Busch Gardens Williamsburg (BGW BGE) Discussion Thread

[VisioneerWhat's with the donkeys anyway?]

Hmmm ... the color works and also blends with the sky well, but I can't help to feel the structure looks too mechanical.

It looks clunky. Looking at the Tivoli videos, the overall look isn't aesthetically pleasing. Basically, everything at Busch has a refined look. Intamin does a great job with aesthetics on their towers. Even S&S has a nice feeling to it. Up close, this sticks out like a sore thumb.

It isn't finished, so maybe they will attach covers and refine the feel of the seat ring. The mechanical tower look most likely won't change

I grew up at BGW. I'm glad they finally have a drop tower. It just looks carny vs. everything else.

[DarkStitch626Over obsessive disney disorder]

Am I the only one that thinks it looks perfectly fine? I think it fits nicely both up-close and in the skyline of the park.

I like the color blue, I'm with you that it looks fine. Definitely fits the "Oktoberfest" color scheme, so I don't see what the problem is. The Gawdawful color schemes of the Drop Towers at the former Paramount properties are FAR uglier.

I don't see any reason to complain. I am kind of annoyed people ALREADY judge it before even riding it. I DO how ever wonder as of watching the Youtube video of the Tivoli version. Will BGE's version stop at the top before dropping or will it get get up there and just drop. I know BGE did say there are MANY surprises in store for it.

[netdvnWhy do I still have a donkey title???]

From what I've seen so far, the tower looks fine.

The ride isn't really finished yet and the ride is supposed to have Oktoberfest's white stripes down the side and a yellow piece on top (at least according to the park map). But from what I've seen so far, it doesn't look bad at all. At least not bad as KD's gaudy (and faded) Nickelodeon color-scheme at least.

I'll have a better look at the tower later today when I'm at the park, but so far it looks great from a distance and in pictures.

Verbolten >>>>>> Generic CF and new Blackstone names.

[SwiftmanI Guess Donkeys Are Okay]

Hmmm ... the color works and also blends with the sky well, but I can't help to feel the structure looks too mechanical.

It looks clunky. Looking at the Tivoli videos, the overall look isn't aesthetically pleasing. Basically, everything at Busch has a refined look. Intamin does a great job with aesthetics on their towers. Even S&S has a nice feeling to it. Up close, this sticks out like a sore thumb.

It isn't finished, so maybe they will attach covers and refine the feel of the seat ring. The mechanical tower look most likely won't change

I grew up at BGW. I'm glad they finally have a drop tower. It just looks carny vs. everything else.

I couldn't agree more.

Intamin: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2151/1835403518_9abb3e7039.jpg
S&S: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/36/16-doubleshot.jpg
Moser: http://img571.imageshack.us/img571/6883/picplz20110429000018841.jpg

Moser's version feels much less refined than the Intamin and S&S versions. I really hope BGW has something up their sleeves to make this thing look better...

DarkStitch, it will stop and spin for a bit before it drops. The seats are also supposed to vibrate (that was the big surprise).

[cfcI've gone pantless!]

^"Less refined" than an S&S Double Shot with its exposed pipes and hoses? Hmm--I have to disagree with you on that.

Face it, folks--they're all big poles. Let's see what else BGW has in store for this ride.

[crazywolf88I teach at the school of donkey!]

It seems to me that everyone is complaining about the hexagonal shape of the tower vs the round intamin and the latticed S&S.
I know for a fact that the drop tower isn't complete:1)the plastic protector at the top 2)the brakes are positioned too high up which would mean that if it is in fact complete, it would have only 50 feet of drop or so.

[SaldekHave I mentioned how awesome donkeys are?]

Sad news from the park.

Tristan, a Clydesdale colt born at the park on April 5, has died of a bacterial infection.

http://hamptonroads.com/2011/04/first-colt-born-busch-gardens-dies-illness

[cfcI've gone pantless!]

^Yes, I was sad to hear that, too. I'd wondered why he wasn't in the stable last Sunday.

[netdvnWhy do I still have a donkey title???]

It seems to me that everyone is complaining about the hexagonal shape of the tower vs the round intamin and the latticed S&S.
I know for a fact that the drop tower isn't complete:1)the plastic protector at the top 2)the brakes are positioned too high up which would mean that if it is in fact complete, it would have only 50 feet of drop or so.

I was at the park yesterday and made some observations.

The tower isn't hexagonal in shape, it's actually round like the Intamin towers... The brakes on the sides just make it look that way.

The tower itself dominates the Oktoberfest skyline. It looks like just the brake sections are up right now and the tower already goes over the trees. Hopefully this doesn't mean that the brake sections take up a good portion of the ride.

I'll be at the park today (no pictures though) to note any progress.

[VisioneerWhat's with the donkeys anyway?]

Those attached plates and especially those clamps create the mechanical and flat 6 sided look. It looks carny. Yes, they are big poles, but this is the first big pole I felt looked bad. It's magnified even more being based in BGW! I think that's why I've expressed my opinion. It's BGW. If it were Six Flags, carny works.

S&S Towers look great due to their lattice design. It's like Intamin box track. The structure looks good from an architectural standpoint: architect or GP. They don't feel mechanical and clunky.