Chuck's Busch Gardens Williamsburg Thread

[pandorazboxx]

good stuff. how do those fabric columns work?

[STR8FXXXINEDGE]

Great stuff, Chuck! I can't wait to get back to this park. Both to check out Verbolten, and everything else again!

 

Also, You've got a Skyride vehicle in here with two coaster trains. I'd give ya the hat trick!

 

[paiging_jen]

Good to see a bit of how the new Festhaus show will look. I'm not sure how I feel about the change as I particularly enjoyed the traditional show on my previous visits, but we shall see. Change can be a good thing, right? Nice update though, thanks!

[Intimidator305]

Thanks for the update and you took some great photos!

 

It was really nice to see the non-Verbolten side of the park... Especially Alpie!

[cfc]

Also, You've got a Skyride vehicle in here with two coaster trains. I'd give ya the hat trick!

 

 

You're very generous--thank you.

 

good stuff. how do those fabric columns work?

Just good old cables and winches, I guess. They can raise and lower them quickly.

[Guy T. Koepp]

Yay! Parks are opening! Spring has finally sprung. Great pics Chuck. I'm hoping to get over there this year with the family to enjoy the park.

[cfc]

Bistro 205 and Other Odds 'n' Ends

I had two reasons for heading to BGW last Sunday: 1) to check out the latest progress on Verbolten and 2) to try out Bistro 205, the park's latest attempt at a "full-service" restaurant over by Griffon.

 

This isn't the first time BGW has tried running a sit-down restaurant in France. This location was a "buffeteria" location for a number of years specializing in fried chicken and has served as a regular buffet, too (which, ironically enough, also offered fried chicken). Before Griffon was built, the Le Mans Bistro offered table service outdoors next to the old Le Mans Raceway car ride (nothing more appetizing than smelling exhaust while you eat).

 

Bistro 205 specializes in panini sandwiches, but its menu is more extensive than the previous "bistro." It offers specialities from all over the park, including BBQed ribs and chicken, German sausage, fish and chips, and chicken parmesan. There were four "entree salads" to choose from, as well (the Mediterranean Salad, with fruit and feta, looked pretty good). I decided to try something you can't get elsewhere in the park: the Chicken Cordon Bleu Sliders.

 

And what's the verdict? Well, I wouldn't call it an unqualified success. The "sliders" were, at least, hot and fresh when they arrived, although no better than what you get at ChicK-Fil-A (and no bargain at over $15, including the drink). That being said, if you have a group that just can't settle on the Smokehouse, the Festhaus, or the Italian restaurant, this might be a decent option, as they feature a little of everything. Service was OK, but they seemed a bit slow at busing tables.

 

Seating is outdoors on the patio overlooking Griffon. As I sat there, I thought that this would be a great spot for a dessert-and-coffee joint, rather than a "restaurant." Lulu's Cafe, just across from Bistro 205, used to feature a selection of pastries, rather that the kettle corn and turkey legs they offer now.

 

Here's a little look at Bistro 205 and some other little changes around the park. You may even see a wee bit more Verbolten, if you look carefully.

This guy's senior class voted him "Most Likely to Have His Truck Keyed in a Parking Lot."

Hmm--this used to be a toy shop in Killearney.

Er, OK.

Welcome to Bistro 205.

Here's where you ask for a table.

Here was my view during lunch.

Could be worse.

Unfortunately, this was also part of my view for about ten minutes or so.

Lunch--these sandwiches were a bit too large to be "sliders," but they were hot and tasted OK. I think I'll try one of the paninis if I ever eat there again.

"Death to Xerxes!" My guess is that someone ordered this sign from the shop in New France but didn't pick it up.

I don't think getting a free sign is worth taking in a bear. They're kind of clumsy and dangerous. Just buy the sign, people.

BGW has a new animal resident courtesy of the park in Tampa.

Meet Aquila.

Aquila's still a bit shy.

Sunhine + 80-degree temperature =

A long line for LeScoot.

All kids dream of owning a BGW lunchbox.

How about a few pics of Verbolten I didn't use in the BGW Discussion Thread?

More station details--get excited!

Here's one I overlooked earlier--more theming inside the queue (items that Gunter has collected from abandoned cars).

The "melting ice" effect is working over at DarKastle again.

I don't recall it working last season, but I might be mistaken.

For years, this poor guy dreamed of balancing a Coke can on his knee. His dream has come true!

Getting pictures of Apollo's Chariot is a good reason for taking the Rhine River Cruise.

This is the top of the turnaround.

Come to think of it, Verbolten is a pretty good reason for a Rhine River Cruise, too. Thanks for reading.

Edited April 17, 2012 by cfc

[Intimidator305]

Thanks for sharing the review of Bistro 205. I'm typically not a "meal" guy in parks and usually stick with snacks, so it doesn't sound like I'll be missing much here. I'm glad the park is offering a full-service restaurant though for those who enjoy meals in parks. Also, do you know if the name "Bistro 205" has a different meaning besides the obvious of BGW pulling a "KD trick" and putting the height of Griffon on the end of the name?

[cfc]

^As far as I know, the "205" is just the height of Griffon's biggest drop.

[paiging_jen]

 

Those look like normal sized chicken sandwiches, not sliders. Hopefully service improves, I like the idea of having multiple food options in one location, and not a bad spot overlooking Griffon.

[chadster]

Maybe they could serve actual slider size and knock $5 off the price? Nah, who am I kidding. They look good, too bad they weren't amazing.

[cfc]

^The chicken had a nice peppery taste, but the sandwiches were way to large to be "sliders." It's good that the park is playing around with different dining options, but I'd like to see a somewhat more "permanent" sit-down restaurant.

[Meteornotes]

Yeah, BGW, those are a bit large to be sliders. I like the idea of a sit-down place, but it sounds like it needs a little work. And is there any indoor seating? It's nice to escape the heat when eating.

 

 

That guy needs one of these!

 

I could hand out thousands of these every day in Baltimore...

[cfc]

^Nope--the only completely indoor dining facility is the Festhaus.

[netdvn]

What? They got rid of the cool toy shop in Ireland?

 

I'm really not a big fan of replacing most of Ireland's Irish-themed attractions with generic carbon copies. I can forgive Dine with Characters to an extent because that's an extra revenue source for the park so they can buy more coasters and stuff, but Europe in the Air and now this?

 

Makes me feel kinda sad inside.

[larrygator]

Chuck - what type of cheese was on that Chicken sandwich? I might have found a new place to eat.

[cfc]

^Swiss.

[larrygator]

^damn, why did it have to be Swiss? It looked like a take on Chicken Cordon Bleu, but was hoping otherwise.

[cfc]

^Well, I was thinking it was Swiss, but it was really kind of bland. So, I might be mistaken. You might be able to make a substitution, though.

Edited April 18, 2012 by cfc

[cfc]

What? They got rid of the cool toy shop in Ireland?

 

I'm really not a big fan of replacing most of Ireland's Irish-themed attractions with generic carbon copies. I can forgive Dine with Characters to an extent because that's an extra revenue source for the park so they can buy more coasters and stuff, but Europe in the Air and now this?

 

Makes me feel kinda sad inside.

 

But the store is now "Sham ROCK"! At least your journey on Europe in the Air starts in Ireland, and you can now purchase actual Guinness in the pub. Plus, there's the Celtic Fyre show, where you can also buy Guinness.

[Philrad71]

They should do something original and remove the buns from the two chicken patties, put them together to make it a sandwich & call it....oh wait.

[cfc]

^They could wrap it in bacon and fry it into funnel cake. And being as this is "France," they could call it "crise cardiaque."

[jedimaster1227]

 

Looks like somebody's a supporter of New Coke.

 

[Guy T. Koepp]

Is Coke trying a new formula again? Wasn't that an epic fail for them back in the late 80's early 90's? People thought they did it to make it taste more like Pepsi.

[cfc]

Just How Long is the Wait for Verbolten, Anyway?

 

I ambled over to Busch Gardens after work in Friday, May 18, just to hit Verbolten on opening day (and after the afternoon crowds had left). And this got me to wondering: Just how long is the wait for Verbolten if the queue is full? The scuttlebutt from the technical rehearsals the weekend before was about 40 minutes or so. This calls for a "scientific" study!

 

Here are the results.

First, do we have a full queue? Answer: Yes. There were four trains running (yellow was still in the barn), and they were using the dual loading/unloading platforms.

The time: 6:20 pm on Friday, May 18. (The park closed at 8:00 that night.)

There was a bit of "overspill" from the queue, which was roughly even with Mach Tower.

Ten minutes go by, and . . .

. . . I'm just entering the switchbacks that go around and behind the "Travel Center."

After another ten minutes . . .

. . . I entered "Gerta's office."

Nine minutes later . . .

. . . and I'm in "Gunter's creepy office."

Gunter! You should be ashamed of yourself! A German drinking Bud Lite!

Three minutes later . . .

. . . and I'm waiting for a train.

Just about to board the blue train. So, the wait with a full queue and four-train ops was about 39 minutes--not too shabby at all. That's it for now.

Edited May 19, 2012 by cfc