Busch Gardens Williamsburg (BGW BGE) Discussion Thread

[coasterbill]

It blows my mind that a company like Busch Gardens doesn't know how to shoot video properly. I'm on a PC and that video is annoying as hell to watch. Turn your phone 90 degrees. It's really not that difficult.

 

PS: I'm not a big fan of this. Darkastle is a great ride and it fits the haunt theme perfectly already. I'd much rather they put a maze somewhere else.

[boldikus]

^ Agreed. Love that ride. This is dumb.

[CoasterAuditor]

Curse of DarKastle is essentially one of BGWs main attractions. I really don't get the logic behind turning it into a maze. I'd much rather ride DarKastle than go through a haunted maze.

[cfc]

 

NEW CHILLS COMING TO HOWL-O-SCREAM®

 

Busch Gardens® Williamsburg adds FrostBite to its lineup of spooky haunted houses.

 

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (July 14, 2017) – A different kind of chill is coming to Howl-O-Scream® this year at Busch Gardens® Williamsburg.

 

Goose bumps will be in store with the addition of FrostBite to Busch Gardens’ lineup of scary haunted houses.

 

That’s not the only new feature this year at Howl-O-Scream. The park also will provide an exclusive sneak peek at the event with the first-ever Pass Member Howl-O-Scream Preview Night on Sept. 22. Park guests must have a valid annual Busch Gardens pass to attend this event.

 

Howl-O-Scream opens Sept. 23 and runs every Friday, Saturday and Sunday through Oct. 29. New this year, the park will stay open until midnight on Saturdays in October and will add two Thursdays, Oct. 19 and 26, to its schedule.

 

FrostBite, located inside the park’s Curse of DarKastle attraction, will take guests on a frigid journey through an enchanted stronghold that has been overtaken by icy creatures.

 

Frost consumes everyone trapped within. Those who dare to walk through this fortress are exposed to a harrowing array of chilling elements.

 

Pass members will get a first look at the new haunted house during their Preview Night, which will be held from 4-10 p.m. The entire park also will be open for pass members to enjoy their favorite haunted houses, Terror-tories™, thrilling rides, terrific shows and culinary delights.

 

FrostBite, which replaces the retired Bitten, gives Busch Gardens seven haunted houses.

 

NEW FrostBite: The fire-breathing giant that once guarded the enchanted dark castle has met his chilling demise. He once stalked the premises, providing the warm lifeblood for the stronghold, but now his bones are mere decoration in a macabre icy grave. Frostbite now consumes all those trapped within. The cold is not the only bone-chilling resident of the castle, however. For the ice has teeth … And this frost … Bites.

 

Circo Sinistro: No one knows when or where the tents will rise, but all who see them are drawn to find out what lies inside Circo Sinistro at Busch Gardens Williamsburg’s Howl-O-Scream. This haunted house is not of this world and not of this time – but beware, what you see, you soon will be.

 

Catacombs: Through a ruined cemetery filled with statues lies a tunnel that leads to an underground city. Its history is more terrifying than that of France’s worst revolutions. Deep within these tunnels lie mile after mile of bones—the final resting place for those who are buried here. But all is not as quiet as it appears. As guests venture forth into the dank, dripping corridors of rat infested remains, the voices of the dead begin to speak, and some have taken shape.

 

Dead Line: Deep underground, construction of the newest line of the Pompeii Metro was moving smoothly until an ancient pipe was accidentally struck. At first, it seemed like steam. Then the mist became thicker, more sinister. Now the strange gas is leaking quickly, and everyone trapped inside is infected. The difficult decision was made to cut off all communication to the outside world. The Dead Line is off the grid.

 

Cornered: It’s 1977 and a picturesque farming community is in an uproar over the ongoing disappearances of its residents. Each time someone goes missing, an intricate corn husk doll is left behind leading many to suspect local corn-farmer Jasper McCobb. The McCobb farm has fallen into disrepair since the death of Jasper’s mother. Could the missing townspeople be somewhere in the maze of maize? Join the search party and find out.

 

Lumberhack: Hikers beware: The woods hold a terrifying secret. More than 50 years ago a logging camp was abandoned after a horrific accident where saws ripped into human flesh instead of tree bark. Tragically, the loggers perished … only to inexplicably awaken from death sometime later filled with inhuman rage. The undead loggers rampaged until every living thing in the camp had felt the bite of their axes. Now the forgotten lumberjacks lie waiting for unsuspecting campers to stumble into their den of the damned.

 

Unearthed: Scarlett’s Revenge: During maintenance at the park, an excavation crew uncovered a centuries-old house buried deep beneath the ground. Upon opening its door, a sinister force was unearthed—Scarlett—a furious demon who wields a deadly deck of magical cards she uses to summon her evil minions. Journey below to experience the splintered labyrinth of horrors and the revengeful wrath of this demon scorned.

 

Busch Gardens becomes a seriously scary place at 6 p.m. when the Howl-O-Scream haunts come out. Guests should consider the park’s elevated scare factor when deciding whether Howl-O-Scream is appropriate for young children.

 

Hours of operation during Howl-O-Scream may vary. The Curse of DarKastle attraction will be closed for the season starting Sept. 4, then reopen as FrostBite on Sept. 22. Please visit www.howloscream.com/va for a schedule and additional information.

Edited July 14, 2017 by cfc

[defrocker]

While I do think Darkastle is a really cool setting for something like this, I also kinda hate that it means the ride not being open. Granted, I'm not a halloween kinda guy, but I still think that parks have a pretty cool vibe around that time of year. That being said, when a ride closes because of halloween attractions, I find that... annoying.

[cfc]

Odd--nobody complained when they closed Europe in the Air for Unearthed.

 

If it's a good maze, I'm OK with using the DarKastle building for it.

[jarmor]

So are you walking the ride path?

[cfc]

^That's what I assume. I wonder if they'll use the ride's projection screens, as well. They can certainly make it cold in that building.

[Chrischucktown]

I am heading to Busch Gardens and Kings Dominion on August 14th. I was trying to get any specific tips that might make the trip more of a success. Do you think that it is necessary to buy fast passes at either of these parks? I will be at Busch Gardens on Tuesday August 15th and Kings Dominion on Wednesday August 16th. Any advice would be appreciated!

[DorneyKid14]

I am heading to Busch Gardens and Kings Dominion on August 14th. I was trying to get any specific tips that might make the trip more of a success. Do you think that it is necessary to buy fast passes at either of these parks? I will be at Busch Gardens on Tuesday August 15th and Kings Dominion on Wednesday August 16th. Any advice would be appreciated!

 

Everytime ive been to Busch Gardens, everything was about a 10-15 minute wait. I highly recommend eating at Das Festhaus in Oktoberfest. Not only if the food wonderful, but you also get a wonderful show to watch as well!!!

 

Kings Dominion was the same way. Waits werent too long, I305 had the longest at i think 25-30 minutes.

 

Fast passes should not be needed, and you can always wait to see how lines are when you get there to see if you need it or not.

[defrocker]

You should be fine without any sort of fast passes. Weekdays are generally fairly light. Even if BGW seems crowded, often the rides won't have really long lines. I'd wait until you get the to decide. Your typical advice will follow:

 

KD:

 

Go to Volcano first, ride front row if possible

I305 rarely has a line, but if you want to ride the front, you should probably do it first thing

Don't pass up on Grizzly or Anaconda because of the haters, form your own opinion

If you like log flumes, this one is one of the better ones

Dominator back row

Rebel Yell Second to last row

 

BGW:

 

InvadR and/or Tempesto early to avoid waits

Alengeist is smoothest in the front, more intense but a little more aggressive in the back. It's worth a ride in both places.

Griffon - first ride in the front for the views, but the ride is in the back.

Nessie is smoother towards the back of the train, even in the last car

Apollo - back row, back row, back row

Food and drinks here are amazing. I love the Festhaus for German food, some prefer Trappers for BBQ, Marco Polo's is great as well.

Don't pass up on shows. All of them are very good. I personally love Mix it Up and Celtic Fyre best. If you love animals, the animal shows are cheesy, but cute and funny.

 

I'm sure I'm missing something, but if you aren't rushing, but taking your time and enjoying the sights, that will be the best way to experience BGW.

[alilstronger]

Are the haunts here actually scary? I always skip them at Six Flags and Cedar Fair parks because they send too many people through at once and they are never scary.

[cfc]

^I wouldn't call them particularly scary, but they are fun. I am curious about the new "Frostbite" maze in DarKastle.

[Jman0477]

They may also being doing the maze in darkastle while they do refurb on the other parts of the ride I love this attraction but maybe a little bit of TLC on paint and what not would be a good thing or maybe it will be open for Christmastown this year

[prozach626]

Emily and I are heading to the park this Friday. This is our second visit and BGW is a contender for our favorite park, if we had to choose one. Our last visit was a couple years ago.

 

I'm really tempted to pull the trigger on Quick Queue Unlimited, but after looking at the wait times throughout the day today, I'm not so sure. The longest wait time I saw was 20 minutes, with the majority of the coasters being 5-10 minutes. If we can expect consistent 20 minute wait on rides this Friday I would be game for the quick queue, but if lines are similar to today I'd feel like I wasted money. What kind of wait times should I expect for Friday?

[Hugecoltsfan]

Emily and I are heading to the park this Friday. This is our second visit and BGW is a contender for our favorite park, if we had to choose one. Our last visit was a couple years ago.

 

I'm really tempted to pull the trigger on Quick Queue Unlimited, but after looking at the wait times throughout the day today, I'm not so sure. The longest wait time I saw was 20 minutes, with the majority of the coasters being 5-10 minutes. If we can expect consistent 20 minute wait on rides this Friday I would be game for the quick queue, but if lines are similar to today I'd feel like I wasted money. What kind of wait times should I expect for Friday?

 

I went to the park this past saturday and every ride was basically walk-on except Invadr.

[bluestreak]

Emily and I are heading to the park this Friday. This is our second visit and BGW is a contender for our favorite park, if we had to choose one. Our last visit was a couple years ago.

 

I'm really tempted to pull the trigger on Quick Queue Unlimited, but after looking at the wait times throughout the day today, I'm not so sure. The longest wait time I saw was 20 minutes, with the majority of the coasters being 5-10 minutes. If we can expect consistent 20 minute wait on rides this Friday I would be game for the quick queue, but if lines are similar to today I'd feel like I wasted money. What kind of wait times should I expect for Friday?

 

With my very limited experience at the park, I would say that the park will be very crowded but ride lines will remain virtually nonexistent. I haven't been there since Invadr was built but I imagine that holds some bit of a line. Other than that you're probably looking at walk-ons.

Maybe verbolten and tempesto will have lines of 10-15 minutes.

[prozach626]

Emily and I are heading to the park this Friday. This is our second visit and BGW is a contender for our favorite park, if we had to choose one. Our last visit was a couple years ago.

 

I'm really tempted to pull the trigger on Quick Queue Unlimited, but after looking at the wait times throughout the day today, I'm not so sure. The longest wait time I saw was 20 minutes, with the majority of the coasters being 5-10 minutes. If we can expect consistent 20 minute wait on rides this Friday I would be game for the quick queue, but if lines are similar to today I'd feel like I wasted money. What kind of wait times should I expect for Friday?

 

I went to the park this past saturday and every ride was basically walk-on except Invadr.

How long were the lines for Invadr and Le Scoot?

[Hugecoltsfan]

Emily and I are heading to the park this Friday. This is our second visit and BGW is a contender for our favorite park, if we had to choose one. Our last visit was a couple years ago.

 

I'm really tempted to pull the trigger on Quick Queue Unlimited, but after looking at the wait times throughout the day today, I'm not so sure. The longest wait time I saw was 20 minutes, with the majority of the coasters being 5-10 minutes. If we can expect consistent 20 minute wait on rides this Friday I would be game for the quick queue, but if lines are similar to today I'd feel like I wasted money. What kind of wait times should I expect for Friday?

 

I went to the park this past saturday and every ride was basically walk-on except Invadr.

How long were the lines for Invadr and Le Scoot?

 

30-40 minutes

[coasterbill]

I don't think I've ever been to the park when Le Scoot's line wasn't bullsh*t long.

[prozach626]

TBH, that might be worth the extra $150 for the trip in itself.

[coasterbill]

Yeah, but I'd have a really hard time buying skip the line passes at this park. The only rides on the system are Alpengeist, Apollo’s Chariot, Curse of DarKastle, Escape from Pompeii, Griffon, Le Scoot, Roman Rapids, and Verbolten.

 

Ignoring Roman Rapids (because I'd never ride it), the only ride on that list where I've ever seen a line longer than 15 minutes is Le Scoot. Verbolten sort of gets lines but they're manageable, the B&M's are pretty much always walk-ons and the only 2 coasters where you might actually want the thing aren't on the system. Loch Ness is also missing, though unless you ride it in the morning it won't have a line anyway.

[prozach626]

Dang. Thanks for the head's up, Bill. I wasn't aware Viking Voyage wasn't on the Quick Queue. We'll have to hit Viking Voyage a couple times early and then move over to Le Scoot.

 

I suppose even if Invadr were included on the Quick Queue it wouldn't be a ride I would feel I would have to ride over and over again. I have enjoyed most GCI's I have been on, but none of them really stand out to me as feeling much different from one other. The only possible exception is Mystic Timbers, just because of its close trees and interaction with the river rapids ride.

Edited July 25, 2017 by prozach626

[cfc]

I didn't go to the park last weekend, but was out in that part of town. I noticed they weren't using the overflow parking lots, which was unusual for a Saturday; then again, is was hot as the surface of the sun last weekend (temps in the 100s).

 

On a busy Saturday, spring for Quick Queue. On other days, you probably won't need it.

[mordecai-75]

Do Griffon and alpingeist have the B&M big boy seats?