Busch Gardens Williamsburg (BGW BGE) Discussion Thread

[A.J.]

Busch Gardens Williamsburg has announced that Pantheon will open on March 25!

https://buschgardens.com/williamsburg/roller-coasters/pantheon/

Pantheon™, the world’s fastest multi-launch roller coaster, is officially launching at Busch Gardens® Williamsburg on March 25, 2022. Members will have exclusive opportunities to ride starting March 4! Harnessing all the speed and strength of five of the greatest Roman gods, this record-breaking coaster stands 180 feet tall with a top speed of 73 mph, and features a 95° drop, 4 launches, 5 air-time hills and 2 inversions.

One of the world’s most anticipated coasters of 2022 will open in the park’s Festa Italia village, elevating Busch Gardens Williamsburg’s portfolio to eight world-class coasters that are sure to delight even the most daring thrill-seekers.

[SharkTums]

To be honest, I'm almost more excited about this one than any of the other SeaWorld/Busch Coasters! I mean, I get it, Iron Gwazi will be the best but we know what that one will be like. Pantheon is going to be super unique and very different from most coasters!

[JJLehto]

6 hours ago, SharkTums said:

To be honest, I'm almost more excited about this one than any of the other SeaWorld/Busch Coasters! I mean, I get it, Iron Gwazi will be the best but we know what that one will be like. Pantheon is going to be super unique and very different from most coasters!

I feel the exact same. 

[grsupercity]

7 hours ago, SharkTums said:

To be honest, I'm almost more excited about this one than any of the other SeaWorld/Busch Coasters! I mean, I get it, Iron Gwazi will be the best but we know what that one will be like. Pantheon is going to be super unique and very different from most coasters!

I think its gonna ride like Velcicoaster which is a good thing 

[Dan the Coaster Man]

8 hours ago, SharkTums said:

To be honest, I'm almost more excited about this one than any of the other SeaWorld/Busch Coasters! I mean, I get it, Iron Gwazi will be the best but we know what that one will be like. Pantheon is going to be super unique and very different from most coasters!

I agree with this too except I think Pantheon could still be the best. It has a good shot, at least in my eyes.

[thrillseeker4552]

9 hours ago, SharkTums said:

To be honest, I'm almost more excited about this one than any of the other SeaWorld/Busch Coasters! I mean, I get it, Iron Gwazi will be the best but we know what that one will be like. Pantheon is going to be super unique and very different from most coasters!

I completely agree.

I lives 30 minutes from Iron Gwazi and while I'm completely stoked about it, there is something about Pantheon I love. That beyond vertical dive off the top hat into the ravine is going to be legendary. I can't wait to visit in April.

[KarlaKoaster]

Alpengeist is probably the first repaint I've seen this year I actually prefer to the original. I'm on the fence about Kraken and although I liked the idea of Xcelerator the grey bits sort of ruin the whole ombre aesthetic for me.

[cfc]

20 hours ago, SharkTums said:

To be honest, I'm almost more excited about this one than any of the other SeaWorld/Busch Coasters! I mean, I get it, Iron Gwazi will be the best but we know what that one will be like. Pantheon is going to be super unique and very different from most coasters!

The good people of Williamsburg second your motion. 

[prozach626]

On 1/24/2022 at 10:58 AM, SharkTums said:

Iron Gwazi will be the best but we know what that one will be like. 

Twist, Buck, Twist, Buck, Twist, Buck, Twist, Buck, Floooooaaaattt, Twist, Twist, Buck, Buck, Twist, buckbuckbuckbuckbuckbuckbuckbuckbuckbuck BRAKES 

[SharkTums]

^You're not wrong!

[thrillseeker4552]

20 hours ago, prozach626 said:

Twist, Buck, Twist, Buck, Twist, Buck, Twist, Buck, Floooooaaaattt, Twist, Twist, Buck, Buck, Twist, buckbuckbuckbuckbuckbuckbuckbuckbuckbuck BRAKES 

This perfectly summarizes my feelings about Steel Vengeance. I enjoy the ride but... yeah... ^this captures it perfectly.

Luckily Iron Gwazi doesn't seem to "try too hard" like Steel Vengeance and ends after an appropriate amount of elements (a good variety, too) rather than the buckbuckbuckbuck of SV. I honestly think I will prefer Gwazi based on what I know about its layout but we'll see in 2 weeks!

[clippers6]

Went to Busch Gardens Williamsburg for the first time yesterday 2/20. I figured I’d write a report since this is my first new park in awhile aside from my disastrous trip to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in October where I only got to ride Boomerang and Medusa and my rental car was broken into on the way back to the airport. The less said about that trip the better. 

 

Next two paragraphs are somewhat boring background. Skip ahead for my the trip report. 

 

Plan was to visit a friend in Virginia but due to some last minute work stuff he ended up being in California the same week I was supposed to fly out to Virginia. Since my friend and I had already bought our plane tickets out there, we decided to go spend a day in DC and a day at Busch Gardens. Neither of us had ever been out there so we tried to cram a lot into the long weekend. Turns out we maybe tried to cram a little too much into our DC day. My friend aggravated her back injury and was close to bailing on Busch Gardens but decided she had come that far and agreed to go as long as she could rent a scooter. She is not an enthusiast at all and was more interested in seeing the park and the animals. 

 

I have a platinum pass from San Antonio since I visited that SW last year for Texas Stingray and thought I would be able to use the pass on my Florida trip, but I ended up not getting out to either BGT or SWO. I have been able to use it at SWSD since that is the closest park to me although IMO that park is a mess right now. So many things never reopened and the food has gone downhill. I’ve been debating if I should renew my pass as I do plan to head to Florida for Iron Gwazi or if I should just buy a Platinum pass from San Diego. It’s not that much more and I’d be able to use the free tickets and other benefits for friends and family. Afraid the price for the SD pass might go up once the new Sesame Place opens up. 

 

BGW is a beautiful park as advertised. Epcot is still the most beautiful in my eyes, but BGW does have a lot of natural beauty. It felt like an Europe only World Showcase; even some of the merch they have give off World Showcase vibes. As hilly as the layout was, I found it much more manageable than Magic Mountain. I’m not sure if we just didn’t know where to go, but we were unable to make a full circle of the park due to my friend using a scooter. The incline next to Land of the Dragons ends with steps. I was kind of surprised they didn’t have any type of ramp there. I can’t really speak to the accessibility of any of the rides since the only thing my friend went on all day was the sky ride. They made her get off at each stop and get back in line. She was able to handle short periods of walking, but I wonder if they’d do the same for someone more dependent on a wheelchair or scooter. At other parks I’ve been to with a similar transportation system, people with wheelchairs are able to ride round trip. 

 

We did Howl to Coexist: An Inside Look or as everyone and the signage inside the park referred to it as: the wolf tour. I probably could have gotten a discount on it with my platinum pass but it was only $25 to book online so I just did it that way. $25 was a decent price compared to how much SW has raised the prices of their animal encounters, although the behind the scenes tour I took at SWSD was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had at an animal park. For the wolf tour they close off some areas so only those on the tour are allowed in but you never actually go backstage. You learn a lot about the wolves and you get to throw food to them. You don’t actually get any closer to the wolves than any other member of the general public. They don’t advertise this, but they take photos of you during the tour and send them to you. I felt I got my money’s worth, but it’s not something I’d want to do every visit. 

 

I was kind of surprised how many private tours seemed to be going around. The park was in winter operations so many of the rides were closed and some of the animals were not on display. The only two coasters open were Apollo’s Chariot and Verbolten. I guess even with so much closed, it’s worth it for some families to take the tour and get to the front of the line on family rides. Apollo’s Chariot was a walk on. I didn’t get to it until late in the day since we had to backtrack through the whole park to get to Italy. They were warning people that it might shut down if it got too cold (under 42 degrees) but to my knowledge it never did. When I got to the station there was just one group in the back (all other rows empty) row so I took the front row. Glad I got to get a ride in the Fabio seat, but that windchill was rough. I was impressed by how smooth the ride was, but also surprised that it wasn’t more intense. I thought about doing another ride in the back row but honestly my face was so frozen I decided against it. 

 

Verbolten was probably the longest line I waited in and it was probably 15 minutes. They left the quick queue line open and unmanned which resulted in a lot of people cutting. A bit frustrating. A group was trying to ride together and let me go in front of them so I got on in less than 5 minutes. I like the ride a lot but my man parts took a beating thanks to that large nub they put in the seat. I totally forgot that there are multiple experiences in the show building part of the ride so I only rode once. I enjoyed it and I thought the dark ride portion was fun, but I guess as a first timer I would be able to tell what effects were no longer working. 

 

Mardi Gras was also going on, but aside from a short lunch rush, the food “booths” had short lines. I saw “booths” because for the most part they were using existing dining locations instead of temporary booths which I felt led to better quality. Some of the items were seriously good, but there were a few duds as well. I was at Mardi Gras in SWSD last weekend and the food from the temporary booths looked so unappealing that we didn’t try anything besides a drink. I’m their defense, it was a really hot day in San Diego and the samples they had on display looked like they had been sitting in the sun for a few hours. Their 7 Seas Food Festival is usually pretty good. Strangely enough, a lot of food locations didn’t have their soda fountains working. I kind of figured out which ones did and hit those for my souvenir bottle refills. We tried to take in a show but we showed up a few minutes late and the door to the theater was locked. Not sure if they don’t allow late arrivals or if the show had been cancelled. 

 

So I guess this was my intro to BGW since they were on limited operations for winter. I really liked the park and hope to get back soon for another visit plus a visit to Kings Dominion. Of the two coasters I did get to experience, I can’t say I preferred one over the other. Both were fairly new experiences to me. Actually kind of liked Steel Eel a little more than Apollo’s. Verbolten I would have liked a lot better if it wasn’t for the thumping I took between my legs. Might be one where I have to learn how to sit properly on. Sorry for the lack of pictures. As I mentioned, it was really cold and I kept my hands in my pockets most of the day. 
 

Forgot to mention, even with limited operations tickets were $94 at the door. Half that price if purchased online. 

[cfc]

Winter has been tricky in Williamsburg this year. January was mostly frigid, but we've had some February days that felt more like spring (sunny skies and temps in the 70s). Sorry about your friend's back issues. The bridge between Italy and Germany has been closed since January (they're doing a lot of work on it), which makes it even tougher for people in wheelchairs and ECVs.

Back row is the best spot to ride Apollo's Chariot--lots of nice, if floaty, airtime.

[bill_s]

^^-- back row is also a lot warmer, front in the cold can make a hyper seem a lot longer than usual, merciless!  Note the ice cream shop has hot chocolate instead -- even now, but should be switching soon, that's faked me out both ways.

[coneyislandchris]

10 hours ago, clippers6 said:

Verbolten was probably the longest line I waited in and it was probably 15 minutes. They left the quick queue line open and unmanned which resulted in a lot of people cutting.

Yeah, that was my same experience during Howl-O-Scream last October. My family and I actually paid for the quick queues so it was a little surprising to see that they didn't have the staff available to man it. That was the only ride or haunt where the quick queue line didn't have an attendant though.

[prozach626]

^I've experienced that a couple times with skip-the-line passes before. It's really awkward to just kind of merge in, and shouldn't ever really happen on a ride as popular as Verbolten.

[B Rip]

This is a dumb question, but I am allowed to ride Pantheon this weekend since I have a 2022 membership?  Correct?

[CoasterNerd87]

Platinum Members only 3/4. All members 3/5, 3/6, and 3/11 - 3/13.

[redfoot12]

I'm heading to Busch Gardens tomorrow for Pantheon.

Any other Platinum holders going?

[anonymouscactus]

As suspected, I just read that when the line finally dies down and everyone uses their one ride, they opened the queue to rerides later in the evening since no first time riders were around anymore and trains would have been empty. Not to say it will always happen, but just an FYI

[coasterbill]

PSA: It's going to be 81 degrees and sunny tomorrow and they have 3 coasters open to the public plus Pantheon one time for certain guests and a bunch of understaffed food booths.

It's going to be an apocalyptic shitshow of epic proportions and I want to let everyone know right now that if you show up on here Sunday night or Monday complaining that you went and had a miserable time I'm going to laugh at you... hard.

[thrillseeker4552]

I'll be here for the first time on April 9th and 10th - after *almost* visiting in 2019 but opting to wait for Pantheon instead. Didn't think it'd be 3 years...

Fingers crossed the rest of the coasters (or major ones at least) open by then. It is a weekend during one of their spring break weeks but given how the park is operating now I am not holding out hope for everything to be perfect.

[VegasBaby]

15 minutes ago, thrillseeker4552 said:

I'll be here for the first time on April 9th and 10th - after *almost* visiting in 2019 but opting to wait for Pantheon instead. Didn't think it'd be 3 years...

Fingers crossed the rest of the coasters (or major ones at least) open by then. It is a weekend during one of their spring break weeks but given how the park is operating now I am not holding out hope for everything to be perfect.

I'm headed to the park soon after you on April 15th, so I am hoping everything is back open by that time as well!

[teacherkim]

17 hours ago, thrillseeker4552 said:

I'll be here for the first time on April 9th and 10th - after *almost* visiting in 2019 but opting to wait for Pantheon instead. Didn't think it'd be 3 years...

Fingers crossed the rest of the coasters (or major ones at least) open by then. It is a weekend during one of their spring break weeks but given how the park is operating now I am not holding out hope for everything to be perfect.

 

16 hours ago, VegasBaby said:

I'm headed to the park soon after you on April 15th, so I am hoping everything is back open by that time as well!

We will be there on 3/31 &  4/1, a Thursday and Friday, will post a report on what's open for you

[CoasterAuditor]

Pantheon is fantastic!

Rode it Friday during the previews six times.  It was cold but very worth it after all those years waiting and looking at that intamin beauty sitting in its field.  The backwards section is not to be downplayed.  I had never quite encountered "backwards launching ejector airtime" before until Pantheon and now it's all I want.

But yeah the ride is great, the Zero G Winder has nice hangtime.  The small outer banks transitioning to the launch track are pretty fun and funky, then when it gets to the swing launch it really picks up the pace and when you start going backwards from the top hat the ride just starts going bananas for a minute.   The spike is really tall and you certainly realize that in the back car.  The small airtime hill on the backwards pass and the final pass is FANTASTIC with ejector air time.  Some minor air at the top of the top hat.  The drop is great nothing too wild but still fun and steep enough.  The large outer bank turn is very floaty and funky but not quite what I was expecting in terms of forces when I first saw it, I chalk that up to the fact it was in the 40s when I was there but I still found it really fun which is really all that matters.  The stall is fun feels more extended and sustained than VelociCoasters and has head choppers but in terms of forces largely the same.  Then the head chopper under the drop is a very cool visual and the small wave turn at the end is a great way to end the ride with a bang.  

I certainly enjoyed Pantheon, new BGW king for me for sure.  The ride is rather bare bones in terms of theming/presentation and there is certainly a smell of cow poop as you cross the bridge but at the end of the day in the grand scheme of things I didn't consider it much different than Apollo's Chariots set up and just let it go.  I prefer VelociCoaster personally but as an attraction that ride is tough to beat.  You could make the argument if you stripped both coasters bare that Pantheon is better for sure but unfortunately for Pantheon, VelociCoaster is not stripped bare and covered with Comcast $s.  Overall Pantheon is fantastic and worthy of a visit to BGW alone.  I can't wait to ride many times this summer.