Busch Gardens Williamsburg (BGW BGE) Discussion Thread

[boldikus]

I don't really do trip reports anymore (does anyone?) but we finally visited this wonderful park again for the first time since pre-Covid to (finally!!) check out Pantheon as well as the parks now-happening (thru Sept 12th) Bier Fest, and as expected we had a great time. Can you go wrong with beers and new Intamin hotness? The threat of rain all week kept crowds super light and we managed to stay in the park open to almost close on Saturday and again from open on Sunday til about 4pm. During that time it only rained once for about 20 minutes. The longest we waited for anything all weekend was maybe 20-25 minutes for the front row of Pantheon.

In short, Bier Fest was magnificent and Pantheon is insane. For the event, you can buy a $40 lanyard that gets you ten 6oz samples of beer, and while the weather was mostly sunny/partly cloudy it was humid AF so we found ourselves dipping into both the Festhaus and Grogans Pub to soak up the air conditioning and fill up on samples. At both spots we found random locals brewers were popping in to talk about their breweries and give out more samples so of course we were trying all of those too. Lots and lots of beer samples.

Soooo how about a few photos of the world's most beautiful theme park?

Or uhhhh... the place we always go before Virginian theme parks...

Yippee! Feels good to be back at one of my favorite parks anywhere.

Grogans Grill and their dollar hot dogs were the real MVP of our weekend.
Shout out to the cashiers for not enforcing the 2-per-transaction rule.

It's like 11am and I'm already double-fisting!
Was great to finally meet Chuck/ @cfc after all these years and share some rides and brews!

We always start the weekend at Griffon. This ride is so good.

At some point we made our way to the craft hall in the Festhaus. Because you need something to soak up all the beer.

You can use your Bier Fest lanyard to sample ANY of these 30 taps or anything on tap at Grogans.

@coasterbillstill got a flight

PSA: Alpengeist is the best invert.

Some of these are just screenshots from videos I took for an Instagram reel.

At least Lochness Monster looks good...

Alright enough f*cking around, time for this absolute insanity.

Pantheon is excellent and shot right into my favorite coasters. Great pacing, unique forces, not a moment wasted. I only ever rode in the front (or close to the front) but there is air all over this thing. The backwards launch is downright absurd. The operations left a little to be desired after experiencing the well oiled crew at VelociCoaster late last year but they were cranking trains pretty quickly.

The trains are comfy, and as a larger dude I had no issues and didn't really have to be stapled on any of my rides.  There is so much to like about this ride. The zero-G after the first launch is loaded with hang time and the outward bunny hops are good fun and a great way to get things started.

The stall feels like it goes on forever, and in the front of the train we were getting some intense ejector at the top of the outward banked hill over the Rhine River. The missus, who we thought might not even ride this, not only rode multiple times but also declared it as one of her all times favorites by the weekends end and is still talking about it three days later.

Thumbs up from row 1.

I know you're dying to ask - How did it compare to VelociCoaster? Beyond the fact that they're both new Intamins with multiple launches, top hats and stalls? They're pretty different rides. I do prefer VC overall.

I like Tempesto, but we never made it on. I didn't get any photos of Apollo, but that we did ride a bunch and it was phenomenal as usual.

We did ride this fabulous contraption a few times as well thanks to the low crowds and non-existent wait.

At some point on Sunday we finally made a stop at the black forest and for the first time ever I was treated to a walk-on for this ride.

Still one of my favorites here but after some beers the indoor section actually gave me a little vertigo and a skipped a re-ride with the group.

Shout out to @PKI Jizzman

Thanks for reading. Sorry if some of the photos are small. Go check out Bier Fest if you can!

[coasterbill]

Awesome pics of a great weekend. Jesus that last picture of me... I was feeling the beers for sure.

[boldikus]

That's why the sunglasses come in handy.

[PKI Jizzman]

19 hours ago, coasterbill said:

Awesome pics of a great weekend. Jesus that last picture of me... I was feeling the beers for sure.

Mods put this trip report on the front page  

[PKI Jizzman]

Now come down to Orlando to rrrreeeaaalllyyyy make sure you like Velocicoaster better ;D

Glad you guys had a great day, Pantheon is so much fun. I'm so excited for more of those swing launches. The backwards air hill in the launch is crazy!

[Zand]

21 hours ago, boldikus said:

I don't really do trip reports anymore (does anyone?)

I definitely miss the days of you and @coasterbill writing in depth reports. I do understand how tedious it gets writing all that and sorting through pictures though. The information with a side of humor was always appreciated!

Before I went to BGT in April I actually went looking for Bill's BGT reports and had to delve back like 10 pages to find his TR thread lol.

Anyway, great TR and really looking forward to getting down there for Pantheon. Probably won't be till next year unfortunately.

[coasterbill]

lol thanks, I appreciate that. I have way more fun with Instagram stories now, honestly. I've never been a writer. I always liked the way they came out but it was tedious.

[boldikus]

3 hours ago, Zand said:

I definitely miss the days of you and @coasterbill writing in depth reports. I do understand how tedious it gets writing all that and sorting through pictures though. The information with a side of humor was always appreciated!

Before I went to BGT in April I actually went looking for Bill's BGT reports and had to delve back like 10 pages to find his TR thread lol.

Anyway, great TR and really looking forward to getting down there for Pantheon. Probably won't be till next year unfortunately.

Thanks! I wish I still had the motivation to do those super detailed, story type reports but those reports took forever. Unlike Bill, I am a writer and went to school for it. I always want to do reports after trips but I just can't be bothered anymore.

Glad you guys are enjoying this one, we had a really rad weekend and I wanted to share.

[Satans Hockey]

Very excited for DarKcoster opening next year. A snowmobile straddle coaster definitely goes along with the theme well and it's going to have 4 launches...

 https://twitter.com/BuschGardensVA/status/1567148352768249860?t=Sg8g5omo7cVDGhnNJQYvFg&s=19

[SharkTums]

Chuck is at the big announcement now and will have a full photo trip report later today from the announcement including track pix!

[grsupercity]

I had to do a quick double take thinking it said strata coaster lol

[Zand]

29 minutes ago, grsupercity said:

I had to do a quick double take thinking it said strata coaster lol

That makes me think...maybe CP is turning TTD into the world's first stratastraddle coaster.

[Haymaker]

Hagrid's Magical Creatures Snowmobile Adventure

[cfc]

 

Busch Gardens Gives Us a Look at DarKoaster 

For years now, the building formerly known as DarKastle in Oktoberfest has politely housed some haunted houses and Santa's Workshop. But, at last, a ride is returning to the sinister home of Mad King Ludwig. In fact, the new ride, DarKoaster, looks like something that fits both Howl-o-Scream and Christmas Town: a crazy "snow mobile" ride in which you try to escape an evil blizzard!

The ride has been a bit of an "open secret" for a while, but the park made a more formal announcement at a media event on Tuesday, September 6. After a brief presentation and video by Kevin Lembke, park president, they took us backstage to DarKastle to give us a look at the ride itself. But we had another visitor, too . . . 

 

Yes, Jack would like to remind us that while DarKoaster is a fine thing, indeed, don't forget that Howl-o-Scream starts on Friday, September 9!

Here's the park's official press release for DarKoaster.

Quote

 

DarKoaster, the World’s First All-Indoor Straddle Coaster, Debuts in 2023 at Busch Gardens Williamsburg

DarKoaster™, the world’s first all-indoor straddle coaster, will open in 2023 at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. The new attraction is the park’s tenth coaster and an unprecedented, family-friendly addition to Busch Gardens’ thrill ride portfolio. The new coaster will be housed in the iconic Curse of DarKastle building, paying homage to the previous ride with subtle theming nods for loyal park fans.

King Ludwig’s abandoned fortress resurfaces as strange weather patterns have been recorded near the cursed castle grounds. Only the bravest souls will embark on snowmobiles in this dark expedition to discover the mysterious phenomenon.  A supernatural force is imminent as explorers discover that they are evading more than just a raging storm.

Escape the storm on the ALL-NEW DarKoaster™, the world’s first all-indoor straddle coaster, launching in 2023 at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. Traveling on snowmobiles across 2,454 feet of track, daring explorers race through total darkness while changing course to avoid the elements. As the weather strikes, riders encounter four accelerating launches and speed through the storm on this family-friendly dark ride experience.

“DarKoaster will be an exciting and unique addition to our world class lineup of coasters,” said Kevin Lembke, Busch Gardens Williamsburg Park President. “As an indoor attraction, DarKoaster complements our collection of thrill rides and offers a new experience to enjoy throughout the year. Plus, with only a 48-inch height requirement, DarKoaster is a ride for the whole family to conquer together.” 

Manufactured by Intamin Worldwide, Busch Gardens’ newest family thrill is a steel coaster design with four launches and over 1,400 feet of track. Riders will experience a total of 2,454 feet of track.

 

Here's a look at the media day and DarKoaster.

Welcome to the Abbeystone Theatre in Killarney.

There will be no traditional Irish dancing today, but this makes up for it. I think the scary face in the storm might be old Ludwig.

Park president Kevin Lembke tells us about DarKoaster.

Remember--you have been warned!

Here, we see coaster enthusiasts in their natural habitat. Be very quiet! We don't want to startle them.

Suzy Cheely, vice president of design and engineering, was there to answer questions about the new ride. DarKoaster will feature projection-mapping effects and physical set pieces to tell its story.

 As I recall, we were standing in what used to be the maintenance bay for Curse of DarKastle. It was the entrance of the Distorted Dimensions HOS maze a few years ago, too.

Lots of twisty track in here.

It looks like they're repurposing some of the old ride's theming, too.

You can see it a bit more clearly here.

 

Here's a close up of one of the launch sections.

A closer look at the twistiness of it all. Looks like it'll get pretty "stormy" in there.

Gets pretty close to the ceiling there.

One last look at the track.

"COME BACK, YOU FOOLS! I was gonna make espresso."

 

And that's a wrap from Busch Gardens--for now! 

[boldikus]

Thanks for the report, Chuck!

I only rode DarKastle once right before it closed but I thought it was really awesome and was super bummed it closed.

Couldn't ask for a better replacement than some fresh Intamin indoor goodness. This should be amazing.

[Satans Hockey]

Can't wait to ride this, thanks for all the info Chuck, looks awesome.

DarkCastle was one of my favorite dark rides and this is fantastic that they are keeping the castle and adding to the story.

I wonder what they are going to do with the Battle For Eire next, they really do need another indoor ride/experience of some nature.

[cfc]

9 hours ago, Satans Hockey said:

Can't wait to ride this, thanks for all the info Chuck, looks awesome.

DarkCastle was one of my favorite dark rides and this is fantastic that they are keeping the castle and adding to the story.

I wonder what they are going to do with the Battle For Eire next, they really do need another indoor ride/experience of some nature.

I think of it as a "sequel" to Curse of DarKastle, and I'm looking forward to what sort of effects they'll use in the show building. As for Battle for Eire, my guess is that it'll be "special event space" for a few years, at least. One of the returning HOS mazes, KILLarney Diner, is still in there.

[coasterbill]

Great update! I still wish they had kept the old dark ride, but this looks fun and will be an awesome upgrade from a giant empty box.

[cfc]

Plus, they also have . . .

[DJeXeL]

4 hours ago, cfc said:

Plus, they also have . . .

[Hilltopper39]

This is such a cool concept to me, I love how they're reusing the existing space, and the switch tracks that will allow two laps around the circuit is pretty neat. I hope this concept is successful because I feel like something similar to this could work really well at some other SeaWorld parks. I know SD has something similar in the works for their existing Wild Arctic building but if I recall that looked to be more of just a building for the station, but It would be really cool if SW Orlando could re-purpose the Antarctica building for a similar attraction, or just build this in a box with some themeing backstage somewhere at BGT. 

[thrillseeker4552]

On 9/8/2022 at 8:22 AM, Hilltopper39 said:

This is such a cool concept to me, I love how they're reusing the existing space, and the switch tracks that will allow two laps around the circuit is pretty neat. I hope this concept is successful because I feel like something similar to this could work really well at some other SeaWorld parks. I know SD has something similar in the works for their existing Wild Arctic building but if I recall that looked to be more of just a building for the station, but It would be really cool if SW Orlando could re-purpose the Antarctica building for a similar attraction, or just build this in a box with some themeing backstage somewhere at BGT. 

I completely agree. An indoor coaster like this would work very well at BGT or SWO.

I am hoping the theming plays out well for DarKoaster. Outdoor coasters like Pantheon might be able to get away with a lack of theming but with indoor coasters, I feel like it is much more important, and much more obvious if it is lacking. Excited for this!

[esvadj]

Has anyone used Uber/ Lyft services around Busch Gardens lately?  I tried during Hallowscream a few years ago and it was an absolute nightmare.  I hope the service has improved.   

[KBrylczyk]

^ I haven't but I can't imagine it's gotten any better.  Uber and other similar services operate best in cities and dense suburbs.  The colonial peninsula isn't exactly a happenin' place for Uber drivers who would rather be driving in Norfolk and Richmond far more frequently.  It's first and foremost a family destination and they generally have their own vehicles or rentals.

[cfc]

You might be better off using one of the local taxi services , such as Colonial Cab. Or, better yet, just rent a car.