Busch Gardens Williamsburg (BGW BGE) Discussion Thread

At least its not Revenge of the Big Bad Wolf... Or Flight Deck.

I was hoping for "Drachen Wulf."

If it's "Inspired by the famed autobahn," then why not just call it "Autobahn," and have Porsche, Mercedes, or VW sponsor it? Busch creative team, I'll fax my resume whenever you'd like.

^Have we not learned a lesson from other parks using unnecessarily expensive branding for their rides? Italian Job? All the Six Flags brands?

^ Poor Busch. Being compared to SF and CF like that.

^Not really comparing the park to CF or SF, just saying that branding of rides rarely works out in the end. The cost of the branding does nothing for you in return.

it did a lot for carowinds this year...

If it's "Inspired by the famed autobahn," then why not just call it "Autobahn," and have Porsche, Mercedes, or VW sponsor it? Busch creative team, I'll fax my resume whenever you'd like.

Then they'd have to change the name of the bumper cars--ripple effects, people.

There has been some some corporate sponsorship at BGW, such as Lowe's for some landscape displays, Southwest Airlines for the skyride, and Aer Lingus for the show in Ireland.

I love the name Verbolten, hope it gets picked over the turbo name... still can't get over the name Cheetah Hunt. Verbolten translates to "forbidden", and to me that would make more sense for a theme, especially for a new attraction replacing the Big Bad Wolf. Launching through a forbidden forest with indoor sections and special effects, this is starting to sound like the ride I was always hoping Busch Gardens would build.

^Isn't that spelled "verboten"? Or is "Verbolten" meant to be some sort of play on words?

You're right, it is spelled without the L now that I look at the translation. I can see it being a play on words to get 'bolt' in there, to represent speed.

Aww--how do I get this type of survey?

I'm a Platinum Pass Member.

Treat me special, Busch!

I feel like they need to figure out what they want in the ride's theme. They say it is based off the autobahn...so where does the Black Forest come in at all? Verbolten is the best name, but "forbidden" seems a bit dark for the autobahn theme. I would think if they were doing some thing with the autobahn they would make it more bright, flashy, and racecar-ish. Black Forest or autobahn...pick one.

I think what they mean by the description is that it's themed to the Black Forest, but the speed and idea of a launch coaster was inspired by the Autobahn, and may not be a part of the storyline.

I think what they mean by the description is that it's themed to the Black Forest, but the speed and idea of a launch coaster was inspired by the Autobahn, and may not be a part of the storyline.

Exactly! The German autobahn roads are all very twisty (for roads, anyway). An autobahn through the Black Forest? As long as it's not a stupid Intamin mine train coaster, I'm game.

Isn't there an Autobahn that goes through the Black Forest? Or near it in Baden-Wurttemberg?

The Autobahn is a country-wide road system... Parts of it do travel through the Black Forest. I am not a complete fan of an "autobahn" theme. I'll go with it... But, imagine a Intamin train with a Lamborghini or Ferrari or BMW themed front!

James City County held a Planning Commission meeting this evening. In the public comments section on special user permits, Larry Giles of Busch Gardens spoke and revealed the following...

-The first launch goes into the "event building"

-It will use the same station as Big Bad Wolf

-Will follow a similar path as the Big Bad Wolf heading towards the station

-Satellite picture diagram showed a "themed bridge" near the former final brake run of Big Bad Wolf

Sweet! I'm liking the "launch into the event building" part alot. I hope that the new coaster doesn't dominate the park like Griffin did (not that I dislike that, I actually like how the ride appears perched above the rest of the park like a...well, Griffin); I would rather the ride stay below the tree levels adding to a sense of mystery. I really hope the ride includes a large plunge into the ravine. It could really create some great G-s if the trains plunged down the side, into a sharp, banked pull-out up the other side.

I hope that they can pull off a good indoor section with more than just a brief glimpse of the interior, if the building has any sort of theme that is. Each time I hear something new about this coaster, it's something good and I can only hope it lives up to the huge list of expectations piling up.

That was a very interesting article indeed! Sounds like BGW is finally getting my type of ride (fast with twists and hills, and possibly intense)... and I hate to already say this, but it sounds MUCH BETTER than BBW already! HAH.

Here's the story from the Daily Press (January 5, 2011).

JAMES CITY — Busch Gardens is one step closer to seeing its newest attraction take flight.

 

The James City County Planning Commission OK'd a special use permit Wednesday that sought a height waiver and a special-use permit for the ride replacing the Big Bad Wolf roller coaster, which closed in 2009 after 25 years.

 

Among the concerns commissioners and residents had were with the height of the ride and the sound it would add.

 

According to the application, the ride in the Germany section will have a 26,000 square foot building that will extend about 80 feet above the existing grade, and a themed bridge extending 95 feet above the grade. Busch Gardens officials plan to use the Big Bad Wolf station building in the new ride.

 

The 36-year-old theme park must get a waiver each time it builds something that exceeds its M-1 zoning corridor height limit of 60 feet. The park currently has at least five rides that exceed that height restriction, including the Loch Ness Monster, Alpengeist, Apollo's Chariot and the Griffon roller coasters, in addition to the Sky Ride that connects the park's England, France and Germany sections.

 

In regards to sound, county officials said they were satisfied with studies made about any additional noise.

 

The nearest home is 1,700 feet away from the new ride, said county planner Leanne Reidenbach.

 

Park officials said the maximum decibel level for the ride would be 52.

 

"We are very concerned about the noise," said nearby Kingsmill resident Neil DeLorenzo.

 

Park officials said they had meetings with nearby residents in order to alleviate their concerns.

 

"The ride stays in the building for quite a while," said Larry Giles, Busch Gardens' vice president for engineering and maintenance. "It should be quieter than the Big Bad Wolf ever was."

 

In September, Busch Gardens announced plans for a 246-foot tower ride for the James City County theme park. It is planned to be the tallest ride in the park, edging out Griffon by 41 feet. As riders ascend the tower at six feet per second, 30 seats rotate in a full circle around a central column every 15 seconds, giving each rider a panoramic view of the James River and a swath of eastern Virginia.

 

Copyright © 2011, Newport News, Va., Daily Press

I'm pretty intrigued by the building section of the ride, too.

As long as at least the front of the building is themed and not just a colored box like the Dark Knight coasters, I'll be okay with it...

As much as I hated seeing BBW go, I absolutely CANNOT wait for this coaster!

"We are very concerned about the noise," said nearby Kingsmill resident Neil DeLorenzo.

These people continue to annoy the piss out of me, and I don't live anywhere near there, or have anything to do with Euroburg.