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Busch Gardens Williamsburg (BGW BGE) Discussion Thread

P. 466: Mardi Gras at Busch Gardens

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Nice shots.

I've always loved the way B&M's inverted zero-g rolls look from this angle. Can't really explain why but it just looks awesome to me!

I have to agree. Its just such a beuatiful shape! Cant wait until next week so i can ride this baby again! IMO best invert ever!

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I'm going to the park on Tuesday. I'm pretty excited... It'll be my first time since 2003. Do you guys think the crowds will be decent?

 

Edit: also, any suggestions for discount tickets?

 

I was there a few tuesdays ago. everything was mostly a walk on except the flume and verbolten. I suggest getting there at opening and go straight to verbolten!

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Mach tower was actually up last week!

I know, I was so happy about that! I got to ride it for the first time ever when I went on monday. I went to the park MANY times last year, but every time I went it was closed! (Although one time it was open, but it had like a 1.5 hour line, and I wasn't about to wait in that for a drop tower!) So I finally got to ride it. It was ok. The views were nice though! Perfect spot to observe the construction going on back by the drachen fire station. (I'm calling new train station btw)

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So I finally got to ride it. It was ok. The views were nice though! Perfect spot to observe the construction going on back by the drachen fire station. (I'm calling new train station btw)

 

Agree with the views, especially during Christmas Town, when it serves as an observation tower. It always has a long line, unlike Drop Zone at KD.

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I'm visiting BGW for my first time on Monday, July 28. I plan on getting the Quick Queue Unlimited to make the most of my time. Even in moderate crowds, it would still be worth it to me to be able to ride myself into a coma (unless, of course, the park is absolutely dead, but somehow I doubt that will happen). I was just wondering how the Quick Queue works. Are there designated rows for QQ riders, are you seated on the first available seat, do you get to choose where you sit, or is it a station merge? Also, a food question. I love ribs, and see that there is a smokehouse in the park. For those of you who have eaten both, which do you think serves up a better rack of ribs: BGW or Pierce's Pitt BBQ? Thanks for your input.

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I'm visiting BGW for my first time on Monday, July 28. I plan on getting the Quick Queue Unlimited to make the most of my time. Even in moderate crowds, it would still be worth it to me to be able to ride myself into a coma (unless, of course, the park is absolutely dead, but somehow I doubt that will happen). I was just wondering how the Quick Queue works. Are there designated rows for QQ riders, are you seated on the first available seat, do you get to choose where you sit, or is it a station merge? Also, a food question. I love ribs, and see that there is a smokehouse in the park. For those of you who have eaten both, which do you think serves up a better rack of ribs: BGW or Pierce's Pitt BBQ? Thanks for your input.

 

Quick Queue merges with the station for all coasters except Apollo's Chariot, where you ride in Row 2 (or possibly Row 8 if it's a very busy day and they need two rows!). For Escape From Pompeii you will be in Row 2 (which is where you want to be anyway).

 

I can't attest to Pierce's Ribs, but the Smokehouse has some darn tasty and not too expensive spareribs.

 

Speaking of food, get a pretzel in Germany.

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The views were nice though! Perfect spot to observe the construction going on back by the drachen fire station. (I'm calling new train station btw)

 

Hey guys, I'm afraid unless something very drastic has changed in the past few years, or is planned to change, there won't be a train station going there.

 

The reason this couldn't happen is that there is actually a fairly steep uphill grade on the train tracks from the trestle all the way to Caribou station. In fact, if the train needs to stop for any reason in that spot, in most cases they will actually need to back the train up and get a running start as the grade is too steep for them to gain momentum. Unless this is/has changed (upgrades to the engines themselves, reworking the track to follow a different route etc.) I'm afraid a train station there is impossible

 

I would love to see a new country go back in that area starting with the Drachen Fire site and heading out east, but two things to keep in mind which would prevent this are that the people who live in those houses just south of the park HATE when Busch Gardens expands (Drachen Fire had it's entire rollback system overhauled because they were complaining about noise too much, [in 92 and 93 those rollbacks were as loud as Loch Ness. They removed them and created a rather ingenious new system that would remain disengaged unless the train back to actually roll back, and which point they would ratchet down into place and lock in. To my knowledge it was a one of a kind system, like so many other aspects of Drachen Fire.] every time Busch files for a height permit they go to city hall and fight it, etc. The park has had some pretty amazing sounding plans squashed by those residents in the past:

 

Example 1

Example 2

Example 3

 

(And those were just for Alpengeist. They do this every time. Why people would move in next to a theme park and then complain about said theme park is beyond me, but people move in next to airports and complain about jet noise too, so sometime people are just like that I suppose.)

 

Also, out east of Drachen Fire you can see on the map "Boneyard Road" and the Boneyard itself. This is where Busch stores it's defunct rides (and sometimes rides they intend to put back in. Katapult has lived back there more than once, as has the spider, the sea dragon, Gladiator's Gauntlet, Drachen Fire's Trains, Wolf's Trains, Le Mann's cars, name a former or temporarily-removed ride from the park, and it's probably spent time in the bone yard). Obviously they could just move it somewhere else if they were going to expand, but BGE seems more interested in taking rides out than expanding into that area. (Griffon easily could have gone on the Drachen Fire site, but they choose not to do so. Obviously none of us will ever know why, but a strong educated guess is to keep the Kings Mill people happy). Additionally the greenhouse is just down south of there, so that whole area would have some issues if a new country goes in.

 

Obviously, every issue in this post could be overcome (some more easily than others), but historically BGE hasn't appeared to be interested in doing so. A new country really would be a fantastic addition to the park, but if Ireland/Hastings, Wolf/Verbolten, Griffon/Le Mans etc. are any indication, a new country would involve the removal of an old one, not an increase of surface area most likely :/

 

Hopefully I'm wrong though, a new country would rock, and I am by no means affiliated with BGE or their design process!

 

One other thing to keep in mind is that

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Obviously they could just move it somewhere else if they were going to expand, but BGE seems more interested in taking rides out than expanding into that area. (Griffon easily could have gone on the Drachen Fire site, but they choose not to do so. Obviously none of us will ever know why, but a strong educated guess is to keep the Kings Mill people happy).

 

So, to appease the residents of Kingsmill, they built Griffon in France, which is closer to Kingsmill? That doesn't really wash, being as you can see Griffon from the Kingsmill Golf Course.

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I went in July last year on 2 consecutive days and aside from midday, it was DEAD. Stormy weather probably helped, but my longest wait was on half-day #2 waiting for the front on Alpengeist. Be warned, though; this may not be a typical experience.

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