Busch Gardens Williamsburg (BGW BGE) Discussion Thread

[larrygator]

^They are both great parks. I wouldn't get to worked up on comparing the two parks ride for ride and that is something you can easily look up because the coasters at each park are pretty disimilar after Griffon/Sheikra and Montu/Alpengeist. It's probably just better to tell you the major differences in other areas.

 

Curse of Darkastle - a fun 3D dark ride even if it doesn't run with one of the original effects.

Escape from Pompeii - a great immersive splash boat

Food experiences - while the smokehouses at both parks are similar I greatly prefer the food at BGW with the Festhaus, Brauhaus and Marco Polo's Marketplace

Their are more musical shows at BGW.

The animals are not as exotic at BGW.

The terrain is much hillier at BGW.

More shade at BGW.

 

Other may feel differently but I don't find either park to be far superior to the other.

[Masquerade]

I'm of the camp that went to BGW first, so the following year when I went to BGT I was a little disappointed.

 

I had fun mind you, but to me BGT felt like a mix of stuff you'd find in other Central Florida parks while BGW felt so unique and unlike anywhere else I'd been to before.

 

Then again, it could all come down to which park popped your Busch Gardens cherry first.

Edited December 17, 2016 by Masquerade

[coasterbill]

Both parks are spectacular. Personally I prefer Tampa since I think they have better rides and a more interesting mix of animals but not by much. Williamsburg is probably a prettier park, though Tampa is gorgeous too and VERY underrated in that regard. Rides like Darkastle, Verbolten and Pompeii are very unique to Williamsburg though.

 

If you have a bad day at either park, you're doing it wrong.

[TheCoasterKid211]

If you have a bad day at either park, you're doing it wrong.

[cfc]

^They are both great parks. I wouldn't get to worked up on comparing the two parks ride for ride and that is something you can easily look up because the coasters at each park are pretty disimilar after Griffon/Sheikra and Montu/Alpengeist. It's probably just better to tell you the major differences in other areas.

 

Curse of Darkastle - a fun 3D dark ride even if it doesn't run with one of the original effects.

Escape from Pompeii - a great immersive splash boat

Food experiences - while the smokehouses at both parks are similar I greatly prefer the food at BGW with the Festhaus, Brauhaus and Marco Polo's Marketplace

Their are more musical shows at BGW.

The animals are not as exotic at BGW.

The terrain is much hillier at BGW.

More shade at BGW.

 

Other may feel differently but I don't find either park to be far superior to the other.

 

I agree with Larry here. Food is better at BGW, as are operations; that being said, BGT has a stronger coaster line up.

[prozach626]

I'm of the camp that went to BGW first, so the following year when I went to BGT I was a little disppointed.

 

I had fun mind you, but to me BGT felt like a mix of stuff you'd find in other Central Florida parks while BGW felt so unique and unlike anywhere else I'd been to before.

 

Then again, it could all come down to which park popped your Busch Gardens cherry first.

 

I couldn't have said it better myself. We absolutely loved Williamsburg. Our biggest mistake was going to BGT and hoping for more of a slightly different Williamsburg experience. I feel if we had taken BGT for what it was on its own we would have had a much more enjoyable time.

[DoinItForTheFame]

I'm really hoping that little woody packs a punch.

 

Story of my life.

 

[Clockwork]

I was looking up the animals at BGW. I didn't see anything similar to that of BGT where it is like a zoo setting. All I saw is that there is an animal show. That's about it right? Other than that I don't see other exhibits for animals. Unless I am wrong.

[Jcoaster]

I was looking up the animals at BGW. I didn't see anything similar to that of BGT where it is like a zoo setting. All I saw is that there is an animal show. That's about it right? Other than that I don't see other exhibits for animals. Unless I am wrong.

 

They have an assortment of North American animals including Bald Eagles and Grey Wolves.

[cfc]

I was looking up the animals at BGW. I didn't see anything similar to that of BGT where it is like a zoo setting. All I saw is that there is an animal show. That's about it right? Other than that I don't see other exhibits for animals. Unless I am wrong.

 

You'll find most of the animals, including the Gray Wolves, on the path between Ireland and France. They also have Clydesdale horses, sheep, and highland cows in Scotland. But their animals exhibits are not nearly as extensive as they are at BGT.

[prozach626]

Where BGT lacks in the zoo aspect, it makes up for it with a botanical gardens variety. Where at BGT you can go to an enclosure area and watch some Hyenas panting in the heat, at BGW you can see the stable dog trainers interact with the dogs in the fenced in areas near the stable. Or you will walk by a random nicely set field with oxen. It's nothing attention grabbing like the hippo or cheetah display at BGT, but the atmosphere at BGW seems like it blends together much better to provide a scenic and relaxing feel.

[bert425]

Where BGT lacks in the zoo aspect, it makes up for it with a botanical gardens variety. Where at BGT you can go to an enclosure area and watch some Hyenas panting in the heat, at BGW you can see the stable dog trainers interact with the dogs in the fenced in areas near the stable. Or you will walk by a random nicely set field with oxen. It's nothing attention grabbing like the hippo or cheetah display at BGT, but the atmosphere at BGW seems like it blends together much better to provide a scenic and relaxing feel.

 

oh. . disagree completely.

 

at BGT, the Gorilla/Chimp Path, the Lions/Tiger Path, the Kangaroos/Wallabees, the bird sanctuary, the Crocodiles, and the "hidden path" that features the hyenas & the Hippos you mentioned.

 

and the biggie.. feeding the giraffes by hand on the safari (upcharge but worth it), and the Serengeti plain that's veritable from train and from the restaurant?

 

we LOVED BGT.

 

we also loved BGW.. it's just going to depend on what you prefer, the animals, or the overall feel of the park & Rides.

 

tho BGW has better rides (in my opinion) and is an absolutely stunningly gorgeous park, we liked BGT just as much, only for different reasons. . the animals.

[cfc]

Where BGT lacks in the zoo aspect, it makes up for it with a botanical gardens variety. Where at BGT you can go to an enclosure area and watch some Hyenas panting in the heat, at BGW you can see the stable dog trainers interact with the dogs in the fenced in areas near the stable. Or you will walk by a random nicely set field with oxen. It's nothing attention grabbing like the hippo or cheetah display at BGT, but the atmosphere at BGW seems like it blends together much better to provide a scenic and relaxing feel.

 

And you'll see deer grazing near the railroad tracks, or along the Rhine River, too.

 

[Jcoaster]

Just went back through some of the InvadR construction pictures and it looks like this coaster may have some nice pops of airtime. I really like the way it looks now that it is going vertical.

[cfc]

Speaking of InvadR, how about we start the new year with another update? Yes, Christmas Town may be ending today, but coaster construction moves on. I was at the park yesterday and noticed that 1) they've been increasing the theming on the station and 2) the lift hill is now crossing over the railroad tracks.

 

Let's have a look.

Let the hype continue!

First coaster of 2017: The holiday version of Tempesto, . . .

. . . which is pretty much like the regular version of Tempesto.

As usual, we'll start this update with a train ride.

Hello, InvadR. How's it hangin'?

Looks about the same on the left side of the train . . .

. . . but what's this up ahead?

Yes, it's the steel for the lift hill and first drop crossing the railroad tracks.

Here's a view from Caribou Station.

This is really going to change the skyline of New France.

I hope InvadR doesn't make Le Scoot feel "inadequate."

Let's have a look at what's happening near the train station.

Implements of destruction/construction on the path to the log flume.

Note the new logs on the station.

Here's a look from the bridge into Germany. I think this is going to be a very nicely themed ride.

InvadR wishes everyone at TPR a Happy New Year.

Well, that's done. Time for a brew (O'Connor Norfolk Canyon Ale, if you're curious).

And best wishes of the season from Christmas Town's Polar Pathway (aka Escape from Pompeii). Thanks for reading.

[prozach626]

Thanks for the update, chuck. Does anyone know any reasoning for the decision to use steel supports, as opposed to wood, on this particular project?

[chickenbowl]

Thanks for the update, chuck. Does anyone know any reasoning for the decision to use steel supports, as opposed to wood, on this particular project?

 

As an Engineer, I think one reason for steel would be the ability to construct larger spans. If you look here,

 

 

You can see that the lift needs to bridge both Le Scoot and two train tracks. That's a lot of distance, and I'm sure it's easier to built a steel structure that can handle those forces than a wooden one. And after that, they probably didn't want to leave steel just in one section like that, so they made it aesthetically consistent everywhere else, maybe? Zeus looks kinda weird with only a little bit of steel structure to span Cyclops.

 

 

I'm sure there's more reasons, (less bulky, but stronger structure and less wear and tear in a humid climate is why I think Fun Spot went with steel on their GCI and new Gravity Group) but I think the large spans would be the main one.

[cfc]

^When BGW announced InvadR, they mentioned that reduced maintenance was the main reason for going with a steel structure.

[Randomman295]

As usual, we'll start this update with a train ride.

 

On behalf of the person in this picture (who is banned on this forum) I'd like to share this lovely shot of Chuck.

 

[Jcoaster]

^When BGW announced InvadR, they mentioned that reduced maintenance was the main reason for going with a steel structure.

 

Well this is a great idea since the last wooden coaster at a Busch park (Gwazi) didn't fair so well.

 

Im not saying its solely BGT's fault for what happened to Gwazi but it is a good idea to make life easier on yourself.

[cfc]

^Exactly. They're even using re-furbed/re-themed Gwazi trains.

[defrocker]

In regards to the steel structure/maintenance points. I'm sure that a large part of the reasoning has to do with how many rides this crosses over and under. I feel like It would be more difficult to perform maintenance on the structure with everything under it.

[jedimaster1227]

^I'd also contend that Busch Gardens took a lot of the hard lessons from Gwazi to heart when developing Invadr. Maintenance and upkeep of the dueling wooden coaster in Florida was part of what led to the ride being decommissioned, so I'm sure the thought was to spend whatever money necessary to ensure that less maintenance would be required on the structure itself so that the ride could last far longer overall.

[Jcoaster]

Also think about the fact that less time doing maintence on the support structure equates into more time performing upkeep on the rides theming.

 

I pray that they keep those trains in tip top condition. They're too beautiful to let rot.

[super7]

I think Busch Williamsburg will do great upkeeps on the train. Considering the park is over 40 years old, it feels like a newer park. This is one of the best maintained parks in the country.