Busch Gardens Williamsburg (BGW BGE) Discussion Thread

[Pun_MachineWhat's with the donkeys anyway?]

^ Like i said in my first impressions, it didn't meet my expectations. I don't think many people are actually saying anything as strong as 'this is the second coming,' The consensus that i'm seeing is that it's a fun ride that was pretty well done.

Sure there's some vibrations and some of the transitions might be a little tight, but it's not like it's an Arrow or anything. It's actually not very rough as coasters go... at least many of the ones i've ridden.

You're right about the show building stuff... it doesn't change much. The only thing that changes in the different 'stories' is the lighting effects just before, and during the drop section and the soundtrack that's played throughout. That was a bit of a disappointment for me, as was the apparent lack of effects or any light at all for about 40% of the indoor portion (though from reports and guesswork this may be because they just don't have a lot of stuff working yet.)

It's certainly not completely what i had envisioned, and i feel like they missed several opportunities and outright botched some minor details, but it's still a good ride. I felt like it was in the same class with Stunt Coaster, but executed much better and a lot more unique, Just my opinion.

^ You're right about the show building stuff... it doesn't change much. The only thing that changes in the different 'stories' is the lighting effects just before, and during the drop section and the soundtrack that's played throughout. That was a bit of a disappointment for me, as was the apparent lack of effects or any light at all for about 40% of the indoor portion (though from reports and guesswork this may be because they just don't have a lot of stuff working yet.)

I think it's wise to bear in mind that this was a "technical rehearsal," so it's not unusual for some effects to be off while they "tweak" the ride.

I'm looking forward to checking it out on Thursday.

[Homeboy23Beware of the freeze-dried donkey!]

^ That is why I am holding off any judgement until I ride it again this weekend just in case they did have some of the effects off in the building this past weekend due to the soft opening.

[DerekRxI'm the gyro!]

I never expected it to be anything more than a fun family coaster (for the family all over 48") that I'll ride at some point when I'm in the mood for some BGW goodness, a Das Alpine sandwich, and some German potato salad. Still, I'd much rather have another coaster to ride than look at a closed Big Bad Wolf or empty plot of land, and at least it's something new, unique, and themed.

^It would be even better if Gerta served you the Das Alpine and German potato salad.

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

I had the liberty of riding both Verbolten and Cheetah Hunt in the same week. CH had a rattle, but I felt Verbolten's was a bit more severe. If anything, Verbolten rattled like Sheikra did (and it did have a noticeable rattle).

Anyway, let's get to the comparison.

Ride-wise - CH has the edge with the zero-g roll and the pops of airtime throughout the ride. Other than that, both aren't too intense, and both have good transitions. CH's OTSRs will dig into your shoulders if you raise your hands in the air, so I don't recommend trying that too often.

Theming-wise - Verbolten takes the cake. Even though both parks reused old stations, BGW definitely pulled out all the stops while BGT sorta kept most of the good theming outside. The Cheetah Run exhibit is pretty nice although the cheetahs were sleeping when I was there. As for Verbolten, I didn't get the full effect going through Verbolten's show building (I was lucky enough to ride with the lights on), but what I've seen so far has impressed me. The floating tunnel still bugs me greatly though.

Fun factor - Both coasters are great additions and both coasters are very fun to ride. I'd put the fun factor at a draw.

Overall - Cheetah Hunt is more intense with its zero-G roll and pops of airtime, but Verbolten's theming really gives it the edge to beat out CH. Either way both parks got big winners.

[Intimidator305Challenge me at Donkey Kong...I dare ya!]

The floating tunnel still bugs me greatly though.

Me too.

[TXman308I teach at the school of donkey!]

As for Verbolten, I didn't get the full effect going through Verbolten's show building (I was lucky enough to ride with the lights on), but what I've seen so far has impressed me.

Since you were able to see it how much theming is there? Was it pretty easy to see the track way out in front of you, or was it blocked?

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

Nothing is essentially "blocked" per se (outside of the drop track and the various elements hidden behind curtains) and you can see the theme elements quite well. The effects don't seem to work when the lights are on though so you don't get a complete experience like you would if the lights were off.

The park doesn't have any other props outside of the ones you can see in the dark.

[ExpomanI Guess Donkeys Are Okay]

I was able to ride Verbolten twice on Saturday. It was an amazing ride and I rate it 11 out of 10. I found no flaws with this ride knowing there were going to be some kinks missing in the soft opening. People need to stop whining about the roughness. Why do people always have to find something negative. It's not too fast, the freefall drop wasn't big enough, etc. I did not find the ride shaky at all, and the free fall drop actually delivered a nice kick. I was going into the ride knowing it was not going to be Kingka Ka but a nice spooky family themed coaster.This ride would fit perfectly in a Disney or Universal park. Blackstone has really proved their investment with the Busch parks, and I can't wait to see whats next up their sleeve with the possible Resort Expansion and Water Country Expansion. I feel like Busch Gardens is going through what we saw in the mid to late 90's. I expect a boom in the next five or so years. The Oktoberfest expansion is a great model on what kind of direction is going for the future of Busch Parks. I don't know if they were planning this, but with the success of Christmas Town Busch Gardens was maybe looking for new ways to enhance the experience.With most of Verbolten being indoors maybe it has a higher chance of staying open during colder days. Just a thought.



Here is a little review of Verbolten. I rode twice. Once in the front and once in the back. Since I used to be a ride attendant back in Disney I know that is no problem requesting for a certain row. I liked the back a little more because of the slight increased G's. I was so disoriented inside that I did not quite catch the show scenes. I was having too much fun inside there. I have a passion for indoor coasters. There is something great about zooming around in a dark building and it never matters how fast you are going. This all goes back to the success of Space Mountain in the 1970's. I found this ride to be a mixture of three coasters down in Florida. Cheetah Hunt in Busch Gardens Tampa, Expedition Everest in Disney's Animal Kingdom, and Mummy at Universal Studios. I have ridden all three of those coasters in the past year and I found Verbolten shares a lot of elements taken from all three coasters. Kudos to Zierer, I feel like this is a big project for the up and coming company. Kind of like what Montu & Alpengiest did for B&M in 1996/1997. I have always respected Busch Parks concept to shy away from the cookie cutter coaster designs Six Flags and Cedar Fair Parks usually go with. I guess Sheikra and Griffon are an exception. You can't really customize a vertical drop coaster too much, and Busch Parks even did a good job customizing those rides.



Great job Zierer, Blackstone (Merlin), and Busch on a great ride, and everyone needs to come check this thing out as soon as possible.