Busch Gardens Williamsburg (BGW BGE) Discussion Thread

[MayTheGForceBeWithYouStar Wars is gay.]

It seems to me like Europe in the Air will be extremely similar to Soarin', just with a Europe theme. Anyone else think this?

[cfcI've gone pantless!]

^Er, pretty much everyone who's posted so far.

What, they're removing Corkscrew Hill? This is an outrage! Let's get some T-shirts printed up! Start an online petition! Save Corkscrew Hill! They're taking out a classic ride for some Soarin' Over Europe crap? That's not fair to the fans or to the children who will never get to experience this unique and wonderful attraction. Anheuser-Busch ran this park like a family for over 30 years, and now this big conglomorate thinks they can just come in and start changing things? The nerve. The nerve! Amusement parks should never, ever change. Period.

Where were you when they removed King Arthur's Challenge? We could've saved it!

[PufferfishEurofighters are Red Dawn Awesome!]

^Oh man, I completely forgot about that one! Seriously though, I think this change is needed. I mean I love Corkscrew Hill and all, but it's become a little dated, and it's not particularly up to the "classic" status. If King Arthur had actually stuck around though, then there might have been a few more problems with this change.

[GriffonluvHarry Potter is a sick donkey.]

They had been having quite a bit of maintainance trouble with it too. It was becoming a hassle to run at times.

[jedimaster1227Open Up Happiness]

Busch Gardens Williamsburg has sent us a new press release about their money-saving options for 2010.

Busch Gardens is expanding its social media presence and launching a Twitter feed for its online fans who want to save money during their next visit.

Starting March 1, Busch Gardens’ fans can follow the park on Twitter for the latest information and exclusive offers. “It will be the best place for the park’s online fans to find limited-time deals, deep discounts and last-minute offers on admission tickets, meal plans, behind-the-scenes tours and merchandise,” said Dan Dipiazzo, vice president of marketing for Busch Gardens.

The theme park is giving away a $1,400 prize package when it officially launches its Twitter feed, @BuschGardens_VA, on March 1. Twitter users who start following Busch Gardens’ new feed now will be eligible to win two Platinum Passes – good for two years of unlimited admission to Busch Gardens, Water Country USA and seven other theme parks around the country – as well as a pair of round-trip tickets to any location serviced by Southwest Airlines.

To become eligible for the prize package and to receive the exclusive offers from Busch Gardens on Twitter, visit http://www.twitter.com/BuschGardens_VA and click on the “Follow” button.

In addition to the exclusive deals on Twitter, Busch Gardens and Water Country USA have additional money-saving offers for park guests:

-Prices for 2010 passes start at $99.95, the same as they did in 2009
-Fun Card passes remain the same price as a one-day ticket while valid for unlimited admission during the summer
-New 2-Day, 2-Park ticket is a budget-friendly way of visiting Busch Gardens and Water Country USA
-Save $5 when guests buy single-day tickets online at BuschGardens.com/VA and WaterCountryUSA.com
-Save $10 when guests buy Summer Discovery tickets online at BuschGardens.com/VA and WaterCountryUSA.com
-Save 20 percent when guests buy Williamsburg Bounce tickets online at BuschGardens.com/VA and WaterCountryUSA.com

[jedimaster1227Open Up Happiness]

Busch Gardens Williamsburg has sent us a new press release about an extended schedule for their successful holiday event, Christmas Town: A Busch Gardens Celebration.

Fresh off Busch Gardens’ successful first year of Christmas Town: A Busch Gardens Celebration, park leaders are enhancing the guest experience for the 2010 season. Busch Gardens is extending its Christmas Town operation through New Year’s Eve by adding five additional operating days to its schedule.

“We kept hearing from guests that they were looking for something to do between Christmas and New Year’s. We listened and are extending the schedule to accommodate that request,” said Busch Gardens General Manager John Reilly.

Christmas Town will open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 3 – 10 p.m. starting Nov. 26, and will open every day except Christmas Day from Dec. 17 through Dec. 31. The park will close at 9 p.m. on Nov. 28, Dec. 5, Dec. 12 and on Christmas Eve.

Additional Christmas Town details planned for the 2010 holiday season will be announced later this year.

[jedimaster1227Open Up Happiness]

Busch Gardens Williamsburg has sent us a press release regarding the new tenants of their traditional Highland Stable near the Loch Ness Monster.

Busch Gardens’ Highland Stables has new tenants and a new look. Situated in the park’s Scottish village adjacent to the Loch Ness Monster, the Highland Stables has been a park icon for three-and-a-half decades. When Busch Gardens opens to guests March 26, the stables will feature the park’s own team of Clydesdales as well as a flock of black-faced sheep, two Border collie puppies and a Eurasian barn owl.

The sheep and dogs will eventually lead daily herding demonstrations both inside the stable’s pasture and in guest areas of the park. “The dogs are only a few months old and are still too young to herd sheep. We will introduce them to the flock later this summer,” said Jay Tacey, Busch Gardens’ zoological manager.

Along with the new animals, the barn itself is getting a facelift. The gleaming white fencing and polished brass tack is giving way to a more rustic look and feel akin to barns found on farms dotting the Scottish countryside. New picket fencing around the perimeter of the pasture as well as an earth-toned paint scheme all around pays homage to traditional Scottish life on a working farm.

The Anheuser-Busch Clydesdales—a fixture at the park since 1975—left at the end of 2009 soon after the Dec. 1 sale of the parks. Busch Gardens’ new Clydesdales are black with a white blaze and other markings common to the breed of Scottish draft horses.

“They’re simply beautiful animals,” said Tacey. “These gentle giants are very popular with our guests, so we’re designing our demonstration programs that allow people to get even closer to these majestic animals. Combined with our sheep-herding demonstrations and our birds-of-prey exhibit, guests will experience farm life like never before.”

[cfcI've gone pantless!]

BGW’s New Highland Stables, Irish Show, and Simulator

When Busch Gardens’ original Clydesdales were shipped off to St. Louis last year, this left the park with a problem: “What do we do with the stables?” And how can you have “Busch Gardens” without Clydesdales?

The solution: Get new Clydesdales. Heck, why not sheep? Why not turn the Highland Stables into a Scottish farm? The park experimented with some “temp” Clydesdales during Christmas Town last season, and guest reactions were uniformly positive. So they bought four new Clydesdales (two males, two females), along with eight Scottish Blackface Sheep (one ram, seven ewes) and four Border Collies (two males, two femalse) to herd them.

Yes, there will be regular herding demonstrations at BGW, but not right away. The dogs are still pups, and they have to learn how the sheep “work” to gain the confidence they’ll need to herd them. This will all be part of the “Highland Stables Up Close Tour,” which will include photo ops with the Clydesdales, personal interaction with the dogs and sheep, and lessons about Scottish farming techniques. The cost for the tour will be $19.95, but the park is running a half-price special for passholders during Spring Break, which ends on April 11.

But you don’t necessarily have to pay $19.95 to see some sheepherding. The sheep themselves will be herded across the park, starting in Ireland, to Highland Stables at 11:00 each morning, then back at 4:00 or 5:00 in the afternoon. (Talk about adding atmosphere to the park.)

The park also shared some information about their new simulator and show for 2010. Corkscrew Hill in Killearney ended its eight-year run last season and is being replaced with Europe in the Air, a “flying tour.” (“You’re up in the air”—get it?) The park had been thinking about making this change for a few years, said Larry Giles (VP of operations). The same type of simulators are used to train pilots, so “why let it do what it does best—fly?”

Like any good theme-park attraction, there is a backstory. An Irishman named O’Shea has started his own travel business (“No-Time Travel”) and has built a special machine that can fly guests from Ireland, past Stonehenge and London, to Paris, to Germany, to the Alps, to Italy, and back again in five minutes. (If only all flights to Europe were this fast.) The footage used in the simulator was shot from the nose of a helicopter by In-Motion Entertainment and includes a flyover of the Roman Coliseum from only 50 feet. The simulator also boasts a larger curved screen; three new digital projectors capable of projecting at 50 frames per second (the standard is 24); and a picture that is “seven times” sharper than HD. (And, no, it isn't in 3D.) The preshow segments are being shot this week, and the ride is scheduled to open in May. It sounds like a great replacement for Corkscrew Hill.

Finally, Celtic Fyre, a new Irish dance show, will be debuting in the Abbey Stone Theatre. The theatre is being redone to resemble a large Irish pub, which is hosting a wedding reception. There will be toasts to the bride and groom, dancing in the aisles, and even tables for park guests adjoining the stage. The show is still in rehearsal, and they haven’t finished the theatre’s transformation from a ruined abbey to a pub yet; so, the show will probably be in “preview” mode going into the summer season.

My thanks to everyone at BGW today for giving is this look at what's in store for this season.

[RCFreakTPR's Favorite Beaner]

^Awesome report Chuck! I've never been to that Busch Park, but it looks great and all the additions seem like it gives the park that little extra something. Thanks for sharing.

[HCLcoastersEl Toro Make Me Erect]

Most of my fears about the take over by Blackstone have been wiped away by this great update. I'm so happy to see that not only are they purchasing new clydesdales but they're also expanding on the idea!