Busch Gardens Williamsburg Project 2023: DarKoaster (Multi-Lap Intamin Straddle Coaster)

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MikeLovesKD said:
I'm sure the park is seeing a lot of the reviews. Everyone wants an intense experience. The company probably took the indoor family ride theme too literal. If kids were able to ride the Early 2000s era of the Mummy at Universal, they could easily handle a few intense launches and SFX. Given the amount of exposure to horror/suspense that today's families are exposed, to I think the park may have missed a lot of opportunities with this ride.
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Verbolten already delivers the white-knuckle experience with theming. DarKastle was right to be a more moderate experience. BGW's lineup is still pretty weighted towards the high-intensity.

MikeLovesKD said:
Here's a unique idea. Let's consider the amount of technology available in todays time. One could have said that DarKoaster could create different storm effects. At least give us some fog during the second run of the course. I'd really like to see what this ride could do if elements changed by the season.
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Ooh, now that I like.
 
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You have to put value on what is subconsciously understood. Just because someone doesn't sit there consciously identifying value to theming, how someone naturally responds to an attraction can be attributed to the small details of how it is formulated. A huge portion of WDW's ability to hold people who have no interest in the IPs is part of that.

Also think of movies, good movies are universally enjoyed and have longevity. Not because the average person appreciates it the same way a movie junkie does, but because they just inherently enjoy it. Because the things that make something a good movie make it good for everyone, regardless of if they are aware of it.
 
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scared eric cartman GIF by South Park

This is all I could think of during the ride.
 
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Ice said:
You have to put value on what is subconsciously understood. Just because someone doesn't sit there consciously identifying value to theming, how someone naturally responds to an attraction can be attributed to the small details of how it is formulated. A huge portion of WDW's ability to hold people who have no interest in the IPs is part of that.

Also think of movies, good movies are universally enjoyed and have longevity. Not because the average person appreciates it the same way a movie junkie does, but because they just inherently enjoy it. Because the things that make something a good movie make it good for everyone, regardless of if they are aware of it.
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I agree, the more quality details something has then the more likely it is to be more liked by the average person due to that subconscious enjoyment you are describing, it's why a game like Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is so special. It certainly contributes to my enjoyment of pretty much anything when I see passion and effort put into it, I'm sure that flows into others subconscious when they visit theme parks.

It's likely a major contributor to why most people tend to prefer BGW to KD in Virginia, the subconscious enjoyment of a European beer garden with roller coasters and shows is likely more appealing than the subconscious enjoyment of a more typical amusement park all around to the average person. (That said I think people around the state need to give KD another shot these days if they are holding onto the old perceptions).
 
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horsesboy said:
They were telling us at the Scotland entrance as we were waiting for the rope drop there that DK wasn't open till 10:30.

It was blocked off at Nessie's entrance and wasn't going to open till 10:30 per the employee at the employee at the top of the stairs.

From m what we were told it was supposed to be Seasme opening at 10:00 and then everything through to the Entrance to San Marco 10:15 With everything else open at 10:30 We were standing in front of DK at 10:33 and looking at 150 minute wait no way that many people beat us there if they truly opened the area at 10:30 as they were saying.
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On preview days it opened at 10, I rode a few mornings and was done by 10:10. The official opening day I was there at opening and didnt have any delayed opening at diffrent lands.
 
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CoasterAuditor said:
I agree, the more quality details something has then the more likely it is to be more liked by the average person due to that subconscious enjoyment you are describing, it's why a game like Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is so special. It certainly contributes to my enjoyment of pretty much anything when I see passion and effort put into it, I'm sure that flows into others subconscious when they visit theme parks.

It's likely a major contributor to why most people tend to prefer BGW to KD in Virginia, the subconscious enjoyment of a European beer garden with roller coasters and shows is likely more appealing than the subconscious enjoyment of a more typical amusement park all around to the average person. (That said I think people around the state need to give KD another shot these days if they are holding onto the old perceptions).
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At times I feel both parks were neck to neck. BGW seems to be embarking in becoming more of a theme park than a regional amusement park. For what it's worth; the greater Washington Metropolitan gave KD theme park status because they preferred it more than Six Flags America, which only reached the status of local theme park to DC. KD was the treat that the DMV loved for so long. Now some of that title has been going to BGW because BGW is further enhancing the immersive experience and are catering to the thrill ride market. How many times did we argue in the WinterFest topic that the event was not geared towards coaster enthusiast. Well, BGW obviously thought different and kept Verbolten and Pantheon open. This year DarKoaster will be added, which gives the Washington Metropolitan region a reason to go.

Back on topic. I will be riding DarKoaster on June 4th. As usual YouTube videos can be deceiving than the actual ride experience. Yes, it is true that BGW chose a softer approach than most people expected. Could they have still entertained families with a more intense theme for DarKoaster? Yes. I feel most of the youth can handle a little intensity as we see many younger kids ride Verbolten. Can DarKoaster still be catered to thrill enthusiast in the near future? Yes. The SFX inside DarKoaster are decent but can easily be transitioned. If the park wanted to rev up the experience, the second ride-through could be tweaked to deliver a strong punch. As for the SFX, it's always easy to swap out old cracks of thunder for more intense ones.
 
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Finally rode on a second visit, not sure what to think. The coaster itself is pretty good but the theming is mostly just strange. There's a screen over the arch thing that just goes part of the way across the arch too obviously and the getting eaten at the end looks so grainy. What are the purple things above even supposed to be? If there's snow, shouldn't it be on the ground? Then the second pass with all the sensor lights.... The seat backs are uncomfortable under accel, and the handle bars too far away with the restraint, and you don't straddle anything, just your feet are in holes. It would be fun with loose restraint and holding on for life though!

THE FAKE ICE OUTSIDE NEEDS GLITTER. I was trying to figure out if it was fake or real bird poop. Please don't take that too much as a metaphor for the ride, I may end up deciding I like it as much as Verbolten.
 
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There’s a pretty big rumor going around on Facebook that someone fell off of it?
 
RollyCoaster said:
This isn’t the only post I’ve seen either. Hope it’s false.

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He is not a reliable source of info. Also I am currently sitting across the plaza from DK and staff keep saying they expect to reopen at some point. EVERYTHING I can see points to a prolonged mechanical problem and nothing more serious.
 
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It seems like the type of thing that would make it to the local news really quickly if it were true. I haven't heard any rumors about anything major happening yet either so... probably nothing?

If anyone knows what is up with the extended downtime though, feel free to reach out!
 
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rollercoastercoaster said:
Off topic to darkoaster, but I've noticed a ton of false rumors get spread in the BGW uncensored Facebook page, some started by their admin team and some their members. That's where I was seeing most of these person fell off rumors today too.
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More screenshots are always appreciated.

Is anyone claiming to actually KNOW anything first-hand or is it just second-hand rumors from Danny Biggerstaff spreading further?
 
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