Busch Gardens Williamsburg (BGW BGE) Discussion Thread

[cfcI've gone pantless!]

^I'm referring to the "Blogger Media Day," which is Thursday, May 17 in the morning. I'll be there for Theme Park Review.

[VACoasterdudeI Guess Donkeys Are Okay]

Cool. Didn't realize they were having two different Media Days. Looking forward to your extensive report and photos, since I won't be able to make it there until sometime in June.

Regards,

RIP...

[vacoaster09A donkey is a domesticated member of the Equidae or horse family.]

I watched the POV in question and It was torture. The guy talked way to much... if I was riding next to him I would said STFU. He ruined everything that was coming and proceeded to explain why he had a camera when no one even asked him to. Just a self-fulfilled guy out to make himself seem cool because she got special permission and knows the name of every team member. Anyway... Lesson learned wait for the TPR stamp of approval and experienced/quality videos. GO TPR

Anyway Verbolten looks amazing. I want to go to Busch Gardens soooooo bad!

[Top Thrill DragsterDon't put that donkey on the floor!]

^Seriously.

The guy in the video was very, VERY annoying. If I had waited 1+hour to ride I would have been pissed to have him sit next to me talking the entire time.

[Kumba9I own the website www.donkey.com]

Verbolten was great!

I had about 9 rides on Friday with about a 10-15 minute wait for each (four train operation). Oddly enough I had the blue train for all 6 rides-love the headlights! I enjoyed all 3 scenic events, not sure which I liked best though. In the beginning of the day, they were directing guests to specified rows. After 3pm or so they would let you choose your own seats.

I had some brief discussions with my former managers at the park and they were ecstatic about the responses they have received and for the most part-the entire building process and testing went very smooth. Marketing was giddy with all the park patrons reactions and screams throughout the day-a pleasant feeling after dealing with Mach Towers troubles from last season. I am not going to discuss anything about the "yellow" train incident, because its not my place to say. But that train should be back in operation soon.

One of my former co-workers and friend, Josh (Business Unit Supervisor of Coaster Tours) said they would add Verbolten as part of the coaster tours, but would not be live for about 3-3 1/2 weeks or so while corporate finalizes details-although I can say that the tour will include a tour within the building (while the coaster is in operation!).

In relation to the theme, it was superb!-Only thing that was challenging was listening to Gerta's spiel with all the noise/talking going on inside the que area. I love the oil-stained concrete areas inside the station. I love one of the camera angles in Gunter's office showing a video of a "Red riding hood" motif with her carrying her basket while in the woods-only to find the next screen of her missing and her basket hanging on one of the tree limbs. It was quite amusing watching the expression on some of the younger kids talking about what happened to her..lol

Overall....it was a very worthy replacement for the beloved Big Bad Wolf. And there are many themed elements to pay homage to the late coaster. So far, I have counted about 7 (or maybe 8) different areas paying respects to the Wolf (including elements inside the building). Did anyone notice more?-it was fun finding a new one each time.

Definitely a must-ride coaster for 2012! Great job Larry and Brian on all the hard work put into Verbolten~

Glad to hear all of the positive reviews of Verbolten. I will be visiting in less than 2 weeks now and can't wait to check it out

although I can say that the tour will include a tour within the building (while the coaster is in operation!).

If this is true then

[RoCo"Excuse me, miss, may I pound my large rooster into your donkey?"]

I'm just skimming through these reports, as I don't want to know too much about the experience before I finally get on this thing, but I'm so psyched that the general consensus is "kicks A$$!" Even though I'm likely not to get back to BGW until 2013 WHICH SUCKS.

[coasterkid21Full Fledged Donkey Enthusiast!]

I too was able to take a ride on Verbolten on Sunday. I was not expecting it to be open and was ecstatic. The whole experience is just great. Considering that this is my first time to the park in 6 years, I have to say that this was an unexpected treat!

[niiicolaaahHot Coaster Chick!]

Am I the only one who thinks this thing isn't the second coming?

I rode it 3 times yesterday. Each time we got in line, the queue was completely full, but it only took about 30 minutes to get through with 4 trains running. We rode in the back of the blue train twice, and in the front row of the red train once.

I don't understand what is supposed to be different about the "scenic" stuff... it always looked the same to me.

I was disappointed about how vibratey the outdoor sections were, the transitions were really abrupt and I thought the second launch was uncomfortable. I liked the scenery inside the box and thought the drop track was fun.

Overall, I think it's just like Italian Job Stunt Coaster on steroids. Fun, but not amazing. I'd rather ride Apollo, Griffon, or Alpengeist. If I had known how I'd feel about it, I would have skipped driving down there yesterday.