Howdy gang,
Today I had a chance to venture up to BGW for my first trip in a pretty long time. It was a beautiful day in the park and the lines were extremely short, which I was more than happy to take advantage of.
Being the first weekend of park operation, I wasn't too surprised to encounter quite a few downtimes throughout the park. Invadr was closed for a while when I first went to ride it, which was a bummer as it is new since my last visit. Verbolten broke down while I was in line. They played one auto-spiel for the downtime that was only really audible in the station and difficult to hear from the queue, and no further information was given for the subsequent 20 minutes until the ride returned to operation. This is the same subpar guest service I experienced the last time I was at BGW, which was disappointing, but hopefully the crew will get better with more time in the season. The crew at Griffon did a great job keeping us apprised of the downtime when we got stuck on that later. I've always taken issue with ride operators not manually spieling downtimes, as was the case at my last visit, but given the experience at Griffon, it seems the issue is not parkwide at least.
The new trains on Loch Ness look fantastic. I'm glad they've done something, even if it isn't huge, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of one of the most historic rides in the world. Unfortunately, it feels like the ride gets rougher every time I get a chance to ride it, but what are you gonna do? We're lucky it's still so rideable as it is.
I was able to introduce some friends to Verbolten who had never ridden it before. I've found that it's one of my favorite things to ride Verbolten with someone who has no idea what they're in for. I know it isn't always the favorite ride of everyone around here as it took the place of the beloved BBW, but everyone I take on Verbolten just absolutely loves it. I really think BGW did a great job with this one, and while I didn't love the more modern theming at first, I don't really mind it anymore. It's a great unique attraction that perfectly fills a spot as a medium intensity ride in BGW's coaster lineup.
I did finally get a chance to get to Invadr in the afternoon. I'm still probably never going to be a fan of the name, but I am a fan of the ride. It definitely plugs a hole that BGW needed to have filled, and it's an enjoyable ride. It proves that a quality attraction doesn't have to be overstated. Good job on this one, BGW.
The other coaster I got to check out for the first time was Tempesto. I did not have a similar experience on this as on Invadr. Admittedly, I went into this with a negative feeling to begin with as I hate the fact that BGW installed a clone (and I'm sure I'm the only one around these parts to feel that way...) as well as its placement right on top of AC. I can't help but feel that the gaudy color scheme of Tempesto clashes with the complementary purple and yellow of Apollo, and it just looks so aesthetically displeasing. All in all, the ride was gimmicky and not great, and I can't imagine the capacity horrors on a busy day. I loathe such inefficient rides. I did, however, love the fact that they gave out fanny packs for loose articles. I've never seen this anywhere else with any other ride, and I'd love to see it implemented more as one, I love fanny packs, and two, it goes a long way in solving a consistently contentious issue between guests and team members. Nonetheless, Tempesto is decidedly my least favorite coaster BGW has to offer, and is a ride I will most likely be skipping on many future visits. I'd be hard pressed to rate it even 5 out of 10 for my taste.
Apollo's Chariot is still one of the greatest roller coasters in the world, but it really could use a paint job. Its haphazard juxtaposition to Tempesto's fresh teal and orange really makes it even more noticeable.
Griffon still features one of my favorite drops in the world, but what is up with that giant Coca-Cola advertisement painted on the ground outside of the station? Is this new, or am I just now seeing it because I haven't been in a while? Wow, I absolutely hate that. Nothing ruins the ambiance of a beautiful and well themed park quite like a 25 foot Coke bottle sprawled out in paint across the ground. I just don't get it, either. With lines being so short, I was easily able to ride Griffon five times today, and I didn't notice this shameless advertisement once from the top of the ride. I'm too busy looking straight down when I'm up there, not off to the right slightly. I hope this crap goes. Save that for Six Flags.
I'm really looking forward to what Battle for Eire has to offer, and my friends and I were bummed that it wasn't open, but that'll be for another visit. Another bummer was the empty DarKastle building, which really ought to be utilized in some way. It's very odd to have such an imposing piece of theming just sitting vacant.
All in all, it was a lovely day in the park, and I was so glad to be back at BGW. When the trees start to fill in as spring comes into its own, the park is going to look amazing as usual. BGW has upgraded its already impressive lineup of coasters since my last visit with Invadr and, although I didn't like it, Tempesto, as all of my friends enjoyed it. I still think BGW is easily the best regional theme park out there, and we're lucky to have it. Hopefully the park can shore up a few issues, deliver on Battle for Eire, and really deliver on whatever is going on with rumors of Project Madrid. I can't wait to go back.
Today I had a chance to venture up to BGW for my first trip in a pretty long time. It was a beautiful day in the park and the lines were extremely short, which I was more than happy to take advantage of.
Being the first weekend of park operation, I wasn't too surprised to encounter quite a few downtimes throughout the park. Invadr was closed for a while when I first went to ride it, which was a bummer as it is new since my last visit. Verbolten broke down while I was in line. They played one auto-spiel for the downtime that was only really audible in the station and difficult to hear from the queue, and no further information was given for the subsequent 20 minutes until the ride returned to operation. This is the same subpar guest service I experienced the last time I was at BGW, which was disappointing, but hopefully the crew will get better with more time in the season. The crew at Griffon did a great job keeping us apprised of the downtime when we got stuck on that later. I've always taken issue with ride operators not manually spieling downtimes, as was the case at my last visit, but given the experience at Griffon, it seems the issue is not parkwide at least.
The new trains on Loch Ness look fantastic. I'm glad they've done something, even if it isn't huge, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of one of the most historic rides in the world. Unfortunately, it feels like the ride gets rougher every time I get a chance to ride it, but what are you gonna do? We're lucky it's still so rideable as it is.
I was able to introduce some friends to Verbolten who had never ridden it before. I've found that it's one of my favorite things to ride Verbolten with someone who has no idea what they're in for. I know it isn't always the favorite ride of everyone around here as it took the place of the beloved BBW, but everyone I take on Verbolten just absolutely loves it. I really think BGW did a great job with this one, and while I didn't love the more modern theming at first, I don't really mind it anymore. It's a great unique attraction that perfectly fills a spot as a medium intensity ride in BGW's coaster lineup.
I did finally get a chance to get to Invadr in the afternoon. I'm still probably never going to be a fan of the name, but I am a fan of the ride. It definitely plugs a hole that BGW needed to have filled, and it's an enjoyable ride. It proves that a quality attraction doesn't have to be overstated. Good job on this one, BGW.
The other coaster I got to check out for the first time was Tempesto. I did not have a similar experience on this as on Invadr. Admittedly, I went into this with a negative feeling to begin with as I hate the fact that BGW installed a clone (and I'm sure I'm the only one around these parts to feel that way...) as well as its placement right on top of AC. I can't help but feel that the gaudy color scheme of Tempesto clashes with the complementary purple and yellow of Apollo, and it just looks so aesthetically displeasing. All in all, the ride was gimmicky and not great, and I can't imagine the capacity horrors on a busy day. I loathe such inefficient rides. I did, however, love the fact that they gave out fanny packs for loose articles. I've never seen this anywhere else with any other ride, and I'd love to see it implemented more as one, I love fanny packs, and two, it goes a long way in solving a consistently contentious issue between guests and team members. Nonetheless, Tempesto is decidedly my least favorite coaster BGW has to offer, and is a ride I will most likely be skipping on many future visits. I'd be hard pressed to rate it even 5 out of 10 for my taste.
Apollo's Chariot is still one of the greatest roller coasters in the world, but it really could use a paint job. Its haphazard juxtaposition to Tempesto's fresh teal and orange really makes it even more noticeable.
Griffon still features one of my favorite drops in the world, but what is up with that giant Coca-Cola advertisement painted on the ground outside of the station? Is this new, or am I just now seeing it because I haven't been in a while? Wow, I absolutely hate that. Nothing ruins the ambiance of a beautiful and well themed park quite like a 25 foot Coke bottle sprawled out in paint across the ground. I just don't get it, either. With lines being so short, I was easily able to ride Griffon five times today, and I didn't notice this shameless advertisement once from the top of the ride. I'm too busy looking straight down when I'm up there, not off to the right slightly. I hope this crap goes. Save that for Six Flags.
I'm really looking forward to what Battle for Eire has to offer, and my friends and I were bummed that it wasn't open, but that'll be for another visit. Another bummer was the empty DarKastle building, which really ought to be utilized in some way. It's very odd to have such an imposing piece of theming just sitting vacant.
All in all, it was a lovely day in the park, and I was so glad to be back at BGW. When the trees start to fill in as spring comes into its own, the park is going to look amazing as usual. BGW has upgraded its already impressive lineup of coasters since my last visit with Invadr and, although I didn't like it, Tempesto, as all of my friends enjoyed it. I still think BGW is easily the best regional theme park out there, and we're lucky to have it. Hopefully the park can shore up a few issues, deliver on Battle for Eire, and really deliver on whatever is going on with rumors of Project Madrid. I can't wait to go back.
