Busch Gardens Williamsburg (BGW BGE) Discussion Thread

[Haymaker]

Happy Valentines Day everyone!

Planning a summer visit to BG Williamsburg but they haven't updated website to reflect Quick Queue pricing, does anyone know roughly what I can expect to pay for a QQ Unlimited around mid-June at the VA park?

BG Tampa shows QQ pricing starting at $19.99 but increases as the calendar days change into summer. Just wondering if VA uses the same pricing protocol.

Thanks in advance!

 

What day of the week do you plan to go?

[KIJester]

Thinking mid-week to avoid crowds if possible.

[Haymaker]

If you go mid-week you most likely wont need QQ. I went mid-week in July and all the coasters were walk ons with the exception of Verbolten. Mid-June is probably even quieter.

[Vonni]

I was watching a video of Finnegan's Flyer, and it seemed to me that it doesn't go as high as other screamin' swings. Is this the case, or am I just seeing it weird?

[JJLehto]

What are the chances of this being open by late May/early June?

[tndank]

Decent. Track is either done or just missing a couple pieces.

[prozach626]

If you go mid-week you most likely wont need QQ.

Unless you want to marathon Le Scoot, like everyone should. I'd pay whatever Busch Gardens wanted for that privilege.

[Haymaker]

If you go mid-week you most likely wont need QQ.

Unless you want to marathon Le Scoot, like everyone should. I'd pay whatever Busch Gardens wanted for that privilege.

 

True. That and Roman Rapids were the only non-coaster waits we had, but it was also 97°. Waited about 15 min for RR and 1/2 hour for Le Scoot.

[rachelmadcow]

What are the chances of this being open by late May/early June?

 

It’ll probably be open but the last new generation LSM built in America (Hagrid) haS been plagued with downtime. ALSO sandys bb (the follow up to hagrid) has been testing for an unusually long amount of time.

 

 

This ride has a switch track and spike like Hagrids so I’m Honestly expecting tons of downtime

[A.J.]

It’ll probably be open but the last new generation LSM built in America (Hagrid) haS been plagued with downtime. ALSO sandys bb (the follow up to hagrid) has been testing for an unusually long amount of time.

Yes, but Hagrid's also has a double-digit number of trains on the circuit, key show elements that must be working at all times, onboard audio, a unique seating / restraint system, two separate freefall drop tracks, and...

 

Sandy's Blasting Bronco is nowhere near a follow-up to Hagrid's. It's another Intamin LSM coaster that's just like all the others, but also happens to have a turntable. For all we know, the delays could be coming from the park, and not Intamin.

[DILinator]

I'm guessing there is almost no chance Pantheon is open by April, correct? I'm trying to decide where to take my kids for Spring Break, and thought about coming here, but only if it's open by then. I'm actually hoping Iron Gwazi is open by then, as I might go down there. But if neither is, SFOG, and Carowinds works just fine!

[hoppedup]

I bought platinum passes from BGW today, as that will be our next SEAS park.

 

I immediately got a suspicious activity warning from my credit card company. Thought it was funny since I've used the same card before for SEAS platinum passes, food and merch. Also the same card I use for CF and SF parks.

 

Now I have to go to Florida and Texas this year!

[rachelmadcow]

It’ll probably be open but the last new generation LSM built in America (Hagrid) haS been plagued with downtime. ALSO sandys bb (the follow up to hagrid) has been testing for an unusually long amount of time.

Yes, but Hagrid's also has a double-digit number of trains on the circuit, key show elements that must be working at all times, onboard audio, a unique seating / restraint system, two separate freefall drop tracks, and...

 

Sandy's Blasting Bronco is nowhere near a follow-up to Hagrid's. It's another Intamin LSM coaster that's just like all the others, but also happens to have a turntable. For all we know, the delays could be coming from the park, and not Intamin.

people have reported the ride operating without onboard audio or themeinf being synced. Meaning universal will run the ride as soon as it can. So it wasn’t able to run if it was down. They’re not gonna make people wait in 10 hour lines because the unicorn doesn’t move. Drop tracks have been done before by intamin and so has multiple trains - I imagine this is why they were picked. Beyond that Sandys has a turntable with lsms on it which has never been done before - wildly complex piece of mechanics.

 

Of course it is. It’s the LSM built after hagrids. This LSM system was never used in the US until hagrids - I wanna say Red Force was the first to use the new LSM. Ultimately - like any complex intamin of new tech it will have issues.

 

 

I’m very excited about Pantheon. Don’t let my realism dissuade.

[boldikus]

For everyone who’s “tracking” Pantheon progress, the last piece of track was installed!

Now how TF are they gonna get that giant crane outta the infield?

[coneyislandchris]

Now how TF are they gonna get that giant crane outta the infield?

It folds up like a Swiss army knife. Then they can just carry it out.

 

So hyped for this ride!

[cfc]

Now how TF are they gonna get that giant crane outta the infield?

It folds up like a Swiss army knife. Then they can just carry it out.

 

So hyped for this ride!

 

This looks like a job for . . .

 

[SharkTums]

Really wish our Sea World got this and you guys got Ice Breaker!!!

[Hilltopper39]

Really wish our Sea World got this and you guys got Ice Breaker!!!

Hey, my kids are looking forward to Ice Breaker! But yeah this looks awesome, maybe Seaworld gets one in 2022......

[coasterbill]

This looks incredible.

[coasternut79]

This looks incredible.

It does look incredible however I can't help but think they could have used a little more of the space inside the outer perimeter of the ride to add some length and another cool element or two. For example after the stall instead of immediately banking left it could have banked right and used the slope of the hill to do a really cool helix before heading back to where the current track is leading back to the station. I'm never satisfied

[TrippinBillie]

This looks incredible.

It does look incredible however I can't help but think they could have used a little more of the space inside the outer perimeter of the ride to add some length and another cool element or two. For example after the stall instead of immediately banking left it could have banked right and used the slope of the hill to do a really cool helix before heading back to where the current track is leading back to the station. I'm never satisfied

 

I also thought for the plot of land they're working with, it's a bit short. They had the chance to really make this thing epic.

[coasterbill]

I mean... money is a thing that exists. I'm just going to say this, and I don't want people to take it the wrong way because selfishly I love, love, love what this chain is doing with all these coasters and I'm not complaining at all about them one bit but...

 

SEAS seems to be on a spending spree but honestly it's more budget-conscious than we give it credit for.

 

They're building really cool things and breaking marketable records but it's not like they're just throwing money around either. Gwazi is advertising itself as the tallest and fastest hybrid coaster, but only by a foot and like 1 mph, Ice Breaker and Mako West (or whatever it's name is now) are both compact and small for their coaster types, Tigris and Electric Eel were probably purchased together and they're off-the-shelf rides and next year's coaster (if the leaks are true which they probably are) is the most budgety way possible to build a 300 foot coaster. Pantheon is breaking some weird technicality of a record by what... 1 mph?

 

I don't want to sound like I'm complaining, I love what they're doing but every coaster seems to be the bare-minimum that they can possibly do to accomplish their goal. Financially that's pretty smart and these rides will all be great but they're not building Fury 325s and Wildfires here. They're not going to build a bunch more crazy elements if they don't feel like they have to to get people in the gates. That's not what they're about right now.

Edited February 27, 2020 by coasterbill

[thrillseeker4552]

^I think you hit the nail on the head. I totally agree.

 

I do think Pantheon and Iron Gwazi are bit more "upscale" and expensive (neither of those coasters can be cheap), but Stingray, Emperor, and Ice Breaker are definitely on the smaller and cheaper side just to get more people through the gates. I'm not complaining either because I am ecstatic that a B&M Dive Coaster is coming close to my home, but gotta give credit where credit is due.

 

And if rumors are true, 2021 will be similar with rumored coaster additions at 4/5 main parks (BGT being the exclusion).

[boldikus]

^BGT is heavily rumored to get that Screamin Swing next year which is one of the best flats we could ask for.

 

My only gripe with Pantheon is the lack of trees. Almost every ride at this park takes advantage of the terrain and trees and this feels weird just being a flat open plot, so hopefully some trees go in that infield.

[pryonisys]

I agree, at the moment the area looks very plain, but I have to imagine there will be some trees and landscaping. It is still a construction zone there after all