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A reverse launch will be interesting, but I'm not sure this needed to be done at all. But I do agree that Mr. Freeze is a great ride (perhaps my favorite Premier ride), backward launch or not. Going backward up the spike should be pretty freaky, too.

^Why not? Multiple stations with a big finish at the end.

^^Your "visual aid" adds nothing. I see your point about having just one line (ala the one that Royal Caribbean runs on Labadee), but I think Larry's right: Ghost Town would need multiple stations to be feasible.

Well, that means one fewer person in front of me in line! They can waste all the time they want doing loopty-loops on Flight Deck! I love Alton Towers, but it's too bad that local restrictions won't let them build a ride like Leviathan (unless they put it in a very deep hole).

Space World takes goofiness to the Outer Limits--I'm a big fan of that park, too.

I agree with this completely. I'm looking forward to checking out Cars Land myself (but probably not until next year).

^Or if you're on a bridge that is obviously "out," you'd slam on the brakes to try and keep from tumbling over the edge.

One wonders why they even bother building water rides in Japan. The covered splash boat rides were really bizarre.

Ding-ding-ding-ding-ding! And, yes, I think we can rest assured that Scott was being sarcastic.

^I agree that the occurence of the Dragons "incident" after the opening WWOHP was simply a coincidence. And, as I've stated elsewhere, I don't hate the Harry Potter stuff, I'm just not a big fan of the franchise. Forbidden Journey is a good ride (even though I still prefer Spider-man), and the area itself looks good, if rather cramped.

That's exactly what happened on the first day of Howl-o-Scream last year, when we had that freakin' six-hour monsoon.

The world needs more Intamin Mine Trains and Megalites. Thanks for the pictures. I'm looking forward to visiting this park in September.

^And where else can you buy a stick for 100 bucks?

Plus-size riders will be held in with duct tape. So, when in Dollywood, I should ride Wild Eagle first, then get cinnamon bread?

It's probably the creepy robes and capes they CMs have to wear.

You're very generous--thank you. Just good old cables and winches, I guess. They can raise and lower them quickly.

So, let's venture forth from the Festhaus, shall we? Yes, I finally got some coaster riding in. Alpengeist was running pretty well. Because they care. People getting their "Griff on." Sorry. Couldn't think of anything else other than "whee." Wait for it . . . Oh, cr-a-a-a-a-a-ap! BGW wants you to know that this is the "world's most beautiful theme park." Thank you. Wolves that don't wear blue lederhosen are hard to spot in the wild. "Wolf? Where? Well, we can just fly away . . . oh, wait." DJ + Ireland = frightening line dancing. "Aye, that's right. I'm a leprechaun, and just like those movies, I'm a bloodthirsty fiend who feasts on human flesh." Well, being as it's St. Patrick's Day, I guess I'll pop over to Grogan's for a pint. Or not. I opted for the Loch Ness Monster, instead--faster line. Nessie keeps on chuggin' along. They've added a fence and some new signs down by the "river." My, how times have changed. Hmm--what have we here? Run! It's the real monster! ("Angus McNasty: The Ride" would be a great addition to BGW.) Two-thirds of a hat trick. Apollo's Chariot was running particularly well that day. They think they're safe. They aren't. There's always time for the train. The train is moving at "ramming speed." OK, some more Verbolten--what the hell. Yep--still some dirt left to move. It's good to see the left side of the map filled up again. Hmm--a little proofreading is in order. The park seems to be going through an "ugly shirt" phase at the moment. You're welcome. That's all for now.

The Thread Awakens in Time for Passholder Preview Day I missed BGW's last two Passholder Preview Days (2010 and 2011) because I was out of town when they took place, so I was particularly looking forward to this year's. Yes, the park's progress on Verbolten is what interested me most (read more about it in the BGW Discussion Thread), but the park has made other changes, both large and small, since last year. The weather was absolutely perfect, with temps in the high 70s, so the park was packed. I could see from the top of Apollo's Chariot that afternoon that all the park's main parking lots were full, and they were using the overflow Scotland lot across from the brewery, as well! Even so, waits for the coasters were quite manageable (no more than 15 or 20 minutes), thanks to three-train operations on all but Nessie. The food-service locations were a bit slammed, though, and it took a while to snag lunch at the Festhaus, which was mobbed that afternoon. Speaking of the Festhaus, that's the "large" change I was talking about. The old This Is Oktoberfest show, which has run in that venue with a change or two since the park opened in the mid-1970s, is now out--that is, my understanding is that the oompah band and dancers are going to be performing outside the Festhaus this season. Instead, a new musical show based on the stories of the Brothers Grimm, Entwined, will be making its debut next weekend. For Preview Day, the park decided to hold "dress rehearsals" of the show in the Festhaus in front of guests, rather than leaving the stage "dark." I saw them go through the show's opening number, then through some more specific rehersal with individual cast members, with numbers starting and stopping as necessary. It was kind of cool to see the "creative process" at work, and Entwined looks like a fairly big show. The old Feshaus stage has been redone, and the cast's elaborate costumes were all designed and sewn together in house. Another interesting change happened in Curse of DarKastle. The park is, once again, running the ride's preshow as a preshow. This hasn't happned since the ride first opened. Instead, the park installed stanchions and chains in the preshow room duing ride's second season, and guests wandered past the preshow as it played in a continuous loop. It was good to see the old lighting effects and the chamber's "secret door" working again. Here's a look at Passholder Preview Day 2012. I got there about fifteen minutes before opening, and the parking-lot lines were already backed up. Hmm--this is either a bus from a local jail, or a particularly "Klassy" RV conversion. The park never gets tired of touting this. Look! New signage for new "zones" on the bridge from the England parking lot! I can tell that you're all aquiver with excitement! Yep--it's St. Patrick's Day. First long line of the day--the height-check station. They were running a "sweepstakes" of sorts that day. Every time you had your pass scanned while buying food or souvenirs, you had a chance to win gift cards you could spend at the park. No word on whether I won anything. They've replaced the old "archaelogist's camp" in front of Pompeii with a sundial. Why? I've no idea. A big Santa statue was here the last time I wandered this way. It was bit cool that morning, but one hardy soul braved the Escape from Pompeii. Another little change: The park has installed these signs everywhere (all on different topics depending on where you are). They just care so much . . . This is for you Robb: The park's turtle parade! It lasts a long time. OK, just two more pictures of Verbolten that I didn't use in the BGW Discussion Thread. This station is verboten, er, Verbolten. I bumped into some of my neighbors. The first thing they wanted to ride was the Battering Ram (go figure), but it was broken--so we hit Mach Tower instead. Not only was DarKastle's preshow back to its original self, but the mist/smoke effect was working in the library scene again. My god, that mutant rabbit is back again. I decided against tracking him to his lair. EGGS . . . IN . . TREES! The park held three "dress rehershals" that day. We were at the first one. Behold the "new" Festhaus! Yep--a lot of people were into the sausage that day. The turkey was decent with the raspberry vinegarette. But this still cost me $18.50. New for 2012: cupcakes with gumdrops. Not bad, but there's a better cupcake bakery in Williamsburg. Here's some "Grimm" theming. More new Festhaus decor. The park's director of entertainment sets up the dress rehearsal. They're still tweaking the lighting design, and there are more props, as well as new trapdoors in the stage, that weren't going to be used during this session. The good fairy, or fairy godmother, or something. The witch wants to know, "Who just farted?" "I'll cast an odor-eater spell over this audience! Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!" Who says the Big Bad Wolf is gone? And isn't his lederhosen adorable? I have no idea with this guy is doing, but it involves blowing. "Ich bin papa Bär." "Heavens to Murgatroyd! No one told me there would be bears!" Hansel and Gretel. Gretel's costume incorporates a compass into its design because she's always getting lost. "You want a piece of the witch, wolfie? Come get some!" That's our look at the Entwined dress rehersal. It'll be interesting to see it with all the props and final lighting package. Next up, a walk around the park.

Agreed--you may have Jersey Shore onboard, but at least you'll have great service and food.

And please note that this is the most expensive and most complex ride Busch Gardens Williamsburg has built to date, at least according to the park. Reusing the footers was prudent and cost-effective. There's always a balance between "show" and "budget," even at parks like Universal and Disney. BDG, you've stated your point--no need to beat it into the ground.

^They're reusing the footprint of the Big Bad Wolf--that's why those footers are there. I'm hoping for some more BBW references, too (in addition to the license plate on the green train). As for the theming, I like what I'm seeing so far, but won't pass final judgment until it's done.

^And they would've anchored the coaster on what, exactly--old tree stumps? Build a ride, you need some concrete somewhere. And, by the way, that green stuff you're seeing is not "painted concrete." It's most likely dye they use in hydroseeding, which helps them keep track of where they've seeded (grass, flowers, etc.) and where they haven't.

^^So, RCCL wants to be "Klassier"?

The park still has a ways to go yet with adding the theming. I'm not sure what they have in mind to "hide" the show building (after all, they stopped theming DarKastle at the front), but time will tell. The concept art suggests that more needs to be installed, but we'll see. They certainly have made a lot of progress since the Hard Hat Tour earlier this month. Sorry I missed you too, Jeff--I'm glad you got those additional angles on Verbolten from the Rhine River Cruise (I "missed the boat" on that one, but I did get some decent shots from the train). You get great views of Verbolten from Mach Tower (of course) and the top of the Loch Ness Monster.

^^Yep--very busy. All the main parking lots were full, and they were using the Scotland lot across from the brewery. Food service seemed to be bearing the brunt of it. ^Everything seemed to be running just fine (esp. Apollo's Chariot).