Chuck's Busch Gardens Williamsburg Thread

As Williamsburg Comes Back to Life--Busch Gardens Passholder Preview Day 2013

Mornings are cold, afternoons are rainy, and temperatures sometimes top 60 degrees late in the afternoon, only to drop like a rock at sunset . . . must be March in Virginia. This also means that Busch Gardens Williamsburg is opening for the season, and that it's time for Passholder Preview Day (Saturday, March 16). Weather is usually a bit unpredictable for this event. I've been to preview days when we've had temps in the 80s, and when it's been pouring rain, or even snowing. This year's started out damp, but ended up being nearly perfect (unlike the gloomy weather outside today, when the park opened to the rest of the public).

This year, the park's president and vice presidents held a series of brief presentations in the Globe Theatre in England and the Festhaus in Oktoberfest about what the park has in store for 2013. Here are the highlights:

Busch Gardens' First Food and Wine Festival--Ever been to Epcot's October-November Food and Wine Festival? BGW will be holding a very similar event Friday through Sunday, May 31 to June 23. Guests will be able to purchase samples of food from not only the countries already represented at the park (England, Scotland, Ireland, France, Germany, and Italy), but also from other European countries (such as Greece and the Scandinavian countries). There will be entrees, desserts, wine (both from Europe and Virginia), and flights of beer (foreign and domestic), too. Another offering will be a dessert-and-wine cruise on the Rhine River, complete with a string quartet.

The return of "This Is Oktoberfest"--Break out the tubas and the lederhosen, because "oom pah pah" is coming back to the Festhaus. This version will be closer to the old, original Oktoberfest show and will even feature the original narration provided by the old Burgermeister, the late Robert Bauman.

The show will run late in the afternoon and in the evening, while a completely redone version of "Entwined" will be performed in the Festhaus earlier in the day. While the old bandstand elevator will not be returning, the Festhaus stage has been made over to accommodate both shows (and "This Is Oktoberfest" will have a live band).

Verbolten's first birthday--BGW will celebrate the first year of Verbolten, which was ridden by nearly 1,000,000 guests during its first season, by holding a sweepstakes on its Facebook page. The prize will be a 2013 red Mini Cooper Roadster, which is currently parked in front of the pretzel bakery across from the ride's entrance. You can enter more than one time, and eligible passholders have already been entered once. You must be a resident of Virginia, North Carolina, West Virginia, Maryland, or the District of Columbia to enter. The park will also be celebrating the 35th birthday of the Loch Ness Monster this year.

More concerts--BGW is shaving a little time off of Illuminights this year to accommodate more concerts this year. In addition to the annual Glory in the Gardens Christian music fest, the park is going to feature more musical acts for "tweens," as well as more "classic rock," such as Styx and KC and the Sunshine Band.

In other news, this year is the 15th anniversary of Howl-o-Scream, and while the park didn't provide any details, they said that for this year's event, the park will look "different than it ever has before." This is the 5th year for Christmas Town, and there will more about plans for this year's event later. Other parts of the park are getting spruced up (particularly France), and there will be major changes in the Illuminights shows in Ireland and Italy this year. Mach Tower also received some upgrades during the off season.

Let's have a look.

New season, new entrance, new rain.

Robb and Elissa--maybe you can book this bus for future trips.

Gotta get that new logo out there.

Just in case there was any doubt.

Passholders? Hey, that's me!

Sorry, Pirates 4D fans (there must be a couple somewhere), but you'll have to wait until some presentations are done before you can enjoy Leslie Nielsen spitting on you today.

Here's the schedule. I missed the last one.

We have a little time to kill. Wonder what's new in the Emporium?

Always sound advice.

Begorrah! Official BGW leprechauns!

Hmm. Something's missing here--namely, two walls. This room used to be divided at the end of the railings for the wheelchair ramp.

Here's a "Secret Santa" gift suggestion.

Welcome to the Globe Threatre, which is temporarily free of pirate spit and bird poop.

BGW's president, Carl Lum, welcomed passholders, and talked a bit about what the park had planned and the new "branding."

The new symbol was dubbed "the coaster tree" and represents the rides and natural beauty of the park. The new font replaces the old logo, which, according to Carl, probably dated back to the Nixon administration. (That would be the early 1970s, kids.)

I have taken this photo in accordance with Virginia law, which requires one Loch Ness Monster in a loop photo per visit.

Holy crap! Gunther's car is on fire!

My first coaster ride of the year was on the orange train of Verbolten.

Never, ever allow Gunther to program your GPS.

I call this "Reflection of 16 People Plummeting to a Horrible Death." I was going to watermark it, but that seemed a bit silly.

Off to the Festhaus to listen to Scott Gasparich, the VP in charge of entertainment.

Here's the show schedule for today. Fans of fairy tales and lederhosen rejoice!

They've done a lot of work to the Festhaus stage for this season.

The whole performance space is new from the ground up, Scott said. His department is also responsible for Howl-o-Scream, Christmas Town, and the park's theming.

Crap! Don't think I'll be walking to the "castle" today.

"Dullsburg"? Well, at least it has gnomes. How dull could it be?

This little bridge on the right side of the stage is new. ("Right" is in no way meant to represent its political affiliation. It is merely meant "directionally.")

At least it isn't as bare as the stage was for the original "Entwined."

Nice house . . .

. . . even if it is on fire!

Yay for sunshine!

Ditto for lunch! The beer is St. George Oktoberfest (it's from a brewery in Hampton, Va.). There wasn't a very wide beer selection in the pretzel bakery during Preview Day (don't know if this will change later).

Mach Tower is still wearing its raincoat.

According to cast members, Mach Tower basically became a "new ride," thanks to all the work done earlier; so "new" that it has to undergo testing again. One of the improvements is increasing the length of the "free fall." Testing has been going well so far, and they hope to have the ride open next weekend.

Apollo's Chariot and Alpengeist were having some issues, but the Loch Ness Monster wasn't. Runs the same as it always does. More to come.

More Passholder Preview Day than you can shake a stick at coming right up.

This new shop in England replaces London Britches and the Lost & Found (the latter moved across the way).

Yes, you can't get much more British than this.

Look! I'm sitting on the Union Jack! I must be British!

This is more of me than even I can stand.

If you're into the Beatles, Union Jax has you covered.

Back to the Globe to hear Franz Kilenko tell us about the Food and Wine Festival. I'm really looking forward to this event--seems like a natural thing for the park to do. (I like the logo, too.)

What's going on in Ireland? It is nearly St. Patrick's Day, after all.

What? A line for beer in Ireland? Who could have expected that?

The horror . . . the horror . . . (And, yes, they did do the Harlem Shake.)

That is one big leprechaun.

"Best return me gold, boyo, or I'll be rippin' open your gullet with me razor-sharp claws and eatin' your kidneys for breakfast--just like in that movie."

The eagle habitat is getting a makeover, too.

"Why don't you take a picture, it'll last . . . oh, you are."

"Nom, nom, nom--that was one tasty passholder."

There are snakes in BGW. This is one of them.

The entrance to France is getting a makeover. Plans call for "French waiters" to serve people wine at these tables.. I wonder it they'll spit in the glasses like real French waiters?

There will be wine tasting in La Belle Maison.

And, of course, there's wine-related merchandise.

Yay for three-train operations on Griffon!

"Look! We can see the brewery from up here!"

"See the brewery? Damn, I missed it!"

"Hey, buddy! Could you get me a churro, or maybe a turkey leg?"

They're selling new t-shirts themed to the countries represented at the park. This was one was in the main store in Germany, oddly enough.

Another "Secret Santa" gift--for those who want to celebrate Illuminights all year long.

A glassblower is taking over the space that was once devoted to Black Forest coo-coo clocks.

Good news if you need some nice glassware--or need some glass blown.

They are selling these clocks, though.

However, the naked chick is not for sale.

The Bunny Trail leads to . . .

. . . DarKastle! (Never accept an Easter egg hunt invitation from Ludwig--just some friendly advice.)

This picture of Verbolten will be harder to get when the leaves return.

If you live in the Mid-Atlantic, you could win this Mini Cooper. If you live elsewhere, you can buy one like it.

Yay! Finally got on Alpengeist!

"Er, little help, please?"

"I will get the ball and bring it back to you!"

There were some hardy souls on Escape from Pompeii. They failed to reckon with the infamous Cannon No. 1. The Roman Rapids ride was open, but the log ride was closed today.

Yay! Apollo's Chariot at last!

You're welcome--and thank you for another great Passholder Preview Day!

Gotta get back here this year to ride Car Coaster and Drop Thingy.

^ Good luck catching Drop Thingy open...

Thanks for the update. Seems like they are putting that new logo all over the place!

Great report! That is a great looking park. One of these days I'll be able o make it back there. It's been about 21 years!

Busch Williamsburg Passholder Preview is pretty much the official start of the season for non-Cali/FL/TX parks. Good to see it.

Thanks for the report, Chuck. Pretty cool that the park goes out of their way to do presentations of what's coming for the new season to the passholders.

Change is always good but the new logo has to grow on me as I always liked the old one. I guess the "coaster tree" was inspired by Cheetah Hunt.

Thanks for another great trip report, Chuck. BGW is one of the parks I'm looking forward to the most when I head stateside in a couple of months, and I reckon your amusing updates have plenty to do with that!

^ Good luck catching Drop Thingy open...

 

Thanks for the update. Seems like they are putting that new logo all over the place!

Word is that Mach Tower got a slew of upgrades during the off season, which (they hope) will make it more reliable.

A Random Spring Day at Busch Gardens

Eric and I hit Kings Dominion and Busch Gardens last weekend, and the weather couldn't have been better--spring has come to Williamsburg at last! Flowers! Leaves on trees! Weather warm enough to wear shorts! Green, slimy pollen all over everything! Sneezing! Hay fever! Springy spring spring spring spring! Achoo into my sleeve!

Yes, there's good and bad about spring.

Overall it was a great day at BGW, although Apollo's Chariot was having a few issues. (Yes, B&Ms do break down from time to time, kids.) But Mach Tower was running--go figure. (I guess those upgrades the ride got during the off season paid off.) I was amused at something on Verbolten that day. The red train . . . excuse me, "strawberry red train," as the ops kept calling it . . . was in the maintenance barn, but they decided to test it. So, they stopped the ride and put it on the track with two technicians riding it. You may have noticed how most coasters have some sort of routine they follow when restarting for testing. Usually, some kind of horn goes off, followed by a rather stern voice saying something like "Please clear the track. The [coaster name here] is starting."

Well, in Verbolten's case, Gerta says, "Git outen zee vay, jah? Verbolten ist drivink!" (Yes, more fun with ethnocentrism at BGW.) And the strawberry red train had to go back in the barn, the poor thing.

Here's a look at a very nice spring day at BGW.

Did I mention it was spring? I recall saying something to that effect.

Now, Eric, you need this credit. Man up!

Today, you are a man.

We had the driest ride on Pompeii ever.

Others, however . . .

. . . were not so lucky.

As opposed to anything else the alarm might be "doing."

Durn! One train short of the BGW Hat Trick.

Good god! There's an enormous yellow snake in the water! The legends are true!

"Git outen zee vay, jah? Verbolten ist drivink!"

"Vatch outen for zee treezen, jah?"

OK, that just sounds rude.

Remember--you can win this car!

Yay for salted caramel gelato in Italy! The stand is right across from the restaurant.

Did I mention it was spring? I may have.

Work on France's entrance continues.

You know, I'm not even sure what the orientation of this picture should be.

Alpengeist's loop from the skyride.

Griffon's little baby airtime hill from the skyride.

One and two-thirds trains at once! I rule!

This is what Apollo's Chariot looks like when it's broken.

But you can still soak people on the Roman Rapids.

Let's finish with one more shot of spring. I did mention that it was spring, right?

Awesome photos! It's nice to have warm weather up here finally.

Chuck - nice to see that you remembered to bring your quarters for the water cannons

Water cannons make Guy a very happy boy. Oh, I noticed all the greenery and flowering plants in the background of your pictures. Has Spring finally descended upon Williamsburg?

OK, that just sounds rude.

Not really - translates "Salzburg [sightseeing] roundtrips"

The other sign is a little incomplete translated: "Gewinne das Auto!" - would've been right. But I think this would be too close to the current Volkswagen campaign...

OK, that just sounds rude.

 

Not really - translates "Salzburg [sightseeing] roundtrips"

Yeah, I knew it meant something like that, but I was playing off how BGW uses "fahrt" as a pun while you're waiting in the queue.

^ I thought it was punny, Chuck.

Nice pictures! Looks like a nice start to your season at the local park. Thanks for the shots of the nice foliage down there blooming. I am so jealous because up here in Minnesota it is snowing again today, even for here that is late in the season. Of course if you mentioned that it was spring one more time in your TR I would have to consider that 'rubbing it in' and some harm may have come to the Hummel Boy because of that. The trains are on the tracks here at Valleyfair but no testing has been done yet due to the cold weather but this TR gave me some hope that soon spring will arrive.

The park looks so much better when it greens up. Nice update Chuck.

Of course if you mentioned that it was spring one more time in your TR I would have to consider that 'rubbing it in' and some harm may have come to the Hummel Boy because of that. The trains are on the tracks here at Valleyfair but no testing has been done yet due to the cold weather but this TR gave me some hope that soon spring will arrive.

Alas, Hummel Boy is long gone. BGW quit selling Hummel stuff a few years ago, and the Hummel people took him away. My avatar is his "memorial."

I kept mentioning "spring" becuase March in Virginia (including "spring break") pretty much sucked.

The weather was so good that day, I am still peeling from my sunburn. Ouch!

Nice update! I will always remember the Roman Rapids as the place I lost my favorite A's hat. Yeah, I was stupid to wear it on the ride. I was in 8th grade, and that was the last, and only, time I ever visited that park. I need to get back there, especially for the salted carmel gelato!

^Joey, I fully expect you to sample every flavor of gelato the next time you visit BGW.

I normally don't do sweets, but that salted caramel gelato sounds really good!

Anyone know if they have they upgraded their beer selection since the revamp of Oktoberfest?

Looking forward to my visit in early June!

^Somewhat--they had more diverse beer offerings last year, at least at the pretzel bakery, where they had a lot of bottled stuff. They seem to have cut back on those, although you can still get Guinness, St. George (a microbrewery in Hampton, Va.), and some German brew on tap.

Mmmm...microbrew!

I am officially a happy camper now...thanks, Chuck!