Yo! Okay, so I went down to BGW this past weekend and while not all of my pictures are here yet, I'll try to post as many as I can now! I'll break this down by ride/attraction/area as opposed to giving you guys a chronological order so y'all can just read the parts you can about. Here we go!
I went with one person who knows the park well and two others who have never been before (that's important later on!). Overall I had a really great time!
Photos at bottom of post. I will have more soon.
GRIFFON
First ride: First ride of the day! Front row! Amazing. We rode far right side. I usually prefer far left because the inversions are more intense, but this ride was really great ascending into the MCBR and around the turn after the splashdown. I definitely learned to appreciate this side of the ride.
Second ride: Rode back row and LOVED the first drop. Really whips you through the first drop. It was on this ride I realized that Griffon has magnetic brake fins on it and uses them right before each braking section. I didn't know that before! Rode far right again
Third ride: Front row, far right, last ride of the day. Came to the conclusion this is my favorite ride in the park. Anyone who calls this a parking lot coaster is totally wrong. It does a great job of using the mostly flat terrain left by Le Mans. The second inversion does a great job of using the ravine and the dive under the bridge is brilliant. The vines are also growing nicely.
The ride ops were very cool, especially a black dude for the later half of the day. One girl kept seeing "Nananana Goodbye!" over and over and over for every cycle. It was funny once or twice, but let some more people cycle through. All and all though, these ride ops definitely looked like they were enjoying their job
Alpengeist
Only rode this once. My two friends who havent been to the park before said it gave them a headache. They pretty much hated it and wouldn't ride it again. I effing loved it and thought it was smoother than I remember. Then again, we rode second row which I haven't done in a while. The ride ops were letting us wait in the 3rd row and then go to the 2nd making the row load very quickly. Not everyone knew to do it, but I was glad the ride ops let us.
Also, these ride ops looked like they hated their life.
DarKastle
Attempt 1: Broken down.
Attempt 2: Yay! Working! The preshow rooms seriously has some amazing acoustics...in the sense that it's deafening! None of us were a fan. My friends wanted to watch the video which you absolutely can't hear. I filled them in on the story before we rode. They were definitely surprised at the beginning when the ride rotated around to face the trees. And then....
SERIOUSLY BUSCH GARDENS I'M STARTING TO NOT LIKE YOU! The screen had to readjust and we saw it fix itself. This happened with every screen. The whole time. Why is this ride so hard to get to run properly?
The rising up effect definitely worked well. My friends thought we were actually going up. And then....
THEY HAD NO IDEA WHAT THE CRAP THE FIREPLACE WAS! They were very confused. They need to fix this effect. Like now. Does anyone know WHY this effect was removed?
So they liked the way the ride felt and had no idea what was going on. Ugh. It made me kind of pissed. Also, it looked like the cars were backed up at the end of the ride. They were unloading at one of the gates and not the other and we waited in front of that door for quite a while.
Europe In The Air
........Tear. This. Thing. Down. Now.
It's still super blurry.
Why didn't they fix the people in Stone Henge during the off season?
The projector projects ONTO the ride vehicle at multiple points.
EVERYONE felt sick afterwards and complained.
It does feel more intense.
I didn't smell anything at all. So much for that effect....
Apollo's Chariot
A ride op asked how tall Apollo's was and I screamed the right answer! (170ft tall) Was it you Griffonrox? I was trying to see who you were the whole time, but alas.....no one said hi...
I reaffirmed my love for this ride. It's a little rougher than I remember but had the longest lines all day (which was like 15min). We rode three times twice in second row (love waiting in 3rd row for 2nd row quick que emptiness). Not really much else to say here. You guys about this ride. It's still great.
Lochness Monster
Rode it twice. Yay! The new paintjob looks amazing.
Escape from Pompeii
Loaded fast. Waited 3rd row again, went into second. The fire ceiling was gone but this was a favorite with my friends. They thought it was really cool.
Why isn't the fire on the ceiling working? Grrr....that's my favorite part.
Also, there was a door open right before the drop so a lot of the ride's insides were visible before the drop. Kind of a mood killer.
Maypole Dance
We just happened upon this and they messed up not once, not twice, but like 3 or 4 times with one girl (who was the loudest and most flirtatious....and obviously drunk) made a very audible "oops" twice.
I dunno if that's what it was supposed to look like at the end, but it was fun to watch.
Also, this dance is an interpretive dance for an orgy. Watch it again. Just sayin.
Mach Tower
Wasn't testing. The ride vehicle has been taken off of the tower. I have pictures. Will post to Mach Tower thread once I retrieve the photos from my friend's camera.
Also, this thing sucks. It's super ugly. A total eyesore. it's not actually round, it's octogonal with so much crap on every side of it it hardly looks like an elegant May Pole. Maybe I'll like it more in the future and just have to get used to it...
I'll have more to say in the Mach Tower thread once I get the pictures.
Other Notes
I ventured back by Festhaus Park passing by two employees who didn't say anything to my friend and I (odd). We definitely shouldn't have been able to get back there. Anyways, there's a lot of rope for land clearing and even some footers still back there where the BBW once stood. I have pictures but have to wait to post them cuz they're on my friend's phone. I'll post to the 2012 coaster thread.
I think Sesame Street is actually kind of cute. They have a mini Mach Tower, mini Loch Ness, and mini Alpengeist. Come on guys. Despite the terribleness of the branding this is kind of adorable.
I went with one person who knows the park well and two others who have never been before (that's important later on!). Overall I had a really great time!
Photos at bottom of post. I will have more soon.
GRIFFON
First ride: First ride of the day! Front row! Amazing. We rode far right side. I usually prefer far left because the inversions are more intense, but this ride was really great ascending into the MCBR and around the turn after the splashdown. I definitely learned to appreciate this side of the ride.
Second ride: Rode back row and LOVED the first drop. Really whips you through the first drop. It was on this ride I realized that Griffon has magnetic brake fins on it and uses them right before each braking section. I didn't know that before! Rode far right again
Third ride: Front row, far right, last ride of the day. Came to the conclusion this is my favorite ride in the park. Anyone who calls this a parking lot coaster is totally wrong. It does a great job of using the mostly flat terrain left by Le Mans. The second inversion does a great job of using the ravine and the dive under the bridge is brilliant. The vines are also growing nicely.
The ride ops were very cool, especially a black dude for the later half of the day. One girl kept seeing "Nananana Goodbye!" over and over and over for every cycle. It was funny once or twice, but let some more people cycle through. All and all though, these ride ops definitely looked like they were enjoying their job
Alpengeist
Only rode this once. My two friends who havent been to the park before said it gave them a headache. They pretty much hated it and wouldn't ride it again. I effing loved it and thought it was smoother than I remember. Then again, we rode second row which I haven't done in a while. The ride ops were letting us wait in the 3rd row and then go to the 2nd making the row load very quickly. Not everyone knew to do it, but I was glad the ride ops let us.
Also, these ride ops looked like they hated their life.
DarKastle
Attempt 1: Broken down.
Attempt 2: Yay! Working! The preshow rooms seriously has some amazing acoustics...in the sense that it's deafening! None of us were a fan. My friends wanted to watch the video which you absolutely can't hear. I filled them in on the story before we rode. They were definitely surprised at the beginning when the ride rotated around to face the trees. And then....
SERIOUSLY BUSCH GARDENS I'M STARTING TO NOT LIKE YOU! The screen had to readjust and we saw it fix itself. This happened with every screen. The whole time. Why is this ride so hard to get to run properly?
The rising up effect definitely worked well. My friends thought we were actually going up. And then....
THEY HAD NO IDEA WHAT THE CRAP THE FIREPLACE WAS! They were very confused. They need to fix this effect. Like now. Does anyone know WHY this effect was removed?
So they liked the way the ride felt and had no idea what was going on. Ugh. It made me kind of pissed. Also, it looked like the cars were backed up at the end of the ride. They were unloading at one of the gates and not the other and we waited in front of that door for quite a while.
Europe In The Air
........Tear. This. Thing. Down. Now.
It's still super blurry.
Why didn't they fix the people in Stone Henge during the off season?
The projector projects ONTO the ride vehicle at multiple points.
EVERYONE felt sick afterwards and complained.
It does feel more intense.
I didn't smell anything at all. So much for that effect....
Apollo's Chariot
A ride op asked how tall Apollo's was and I screamed the right answer! (170ft tall) Was it you Griffonrox? I was trying to see who you were the whole time, but alas.....no one said hi...
I reaffirmed my love for this ride. It's a little rougher than I remember but had the longest lines all day (which was like 15min). We rode three times twice in second row (love waiting in 3rd row for 2nd row quick que emptiness). Not really much else to say here. You guys about this ride. It's still great.
Lochness Monster
Rode it twice. Yay! The new paintjob looks amazing.
Escape from Pompeii
Loaded fast. Waited 3rd row again, went into second. The fire ceiling was gone but this was a favorite with my friends. They thought it was really cool.
Why isn't the fire on the ceiling working? Grrr....that's my favorite part.
Also, there was a door open right before the drop so a lot of the ride's insides were visible before the drop. Kind of a mood killer.
Maypole Dance
We just happened upon this and they messed up not once, not twice, but like 3 or 4 times with one girl (who was the loudest and most flirtatious....and obviously drunk
) made a very audible "oops" twice. I dunno if that's what it was supposed to look like at the end, but it was fun to watch.
Also, this dance is an interpretive dance for an orgy. Watch it again. Just sayin.
Mach Tower
Wasn't testing. The ride vehicle has been taken off of the tower. I have pictures. Will post to Mach Tower thread once I retrieve the photos from my friend's camera.
Also, this thing sucks. It's super ugly. A total eyesore. it's not actually round, it's octogonal with so much crap on every side of it it hardly looks like an elegant May Pole. Maybe I'll like it more in the future and just have to get used to it...
I'll have more to say in the Mach Tower thread once I get the pictures.
Other Notes
I ventured back by Festhaus Park passing by two employees who didn't say anything to my friend and I (odd). We definitely shouldn't have been able to get back there. Anyways, there's a lot of rope for land clearing and even some footers still back there where the BBW once stood. I have pictures but have to wait to post them cuz they're on my friend's phone. I'll post to the 2012 coaster thread.
I think Sesame Street is actually kind of cute. They have a mini Mach Tower, mini Loch Ness, and mini Alpengeist. Come on guys. Despite the terribleness of the branding this is kind of adorable.
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