Busch Gardens Williamsburg (BGW BGE) Discussion Thread

[coasterbill]

If you loved it before you'll probably still love it. We rode with Boldikus and we both thought it was great.

[boldikus]

Yeah Bill and Brit like it. Apparently others do as well. I was pretty eh about it when I rode it in 2016 and didn't care to do it again but after some prodding from Bill decided to give it another chance. For an Arrow from the late 70s its overall OK since it doesn't have corkscrews or ridiculous or awkward transitions. Its all straight drops and reasonable turns. But its the bottoms of the drops and into the loops that was destroying my neck and back - every time it felt like my head and neck were being compressed into my spine. The setting is wonderful, its pretty to look at, no wait was lovely, and I'm happy the park maintains a classic but its just not my bag, baby.

[Canobie Coaster]

That's good to hear the rehabbed trains are keeping it running as well as it has. I've found it to be the best Arrow of their older loopers.

[CNYCoasterguy11]

So I will be visiting the park in Mid August with my family and my daughter is too short for the coasters. I was wondering if anyone knows if the park currently has single rider Lines for the coasters or if just getting a quick que unlimited is a better option so they won't have to be waiting for me if there are long lines?

[prozach626]

Thanks for the info. That's really disappointing as those are the 2 that I am looking forward to riding the most. Hopefully the crowds won't be too bad when I visit in the early days (Tues or Wed) of the spring break week.

You could always take full advantage of the QQ and when the primary queue is reasonable you can jump in and pick your row. We used QQ during one of our visits and did exactly this. During my 3 days at BGW over the past few years I've found the waits on Apollo's Chariot and Alpengeist to be anywhere from incredibly short to station waits.

 

QQ is always useful on Le Scoot. The only time I saw Le Scoot without a 20-30+ minute line was after a severe afternoon storm cleared out the entire park during our last visit... which was FFFing awesome. We rode 4 times without getting off the ride with not a single other rider on board. The only reason we exited was because we wanted to. Ah, the memories.

 

Having ridden both Verbolten and Back Lot (KD) again this weekend, both are totally f*$king awesome little coasters. Got a front seat ride on both and they both went up a bit in my rankings, Verbolten significantly. I think the pacing is great and I love the indoor section. The only point where it loses steam is the drop track section which is a highlight of the ride, and the slowdown/pause on the bridge only adds to the drama of the drop down over the river. The minimal themeing in the black forest is perfect and still looks good. There's not really any airtime to be found anywhere but its still equally thrilling and just flat out enjoyable for me. I regret not riding it more than once yesterday. Also, the trains are one of my favorites.

 

Backlot meanders a bit during the first half, and was running reeeeally slow, almost not making it up the helix, but the tunnel section and drop out of it under the queue is a fantastic finale to a zippy little ride. Alternately, the trains on this are cute but getting in/out really blows. Can't compare either to Firechaser as I haven't ridden it.

 

I feel like rides such as Verbolen, Back Lot, and even Fire Chaser have to be seen from a different perspective in order to be truly appreciated. I enjoy these coasters for what they offer as an overall experience of ride elements and themeing elements. Seeing them as such, as opposed to comparing them to Fury/I305, makes them much more enjoyable. Verbolten is one of Emily's favorite rides and the GP seems to enjoy it.

 

Their B&M collection, Verbolten, Mach Tower and Pompeii are f*cking phenomenal and the other coasters and rides are all great too. The park is gorgeous. I love this park and everything in it.

Amen. The overall quality of BGW makes it one of my favorite parks. I'd probably think differently if Beer Man wasn't present, hence why I have little interest in DW or SDC.

[PKI Jizzman]

 

Happy to have finally found that craft room @ the Festhaus.

 

Damn straight.

 

Beer flights in a theme park? Heeelllllll yes.

[coasterbill]

^ Good ones too. They have an insane selection. I could have easily ordered 10 flights before I included a beer I had ever heard of, much less tried.

[ScreaminNewEngland]

So can anyone tell me if Invadr is running faster this year? Because this past Saturday was my first time on it and the thing was hauling ass.....It blew me away!

 

Also, I loved the new trains on Lochness! Seemed to also be running a tad faster!

[thrillseeker4552]

Could someone please describe to me the difference between the old and new LNM trains? Aside from a slightly different paint job, am I just blind? Usually I’m pretty geeky and can point out small differences, but I’m stuck on this one...

[coasterbill]

We rode it Sunday, I never would have known anything was different.

[A.J.]

Could someone please describe to me the difference between the old and new LNM trains? Aside from a slightly different paint job, am I just blind? Usually I’m pretty geeky and can point out small differences, but I’m stuck on this one...

From what I understand, under the shell, they're no different from the old ones. But they gave them a new outer shell and a variation on the higher-headrest seats found on Tennessee Tornado (with higher side rails too). Kind of like a "Franken Arrow". Image from the park president's Twitter profile:

 

 

Apparently some fans have had issues with ear / head-banging, while others seem to have had good rides in one train but not the other (kind of like Magnum XL-200's mysterious "magic seat").

[Fooz]

As a 6'2 ish rider, I find the new trains more accommodating.

[CoasterAuditor]

How is Busch Gardens on Easter Sunday usually? I am playing with the idea of heading down there Sunday afternoon since I haven't been since 2012 which is insane to me.

[Satans Hockey]

How is Busch Gardens on Easter Sunday usually? I am playing with the idea of heading down there Sunday afternoon since I haven't been since 2012 which is insane to me.

 

I went last year and besides Invadr which just opened the lines weren't bad at all.

[boldikus]

Off topic, but has the England section ever had a fish+chips place? If not, why not?

[cfc]

Off topic, but has the England section ever had a fish+chips place? If not, why not?

 

You can get fish and chips in the Squire's Grill in England. But, yeah, they could use a pub there.

[boldikus]

 

I don't actively remember smelling it but I did have a sudden craving for fish+chips while leaving through England. A nice little pub with some F+C would be perfect.

[cfc]

Yes, I'd like to see them serve traditional British pub food, like bangers and mash and shepherd's pie. But some people just have to have cheeseburgers and Philly cheesesteaks.

[cal1br3tto]

Could someone please describe to me the difference between the old and new LNM trains? Aside from a slightly different paint job, am I just blind? Usually I’m pretty geeky and can point out small differences, but I’m stuck on this one...

This is from an early Instagram post about it: "Taller headrests. More room. Different shade green. No fenders. Removal of the orange stripe. Sharper nose. They’re quite different." @coaster_square

[cfc]

Battle for Eire Media Day

 

Busch Gardens Williamsburg presented its new VR simulator adventure, Battle for Eire, to the media on Friday, March 30. Located in Killarney, the park’s Ireland section, guests will help Addie, the last remaining fairy of Ireland, and her dragon Ollie recover the Heart of Eire from the clutches of Balor, an evil Cyclops, and his horde of Sluagh (insect-like minions). If Balor gets the Heart of Eire, all the magic of Ireland will be destroyed! Oh no!

 

But to do this, you need to be able to see and enter the “Otherworld.” Fortunately, a handy old castle, and the former home of Europe in the Air, Questor, and other simulator attractions, houses a gateway. But you’ll need the proper “Magical Equipment,” first.

 

You enter via a stone-lined path (this hasn’t been changed from past attractions), and pick up an “Emerald Mask,” which is fortunately adjustable (those fairies think of everything). There’s a well-made preshow in a castle hall (complete with a hearth), and you receive more instructions in the “Leprechauns’ Workshop.”

 

After you take your seat and fasten your safety belt, you’ll be told to put on your “Magic Lenses.” These will be in a holder to your right. Just grab the lenses as your would a pair of binoculars and hold them up to your face--magnets in the lenses and masks will grip the lenses and hold them in place. Now you’re ready to fly on the back of Ollie and save Ireland!

 

Battle for Eire is a distinct improvement over Europe in the Air. It’s good to see Irish mythology back in Ireland--it’s been gone since the park removed the Corkscrew Hill simulator. The voice work in the simulation is very good (they used Irish actors), as is the music, and it’s pretty cool to look around and see the wings of the dragon and other sights as the adventure gets going.

 

There are some issues with eyeglasses, though. The park recommends not wearing them as they could get scratched, so everything looked rather blurry to me. (The park is working on making the masks and headsets more “glasses friendly.”) You can can also ride without the VR, as the adventure is projected on the simulator’s big screen. I felt a bit queasy toward the end, but not quite as bad as I did on Europe in the Air or Corkscrew Hill.

 

The ride isn’t open yet. They have some “tweaks” to make, and the park will announce a firm opening date later. I think guests, particularly kids, will enjoy Battle for Eire. They’ve made a few other changes in Ireland, too. Let’s have a look.

They had breakfast and coffee for us in Grogan's Pub--along with this nice little display.

Do not mess with Addie! If you don't love Ireland enough, she'll tear your lungs out, bucko!

Just killing time, waiting for my turn to do the video.

A sign photo for Larry.

Here's the ride's entrance.

Important safety information.

I know some of you are going to ask this. Yes, they do clean the Emerald Masks.

Always listen to the wee folk--except about the glasses, for now, I guess.

Be careful when grabbing your "Magical Equipment."

Yeah, the mask does look a bit goofy.

The preshow room looks much nicer than it did for Europe in the Air . . .

. . . OH MY GOD! What's happening?

Here's where you learn about the Otherworld.

Fairies protecting the Heart of Eire.

Addie is the last of her kind.

Welcome to the Leprechauns' Workshop.

There are "Easter eggs" here from previous attractions. Here's some Jurbillium from Questor.

Do not walk off holding your Magical Equipment! This really irritates the Leprechauns.

Of course, there is merch.

And they've added some more taps to Grogan's. Nice to see more beer choices in the pub.

Grogan's Grill is now O'Tators.

Baked-potato fans rejoice!

"Aye, it'll give me great pleasure to serve ye a wee drop of ale at Grogan's." Thanks for reading.

Edited April 1, 2018 by cfc

[Mrlittle]

The last time I was at BGW, I got pretty tipsy at that bar. Good to see they added more beer on tap.

[ytterbiumanalyst]

Battle for Eire looks really cool! This might be the first VR ride I'm actually excited about. Maybe they've finally found a way to do it right. And equally important, O'Tators.

[CNYCoasterguy11]

So not too change the subject too much since Battle for Eire is the big news this year, but I have seen some reports on various sites that SEAS may be looking to add a third gate to BGW. It appears to be a Sesame Place children's park that would incorporate Forest of Fun into the new park. I do remember SEAS saying they had considered adding two new Sesame Place parks and maybe this is one of their possible locales.

 

I think this would be a neat idea, and could turn Busch Gardens into the next big multi park resort to go along with Busch Gardens and Water Country USA. I wouldn't be surprised if they would even consider adding a hotel or two as well to really keep people on their property. I know they have some experience in that department from the past. Just wondering what other people thought of this and if anyone here had heard of this or received the supposed survey.

[jarmor]

Soooo . . . no one's gonna talk about the proposed Sesame Place park next to the park using the existing forest of fun?

 

More info here . . .

[CoasterAuditor]

^

 

You both posted within a minute of each other. I find it intriguing that SEAS wants to bring a third gate to Williamsburg.