Busch Gardens Williamsburg (BGW BGE) Discussion Thread

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

Protip: sometimes, the old, old entrance/staff entrance off of Route 60 will have someone staffed there, and if you have a Platinum Pass or are willing to pay for preferred parking in England, it's a safe bet. I never had to try it last year, so I don't know if that closing was a trickle-down from ownership change.

I wouldn't recommend doing this. The old entrance is meant for staff and tour buses (they also use it for media days), and I doubt the park would look kindly on others trying to use it.

Really? I've seen cars parked in there as late as Howl-O-Scream last year, so I know BGW is still using that lot for preferred parking/overflow (at least up until last season).

Can't remember if there were any cars for Christmas Town, but the every time I went by BGW for that, the main lot was barely full.

^I take it that you're referring to the England lot? Yes, they do use it for preferred parking, but you still enter via the main entrance. The attendant by the France lot (also preferred parking) will direct to the England lot if that is where you're supposed to go. (You also leave via the old entrance from the England lot.)

[SaldekHave I mentioned how awesome donkeys are?]

^Yes, all you need is your pass.

Now if the weather is nice that day be sure to get there EARLY! The parking lot entrance can get gridlocked all the way up the ramp to I-64.

On pass member preview day or just some Saturdays? That's some "special" if that's the case ;( ... but then I think Opening Sunday was bad enough in 2009 that I didn't go back until August ...

I'm talking about Pass Member Preview Day.

The event has gotten really popular with passholders over the last few years and if the weather is nice they will flock to the park in droves. A couple years ago when I went i arrived at the I-64 exit at 10 a.m. and waited almost an hour just to park as the line of traffic was sequestered all the way up and down the ramp.

[PayneTrainI know quite a lot about Donkeys!]

Protip: sometimes, the old, old entrance/staff entrance off of Route 60 will have someone staffed there, and if you have a Platinum Pass or are willing to pay for preferred parking in England, it's a safe bet. I never had to try it last year, so I don't know if that closing was a trickle-down from ownership change.

I wouldn't recommend doing this. The old entrance is meant for staff and tour buses (they also use it for media days), and I doubt the park would look kindly on others trying to use it.

There are two times I have used it. I used it for the Jack Hanna breakfast (which is a special event) in 2008 and once in 2009 when I was at the McDonalds eating breakfast and remembered the entrance. It doesn't seem like it's eve a difficult transaction: no money ever changed hands. A showing of the right pass and a green England hanger is given. Now, I'm not saying that everyone is going to use it now that they know, or that everyone should use it, but in my prior, but limited experience in doing this, there have been no quarrels. As I also said, I do not know that this was/is an allowable practice now.

If you choose to disagree with me, ok. Feel free to never try it. I'm not saying I have some overblown sense of entitlement that says I can go in through that entrance, but there was a will and a way, and it worked rather swimmingly. For the record, on the hundreds of other times I visited the park, I used the main entrance, because it usually is not backed up across the bridge when I arrive, I just get sucked into the line through traffic flow, or prior lack of knowledge of the old entrance still being in use.

**On another note, I would appreciate if I can be spared public shaming for a disagreement.**

**On another note, I would appreciate if I can be spared public shaming for a disagreement.**

I'm sorry, but the cat-o-nine-tails is out of the bag, and the rules require a flogging.

I've no doubt that the park makes allowances for using the old entrance from time to time (hence, why they had passes handy for preferred parking), but I would not recommend doing this on a regular basis. But you have made me more curious, so I think I might ask the park about it.

[KDcoasterMANFluffy, Fluffy, Donkeys Filled With Medicine and Goo!]

*WARNING* *RUMOR* * Prepare to take with a grain of salt*

A "source" who I know to be apart of the rides department at BGW has come out and said spoken about what the supposed "themed bridge" will do...

This is hard to explain without giving anything away directly. Basically, from what we were told, the entire train will move backwards onto a platform that will rotate you 90 degrees, shoot you up, stop you, flip you on your stomache, hold you for 5 seconds, then let you drop and continue the ride.

I am... perplexed...

[Skycoastin SteveFive babies drowned in a fire]

^Well that just sounds bizarre.

I think Intamin should get on the tilt coaster bandwagon! And by bandwagon, I mean the one lone cart over in Taiwan. But I think they could pull it off!*

*With a lot of downtime.

[braztazDon't make me kick you in the donkey!]

The "hold for five seconds" kind of reminds me about Griffon...but I have no idea what position they're in

[jedimaster1227Open Up Happiness]

Busch Gardens Williamsburg has sent us a press release with lots of photos and video regarding their two-year expansion plans and progress on Mach Tower and Vanish Point.

Busch Gardens’ popular Oktoberfest village is getting a new look this spring. The project is part of a two-year rebuild of the area. “Oktoberfest is the heart of Busch Gardens,” said Park President Carl Lum. “It serves as a hub of activity where friends and family can come together to enjoy rides, shows, delicious brats and games.”

Busch Gardens’ engineering team has spent the winter months building new facilities, moving existing rides and preparing for the installation of Mäch Tower, the park’s newest and tallest thrill attraction.

“Oktoberfest hasn’t changed significantly in thirty years,” said Larry Giles, vice president of design and engineering. “We’re taking what guests already love about Oktoberfest and building on it for a 21st-century audience.” When Oktoberfest opens this spring, guests will be treated to a Bavarian-style pretzel bakery, additional game areas and performance spaces. The park’s culinary team has been working to perfect new pretzel recipes.

“We’ve been conducting pretzel tastings during our off season and are now in the process of finalizing the menu, presentation and condiments,” said Jeff Thomas, vice president of culinary operations. The new shop, called Beste Brezeln und Bier, serves traditional hand-twisted pretzels along with pretzel-inspired creations like cinnamon-and-sugar pretzel nuggets and pretzel-wrapped hotdogs. Guests can purchase a cold beverage and sneak a peek through the shop windows as bakers hand roll and twist the pretzel creations.

A foot-stomping, thigh-slapping, strolling “oompah” band complements the culinary offerings, and a new show currently in development takes advantage of a maypole being constructed in the flower garden in front of Das Festhaus.

“We want Oktoberfest to remain as authentic as possible, so we made sure that the new additions not only enhance the festive atmosphere, but would bring another level of authenticity,” said Scott Gasparich, vice president of entertainment who leads the park’s thematic, event and show production teams. Colorful ribbons, festive greenery and blue-and-white checkerboard patterns are all part of the Oktoberfest theme that will be seen throughout the village. “Oktoberfest features a harmonious blend of tradition and modern heritage,” Gasparich said. “We’re putting our own twist on Germany’s traditional Oktoberfest celebration.”

Attentive guests will notice many village design elements feature colors from the German flag. The red, yellow and black have a traditional German feel while a colored maypole and festive banners depict Bavaria’s rich cultural heritage and add a finishing touch to the village ambiance.

Many new features required reconfiguring of the existing Oktoberfest space. To make room for Mäch Tower, the park’s Der Katapult is being relocated to New France. The scrambler-style ride is by far the most traveled attraction at the 100-acre theme park, having been moved four times since Busch Gardens opened in 1975. It is being renamed Le Catapult to fit its new French-inspired location.

Das Wirbelwindchen, affectionately known by park aficionados as the “kiddie swings,” will be relocated near the Roto Baron attraction, closer to Das Festhaus.

“We know guests love these KIDsiderate rides so we decided to relocate them to other areas to accommodate all the changes to Oktoberfest,” Giles said.

Guests will get their chance to start experiencing Busch Gardens’ rejuvenated Oktoberfest village when the park opens March 26. Mäch Tower is scheduled to open in late spring. Until then, fans can visit http://www.facebook.com/BuschGardens for the latest news and construction updates.

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