In my comments about Expedition X of the way I feel parks should theme things I had just a brain explosion on an idea for BGW.
YEAR 1 -
Loop Pompeii's exit over to share a plaza with the entrance where Tours of Pompeii Gift Shop would also be located. In the old gift shops location would be a Chance Rides Unicoaster. This adds an extra thrill ride to the area to improve the feeling overall of the area. Over by where the train crossing is, I would take out some trees (I know this will be unpopular) and open up a Pompeii courtyard. Added into that space would be a food stand that would be a year round Amalfi Coast themed F&W stand.
Taking back BGW to hamlet naming, this area would become known as "Amalfi Coast" with the heavy look tilted to take on this look:
https://goo.gl/maps/91JvurahuXjieW8F9
YEAR 2 -
The major work here is to Festa Italia. The area gets refurbished from a theming aspect big time. And to 'blend' the contrasting themes (Roman gods and Marco Polo Celebration), Pantheon's, Apollo's, and Roman Rapids entrance plaza's all get fronts that make them look like roman period temples. Pantheon would get the look of the actual Pantheon complete with the outdoor plaza, giving a sense of place as entering. Apollo would get a "maze" of Roman columns partially erect, partially ruins to be a "portal" into a calming garden with a tribute to the arts (one of the things Apollo was a god of). This would all be between Tempesto Gifts (renamed Ambrosia Shops) and Roman Frieze. Roman Rapids would get renamed to R&R's River Adventure (for Romulus and Remus, the twin brother who started Rome). The outside would get a 'recreation' of the Roman Aqueducts and a statue of Neptune out front.
All other areas (like rides and gift shops) would get paint updates, new coverings, and a whole new just fresh festive looks to them.
YEAR 3 -
Year 3 becomes a big culinary year for the whole of Italy. Roman Rapids gifts gets overhauled to Marco's Trinkets, and expands from a ride specific shop to a general park store. La Cucina's menu gets changed and the area gets a Tea Garden like makeover where the whole theme is around Asian foods. I'm thinking a menu with Pad Thai, Ramen, and various dumplings. Marco Polo's spot then becomes more focused on traditional Italian dishes such as antipasti, pasta, and pizza's. The theater at Marco Polo would get a frosted glass "roof" that would be motorized and have fans. On hot days it can be opened and the fans turned on to move air, and on rain/cold days it can be enclosed to warm up the space. The openings would get cavaliered glass to do similar things.
YEAR 4 -
So in this plan we circle back to improving some ride experiences in the areas. Back to Amalfi Coast hamlet to add to the courtyard next to the Pompeii show building, this time putting in a family friendly flat ride to that space. This area is now better filled out with a moved shot for merchandise, 3 rides, a snack stand. The only thing that would finish filling this out is a filled out food option. In Festa Italia, Tempesto gets a new paint job and a new name. The track becomes gold, the supports brownish, the trains given an old wagon makeover. The name getting changed over to "Silk Road Express" playing on the road travelled by Marco Polo to and from the Far East. Da Vinci's Cradle site finally gets it's much needed replacement with a Zamperla Mega Disk'o, going in the green space between the Marco Polo backstage and the access road, with the access road being repaved to look like part of the garden. Meanwhile Cradle's actual site gets replaced with a Zamperla Super AirRace model.
YEAR 5 -
Year 5 is the final year of the Italy overhaul. Show updates is the plan here with other small updates. San Marco becomes Tuscany with making sure that Da Vinci's garden is integrated into the area. Bel Concertino stays with just a refresh to blend it some with the old Mix It Up show at times in the how. The Festa Italia area would get a "roaming" show of a band that comes out playing musics of different styles along the Silk Road. Amalfi Coast is the one area that does not get a show.
OVERALL THEME/STORY TO EACH "NEW" HAMLET
Amalfi Coast - Amalfi coast is a more modern hamlet set in the early 1900's. Featuring fresh southern Italian cuisine and the feel of a Mediterranean coast. Escape from Pompeii takes you through the ruins of a lost city, but beware as Mount Vesuvius might not be done exacting it's toll! Amalfi Cliff Diving is a new small high thrill Chance Rides Unicoaster. Be as daring as you chose to be flipping out over the cliffs of the Amalfi Coast.
Festa Italia - Join the celebration in 1300 Rome as Marco Polo brings back exotic goods to the seat of Italy from the Far East. From dizzying turns, high launching paths, and exotic foods; enjoy all Marco Polo has to offer. But beware going into the ancient temples of the Roman Gods as you never know where you will be transported and when they chose to do it. The Pantheon of Gods, Apollo, and Romulus and Remus may no yet be done with Rome if one dares to go into the wrong places.
Tuscany - Take a stroll in 1550's through charming Tuscany. Come see Leonardo da Vinci's garden as the revered inventors drawings have come to life. See his inventions of war and drawings of flight. And stroll through the town square to shop and eat some of the finest that Tuscany has to offer. Enjoy fresh pasta and gelato in the wonderful countryside while taking in the sounds of the band.
Anywho, that's my Italy overhaul concept. Brings some cohesion to the different areas. Even used some of the story to blend seemingly competing ideas that clash on the surface. I tried to do much more with moving some pathways and staging roads around some, but without a good photoshop like tool I found it hard to really give a good picture of what I was imagining.
YEAR 1 -
Loop Pompeii's exit over to share a plaza with the entrance where Tours of Pompeii Gift Shop would also be located. In the old gift shops location would be a Chance Rides Unicoaster. This adds an extra thrill ride to the area to improve the feeling overall of the area. Over by where the train crossing is, I would take out some trees (I know this will be unpopular) and open up a Pompeii courtyard. Added into that space would be a food stand that would be a year round Amalfi Coast themed F&W stand.
Taking back BGW to hamlet naming, this area would become known as "Amalfi Coast" with the heavy look tilted to take on this look:
https://goo.gl/maps/91JvurahuXjieW8F9
YEAR 2 -
The major work here is to Festa Italia. The area gets refurbished from a theming aspect big time. And to 'blend' the contrasting themes (Roman gods and Marco Polo Celebration), Pantheon's, Apollo's, and Roman Rapids entrance plaza's all get fronts that make them look like roman period temples. Pantheon would get the look of the actual Pantheon complete with the outdoor plaza, giving a sense of place as entering. Apollo would get a "maze" of Roman columns partially erect, partially ruins to be a "portal" into a calming garden with a tribute to the arts (one of the things Apollo was a god of). This would all be between Tempesto Gifts (renamed Ambrosia Shops) and Roman Frieze. Roman Rapids would get renamed to R&R's River Adventure (for Romulus and Remus, the twin brother who started Rome). The outside would get a 'recreation' of the Roman Aqueducts and a statue of Neptune out front.
All other areas (like rides and gift shops) would get paint updates, new coverings, and a whole new just fresh festive looks to them.
YEAR 3 -
Year 3 becomes a big culinary year for the whole of Italy. Roman Rapids gifts gets overhauled to Marco's Trinkets, and expands from a ride specific shop to a general park store. La Cucina's menu gets changed and the area gets a Tea Garden like makeover where the whole theme is around Asian foods. I'm thinking a menu with Pad Thai, Ramen, and various dumplings. Marco Polo's spot then becomes more focused on traditional Italian dishes such as antipasti, pasta, and pizza's. The theater at Marco Polo would get a frosted glass "roof" that would be motorized and have fans. On hot days it can be opened and the fans turned on to move air, and on rain/cold days it can be enclosed to warm up the space. The openings would get cavaliered glass to do similar things.
YEAR 4 -
So in this plan we circle back to improving some ride experiences in the areas. Back to Amalfi Coast hamlet to add to the courtyard next to the Pompeii show building, this time putting in a family friendly flat ride to that space. This area is now better filled out with a moved shot for merchandise, 3 rides, a snack stand. The only thing that would finish filling this out is a filled out food option. In Festa Italia, Tempesto gets a new paint job and a new name. The track becomes gold, the supports brownish, the trains given an old wagon makeover. The name getting changed over to "Silk Road Express" playing on the road travelled by Marco Polo to and from the Far East. Da Vinci's Cradle site finally gets it's much needed replacement with a Zamperla Mega Disk'o, going in the green space between the Marco Polo backstage and the access road, with the access road being repaved to look like part of the garden. Meanwhile Cradle's actual site gets replaced with a Zamperla Super AirRace model.
YEAR 5 -
Year 5 is the final year of the Italy overhaul. Show updates is the plan here with other small updates. San Marco becomes Tuscany with making sure that Da Vinci's garden is integrated into the area. Bel Concertino stays with just a refresh to blend it some with the old Mix It Up show at times in the how. The Festa Italia area would get a "roaming" show of a band that comes out playing musics of different styles along the Silk Road. Amalfi Coast is the one area that does not get a show.
OVERALL THEME/STORY TO EACH "NEW" HAMLET
Amalfi Coast - Amalfi coast is a more modern hamlet set in the early 1900's. Featuring fresh southern Italian cuisine and the feel of a Mediterranean coast. Escape from Pompeii takes you through the ruins of a lost city, but beware as Mount Vesuvius might not be done exacting it's toll! Amalfi Cliff Diving is a new small high thrill Chance Rides Unicoaster. Be as daring as you chose to be flipping out over the cliffs of the Amalfi Coast.
Festa Italia - Join the celebration in 1300 Rome as Marco Polo brings back exotic goods to the seat of Italy from the Far East. From dizzying turns, high launching paths, and exotic foods; enjoy all Marco Polo has to offer. But beware going into the ancient temples of the Roman Gods as you never know where you will be transported and when they chose to do it. The Pantheon of Gods, Apollo, and Romulus and Remus may no yet be done with Rome if one dares to go into the wrong places.
Tuscany - Take a stroll in 1550's through charming Tuscany. Come see Leonardo da Vinci's garden as the revered inventors drawings have come to life. See his inventions of war and drawings of flight. And stroll through the town square to shop and eat some of the finest that Tuscany has to offer. Enjoy fresh pasta and gelato in the wonderful countryside while taking in the sounds of the band.
Anywho, that's my Italy overhaul concept. Brings some cohesion to the different areas. Even used some of the story to blend seemingly competing ideas that clash on the surface. I tried to do much more with moving some pathways and staging roads around some, but without a good photoshop like tool I found it hard to really give a good picture of what I was imagining.
