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On Topic: L.J.'s Amusement Park Review (UPDATE 1: Busch Gardens Williamsburg Va 2012)

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      CommentAuthorLJELLIS12
    • CommentTimeJul 19th 2012 edited
     
    Hi there guys! Its been a minute! I haven't really been doing any work (frown face) on my projects but I will once I actually sit down on the sketchup computer and do some modeling. (Also this will be a double post dont kill me sorry)

    Anyways onto the topic at hand. This is my theme park review on all amusement parks I've been to recently and otherwise (the ones I remember best). On this thread I will talk about a couple things I feel readers should know. Mainly I'll focus on the coasters and rides to give you guys a good feel of what they are REALLY like and what kind of wait they are really worth. I may compare a few aspects of different parks, but this thread isnt really a "which is better" thread Im just giving insight on some of the parks I've had the pleasure of visiting and what I liked about them.

    As stated this first post will be on Busch Gardens in Va. I actually went here TODAY (happy face!!) so all memories of the rides and such are quite fresh. So without further ado I'm just going to dive in!!!




    ^ Busch gardens. :) A nice park with a GREAT atmosphere. It hasnt won the golden ticket award for best landscaping for nothing. The scenery truly is great. The sights (and actually smells) were quite nice. I didn't get any food from the park but it sure did smell good by restaurants and such. Anyways I'm not going to record my whole adventure step by step. I'm really just going to dive in to the coasters in the order ridden. If you would like to know anything in particular about a ride or the park that I didn't mention please feel free to ask and if I know the answer I'll be sure to share it with you. If i don't know then I'm sure someone else does and they will help :) Also if you want to just comment on the rides maybe share your insight and what you think that'd be great. Anyways here we go.




    ^ **EDIT** (changed the photo I found this one and it looks really awesome great shot CoasterImage) Ah Apollo's charriot. The very first B&M brand hyper coaster. The one that started it all. I went to Busch Gardens many years ago and rode it and LOVED it. It was one of my favorite roller coasters I had ridden to date. Sadly, and maybe to many people on the sites' disbelief, when I rode it today it was....lackluster. This ride is not new at all. But the ride has aged wonderfully I will say. I don't know what it was with the ride today but it was just very...tame. B&M hypers aren't ever intense I know that, but I expected a lot more airtime. Not any ejector but solid floaters. I sat in the very back and did not really achieve this. The airtime was meh...minimal. It was glass smooth but devoid of any good forces: no good lats no good negative or positive really.




    ^ The CoasterCritic (shout out to him: love the website you guys should check it out) gave a "meh" review of this ride so as a coaster enthusiast I didnt expect much when I got on. Actually I found the ride quite pleasing: more enjoyable then AP O_o !!! The launches were pretty good and the indoor portion was actually really fun and had some good forces in it (minus lack of airtime) The freefall was >>GREAT<< albeit maybe could have been taller. The crowd of riders got a great kick out of it though and even applauded! The rhine river drop was pretty good not really that intense but not...unintense. I didnt like how they braked the ride almost to a hault before the drop though. The ride wasnt glass smooth but I think that was to its advantage: it had more of that car ride feel to it and it kept it from being too tame if ya feel meh. The queue line was interesting but it wasnt all that and the line moved too quick to really observe it. Overall I was very impressed with the ride it was really good. Next ride: Alpengeist !
    • CommentAuthorm_haugh16
    • CommentTimeJul 19th 2012
     
    sorry about your apollo's chariot ride :( i went a few weeks ago and AC was up to par with any other b&m hyper i have ridden. It may have been due to the weather, but i'm not sure. The airtime was incredible in the back seat when i rode it. it was even good in the middle and the front. The helix was really powerful and even the airtime on the drop was more than i expected.
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      CommentAuthorLJELLIS12
    • CommentTimeJul 19th 2012
     
    Posted By: m_haugh16sorry about your apollo's chariot ride :( i went a few weeks ago and AC was up to par with any other b&m hyper i have ridden. It may have been due to the weather, but i'm not sure. The airtime was incredible in the back seat when i rode it. it was even good in the middle and the front. The helix was really powerful and even the airtime on the drop was more than i expected.


    Its ok :) But no it wasnt the weather it was near 100 degrees (lord it was hot nd I live in Ga youd think id be used to it) and sunny I thought it might run faster due to that heat. And unfortunately no I found on this journey that Goliath at SFOG (also a very high ranked hyper on polls) was better whereas last time I like AP more. The helix was very unforceful it kind of drug on actually :( Airtime was just meh (lol) but I still liked the ride it wasnt bad...it just wasnt the spectacular AP that I had ridden years back: my opinion is tainted though because of Cedar Points intense rides though so I dunno.)
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      CommentAuthorLJELLIS12
    • CommentTimeJul 19th 2012 edited
     
    Yes Im double posting sorry I wanna just post everything but I cant :(




    ^ Alpengeist was one of the rides I rode last time and I loved it a lot as well. This time around the ride was still quite fantastic. I found it better than CPs Raptor (then again I had a bad experience on that ride so its my least fav inverted coaster) Anyways I rode in front and back both are great but this ride is better in the front. Alpengeist was very smooth and fast and also somewhat powerful in the front which I like to see in inverts. It was great but my only critique on this ride was that while it was powerful it wasn't Batman-esque powerful (SFOG my home park has a Batman and its VERY VERY intense and forceful..some say the most intense of the batman clones) I felt the transitions and rolls could have been more forceful in a few areas to create higher forces. The cobra roll had more of the force I was looking for the rest was just large and fast. I guess it was paced out so much because of the height. Batman is very compact therefore the elements are really thrown at you and I like that intensity. Alpengeist just didn’t have it to that extent IMO…but still phenomenal! Next Ride Griffon !




    ^ This was easily my favorite roller coaster of the day. I last visited BG before this came out, but I'm glad I got to experience this ride. Now I've been on many roller coasters and several of them have had OVERvertical drops but I've never been on a B&M dive coaster. Let me tell you it was pure bliss and **EDIT** IMO I found the straight vertical experience just as, if not better, than any over-vertical drop! The OTSR didnt really fit all the way down on me (I am skinny however but to paint a better picture they didnt click and lock with the bottom of the restraint pinned to my lower belly I had quite a bit of room) which was fine. When going vertical 90* on the first drop I could feel myself floating forward toward the restraints. It felt >>INCREDIBLE<< !! So the first drop was amazing. The rest of the course was great too. On smaller 88* drop I felt that same incredible floating feeling as I flew toward the restraints again. The airtime on this ride was GREAT! On the first drop I got some on the second drop I got some on the little dip into the splashdown I got some (being in the front row slightly bummed out the experience of the splashdown) and I got some on the small dip into the brake run. It was actually a really FANTASTIC ride especially that first drop it was just really executed well. One complaint I did have about the ride was the queue. Now today it was not crowded AT all I mean it was a walk on on most all rides, but on crowded days Im not sure how everyone would fit into that queue. Maybe theres more to it than what I saw but it just looked a little small. Another small complaint was the turnaround after the splashdown it may have been jut a tad too tight so I felt kind of thrown slighlty uncomfortably into the restraints. It didnt hurt at all ut it was a jolt of sorts.




    ^ I unfortunately did not ride this ride today :( My brother who's 11 months younger than I was bein a pain so I decided to just go home a little early. But I DID ride it last time I came. I do remember the experience a little. The line wasn't long and the ride was actually pretty good for an arrow coaster. The loops were actually quite fun even though they werent synchronized to hit at the same time (sad face). It had some typical arrow headbanging but I dont think it was severe at all I think it was quite minimal. The tunnel part was cool and felt faster than it was really going due to being in the dark and the flashing lights and the screams from riders. I would suggest not skipping this ride its beautiful to look at and fun to ride.

    All in all while the coasters are not of Cedar Point Caliber they are GREAT! I wouldnt reccomend skipping any of them really. The park is lovely and has more classic charm than any other park I've been to. The park is a real package park. It offers things for families and teens. If you would like me to compare Busch Gardens to any park just let me know and provided I've been to the park I'll let you know. Same for any coasters.
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    With Apollos Chariot I sit in the back seat everytime just for the ejector airtime. Never fails, though.
    • CommentAuthorJAKool
    • CommentTimeJul 19th 2012
     
    What was your bad experience on Raptor?
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      CommentAuthorA.S.Coasters
    • CommentTimeJul 19th 2012 edited
     
    Apollo's Chariot has insane air in the back row.
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      CommentAuthorLJELLIS12
    • CommentTimeJul 19th 2012 edited
     
    Posted By: ultimatercfanWith Apollos Chariot I sit in the back seat everytime just for the ejector airtime. Never fails, though.


    I really don't know what it was with today's ride. Maybe it was the lack of crowds maybe there werent enough seats filled for that extra kinetic energy, but there was no form of ejector. There was airtime but it just wasnt the airtime I remembered. :(

    Posted By: A.S.CoastersApollo's Chariot has insane air in the back row.


    ...Yea I know... But there was nothing "insane" or ejector about the airtime in the back row on this experience today. It was still fun though.


    Posted By: JAKoolWhat was your bad experience on Raptor?


    I was going to save my report on that ride until I did my Cedar Point update, but Ill just tell now. I went this summer so memory of this ride is still fresh. Ok so it wasnt really an incident or experience, but Raptor just did not go well with me. I found it actually kind of headbangy and gave me a terrible headache for the rest of that day :( It could have been my seat choice we were in like the 3rd car. But as for specific spots that didnt feel good the corkscrew and the slight turn after the corkscrew were what screwed my head up mainly. There was just a lot of jerkiness on those parts. The helix was full of G forces which was cool I actually felt the force in my legs but I got this pain in the side of my stomach right when the helix started which ruined the coolness of the element. Now I'm not sure if that was because of the previous rough tossing and flipping or just there but on that helix the pain in my stomach made me really wish for the ride to be over already. That ride gave me a terrible headache that lasted the rest of the day. Fortunately I got to go again tomorrow feeling better.
    • CommentAuthorm_haugh16
    • CommentTimeJul 19th 2012
     
    just letting you know, when you ride verbolten, in 95 degree plus weather it goes much faster and the ride is much more intense. even though it is not known for being a huge thrill machine, if you ride in the back, it is much more intense. you get airtime after the first launch and on the other airtime hill. also you get plenty of airtime on the drop (not the freefall drop, but the covered bridge drop). the helices are much more forceful and all of the turns after the second launch and drop were insanely intense. I wasn't expecting it to be that way. I also suggest riding it in the front and back, because you can see the theming in the front better.

    And about griffon's queue, before you enter the main queue look to the right, there is the overflow queue. when it is needed, there are canopy things that they set up for shade. I know when it first opened that they had the line extend down to the splashdown as well.
  10.  
    I never felt the air on Apollo was that great when I went either, and I rode in the back and front.
  11.  
    ^^I remember waiting about 2-2.5 hours when it first opened. But now the wait is max 15-20 minutes.
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      CommentAuthorbaadrix
    • CommentTimeJul 19th 2012
     
    BGW looks really nice, thanks for the report!
  13.  
    What is this I hear about headbanging on Loch Ness Monster? I agree if you go into the seats further to the front, but if you ride in the back car, the experience is simply amazing. The loops are obviously fantastic, but there are 3 good moments of ejector air in the back seat that beat even Apollo's Chariot. Also, every awkward transition is hit slowly in the back car, making the laterals minimal and comfortable (no headbanging).
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      CommentAuthorLJELLIS12
    • CommentTimeJul 19th 2012 edited
     
    Posted By: m_haugh16


    I did ride in the back actually. I know what you are talking about right after the launch there is a slight pop nothing major. And the rhine river drop IMO I didnt really fear airtime so much as the feeling of being pulled down. So while for sure more intense still not any real noticable airtime. I wish there was airtime upon entering the bridge dontcha agree? And ohhh thanks for pointing that out I must not have looked in that direction :) Thanks for commenting!!

    Posted By: ThrillsEntertainmentI never felt the air on Apollo was that great when I went either, and I rode in the back and front.


    Ah so I'm not the only one. Yea there was airtime prevalent but it wasnt anything astounding like I felt when I rode it years back. But it is older so ya know.

    Posted By: ultimatercfan^^I remember waiting about 2-2.5 hours when it first opened. But now the wait is max 15-20 minutes.


    Absolutely. Lines were VERY short moved quickly so you are 100% right.

    Posted By: baadrixBGW looks really nice, thanks for the report!


    :) You are very welcome! I'm glad you liked my report. If there's any info you wanted to know that I didnt post feel free to ask. Also I'll be sure to add my next post on either Kings Dominion or Cedar Point later today. The one I dont report will be done tomorrow. Thanks for commenting! :D


    Posted By: devilsrule911What is this I hear about headbanging on Loch Ness Monster? I agree if you go into the seats further to the front, but if you ride in the back car, the experience is simply amazing. The loops are obviously fantastic, but there are 3 good moments of ejector air in the back seat that beat even Apollo's Chariot. Also, every awkward transition is hit slowly in the back car, making the laterals minimal and comfortable (no headbanging).


    Hmmm...I'm not sure. Now I rode this coaster a while back like I said I didnt get to ride it yesterday so my review was limited to my memory of the ride. That being said I truthfully cant remember the extent of the headbanging. I cant remember a bad headbang exprience period so that lets you know, as I mentioned in the review, that it was minimal or as you said nonexistant. And I totally agree the loops are quite amazing :) And hm maybe I shouldnt have skipped the ride for the day I would have loved to feel that airtime. Also again another commenter who felt the same way about Apollo's airtime. Thanks for commenting! :D Stay tuned!

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