Busch Gardens Williamsburg Project 2011 and 2012

[Hatetofly]

Until you ride how could you...

Exactly, thats why I haven't said a word of anything negative. BGW has some great attractions and some have fallen flat so until I ride it which will hopefully be in late June I won't say anything. I do kind of have to agree with Fallow about the layout though, but still gonna wait until I ride to give a fair review.

 

[Captain Tragedy]

^ You both live in the VA area I take?

I do (from a town 20 miles south of DC but I go to school in Norfolk, about 40 minutes away from BGW), and the feedback I've heard from a couple friends is positive. The one drawback is it's short ride time as stated elsewhere. Other than that they seemed to enjoy themselves. Really happy they kept the Rhine River Drop. Best part of Big Bad Wolf. Big Bad Wolf was also a "family" coaster. Sounds like they kept the spirit alive and well. There are other intense coasters in the park to enjoy and are definitely without as much themeing as this. Sounds like more of a complete experience in comparison to Apollo's Chariot.

 

[shiekra38]

Am I the only one who thinks the layout looks terribly short/boring/kind of unexciting? The indoor portion looks really spiffy and I love the 3 show scene concept, and I'm sure the spoiler-y bit is cool, but other than that there isn't much to this ride... It's that one big drop and those little light turns at the beginning.

Can someone enlighten me? Am I missing something?

The Rhine River drop was pretty thrilling when I rode BBW, so I would imagine Verbolten is just as or more in that area..the other 'freefall' bit also seems like it would be really cool...I'm not really a big fan of the blacklight forest concept makes it seem kind of fake and clashes with the realistic look of the queue..I love, love, love the details of the queue though..

 

[tiredoldspook]

Verbolten does seem short from seeing the course live, But the forest part looks like a lot of fun with the 3 changing interiors. Also no matter what They Have Dar kastle and Apollos Chariot which make it fair that Verbolten isn't as long as Cheetah Hunt...

 

[JungleSkip]

Verbolten is awesome. Full report tomorrow

 

[UNIrd]

Verbolten is awesome. Full report tomorrow

YES. Can't wait.

 

[Octobers Fade]

Just curious have you rode Cheetah Hunt? Since they are suposed to be similar.

 

[Captain Tragedy]

Verbolten is awesome. Full report tomorrow

Yes it is. I don't have a full review but just a few thoughts. First what works. The themeing and queue on this thing is really well done. The wrecked car out front set the stage for an awesome experience. There was even a weird moss in the interior of the car. Really nice touch. I would compare Verbolten's queue to Expedition Everest (albeit on a much smaller scale) with it's queue and theme. The first indoor queue portion showcase really neat posters and various curios to suck you into the story. The video within is corny, but it works. A quick side note, I am really pleased that most of the queue seemed to be in shaded areas when not in the indoor portions. It was a beautiful day yesterday, but later in the summer, guests will be pleased that they are not in direct sunlight. I wish I could have spent more time in the second indoor portion because that seemed to have a lot of things to look at. This is a testament to how quick the line moves, though. There were a few monitors with "security camera" footage of the black forest which really set the mood.

The ride itself is very fun. That first launch is intense. The speed being one thing, but also knowing that you are being launched in complete darkness. The G-forces you pull surprised me the most, however. I remember there was one portion where it felt as if I was one with my seat, haha. The element at the end of the indoor portion of the ride caught me by surprise too. I knew it was coming, I just couldn't tell when. The Rhine River Drop is as thrilling as ever. It helped with that second launch as well.

Things that didn't work for me. The special effects, while done okay, was a bit underwhelming. I wish they would have done more than black lights and cardboard. The length of the ride too is pretty short. Although, I will say that the elements make up for most of that. These things keep this attraction from being "Perfection" to just "Outstanding". It is a great start and I hope that Busch Gardens builds from this to bring us more great attractions.