Busch Gardens Williamsburg (BGW BGE) Discussion Thread

[Dombot]

Griffon is one of the most beautiful coasters at BGW in my opinion, but I never saw the France section before it was built. The first thing that took me by surprise when I visited BGW was seeing Griffon from Scotland and how much it dominates it’s plot of land.

 

InvadR is the only coaster that I think needs more trees. I was underwhelmed by how few trees BGW put back and I’ve never been fan of how much of it you can see from Alpengeist’s bridge.

100% agreed, Griffon is crazy photogenic and it fits into the area beautifully. InvadR, on the other hand, seems to be the sore thumb in BGW's otherwise amazing theming. The bridge coming in from New France is the best example of this; not only can you see InvadR's placement in the barren wasteland that is the train depot, but Le Scoot is perfectly visible and it seems to be above the ride, which just looks awkward IMO. Not a knock to the park at all, but that significant part of the park has always been weird to me.

[chschris1]

I think the whole "New France" section is a bit bizarre as well. As for Griffon I am with the others who think it looks fantastic where it is. I do however think Alpengeist has the best placement as it has a lot of hidden areas you can't see from walking around the park. With all that said this is still one of my favorite parks.

 

I think Busch knows what they are doing and hey if they get a 300ft+ coaster I don't think it will stop people from coming. I know I will be there day one!

[TurnOfTheCentury]

I love how pretty BGW is.

I think Griffon looks great there.

I haven't been and seen Invadr yet

[B&MIntaminGCI]

BGW posted a new render of Pantheon on Instagram. It looks beautiful

 

[thrillseeker4552]

Bring on the Intamin! This is still the best-looking 2020 coaster in my opinion. Or at least this and RMC Gwazi.

[chschris1]

Looks amazing. So happy to see another Intamin coming to the Southeast.

[Canobie Coaster]

I love the promotional artwork!

 

Hopefully the lap bars are the same as the ones on Taron and Red Force. They're amazingly comfy.

[coasternut79]

Beautiful but doesn't look like traditional Intamin track does it?

[Dombot]

Beautiful but doesn't look like traditional Intamin track does it?

Looks like second-gen Intamin track to me. I'm pretty sure that they're using a different track design for their newer major coasters- Hyperion and Red Force come to mind as examples.

[boldikus]

It's a rendering...

[PKI Jizzman]

Love the promotional content! Probably going to be a BG/SW passholder for the first time next year!

[Coastard69]

That artwork they released looks pretty great. The gods are a bit goofy, but the ride itself looks like it'll be pretty great.

[VegasBaby]

Hopefully the lap bars are the same as the ones on Taron and Red Force. They're amazingly comfy.

 

Totally agree, I recently rode Red Force and the restraints are by far the best of any Intamin coaster I've ridden.

[John Peck]

I kinda like the "teaser renderings". Now I do love the cedar fair videos and POVs and that sort, but the teasers and illustrations BG has been putting out makes it sort of more mysterious... like in the old days when all you really had from the parks was a logo and a couple of drawings to go by.

[boldikus]

Probably going to be a BG/SW passholder for the first time next year!

 

Welcome to the darkside.

[palmerleeberry]

Love the promotional content! Probably going to be a BG/SW passholder for the first time next year!

 

This will be my second time I'm getting a Platinum Season Pass so I can use that pass to visit two other parks in Florida: Seaworld Orlando and Busch Gardens Tampa, plus a revisit to Watercountry USA that's nearby. The 2020 season is going to be awesome!!!

[Coastard69]

^I'm thinking something similar if I can plan effectively enough to make it worthwhile (SWO/BGT,BGW/KD/SFA,SWSA/SFFT,SFMM/KBF/SWSD) I'm getting ambitious over here heh.

[cfc]

A Stroll Through Howl-o-Scream 2019

 

Busch Gardens kicked off Halloween a little early by opening Howl-o-Scream last weekend. This is the 21st year for the park's annual haunt. Much of what they did during last year's event is still in place, but there were some noteworthy changes.

 

For example, the event's old icon Jack, who returned to HOS last season, is playing a bigger role. Like last year, he has his own "No Escape" room--Jack's Twisted Terror. But his old show, Jack Is Back, has returned to Ireland. Yes, get down and boogie with Jack's stilt-walking scarecrows to ABBA and other disco music from the 1970s. It's definitely a family show, and guests seem to love it. There's a photo op with Jack after the show, too.

 

Fiends is no longer playing at the Abbeystone Threatre. Dr. Freakenstein, Igor, and his naughty nurses have instead taken up residence in the Vault: Overtaken maze in Germany. Speaking of mazes, Cornered (also in Germany) is gone, leaving six mazes. Here's how they stack up (from best to worst):

 

Distorted Dimensions--a dimensional vortex has scrambled reality in old Sterling Manor. Bizarre creatures now roam a "Wonderland" version of our reality in search of victims (Germany in the old DarKastle building).

 

Dystopia--a new world order of cyber people have risen after the Apocalypse, and it demands your total obedience. This maze tells a pretty good story, and I like the "cyber monsters." It could use a better finish (Italy, Escape from Pompeii).

 

Lumberhack--an old lumber camp is full of undead woodsmen with chainsaws who hunger for your flesh! This one was pretty weak last year, but now boasts a bit more action (Germany, entrance on the left of the Festhaus).

 

Vault: Overtaken--this one is a mishmash of old HOS mazes and icons from past year. It made sense during the 20th anniversary last year, but seems a bit off (too random) for this year. The stuff with Dr. Freakenstein is the best part--maybe they should've given him the whole maze (Germany, old Drachen Fire Station).

 

Frostbite--this "ice castle" maze has never quite worked, and this is the third time they've redone it a bit. It really needs a strong villain to hold it together, but they did throw in a new big monster this year (Germany, DarKastle building).

 

Circo Sinistro--this creepy circus maze was a bit weak, but it usually gets better as the season grinds on. Last weekend, it was a bit blah and not much happened in the tents (Festa Italia near the Roman Rapids).

 

I was a bit surprised that the Terror-tories (scare zones) were better than some of the mazes this year. There was more activity, and monsters, than in past years.

 

Shall we go in? This will largely be a tour of the Terror-tories, with a look at the shows and the Pantheon construction site. Follow me.

This Grim Reaper gets around. He was on the road to the parking lot one year, and also spent some time in France.

Looks like the Red Skull found a new gig. Hail Hydra!

Sheesh! How careless, leaving your body parts just anywhere.

Ripper Row is not quite open for business.

Is he now?

Oh--there he is!

And he's brought a few fiends, er, friends with him.

All will boogie in Ireland under pain of death!

Night Beats: Revamped is a jukebox show in the Festhaus (mostly 1980s-90s stuff).

The maze formerly known as Cornered.

Get yer HOS merch here!

Aw, aren't they adorable?

Teenagers can use this shirt in lieu of a costume when trying scam Halloween candy.

The path to the Garden of the Souls (Italy).

Here's the soul of an old Italian gondolier. He even speaks to you in Italian.

Another lost soul.

OK, is everybody clear on which way to go?

Welcome to Sideshow Square in Festa Italia.

Not even the park staff is safe from the evil clowns!

"Ya wanna bite of my sucker? It's soooo good!"

Shall we have a look at the Pantheon site before it gets too dark?

The Festa Italia train station was closed for a few weeks, but it's open again. They ripped out all the plants behind this construction wall, though.

They also cut this path in the hill on the other side of the station.

Here's a closer look at it.

A big crane in the sunset.

Lots of dirt . . .

. . . and lots of footers, which look kind of spooky in the dark. More to come.

Edited September 20, 2019 by cfc

[Nrthwnd]

Great "startup stroll" through this event, Chuck! And I would rather see t-shirts like that on some of the local teens who pass by on The Night for candy. They don't even try, at times. A Haunt Shirt would definitely improve things, heh.

 

And nothing like (somewhat) fresh dirt to bring a smile to a coaster fan.

 

Looking forward to continuation of the same good stuff from ya.

[cfc]

Let's stroll through the Terror-tories as it gets dark, shall we?

The sun sets on the Rhine River, and HOS takes on even more terror . . .

. . . with some cuteness.

Looks like trouble brewing on Ripper Row.

Yep--the Ripper has been busted! Or has he?

I like the lighting in Ireland.

Jack has redecorated in his own fashion.

This is the Control Bar, where you can trigger scares at various places in the park at the touch of a button--for a fee, of course.

One must be careful when walking from Ireland to France.

There are werewolves . . .

. . . and the Dreaded Blue Fog of Doom.

France is the home of the Fool's Court.

"Why aren't you laughing? I'm a fool!"

This is a scare-and-party zone.

This fool is ready to party with you . . . to the death!

Angry Viking spirits haunt Axe Alley in New France.

Nice job parking the boat, Sven!

Er, I hope this isn't "Sven."

"Oh, Sven is gonna have your head--bet on it!"

They have some flexible bloodsuckers in Vampire Point (Germany).

I like the little projection show on the "No Escape" rooms building.

Hey, no smoking over there! Ya wanna burn the place down?

The Garden of the Souls path is creepier after dark.

Ghostly bride and groom.

Time to head out.

Be sure to come back on October 2 for Monster Stomp on Ripper Row . . .

. . . er, or not. Thanks for reading.

[jedimaster1227]

I've always been curious as to how Busch Gardens Williamsburg's Howl-O-Scream compared to the one in Tampa... Your report is getting me thinking about how I could plan a trip to check it out. Thanks for sharing!

[coasterbill]

Tampa's event is significantly better in my mind but Williamsburg puts on a very, very good event for a regional park.

[cfc]

Tampa's event is significantly better in my mind but Williamsburg puts on a very, very good event for a regional park.

 

It's not an "upcharge" event in Williamsburg (unless you spring for Quick Queue, of course), so it doesn't have the scale of the Tampa version. But it adds a fun dimension to a fall day at the park.

[boldikus]

Track pieces for Pantheon has begun to arrive onsite at Busch Gardens Williamsburg! The park has shared this first look on its social media channels:

 

 

 

And a couple I took through a fence on Sunday when we were down at the park. You can see it very well from Apollos lift, and even a little bit through the trees from the Verbolten bridge.

 

Edited October 3, 2019 by jedimaster1227

[coasterbill]

I wonder if the new track has been swarmed by wasps yet...