Busch Gardens Williamsburg (BGW BGE) Discussion Thread

[jray21]

I made the mistake one year of going to a park the weekend before Halloween and it was crazy.

[cfc]

^That's when Quick Queue really is your friend.

[The Geek Mojo]

BGW TR: My wife and I visited here for the first time this past Sunday. I'd have to say that this is the most beautiful park I have ever visited. I was glad to see that it wasn't near as crowded as Kings Dominion was on the previous day. We had plenty of time to watch some of their shows and ride their rides multiple times. We pretty much skipped over all the flat rides and they had plenty...But I was disappointed that Mach Tower didn't open all day. They tested it multiple times throughout the day, but no dice...Oh well. BGW has a solid collection of coasters, mainly B&M, my favorite. Apollo's Chariot is probably now my favorite Hyper..It used to be Goliath at SFOG, then Diamondback at KI but Apollo's Chariot just seems to have more airtime, we rode it like seven times. Verbolten is a fun ride, not as fun as the B&M's but it had a cool theme...It's a lot better at night, we rode it twice. As for Alpengeist, it is the most intense inverted coaster I've rode, it's probably my favorite until Banshee opens next year at KI. Griffon is just an amazing coaster, the best in the park by far. I love Dive coasters! I only got to ride Sheikra once when I was in Tampa, so I made sure to get multiple rides on Griffon on this trip...So we rode it four times. The lines were never that incredibly long. Operations at this park was pretty nice. The only coaster we didn't ride was the Grover Alpine Express kiddie coaster. I have to say, Loch Ness Monster is a lot nicer coaster to look at than to ride, I'm just not a fan of the older Arrow coasters. We rode it once, that was enough...Although we took plenty of pics of it from the river. Speaking of the river, the cruise was pretty cool. It was beautiful this time of year, and the cruise allowed us to get some great views and pics. We didn't ride the Pompeii ride because it was too cold to get wet, but we did ride DarKastle and enjoyed it a lot. Reminded me of the dark rides at Disney and Universal. Great themeing all around at this park, great rides, great food (Trappers Smokehouse was delicious!), and wonderful atmosphere made this park very pleasing. We can't wait to visit again next year.

[cfc]

Here are some pics from the last night of Howl-o-Scream. Happy Halloween!

 

France is on fire!

 

 

Goodbye, Giant Pumpkin.

 

Farewell, goofy singing Vampires.

 

Back to sea with you, scurvy Pirates!

 

Ciao, Headless Women.

Edited October 28, 2013 by cfc

[netdvn]

Got a little message in a newsletter today. Busch Gardens will be proposing it's new attraction to Kingsmill residents on Nov 6th at the Mounts Bay rec center 7pm sharp.

 

Not sure if I'll be able to make it, but I'll make an effort to (and maybe bring some photos home).

[esvadj]

BGW has begun teasing the 2014 attraction. Only one in North America? Water ride?

 

https://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1akLB6Lijxc

 

 

1akLB6Lijxc

[vacoaster09]

2014 teaser!

 

*only one like it in North America

*Water

 

Thoughts: Some sort of water slide... with Verruckt going to schlitterbahn... I don't think its a giant slide. It does have a cone at the end so maybe a combination slide or some sort. What is with the cables pulleys, and motor?

 

Wishful thoughts... Something like DiVertical would be awesome!

[cfc]

^Interesting--it's been a few years since Vanish Point, so Water Country is due for a new slide.

[vacoaster09]

I would be so excited if it was one of these... DiVertical

 

Think about it ... when was the last time BGW added a water ride.... granted they already have Escape from Pompeii. However this is technically a water coaster. The request that they brought to the board mentions 156 ft. in height. It would be nice to see something rise 156 ft. but drive over and down to the Rhine river, skimming the water.

 

Even though Holiday World has one of these, however their's is not a water coaster like the one at Mirabilandia. So this would technically be the first of its kind in the states.

 

Another thought if what is it was a water slide in the water park but one that used a elevator style lift system to bring rafts to the top(would that be a first?).

Edited October 29, 2013 by vacoaster09

[hydra]

^That would be nice, but I believe this teaser is for the water park. Water Country.

Also, We already have an Intamin water coaster in the states at Holiday World.

[cfc]

^Yeah, it definitely looks like they're planning to build a new water slide, not a new water coaster. But something like Divertical would be nice to have, too.

Edited October 29, 2013 by cfc

[vacoaster09]

^That would be nice, but I believe this teaser is for the water park. Water Country.

Also, We already have an Intamin water coaster in the states at Holiday World.

 

Giraffica (Pilgrim's Plunge) is not a water coaster in my opinion... there is no coaster portion aside from the flume (drop).

[Myself]

A Divertical-style ride would fit that 155' height the park was seeking approval for in 2015 as well. Just throwing that out there...

[_koppen]

Using the new Proslide World Alley concept they could easily build something unique in the states. Just take a few different element and put on it, and there you have it.

 

We know that the new Hurricane Harbor for Georgia will be getting one with a bowl and a tornado wall, so that's of the table. They could also buld americas first rocket or mammoth water coaster with features.

Source

 

Or it could be something completely different.

[cfc]

Reminder: If you're an annual passholder and want to buy an unlimited Christmas Town ticket for $30, tomorrow is the last day to do it! They sell them online, and you can get unlimited visits to Christmas Town for the price of a one-day ticket.

[netdvn]

So now that it's the end of the season, here's my final review of Howl O Scream. It's been a pretty awesome HOS season filled with pros and cons.

 

Mazes

Catacombs (5/5) - Excellent maze, excellent theming, excellent actors. This is how a HOS maze should be done. It was the perfect length and all the actors were on point throughout most of the event. The scares like the dude in the wall and the guy at the end still get me every time. Scares really haven't changed much from the past two years, but it still works well.

 

Bitten (5/5) - Still a solid maze even though it hasn't changed much. I still got some pretty good scares out of this maze. The actors were about as good as years past, plus the park added a new vampire puppet in one of the walls, which was a surprise. The maze seemed a bit short staffed all the times I've gone through, but it wasn't too bad.

 

Root of All Evil (4/5) - As everyone's said, this maze was the most improved of all the mazes this year. I didn't really catch the alien theme until the last weekend, so I guess there wasn't much of an emphasis on it. Still the actors are really good, although the maze suffers from staffing issues and dead areas. If they bring back the statues and the pond section, I'll give this a 5.

 

Deadline (3/5) - Of the four times I did this maze, it felt like 2011 all over again. The actors are all concentrated in one area of the maze and didn't deliver as many scares. Plus there are too many dark sections meaning more opportunities for running into the person in front of you or stumbling into a wall. Maybe its because every time I've done this maze, it was at sundown, but the other mazes never gave me as much trouble as this one. Firecracker guy was gone and subway scene was understaffed each time I went through, but the guy underneath the scaffold at the beginning got me good.

 

Cut Throat Cove (3/5) - This maze definitely felt too last minute. Not a bad maze scare-wise. All the actors are clearly into their roles and they even got me a few times. Especially the ending (which was good when it was Fear Fair too). My biggest beef are the poorly painted props and emphasis on things hanging from the ceiling. The hanging props are pointless and add nothing to the maze other than a distraction for short-staffed rooms. The painted sets look awful. The re-purposed stuff was alright and the insides of each of the tents looked good, but everything else looked terrible. Speaking of short staffing, half the buildings were empty, so there were plenty of missed opportunities.

 

13 (2/5) - Same thing as last year, but with clowns. The new room looked great and the park went out of their way to fill some of the dead rooms with props. Still the maze suffers from heavy backups (although Fear of Heights is still a great room for that reason) and the rooms are still hit-miss. You'd think that with the extra time they had between closing EITA and HOS, they could easily make this a fantastic maze with some interesting and creative scares. It's too bad the park didn't bother.

 

Scare Zones/Terror-tories

Ripper Row (3/5) - This area was perfect at setting the creepy mood for the event. Just too bad it wasn't really that scary. Actors and props were very well-done and I loved the whole murder scene, but the Ripper and his clones just stood around the Globe. The umbrella ladies were cool, but were just a photo op. The other roaming actors were few and far between. I still feel the area was better opening weekend with the officers, Ripper clones, and prostitutes chasing each other. It still kept the mood, but included scares. Later in the season the mood/atmosphere is there, yet I can still walk through the area with my guard down and not feel scared/nervous.

 

Demon Street (5/5) - I'm a sucker for chainsaws and this area was really well done. Some people may not like the dance tunes playing, but as a fan of rave-type music and chainsaw guys, this was the perfect area to just sit at Crepes & Coffee and people watch. The flames on the rooftops and the DJ booth made the area all the better. Demon rave thing was a cool extra, but I prefer having them roam.

 

Vampire Point (3/5) - This area suffers from not enough hiding spots and short staffing. The actors are awesome and the little show they put on at the stage by the carousel is great, but all the actors stand out in the open, making them easy to spot. Not only that, but the area is too big for the staffing it has, so there's plenty of dead room. Still those dark areas are perfect for scares and I got a few walking through those areas, especially after letting my guard down. This area desperately needs either more props/hiding spots to make it a better scare zone or a creepier tone to match Ripper Row.

 

Ports of Skull (2/5) - Like the others, this area suffers from short staffing. Not only that, but the area the actors are allowed to roam is pretty limited. Still makes for some creative scares though. The bungee guy and his partner are awesome and funny. Then there's the guy hiding under the troll bridge in the trees. I let my guard down in that area and he made me almost jump out of my shoes. While I like the fact that they expanded the roaming area to the troll bridge and Festa bridge, the area isn't as themed as the other areas and it suffers from crazy short staffing.

 

I really enjoyed all three shows.

 

Fiends (5/5) - Not as good as last year's, but it's still Fiends at heart. Some of the changes bugged me, but it didn't affect the show that much IMO.

 

Dig it Up (5/5) - The cave people beating up the stage manager at the beginning of the show made the entire show for me. That was all I could think about during the entire show.

 

Night Beats (5/5) - Still the same show as last year.

 

Overall, I really enjoyed the event. Still the park has the same problem areas that they had last year and the year before. Short staffing in a bunch of places, Festa's nonexistent theme, and inconsistencies in the scare zones/Terror-tories brought the event down somewhat. I still had a wonderful time despite the crowds.

 

If the park had the proper staffing, I'd consider bringing the hoards back but combining them with the scare zones/Terror-tories. Maze-wise, the scares were more consistent. The park just needs to focus more on building up the atmosphere and less on hanging things.

 

Oh and the event seemed darker this year. Literally! There were parts of the park that were so dark, you could easily trip on something or run into someone. Combine that with an oddly placed fog machine and you've got a potential mess. I don't remember this happening as much in the past, but it's a huge pet peeve of mine.

Edited October 31, 2013 by netdvn

[cfc]

^Catacombs was my favorite, too. I remember that maze being pretty lame the first year they used it, but reconfiguring the space and squeezing in more ghouls really helped. Deadline is very hit-or-miss, but I went through with some friends a few weeks ago, and it was completely nuts in there (the bathroom scene was always pretty disgusting).

[A.J.]

I really hope that Water Country USA's new slide is a Hydromagnetic Tornado like the one at Yas. Water Country USA hasn't put in a high capacity slide since Meltdown, and that was in 2000.

 

(Yes, Hubba Hubba Highway opened in 2003 but that's not really a slide, is it?)

[cfc]

^I would hardly call Meltdown "high capacity."

[hydra]

Newest teaser

[vacoaster09]

^Well that rules out the dry side of the park... clearly a water slide now... they are sitting in tubes... I'm thinking a hydro-magnetic water slide... I guess the first of its kind will simply be a different combination of features on the slide!

[cfc]

^I would love to see Water Country get something like Wildebeest or Mammoth. Time will tell.

[Rollercoaster Rider]

I really hope that Water Country USA's new slide is a Hydromagnetic Tornado like the one at Yas. Water Country USA hasn't put in a high capacity slide since Meltdown, and that was in 2000.

 

(Yes, Hubba Hubba Highway opened in 2003 but that's not really a slide, is it?)

 

 

Does Rock N' Roll Island count?

[_koppen]

Still guessing world alley!

[_koppen]

And World Alley it is! Feels good to actually guess right every once in a while.

 

It will be the same as the one at Siam Park (same in that it have the same two features) with a Tornado 24 and a Tornado Wave.

Source