mforce79

Hey man, great trip report! I really enjoy the plethora of pictures, and you got some really good ones. Glad you had a good vacation

It's not much, but Richmond actually has a halfway decent looking skyline from across the river. Too bad it sucks once you actually get INTO the city. I took these pictures myself and it's about as close as I usually get to being downtown.

That's just wrong in so many ways... 3 places to wait in line just to give the park money before you even *do* anything. Then the rides open late (or not at all), and they can't promise you anything for the money you've given them. I've been suckered in myself, but it's mind boggling how many end up in this place.

It was brought up in pkdcoaster's Trip Report below. I didn't want to elaborate too much but it's been mentioned in other places here and there. http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=29580&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0 I sh** you not, we were yelled at by security in the Parking Lot for taking pictures of Kinda Ka. Earlier I was asked to hand my camera to the Medusa floor operator so they could delete the pictures I took in the station. I refused to let them touch my camera and "deleted" the picture I took while the dude stood over my shoulder saying that I could be fined $6000 for taking the picture to begin with. It was not permanantly deleted, but it was a crappy picture anyway. All of this was very strange to me, because, as you mentioned, a few years ago the same park held coaster events at which they encouraged enthusiasts to bring their cameras, camcorders, etc. on the rides.

I think it's situational. Other people have reported being harassed for taking pictures of just about anything in the park. Obviously it's not *really* prohibited or they wouldn't sell cameras in the park. Just one of those annoying things about this place... but that discussion is for another thread. The design of El Toro rocks, pictures or no pictures.

Wasn’t planning on making a trip to BG this weekend, but I have a friend from Poland who had never been to the park before and wanted to check it out. Simon is a friend I met a few years ago. He’s been coming to Virginia during the summer for the past 3 years to do research on his PhD which involves the history of the American Civil War. When he finishes his dissertation early next year, he wants to eventually come back to America and work as a college History professor. I’m not a history buff, but I’ve learned a lot about this country while traveling with him throughout the Mid-Atlantic. Normally I’m his mode of transportation between museums and battlefields, but this time I convinced him to take part in some real entertainment, so we headed down to BG early Sunday morning. First stop, the dreaded gas station… what’s this? Gas is less than $2 per gallon??? Sweet! Had to take a picture of this, hopefully it will stay that way! We got to Busch Gardens a little after 10:00 and I was the only car pulling into the parking booths. I was assuming that most of the crowds would come later in the day for HOS, but I also think the weather forecast kept some people from showing up early. It was supposed to rain in the morning before clearing up, but the rain stopped before 8am in Richmond, and there was nothing but blue skies all day. There were short lines for everything, and we rode every major attraction in the park by 5:30. We headed home around 6:00 and the crowds never really got bad. We waited about 15 minutes for AC right before we left, so it probably ended up being a good night for those who stayed for HOS. The longest line we waited in all day was the traffic backed up on 64 all the way home. They really need to make that a 6 lane divided highway instead of 4. Simon really enjoyed the park. He's fluent in too many languages to count, so he was reading off all the signs and writings on the walls in all of the themed areas. I never even realized they had so many signs in different languages. I know I've seen some, but they're all over the place. On the side of buildings and in all the restaurants. Now I know what they say, so I think that's cool. I did get a couple construction shots, I'll post those in the Griffon thread. Not a whole lot to report on unfortunately. I’ll let the pictures explain the rest… enjoy! Simon forced me into this one... He really wants to fight in a civil war. This picture was taken seconds before the bird bit my finger (bleeding). I knocked him off my shoulder hoping to not give him a concussion but blatantly proving a point that he should not bite fingers. Snakes on a plane... of grass! Howl-O-Train Das Alpenlifter. I swear these trains have never seen dirt before... such a great thing to never see! Again, Simon helps sensor some of the park's blatant obscenities. It's a little blurry, but definitely a rare shot of Alpie I'm not known for Vertical pictures, but I couldn't resist taking this signature shot Cool shot, but my camera won't focus on the train to save it's life. I think I'll be buying a more sophisticated camera soon There are a lot of things I like about this picture This chick had trouble keeping her dress on, so Simon decided to help her out a little. Dark AlpenKastle (with some trees starting to change color) I wonder if Mr. Busch knows they let people make their own wine in the park? We started the day by stealing Captain Lucky's treasure (He never got it back) A beautiful sign to start the day

Miraculously, I got a picture of the El Toro train without being hauled out of the park by security or forced to delete the picture like I was at other times throughout the day. Hopefully this answers anyone's question(s) about the seating situation... couldn't tell if there was a question back there or what. Not sure about Balder's seats, but I was surprised these were hard plastic with no padding. Before riding I was a little worried given the obvious forces this coaster has. I was afraid it would be painful, but overall we didn't have any discomfort when all was said and done, mainly due to the fact that the ride was so smooth.

It's weird I guess, but I actually see where you're coming from about Alpengeist. It does a few things different from other B&M Inverts. I think you have to ride it several times to truly appreciate it. Maybe, instead of comparing it to other rides, take the ride in as a whole. The first half is awesome, the cobra roll is second to none, and the interaction with the scenery for the 2nd half is some of the best out there. In my opinion, it's one of the best *complete rides out there, and for that reason I rank it highly. Glad you enjoyed the park, take some pictures next time!

Jeff rode Krapda Ka before me and got off of the back row informing us that it was rough. I moved up to the 2nd row b/c I wasn't going to chance waiting for the front, and honestly I thought it rode like a wooden coaster. The trains were obviously in bad shape. To prove they were in bad shape, consider this: The ride has four loading stations and only 3 trains on the site, with the 3rd train alread being taken apart in the transfer area. Something ain't right about that. I think Jeff mentioned most of the crappy policies and such that gave us a bad experience, but the thing I can't stand the most about this park (and it actually has nothing to do with the Six Flags brand) is the people. The general population of guests in this park have very ugly attitudes, and it sucks that it's so crowded all the time. Again, nobody's fault, and I'm not trying to offend. It's just my obeservation, and one of the many small reasons I don't plan on going back to a Six Flags park any time soon.

I really feel bad for you all spending the 3 extra days and going out of your way for something that shouldn't have been an issue. It's not really what you missed at the park that matters, it's the fact that you missed it when you shouldn't have had to. Just because a park can't control the weather doesn't mean they should cut operating cost at the expense of those of us who actually plan things ahead of time. I think you should at least write a letter to the park or something explaining your situation and see how they plan on making up the part of your trip that they deleted for you. Any good park management should at least be willing to comp your admission if you plan on returning in the future for a situation like this. Then again it's totally understandable if you don't plan on returning and technically that would be their loss. Loved the pictures and comments, great TR!

Glad to see the Flight is running again. Were they running more than one train?

mo pictures... After realizing Jeff took 300+, it was hard to find some shots that haven't already been shared. Overall the best day this season, especially considering the weather was perfect. This monster was also trying to eat people in the train station. Clydesdales trying to eat the employee... also notice the unplanned train in the background. Pretty good timing... Apollo and the impaled clown Probably my favorite picture from the day my timing was off on this one, but I like the way the light comes through Some Alpengeist action Apollo's Station 5PM Alpengeist station: 3PM Why would this dork have this huge outdated camcorder wrapped in a plastic bag??? Find out soon... Griffon's surprise element... a French-themed climbing wall for the whole family

What a great idea! This would really make for an interesting Photo TR or video. I hope somebody has a chance to document this at one of the Six Flags parks and share it here. Very cool!

Domi-Probert? that's old school now... in a good way

Gas mileage is great and everything, but my Jeep would totally crush that car. I think I would feel a little unsafe riding around in it, but glad you like it. Hope it does well for you.

Man, those shots of Tomb Raider make the ride look good, huh? Nice Photos as usual. I'm glad my first ride on Taxi Jam was well documented! Rob and I stayed until about 5:30, got a ride on Volcano, IJ and Drop Zone again. It was so cloudy, I didn't bother taking many pictures, but I can't seem to leave my camera at home anymore. Thanks TPR. I'm impressed with the Cedar Fair pass as well, hope to get plenty of use out of it next year. Again, thanks to Aidan for the new credit after all these years! The 265 Proving that trees do make better pictures, especially on cloudy days This shot took some serious planning All I want is a chainlift? How about a new credit instead!! Damn rainy weekend in VA

What a great Trip Report... Believe it or not, I've never been to a Ripley's museum and now I know why. I love your captions, thanks for sharing.

Just got power back this morning... what a way to start a holiday weekend, in the dark for 24 hours. At least I can watch football now. Might try to go to Kings Dominion on Monday.

A couple more construction pictures from this weekend to hold everyone over. Doesn't look like a whole lot has been done since last weekend but I'm sure they'll start making some real progress after the holiday.

I couldn't agree with you more. I think we're gonna be fighting over those front row end seats all next year. Even on a regular floorless the front row ends sorta give you a feeling like you're hanging over the edge... this will be so great. I also can't believe how many people seem dissapointed in this announcement. For one, it was strongly rumored all season, and two... anyone who visits Busch Gardens on a regular basis would be satisfied with any type of coaster, but something of this magnitude is very exciting news. Can't wait for late spring (fingers crossed for an earlier opening though, Busch always has their rides finished on time).

I really enjoy these retro trip reports, especially when they're from so long ago (not to pick on anyone's age, I just love seeing pictures of the parks and how much they've changed). Makes me want to go over to the parent's house and see what kind of photos they have from back in the day.

I still can't understand how some B&Ms are so smooth through their transitions, but snap like that into the brakes. Raptor is pretty bad into the final brake run as well. I wonder if they're designed like that to make the brake portion of the ride a little more memorable and exciting. As always it's unfortunate that someone was injured, but I'm glad the outcome was not as serious as it could have been for this young man.

I don't think it's accurate to judge the park based on how many trains they have running. They could have 5 trains on the track and they'll dispatch them when they want. It's all about the efficiency of the operators. An efficient 2 train operation is perfectly fine with me on almost any ride, especially the ones at Busch Gardens, except for maybe BBW. I've waited a lot longer from the same spot in line for a slower 3 train operation on many rides.

I think the best possible shot you can get of the whole area would be from the top of the Alpengeist lift looking off to the left. I tried that shot when I rode, but the picture came out really blurry. Because of the elevation changes, you can't get the whole area in one shot from the ground. I have to agree, the area itself it not that big. I'm afraid it won't be a long ride if the whole thing is built on that cleared piece of land... but you never know.

I think all the coasters started out with 2 trains. I know there were 3 trains on Apollo by late afternoon b/c that's when I rode. I thought they put the 3rd train on Nessie too, b/c I noticed in some of my pictures that the extra train was in the transfer track in the AM, but it was not there in the afternoon. I wish I had gotten some more still shots, the brightness of the sky makes all the difference in the world, and they turned out great, but my main focus was getting video. Some of the video shots turned out really good too. I'll probably end up going back next weekend. I must have missed the skeleton's, I'll have to look for those next time.