Pantheon

Manufacturer

Intamin Amusement Rides

Model

LSM Launch Coaster

Hamlet

Festa Italia (Italy)

Opening Date

March 25th, 2022

Tallest Drop

180ft

Max Height

178ft

Top Speed

73mph

Inversion Count

2

Launches Advertised

4

Launch Segments

3

Launches Experienced

7

Riders Per Train

20

Number of Trains

2

Height Requirement

52–76in

Pantheon is an Intamin-made LSM Launch Coaster that debuted at Busch Gardens Williamsburg on March 25th, 2022.

 

[mikes]

They already hit high capacity for Christmas Town. They don't need to deal with Pantheon to achieve their goals for the event.

Not to attract crowds no, but another queue to eat up guests would be very welcomed.

 

[Icer]

From a guest experience perspective yes, but I think SEAS has demonstrated time and time again they simply don't care about that. Once you're in the gate, only thing they want you spending time in is a restaurant so you spend money.

Once they get business analytics showing how a higher guest experience results in longer duration of stay resulting in higher restaurant sales, then expect some expansions to the people eaters / time consumers during CT. Until then, they will always act like an ostrich in the sand.

 

[Zachary]

Pantheon is closed by the time the temperature hits 40 so it certainly wouldn't run any longer than any other BGW coaster in cold weather.

Like @Ice, I'd be very surprised to see Pantheon operate for CMT—especially if it remains as difficult as it has been to keep the thing running reliably. BGW would almost certainly rather open a rock solid B&M that they don't have to worry about shrinking their park capacity randomly throughout the day.

 

[I305Evan]

It would probably be wise for the park to take time during the offseason to try to eliminate some of the restraint issues by doing a full tear down.

 

[MikeLovesKD]

Well I would sure love a blessing from Jupiter himself. Something about the Roman god theme that actually sets the mood for this ride. But only when riding it at night time. Imagine Pantheon actually being a sacred roller coaster that was not always accessible to us. Then one day the gods brought it down to our plane of existence. Not knowing what it did, someone pressed the button and activated some sort of challenge sequence. Riders discovered it was another level of thrill that we didn't know existed.

As we discovered a few post back; the ride can actually whip riders over the horse shoe. What does that mean for the backwards launch up the spike?

What powers do the gods really have? 🌩

 

[Franco]

I finally got out to ride this one this weekend. Having already ridden Velocicoaster last year, I prepared myself for this to be just sort of a lighter version of that ride, but I was surprised to find that this wasn't actually true. While Pantheon is still not on the level of VC, it is a great ride nonetheless, and it has some unique elements of its own. In particular, I loved the backwards launch over the bunny hill. I got some great air on it, and that's an element I've never experienced before. This is certainly a top-tier ride for BGW, and it's an excellent addition to the lineup.

I was disappointed in the lack of theming, but what most disappointed me was the queue. I think this is the worst queue in the park for a number of reasons, and I just don't expect that from the newest ride. There's no shade anywhere, and that was terrible on a hot day. The queue is really boring aside from providing a good view of the first half of the ride. The station is bland and still very hot itself. Most of the queue was oddly quiet, and that's weird for such a great theme park ride, especially a brand new one. The crew lacked a lot of energy, but I can't say I blame them. This station would be terrible to work in, especially when the park has multiple other coasters with air conditioned operating booths. Considering that the ride just sat here pretty much all of last year, I'm not in love with the theming and queue environment. BGW needs to do better here.

Regardless, this is still a great ride, and I will be looking forward to coming back and experiencing this again. I did notice a greater amount of people on this ride not being able to be accommodated by the restraints. Some of these people didn't even seem all that big, so I'm sure that was an unwelcome surprise for them. At the very least, I think Busch could move the test seat to a better spot to prevent people from standing in the sun for an hour before getting booted from the ride.

 

[MikeLovesKD]

I finally got out to ride this one this weekend. Having already ridden Velocicoaster last year, I prepared myself for this to be just sort of a lighter version of that ride, but I was surprised to find that this wasn't actually true. While Pantheon is still not on the level of VC, it is a great ride nonetheless, and it has some unique elements of its own. In particular, I loved the backwards launch over the bunny hill. I got some great air on it, and that's an element I've never experienced before. This is certainly a top-tier ride for BGW, and it's an excellent addition to the lineup.

I was disappointed in the lack of theming, but what most disappointed me was the queue. I think this is the worst queue in the park for a number of reasons, and I just don't expect that from the newest ride. There's no shade anywhere, and that was terrible on a hot day. The queue is really boring aside from providing a good view of the first half of the ride. The station is bland and still very hot itself. Most of the queue was oddly quiet, and that's weird for such a great theme park ride, especially a brand new one. The crew lacked a lot of energy, but I can't say I blame them. This station would be terrible to work in, especially when the park has multiple other coasters with air conditioned operating booths. Considering that the ride just sat here pretty much all of last year, I'm not in love with the theming and queue environment. BGW needs to do better here.

Regardless, this is still a great ride, and I will be looking forward to coming back and experiencing this again. I did notice a greater amount of people on this ride not being able to be accommodated by the restraints. Some of these people didn't even seem all that big, so I'm sure that was an unwelcome surprise for them. At the very least, I think Busch could move the test seat to a better spot to prevent people from standing in the sun for an hour before getting booted from the ride.

As for it not being on the level as VC; I'd say that it's not suppose to. The interesting this about the Intamin Blitz/multi-launch coasters is that they are designed to the preference of the buyer. So none of the ride courses are going to be the same. So it's worth the travel. VC does not have a backwards element, so Pantheon is unique in it's own way. Judging this; I find it very cool how intense Pantheon is, in the small amount of space it covers. To be exact, Pantheon only uses the same amount of space as a Home Depot or Lowes parking lot. Amazing; right?

As for theme. There are a variety of factors that could have came into play? When was Pantheon originally purchased? Remember; there was an world pandemic at the time. Social distancing may have prevented further development of theme installation. So the park probably did what was simple. As we all know, this ride's line seems to get crowded at night time. People enjoy the launch element in a dark environment, which is why I think people disregard the lack of theme for the ride.

I was there yesterday evening and did one round of the park. Managed to get one good night ride on Pantheon before they closed the line. My further analysis on this ride is that it doesn't have to be tall in order to pack a punch.

 

[mikes]

As for it not being on the level as VC; I'd say that it's not suppose to. The interesting this about the Intamin Blitz/multi-launch coasters is that they are designed to the preference of the buyer. So none of the ride courses are going to be the same. So it's worth the travel. VC does not have a backwards element, so Pantheon is unique in it's own way. Judging this; I find it very cool how intense Pantheon is, in the small amount of space it covers. To be exact, Pantheon only uses the same amount of space as a Home Depot or Lowes parking lot. Amazing; right?

As for theme. There are a variety of factors that could have came into play? When was Pantheon originally purchased? Remember; there was an world pandemic at the time. Social distancing may have prevented further development of theme installation. So the park probably did what was simple. As we all know, this ride's line seems to get crowded at night time. People enjoy the launch element in a dark environment, which is why I think people disregard the lack of theme for the ride.

I was there yesterday evening and did one round of the park. Managed to get one good night ride on Pantheon before they closed the line. My further analysis on this ride is that it doesn't have to be tall in order to pack a punch.

The ride was slated to have very little theming, the pandemic had nothing to do with this. This was known from the media preview day during late construction prior to covid.

 

[Riboflavenus]

I'm not really a fan of non-circuitous coasters. I don't know why. I thought maybe Pantheon would cure that. It did not.

 

[MikeLovesKD]

I'm not really a fan of non-circuitous coasters. I don't know why. I thought maybe Pantheon would cure that. It did not.

What type of theme do you all want? I think it's pretty cool if you ride it at night time. The theme of the coaster is suppose to be a challenge from the Roman gods? Right? Did you want more station theme or statues of each god in the queue area? Maybe the station could have taken on a Roman style temple and the first launch could have had some sort of spiel that plays as the train approaches the LSM? Whatever it is, it would have to be quick because the ride does not cover much space. So the only other option is night time theme. The ride currently has dimly lit neon lights. I don't like too much light pollution because you can't really enjoy the night time theme if there is too much light.

Given the current reviews on the ride, I doubt they will add any new theme right now. People are currently happy with it.

 

[Jonesta6]

I don't think special lights or audio cues make a whole lot of sense, though a custom ride soundtrack would be cool.

Statues, ruins, Roman columns, etc that make you feel like you're not in the middle of a former pasture would be a good start.

As far as @Riboflavenus comment about non-circuitous... Care to elaborate? This ride isn't a shuttle coaster though the swing launch does give it an element of one.

 

[Nibbins]

What type of theme do you all want? I think it's pretty cool if you ride it at night time. The theme of the coaster is suppose to be a challenge from the Roman gods? Right? Did you want more station theme or statues of each god in the queue area? Maybe the station could have taken on a Roman style temple and the first launch could have had some sort of spiel that plays as the train approaches the LSM? Whatever it is, it would have to be quick because the ride does not cover much space.

There is plenty of theming that could have done fairly easily. The Statues that you mention actually sound awesome for the station or queue.
Just a few toppled over roman style columns in the open grass area in the center of the ride would have been a nice touch that would cost barely anything.

The queue line literally looks like the easement of my townhome right now.

 

[halfabee]

I think it would be great if the ride stopped completely on the swing launch for a few moments, so riders could be accosted by a snarling centaur animatronic.

 

[Nicole]

In my opinion (as I've said before) theming needs to be more than decorations. It needs to be immersive and convey a sense of time and place. There needs to be story telling and world building.

Statues and music are a great start, but a well themed attraction isn't a stage with a few props on it. The entire space needs to be transformed to make a guest feel as if he or she is in (in this case) ancient Greece/Rome interacting with the gods. All of the textures, architectures grounds, paints, etc should feel like a city from classical times. The soundtrack should include music and syntax from that era, as well.

More importantly, there needs to be a coherent, all-encompassing, and understandable story. There should be a logical reason built into the narrative to explain why the guest has been transported back to the classical era and what the ride has to do with that experience. The ride should be an extension of the story and theming should support the narrative.

Also, to underscore what @mikes said above, Pantheon long predates COVID. Even the most conservative estimate puts its early stages in July 2019 (https://bgwfans.com/pantheon/). That said, we started leaking Project 2020 (because it was due to OPEN in 2020, it wasn't being designed then) as early as March 2019 (https://bgwfans.com/2019/project-2020-revealed/). And Project Madrid, which was Pantheon's predecessor, was being tracked as early as 2017 (https://bgwfans.com/project-madrid/).

So, no. They do not get the COVID pass for their complete lack of effort. In fact, at the media event -- long before COVID -- they made it clear that extensive theming was not in the plan.

 

[warfelg]

They could at least do posts designed to look like Roman/Greek posts with a screen over the path and misting fans.

They could even say they are Jupiter and Neptunes gifts to the mere mortals who choose to visit them.

 

[AIR]

In my honest opinion, I think that the idea of several Roman gods as a "theme" was a bad idea, especially since they tried to label different parts of the track as "gods" and failed at making that obvious.

Apollo's Chariot quite frankly has no theming but the way the track moves up and down in camelbacks like the sun was likely part of why the god, Apollo, was chosen as the theme even though there really is no physical props or theming at all. I believe that's what they were going for here on Pantheon but it just doesn't make sense without a map. Most of the rides at BGW you can sum up the theme with a couple sentences or at most a paragraph. It's not meant to be elaborate compared to something like the rides at Alton Towers.

I really think that Panthon doesn't need theming. It needs guest interaction. There needs to be access for guests to walk around the ride, and with that, buildings and paths will make the ride seem less baren. It genuinely feels like you're walking out of the park and into backstage to ride Pantheon. It was just not attempted at all to meld it into BGW even though the ride layout is incredible.

 

[Mushroom]

Apollo's Chariot quite frankly has no theming but the way the track moves up and down in camelbacks like the sun was likely part of why the god, Apollo, was chosen as the theme even though there really is no physical props or theming at all. I believe that's what they were going for here on Pantheon but it just doesn't make sense without a map. Most of the rides at BGW you can sum up the theme with a couple sentences or at most a paragraph. It's not meant to be elaborate compared to something like the rides at Alton Towers.

I totally agree. For me, a great ride needs to spark the imagination. There should be a plausible reason for why I’m strapped into a car careening around a track and how it makes me part of the story. Griffon is another good example. Its physical “theming” is fairly sparse, but its backstory gives you a purpose and a role for your mind to latch onto. The train is the griffin, and you’re riding through the sky above the rooftops of France on its wings. It’s simple, easy to understand, and while you’re riding, you can really pretend you’re riding on a griffin.

The problem with Pantheon is they’ve given us characters (sort of) but no purpose. We know the different parts of the layout represent different gods, but why are we careening around it? If they’d just given us some sort of backstory to answer that question, the ride would be much easier to swallow. Are we on some ancient machine that gives us the power of the gods? Have we been swept up into some sort of mythical force?

It’s the same problem I have with Finnegan’s Flyer. I wish there were just a couple of signs in the queue, maybe with some illustrations of blueprints, explaining that the Flyer is some wacky invention by Killarney’s eccentric inventor, Finnegan. But there is no such backstory. The ride is presented as just that: a ride, a hulk of metal (and poorly painted rocks) that you ride on for fun.

Literally just a tiny bit of creativity is all the park needed to make Pantheon at least have a worthy storyline for the park, but apparently even that was too much to ask. It’s nothing more than a fun piece of steel with a cool name.

 

[AIR]

It’s the same problem I have with Finnegan’s Flyer. I wish there were just a couple of signs in the queue, maybe with some illustrations of blueprints, explaining that the Flyer is some wacky invention by Killarney’s eccentric inventor, Finnegan. But there is no such backstory. The ride is presented as just that: a ride, a hulk of metal (and poorly painted rocks) that you ride on for fun.

I like to think the character Finnegan is "Tony Finnegan who lights the gas lamps" in Celtic Fyre. I may have heard that wrong and that might not be his name but nonetheless I like to make a connection. But you're right there's still no reason at all.

I can absolutely envision Pantheon as part of classic BGW but it would take a lot of work. And, that goes for most of these more modern additions post-Verbolten. That is a shame in my opinion. Attractions, especially at Busch Gardens, definitely had that special feel of being designed to be a perfect fit. Over the past ten years I just haven't been seeing that.

 

[horsesboy]

I like to think the character Finnegan is "Tony Finnegan who lights the gas lamps" in Celtic Fyre. I may have heard that wrong and that might not be his name but nonetheless I like to make a connection. But you're right there's still no reason at all.

I can absolutely envision Pantheon as part of classic BGW but it would take a lot of work. And, that goes for most of these more modern additions post-Verbolten. That is a shame in my opinion. Attractions, especially at Busch Gardens, definitely had that special feel of being designed to be a perfect fit. Over the past ten years I just haven't been seeing that.

It's actually Tommy Flanagan that lights the gas lamps the only reference to Finnigan if Finnigan's wake.

 

[Icer]

Yeah Phoenix Park alone has 190 lamps. Imagine doing that while drunk for 57 years. In DUBLIN.