Busch Gardens Williamsburg (BGW BGE) Discussion Thread

[cfc]

^^Wes, they should do that for Howl-o-Scream. Nothing would be more terrifying than ghostly voices from angry Facebook fans.

[BigBadWolf666]

Busch Gardens needs their money back on the Verbolten commercials over here in the Roanoke market... the commercials on TV haven't had sound for about 4 days now.

 

 

I haven't seen a single commercial, and I live in Roanoke . Awful lot of Dollywood commercials though...

[cfc]

From the park's Facebook page:

 

Good morning, fans. Verbolten is open today. See you in the Black Forest.

Edited May 28, 2012 by cfc

[Skycoastin Steve]

Just got in line!

[jray21]

It's a good thing they had a spare Intamin cable to fix Verbolten! I'm also glad the deaths were cleared out quickly so they could re-open it and save their coaster season since no one was going to visit the park if it was closed for one more day.

[Buckeye_Ben]

I was there yesterday, and could have sworn I saw an Intamin cable slithering along the Rhine, stalking its next victims

 

All jokes aside, yesterday was a great day at the park for my first time there. I was frankly amazed at how short the lines were, especially for a holiday weekend; the shortest wait was 20 mins for a front row ride on AC. Griffon and Alpengeist were basically walk-ons when we rode them. The big 3 were all running great. It was a bummer that Verbolten was down due to the wrath of Swiss engineering, but that just gives me an excuse to return I haven't been to as many parks as 95% of the members here, but BGW is definitely one of my new favorites.

[Heelsfan25]

If anyone is interested I found a coupon for Busch Gardens here at my local Food Lion store in North Carolina. If you visit buschgardens.com/va and enter the promo code BGWFL, you will receive $20 off a regular or child's admission ticket. It says its good for up to six tickets, and valid on any operating day through July 31, 2012.

[cfc]

Here's some information from the park about their new "Discovery Dollars" program:

 

Wristband Program Offers Convenient Way To Pay At Williamsburg Theme Park

 

WILLIAMSBURG, VA (May 30, 2012) – A new program debuting at Busch Gardens offers a hassle-free way to pay for purchases while visiting the Williamsburg theme park. Busch Gardens’ new Discovery Dollars program uses a bar-coded waterproof wristband that takes the place of cash and credit cards for most in-park purchases.

 

Visitors can open a complimentary Discovery Dollars account at any Busch Gardens ticket window. Once registered, guests receive a free wristband linked directly to their credit card, or they can preload a set amount of money directly to the wristband. Each family member has access to the preset spending limit on his own wristband. Purchases can be made by scanning the wristband’s barcode at Busch Gardens’ restaurants and retail shops.

 

“A Discovery Dollars wristband provides a safe and convenient way to spend a day at Busch Gardens,” said Dan Dipiazzo, vice president of marketing for Busch Gardens and Water Country USA. “Once you have your wristband, you can put your wallet away and enjoy the day.”

 

Discovery Dollars wristbands are valid for most in-park purchases. Select retail areas are excluded from the program, including in-park games.

 

Sounds similar to what Epcot offers for their annual Food and Wine Festival.

[bull24471]

^ I like this trend that BGW is going for .I hate to carry my wallet all day long....

[burningstroller]

I completely agree. If I can just carry a room key in my back pocket and have a bracelet for purchases I'd be a happy guy. We will be there next weekend and staying at the Kingsmill, so I thought this could be a possibility since they have a shuttle. However, further Googling found that the bracelets cannot be used for beer purchases. Looks like I'll be taking the wallet.

[cfc]

This is a particularly good idea for Water Country--keeps you from having to retrieve your wallet every time someone wants a drink or a snack.

Edited May 31, 2012 by cfc

[Pun_Machine]

^^^^ Is there a way for them to verify your age without an ID for beer purchases or that you have a season pass for the discount? Cool idea, much easier way to pay for things. May still have to carry a wallet, or something... albeit considerably lighter.

[Jwalther420]

FYI - Verbolten is down this morning - Sunday. They have 3 trains in the sheds. Not sure what is up but it doesn't look like there will be progress anytime soon.

[Geauga Dog]

Hope it's up and running by the time I get there in two weeks. Looking forward to riding it as well as DarKastle and Griffon.

[snowboard83]

^^As evident by their Verbolten webcam, the ride is up and running just fine...

[live2tell75]

This is a particularly good idea for Water Country--keeps you from having to retrieve your wallet every time someone wants a drink or a snack.

 

Adventure Island has had their version of this called "Caribbean Coin" for almost 7-8 years. They used to really promote it, but the last few years you have to ask about it. Their isn't any advertising for it. This is the best thing you can have for a water park. So much easier than going back to the locker every time. Hopefully all parks will follow with BGW and AI's type of bracelet.

[T-BONDIcoasterkid]

What are the foot restraints thing on Verbolten?

[cfc]

^There's nothing restraining your feet--just a lapbar.

Edited June 3, 2012 by cfc

[coasterfreak101]

^There are those grates that are part of the restraint. They don't restrain your feet really, just prevent you from kicking out. Maybe a concern they had about the freefall drop?

[T-BONDIcoasterkid]

^There is a guard, sorry I meant guard not noodles.

You can see the edge of it here.

[cfc]

Yeah, I think they're meant to keep you from kicking the next car.

[T-BONDIcoasterkid]

Yeah, I think they're meant to keep you from kicking the next car.

Okay thanks! Thats what I figured but was just making sure!

[Jwalther420]

Yup, Verbolten was up and running by late morning. We rode around 1:30 and they had a brief downtime where some trains full of people were stuck on the brake run for 20 mins. Defintelqy kinks being worked out.

 

There were some additional theme elements active compared to our rides the day after the grand opening. The creaking sound on the bridge was working. One bad thing I noticed is the ride seemed even more rough than just a couple of weeks ago. Hope this thing ages well!

[Schotcher]

Is the Roller Coaster Tour worth it? I'm debating between it and Quick Queue Unlimited because I'm going the weekend before the fourth of July, and I was wondering if there's a lot of ERT on the tour, or if it's minimal?

 

(Also, is there any difference between Roller Coaster Tour Observer and Participant other than the fact that observers don't go to the top of Griffon?)

[cfc]

I went to the park this morning for the Verbolten ERT for Passholders--a very nice perk. Big Mike was there for an ACE event, so we goofed around the park a bit. Not a bad start to the weekend.

Edited June 9, 2012 by cfc