Busch Gardens Williamsburg (BGW BGE) Discussion Thread

^I believe that it represents as eagle (as in the Busch eagle).

Does sort of look like as evil face, I guess.

I still haven't truly accepted that it's closed. I never got on it and ever since I first saw I wanted to ride it more than any other coaster. There was just something about it that I loved. Hopefully whatever takes it's place will be just as good as everyone says BBW was.

[bpmitchellDoes Jeff Johnson count this donkey as a credit?]

I still haven't truly accepted that it's closed. I never got on it and ever since I first saw I wanted to ride it more than any other coaster. There was just something about it that I loved. Hopefully whatever takes it's place will be just as good as everyone says BBW was.

I had tears in my eyes yesterday when I walked by the ride area. It is hard to accept the fact that the ride is permanently closed and will be dismantled.

[astromatticalI Guess Donkeys Are Okay]

My wife and I recently moved back to the area from Maryland and visited the park yesterday - got annual passes! The park wasn't crowded at all, and I got on Griffin in about 5 minutes. We made it a short day having got there at about 1:30 and just saw a few shows with the animal stuff they had going on (which was awesome).

I have been out of the theme park loop (no pun intended) for years now after having been totally into it for a while and being a member of ACE. I had no idea about BBW, even after walking past it! Another classic gone...I just hope Nessie sticks around.

This is my first post - and I will pretty much only be going to BGW with the exception of some Orlando, FL parks around Christmas. You'll see me here often!

[KDCOASTERFANI prefer to mate with donkeys over humans!]

I still haven't truly accepted that it's closed. I never got on it and ever since I first saw I wanted to ride it more than any other coaster. There was just something about it that I loved. Hopefully whatever takes it's place will be just as good as everyone says BBW was.

First DF & now BBW,I'm sure that nessie is soon to follow as BGW is just on a hate/hate relationship with Arrow these days.When DF was yanked the excuse(more like the lie) given was that ridership suffered due to poor engineering of the ride when it was really due to poor placement & now the excuse(or lie) given in the case of BBW is that they need the space for a new ride when the DF site has PLENTY of space to build a decent sized coaster alone.

[KPfreak519Have I mentioned how awesome donkeys are?]

I still haven't truly accepted that it's closed. I never got on it and ever since I first saw I wanted to ride it more than any other coaster. There was just something about it that I loved. Hopefully whatever takes it's place will be just as good as everyone says BBW was.

First DF & now BBW,I'm sure that nessie is soon to follow as BGW is just on a hate/hate relationship with Arrow these days.When DF was yanked the excuse(more like the lie) given was that ridership suffered due to poor engineering of the ride when it was really due to poor placement & now the excuse(or lie) given in the case of BBW is that they need the space for a new ride when the DF site has PLENTY of space to build a decent sized coaster alone.

Umm, no. They have said several times BBW "reached the end of its service life" and was "too costly to maintain." NOWHERE have they said they were removing it because they need space for a new ride; although they have said they will REPLACE BBW with a new ride, they did not say this was the reason for its removal.

[astromatticalI Guess Donkeys Are Okay]

I'm under the impression that a coaster isn't going there - an entirely new section is being planned (according to some of the numerous and varied rumors out there). It sucks, but I'm sure it's not just an anti-Arrow thing going on. If BBW is at the end of its service life as initially stated by Arrow (25 years), then it is simply time for BBW to go (can you imagine the legal implications if something went wrong after the service life came and went?).

Unfortunately, coasters do NOT last forever and the added costs of maintaining them beyond their service life is not a reasonable option given the economy, and again, not to even begin getting into the legal aspects.

I've never bought the "poor placement" argument when it come to Drachen Fire. Busch has been running Howl-o-Scream mazes in DF's old station and barn for years, and no one has a problem finding those.

It was rough, people came off with bruises and headaches (me among them), and it got a bad reputation as a result.

[astromatticalI Guess Donkeys Are Okay]

Unfortunately, with DF - the people who didn't get "injured" on the ride (myself included, after literally hundreds of rides on it over several years) did not complain for they had nothing to complain about. I'm sure that the amount of people who never once got hurt outnumbered the people who did.

It is what it is, and I am thankful that I did get to ride it as much as I did while it was around. I remember staying on it from 8PM-10PM without having to get off on numerous occasions - at worse moving to another car.

Having said that, I agree that the poor location argument is unfounded. I, nor anyone else I know, ever had trouble finding it. I believe it was a matter that too many complaints were received about injuries, and it got to a point where it was becoming too great of a liability for the park.

[MiltonmxWhat's with the donkeys anyway?]

Maybe I understand the "end of its service life".

The track is more like the used on the Schwarzkopf coasters. The sum of the coaster type + Age + steel oxidation + stress on the track, gives as a result a short life period of the coaster. I don´t know if its expensive a replacement of a track segment, but surely it is.

Now The Big Bad Wolf is under construcction on the coaster heaven!!

I hope that Nessy stands for many more years with us.