Busch Gardens Williamsburg (BGW BGE) Discussion Thread

[jray21]

If their theming of Cobra's Curse is any indication of the theming that will be added to this ride, it will be a great additional to the park.

 

We'll see. I'd like them to go a little crazy with theming on this ride.

 

 

I hope so too!

[TB305]

If Tempesto is any indication of the quality of the theming this ride will receive, we're in trouble...

 

 

That being said, I doubt Tempesto's theming is any indication

[Brent York]

I'm so excited for my trip to BGW next summer. I'm in VA at the moment, but only had 1 day to do a park and I figured Kings Dominions was a better one day park, Busch Gardens definitely looked more like a 2 day park with everything in it.

For me, I wouldn't think either park needed two days, except maybe a Saturday, but if anything, I would think BGT requires more time than BGW, if you plan to see all the animal exhibits and shows at BGT. I've been to each a couple times and have done everything I wanted at each park in one day.

[defrocker]

I'm torn. If you really enjoy the "cultural" side of parks then BGW is easily a 2 day park. They have a bunch of great shows, depending on what you're into. Several cool animal exhibits. With all of that, plus great rides (flats included) and great places to eat, you could easily spend more than a day there if you wanted to do all they had to offer, and do it at a relaxing pace. If you're going for rides, 1 day.

[scbt]

I'm torn. If you really enjoy the "cultural" side of parks then BGW is easily a 2 day park. They have a bunch of great shows, depending on what you're into. Several cool animal exhibits. With all of that, plus great rides (flats included) and great places to eat, you could easily spend more than a day there if you wanted to do all they had to offer, and do it at a relaxing pace. If you're going for rides, 1 day.

 

I think you hit the nail on the head here - The park is certainly doable in a day, but you'll miss out on a decent bit of stuff that you could do if you have a second day.

[Looty]

I had a great time at the park last Thursday despite the 105 heat index. The place was empty and all of the coasters were walk-ons. Also, the food and beer inside festhaus were great.

 

One thing though, I don't get the hype over Apollo's Chariot. I first rode it back in 2007 and was not impressed. I rode it a few more times again on this visit and still found it to be quite dull. Really, I get more air on back seat Morgan coasters. It's one of the most over-hyped coasters out there, IMO.

 

Otherwise, the rides here are great (absolutely love Alpengeist) and this park continues to be one of the better parks in the country.

[Jcoaster]

Did you try back row?

[Looty]

Yes.

[Jcoaster]

Yes.

 

Well to each his own. Sure many more intense coasters have been built since Apollo's but the backrow usually provides a very good ride that still holds up.

[coasterbill]

I find Apollo underwhelming in every row except the very last row (for some reason even one row up makes a huge difference). I love it in the back row though. In that row it's probably the best coaster in the park as far as I'm concerned (emphasis on probably... because Alpengeist exists).

[cfc]

^The back row is the best for both Apollo's Chariot and Griffon.

[Jcoaster]

I find Apollo underwhelming in every row except the very last row (for some reason even one row up makes a huge difference). I love it in the back row though. In that row it's probably the best coaster in the park as far as I'm concerned (emphasis on probably... because Alpengeist exists).

 

The airtime on the first drop in the backrow due to that flat section before the drop

Is awesome. Same goes for the drop into the ravine after the MCBR.

[prozach626]

I'm torn. If you really enjoy the "cultural" side of parks then BGW is easily a 2 day park. They have a bunch of great shows, depending on what you're into. Several cool animal exhibits. With all of that, plus great rides (flats included) and great places to eat, you could easily spend more than a day there if you wanted to do all they had to offer, and do it at a relaxing pace. If you're going for rides, 1 day.

 

I think you hit the nail on the head here - The park is certainly doable in a day, but you'll miss out on a decent bit of stuff that you could do if you have a second day.

 

+1. You get more out of this park by taking it at your own pace and relaxing as opposed to a CF or SF park. BGW is botanical gardens meets zoo meets amusement park meets beer and wine garden.

 

Did I just describe heaven?

 

One thing though, I don't get the hype over Apollo's Chariot. I first rode it back in 2007 and was not impressed. I rode it a few more times again on this visit and still found it to be quite dull. Really, I get more air on back seat Morgan coasters. It's one of the most over-hyped coasters out there, IMO.

 

Sadly, I agree. I just didn't get the hype and I am a big B&M hyper fan. Maybe I-305 on the day before killed it for me.

[Jcoaster]

Lot of new construction going on over at the InvadR site this past week. Looks like footers are being poured etc.

[cfc]

^I was planning to head there on Sunday and get some photos for a new update.

[Jcoaster]

Looking forward to it Chuck. Anyone know what the word is when it comes to more "fan voting" about the ride?

[defrocker]

Good question. They marketed this pretty heavily as being a "crowd sourced" ride and so far they haven't done anything new to the industry.

[CedarFanboy]

Double post, better TR below. Sorry!

Edited July 31, 2016 by CedarFanboy

[CedarFanboy]

Well, I have been on TPR for a while as a "guest" one could say, but I decided to finally register for an account here. Why not start out with one of those trip reports?

 

Yesterday, I went to Busch Gardens Williamsburg for my first time. I only had one day, and of course I want to come back for more. There is so much to do at that place! Even with no lines, it would probably be hard to do everything in one day. I'm pretty booked for the rest of the year, so I definitely plan on coming back next year for at least two days, and I'm sure it will be even better with InvadR being built.

 

My first stop was Griffon. We got to the park a bit early, so we didn't get there right away. My expectations for the day were lower than normal, as I just returned from Kings Dominion about a week ago. I never rode a dive coaster before, so I knew that this would be different. The long, steep hill lead to a very huge drop. Apparently this thing goes over 70 mph, but I didn't know that at this point. The drop has to be the best drop on any coaster I've ridden. Smooth inversions, nice airtime, and a good splashdown made me ride it a few more times during the day. Definitely a back seat ride in my opinion.

 

Next I headed over to Alpengeist. With Talon and Great Bear both under my belt, I didn't really know what to expect with this one. The drop is definitely one of the more unique ones, and the inversions left me wondering when the positive G's would end! Probably the most intense of the three inverts, but also the roughest. Wasn't actually as rough as I heard it would be though. Rode in the back and front a bunch of times and neither one were disappointing.

 

After getting something to drink, I stopped at Loch Ness Monster, only to find out it was closed because of a "technical difficulty." So instead of riding Nessie, we headed over to what would be my first and only B&M Hyper (a lot of firsts for me this day) until I visit Carowinds next week. I rode in the back, as I read that it is the best seat on the ride. I don't know if the trims were being strong or what, but it was definitely very underwhelming for me. Later in the day, I rode it again and got the exact same over-trimmed ride. I wish I could say more, but the only good part for me was the unexpected drop into the last airtime hill.

 

After riding one of those Himalayan-type flat rides, I headed to Tempesto. The restraints, despite being mildly annoying to buckle, were much better than the painful restraints on Flight of Fear and Backlot. The triple-launch isn't too intense, but the rest of the ride had a couple high-intensity areas, and of course the wonderful barrel roll of hangtime. I still prefer FoF as my favorite Premier, but Tempesto definitely had better restraints, and wasn't a bad ride at all.

 

The last coaster I rode would end up being my favorite, followed closely by Alpengeist. I never rode Big Bad Wolf, but if it is even half of how good Verbolten is, then I would like to go to coaster heaven and ride it. Even though you cannot avoid the rattle on this coaster, it is still a very good ride in my eyes. The building reminded me very much of Laff Trakk at Hershey, and had a rather intense spot going into the first set of brakes. I wont spoil the rest of the ride for people who haven't ridden it, but the "surprise" was very unexpected and something I never experienced on a coaster before. The launches were solid and the drops make it a back seat ride for me. This was worth a few throughout the day, and a couple rides at night, which make you feel like you'll fly into the river.

 

The Le Scoot log flume was definitely fun, but it will only be better when InvadR (no real construction yet) gets built. I think I would definitely prefer this one to the one at Kings Dominion, though they are both really fun. We also rode Escape from Pompeii. The heat inside really prepared me for the fresh, cool water that got me evenly wet, but not soaked, which is always great for me.

 

For lunch, I got some pizza from the Marco Polo Marketplace. We sat down at the tables just in time for a rather interesting musical show, which was an entertaining way for me to waste time to rest my stomach.

 

After a train ride around the park, I got in ride for Nessie, which inevitably broke down two trains away from me getting on. One of the workers held a trivia session and kept us entertained while they fixed... a button. A button closed an entire coaster for 20 minutes. 5 test cycles later, they loaded the train. I rode in the 3rd to last row and got a rather intense ride. The interlocking loops were great, and I absolutely loved the fact that there was no headbanging. The long helix also really stood out to me. Would've rode it more if it didn't break down so much.

 

After refilling our drinks for the road, we left the park, right around closing. If you live within the area and have never been here before, all I can say is that you need to go ASAP. On paper, the park doesn't look like much (six coasters), but it's not coasters that make a park good, it's everything. Friendly staff, good food, entertaining shows, and fun rides all mix in to make or break a park. This park is definitely my favorite park now, and I'll only love it more when I get back. I hope you guys enjoyed my trip report, and thank you for reading.

DarKastle was a fun break from the heat

Photogenic Arrow loops

Massive Cobra!

My first dive coaster!

Verbolten's last drop

Going up!

Le Scoot and InvadR

All great coasters!

[cfc]

I went over the park today to see what progress they've made on InvadR. The words of the day were dirt, concrete, and a wee bit of wood.

Let's get on the train and have a look. We have to go a ways past the Festhaus.

Almost there . . .

. . . and I do believe we've entered the construction zone proper.

Here's the "back" of the work zone, looking toward LeScoot, Griffon, and Alpengeist.

Looks like they've done some more work on these concrete footers we saw in the previous update.

There doesn't appear to be much going on over on the left side of the train.

Hmm--a big new slab of concrete has been added, with some more concrete to come, it would seem.

Here's a look at the slab from the other side.

New France has got wood.

Looks like there's been some more digging and general destruction.

Ladies and gentlemen, Styx! Well, some sort of markers with letters and numbers on them.

Looking toward the train station from the LeScoot path.

I think this retaining wall is new.

Here's a view from the bridge to Germany.

Yep--more new concrete footers, I believe.

Being as it's a hot day and I'm near LeScoot, here's a refreshing splash to cool everyone off.

Overlooking the construction site past the LeScoot queue.

Does this tarp conceal a deep mystery?

And what about the rock? What intrigues lie beneath it?

And what might this mysterious object be? Mysteries, everywhere! I don't recall anything in this spot when I did the previous update.

That's all for now.

[Jcoaster]

Great report Chuck.

 

Think there is a chance we see some vertical construction before or during the park's holiday events?

[Nrthwnd]

I'll take Black Mystery Bag #1, Chuck! Instead of the $50,000 you're offering me.

 

 

Excellent look at it all, Chuck. Looking forward to more.....'dirt' on the subject. ha ha

[cfc]

Great report Chuck.

 

Think there is a chance we see some vertical construction before or during the park's holiday events?

 

Hard to say when it'll go vertical. Howl-o-Scream starts in September 23, so I guess that's possible. I would think we'd definitely see vertical construction by the time Christmas Town rolls around.

[Jcoaster]

Seems like it's moving along pretty well.

[TyRush]

I wonder if this ride will have a full concrete footing under it like some other GCI coasters recently. Or at least partially. The large concrete areas we see make me think so.