Busch Gardens Williamsburg (BGW BGE) Discussion Thread

[Meteornotes]

^That is one of the greatest things I have ever seen.

 

dt

[Pun_Machine]

Someone's added a new description of Verbolten to the Wikipedia entry. Some of it doesn't sound very accurate, and i'm also curious about all of the mentions of Gunter and Gerte interacting with the guests. I suppose if this is a feature of the ride it requires a lot of video monitors. Thoughts?

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verbolten

[A.J.]

I had thought that Gunther and Gerta were going to be actors/greeters.

[cfc]

^I don't remember that being spelled out during the hard hat tour, but I was thinking the same thing. BGW has a "mixed" history with face characters, though.

Edited April 23, 2012 by cfc

[Pun_Machine]

From the Wikipedia page:

"[after the launch] the rider in the driver's seat will notice the steering wheel begin to wildly spin and vibrate."

 

If this is accurate it sounds like a nice touch.

[cfc]

^I have yet to see a picture of any of the trains that shows a "steering wheel."

[UberBeavis]

^I think they missed the part about the spinning steering wheel only happening after you drank a yard of water from the Rhine River.

[Schotcher]

If there were to be steering wheels, I'd expect them to put one on each car of the train. What's the point if only 2 people can see it? Also, the idea seems sort of useless- if the event building is supposed to be dark, why would they bother spinning the wheel when no one can see it? (Also, if it spins wildly, couldn't it potentially be a safety hazard?)

[larrygator]

Does anyone know for certain if the bridge is going to be enclosed on the sides?

 

Just wondering if BGW can place video screens inside the bridge and have an effect like the scarab walls/ceiling in Revenge of the Mummy, whereby the vines engulf the tunnel.

 

Probably, just a pipe dream, but it would make a nice effect.

[cfc]

^I like that idea.

[DJeXeL]

^^That's getting done right after the steering wheel that's going to vibrate & spin out of control on all trains..........

In all seriousness that would be a great effect.

[SoCalCoasters]

This whole Verbolten crash situation has been blown out of proportion beyond belief.

 

While an official statement from the park regarding all the rumors would be nice, if they were COMPLETELY false I think they would have said something by now. It seems like with all the information we've heard and/or seen so far, something happened. What, and how severe? I have no clue.

 

That said the ride is still looking very cool, and I hope all goes well in the next few weeks before the ride opens to the public in a little less than a month. If we see the yellow train with, or without the purported damage, that doesn't mean some catastrophic happened. If it did sustain cosmetic damage (which seems rather odd) it shouldn't be too hard for Zierer to rush order a new Fiberglass part or patch to get the train ready for opening day.

 

All this being said I really think BGW fans blew it a bit out of proportion. Whenever a rumor is posted, you should only post the basics of it, because most of the time, detailed rumors turn out to be mostly false. A more professional way to report it, rather than just parroting exact "testimonies" would be to give the basics.

 

Example: An incident may have occured during Verbolten's testing this past week inside the ride's event building. According to current sources, one of the ride's trains and a worker possibly sustained injuries as a result.

 

The use of the words incident, possibly and may make the statement seem much more vague and wouldn't allow people to majorly freak out as a result. Reporting such a bold claim with such "juicy" details makes it seem much more like an overblown press story used to attract attention to the site where the story is "breaking".

 

Professionalism really should have been used here. I'm sure the site was in a hurry to get the info up, but that's excuse not to look before you leap. BGW fans aren't exactly making friends with the park by sending them to the headlines over and event we know very little about.

 

Just my 2¢

[Pun_Machine]

There's a contest going on for an invitation to a VIP event the evening before Verbolten opens to the public. Here are the details: http://www.buschgardensvablog.com/are-you-ready-verbolten

 

It ends tomorrow, sorry i just found out about this moments ago.

[esvadj]

There's a contest going on for an invitation to a VIP event the evening before Verbolten opens to the public. Here are the details: http://www.buschgardensvablog.com/are-you-ready-verbolten

 

It ends tomorrow, sorry i just found out about this moments ago.

 

I just saw that also, via BGW's Facebook feed. I was already planning on spending all day Friday at the park so I doubt I will even enter this. It would be real cool though.

[netdvn]

Verbolten update: Ride was testing around 4. The last drop looks a little on the slow side. The park wasn't too crowded today (mostly school groups) so there weren't too many people stopping on the bridge to see it. Launches look pretty sweet though.

 

Oh and I saw some costumed actresses running around the Oktoberfest area. I'm thinking this has something to do with what the park has planned for the summer.

 

I'll be at the park pretty much all day tomorrow so stop by and say hey. Sunday I'm gonna try to get pics.

[cfc]

Here's the latest message from the park on Verbolten--get excited!

 

VERBOLTEN STARTS ITS ENGINES

Busch Gardens Begins Verbolten’s Final Testing Phase Before May 18 Grand Opening

 

WILLIAMSBURG, VA (April 27, 2012) – Busch Gardens reached another milestone last week when engineers and operators began Verbolten’s extensive ride-testing procedures. Ride testing is one of the final construction phases an attraction undergoes before it opens to guests.

 

“We will inspect every inch of Verbolten before it opens May 18,” said Larry Giles, Busch Gardens’ vice president of design and engineering. “We are confident that we will complete our work in time for our scheduled opening.”

 

Ride testing is a multi-step process designed to check and recheck every component of the roller coaster. It is a collaborative effort between the ride’s manufacturer, the park’s engineering team and Busch Gardens’ operations staff. The track, the coaster cars, the ride’s electronic safety interlocks and the physics of the ride itself are among the many checks performed to prepare the ride for the public.

 

The testing also validates the park’s standard operating procedures established to ensure the safe operation of the coaster. Park operators have spent the past several weeks finalizing ride procedures, learning the coaster’s sophisticated control system and practicing shutdown and recovery procedures to ensure the ride and the team operating it are prepared for the millions of guests who will enjoy riding Verbolten over its lifetime.

 

The final aspect of the ride testing program involves the use of special “water dummies” that are secured in each of the coaster train’s 16 seats and simulate the actual ride experience. That is closely followed by actual ride testing by park employees, who are the first to experience the new coaster before it opens to guests.

 

“By the time we allow people on the ride, we are confident that the coaster is ready for service,” said Mark Pauls, Busch Gardens’ vice president of operations. “We can’t wait for everyone to experience this one-of-a-kind roller coaster. It’s truly a special ride”

 

Verbolten is the capstone attraction of a two-year rejuvenation project in Busch Gardens’ Oktoberfest village. Mäch Tower, the park’s 240-foot drop tower, joins the launch coaster as the park’s newest thrill attractions. They join an award-winning pretzel restaurant and new performance spaces that also opened in 2011.

 

Looks like Verbolten is on track (pun intended) for that May 18th opening.

[esvadj]

I decided to enter the contest. Wish me luck.....

my contest entry

[T-BONDIcoasterkid]

I am scheduled to go to the park on May 26th! Can't wait to check out the Verbolten and get some footage!

[Tmcdllr]

Evan the coaster tool has been banned for not understanding that sometimes, you just need to wipe, flush, and move on.

 

I cannot begin to describe how incredibly funny that is!

[Pun_Machine]

New testing footage shot yesterday:

ADMIN EDIT - Sorry we do not support the people who shot this video. Link removed.

Edited April 29, 2012 by robbalvey

[sammmmmy]

^It looks terrific! The speed is perfect, and the trees are already growing like crazy where the pre-launch is!

 

I'm even more excited!

[T-BONDIcoasterkid]

Man! Verbolten is so photogenic! The trains move very elegantly!

[Jerrykoala2112]

I wish we are able to see how fast it goes through the indoor part of the coaster. I am still in love with the last drop into the final turns. It was great experiencing that on Big Bad Wolf, and the sense of speed you'll get on Verbolten will be awesome.

[Pun_Machine]

^ no matter how fast it goes inside it will feel much faster due to the theming inside.

[galahad]

Soo curious to see how they manage to achieve the effects of lightning and rain...