Ireland to France is always very pleasant this time of year. Just some nice lights, acoustic music, and . . . . . . OH MY GOD WHAT IS THAT? Mrs. Claus will keep the insane elf in check. The giant snowman in France has a fancy new scarf this year. “‘Allo! I am a French android, as you can tell by my beret.” “Frosty the Snowman was a socially distanced soul.” The Three Rivers Smokehouse is closed, but you can score some ribs here. “And there’s no Christmas lights on the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"--a classic Canadian carol. Even bears are festive in Canada. Wait a minute! Who’s that I see in Germany? Why, it’s our old buddy, Creepy, the Candy-Cane-Sawing Elf! The Christmas store in Germany can fulfill all your holiday needs. It’s not just a nutcracker. It’s a MAJOR AWARD! I'm glad the projection show is back. Who wants cookies? Run! It's an ornament-a-lanche! I guess they’re not doing the “O Tannenbaum” light-and-music show this year, but the tree looks nice. You can play the carnival games, and there are some craft booths, as well. Social distancing in the Festhaus. “Hey, remember when you said you wanted a new Porche for Christmas? Well, we had a bit of a mishap . . .” All the cool kids are getting Pantheon merch from Santa this year. This fire is handy for warming yourself before you head to your car. Have a Merry Little Christmas Celebration, Busch Gardens! Thanks for reading.

You mean like this. . . (pssst, all wooden coasters run on steel rails, well, with the exception of the flying turns) Also, who would have thought the first RMC coaster to get the RMC treatment would have been Lightning Rod lol lol.

If Dollywood wants to still call it a wooden roller-coaster because its got wooden supports, let them. Does it really matter if the park calls it a steel/hybrid/wooden coaster etc? Outside of a very vocal minority of enthusiasts, 99% of the park going people won't even blink. They'll only care that the ride that they thought was awesome on the one ride they managed to get, and then disappointment at a closed sign on the other visits isn't closed as often anymore.

Holy crap, guy, there's a multiquote feature for a reason.

Took the words right out of my mouth. This thread and some of the other forums are about to be nearly as entertaining as the ride itself

Here is a photo of the I-Box track on the left and the all-steel Topper Track on the right. As you can see, the Topper Track is on top of stacked wood, but it is still a steel coaster as the trains run on top of and under the Topper Track. It is a marketing gimmick. The Lightning Rod is not a wooden coaster. It is a steel coaster on wooden supports. Now, depending on how much Topper Track they replace with I-Box track, then Dollywood may not even be able to get away with calling it a wooden coaster next season.

I don't care if this is wood, steel, PVC, or a combination of anything. As long as it has the same great layout and actually runs reliably, I'm happy!

My post wasn't supposed to be 100% serious and I also didn't say any conversation. I was pretty specific. Like real life it comes down to the situation and when, where, who etc.. If Boldikus was put next to me on TTD and strikes up a conversation in the station and I tell him I'm also into coasters and he brings up Kingda Ka then yeah after the ride maybe I'd talk some nerdy shit about El Toro and T Express over a beer. If however he just starts blathering facts at me or screaming to me even on the launch and 420ft drop about how good it is to have clam-shell restraints vs over the head restraints and less rattling then I'm getting out of there as soon as I can.

Been away and was just about to point that out. All modern wooden (at least 50yrs) coasters have a steel top layer on the wood. Just walkover to Thunderhead and look. "A wooden roller coaster is most often classified as a roller coaster with running rails made of flattened steel strips mounted on laminated wooden track." RMC's topper is just a box instead of a flat plate. "consists of replacing the traditional wood track top two layers with a 'steel box' . A new six layer laminated wood stack is attached to the Topper Track during the manufacturing process." Who is "Lloyd" and why should we believe him? What lawsuit? I've not seen any stories about such. They are public record so please link to the info on it. Again, assuming facts not in evidence. There has been no credible source claiming problems with the launch, and many credible sources have repeatedly said the launch is fine. So using I-Box in some sections would suggest the forces from speed and weight of the cars is causing problems, so they are making the track stronger in some places. The I beam of the I-Box would be much stronger than 6 layers of pine and the Topper box.

^I thoroughly enjoyed Dare Devil Dive. You know how SF ride ops tell guests which ride to go ride next? While waiting to board Joker, the op recommended DDD. Obviously I thought he was playing true to his attraction's name and Joking around. So on my way to an Iron Rattler Flash Pass reservation, I see activity around the attraction. There are riders on the thing! Some people were just standing around the entrance, so I asked the ride op at the entrance and they said the ride actually was open TODAY ONLY (11/14) for Technical Rehearsal and that I could get in line. There is some very excellent theming within the attraction's queue. But, there are some overly aggressive sound effects that caused a couple people to leave the queue. The attraction itself: The added elevation of the tower does add something to the ride--especially when hanging inverted at the top of the tower. And the flame towers around the perimeter function as near-miss elements. I hope Six Flags brings these rides to more parks. The park did have a sign notifying guests when additional technical rehearsals/soft-opens would be. As for the crowds, it was probably the best decision for you to stay home, Bert. Crowds everywhere with little social distancing (despite my best efforts at times) and rampant mask non-compliance. While it would have been fun to meet up, let's just say that I'm impatiently waiting for the day when my blood no longer boils at the sight of nostrils. And I have no idea how controversial this is but: Iron Rattler>Wonder Woman.

They should add a car wash at the end.

For the same reason Togo was bad for offering similar rides, but B&M is good for offering similar rides.

Thanks for the update! I’m looking forward to seeing what’s announced.

Steel Vengeance is better than Iron Gwazi according to youtubers who haven't ridden either of the two.

Holy crap you nerds are a tough crowd. It looks like a coaster that will make me hoot and holler the entire time I'm on it while simultaneously trying to throw my fat ass as far from the train as possible. I'm so damn sold.

Imagine sitting next to someone on a roller coaster of all places and saying to them "I'm not interested and don't want to talk". Also, if an enthusiast plops down next to you or strikes up a conversation in line and begins blathering on like an enthusiast tends to do and you don't use that opportunity to troll the f*ck out of them is your goal to even have fun at a park? I mean, when opportunity strikes...

As a 21-year-old who considers themselves a "mild enthusiast" (at least in person) and often uses single rider lines, it's not that complicated... Be friendly, say hello. Maybe ask if they've ridden this ride before. Casual conversation. You don't need to ramble about all the coasters you've ridden and parks you've been to, nor do you need to be silent and cold. Do people not know how to interact anymore? lol

Yeah, the difference to the rider between I-Box track and the current track is really minimal. The only major difference would be that the ride would actually be open when you wanted to ride it and when you were in line for it you could hear a bunch of obnoxious enthusiasts bragging to everyone who was willing to listen that they rode it with the old track and it was way better.

To be fair to Lance, he totally calls BS on the rumor in his post.