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.

 

[Jwanger93]

James county is currently review the permit for what looks like two equipment pads? Looks like they are doubling the maintenance shed size for some reason. Along with it stating that still require 60 Ornamental trees or 300 shurbs so maybe they will do more themeing in the off season ?

 

[Ultrasuede]

Oh my....

 

[nick]

Imagine the impact if each of us carried in one landscaping stone and started theming for them…

To beat a dead horse…should have named it after a single god, built a single statue, you walk through the god’s legs to get to the queue, and he’s wearing rubber duck underwear.

 

[Jwanger93]

I’m really more intrigued by the doubling of the maintenance shed, to explain it’s an expansion of the train storage shed just to the right of the final brake run. I always assume when they build coasters they just build them with enough train storage during the initial construction?

 

[Zachary]

Pantheon was severely budget cut during development. Essentially everything that wasn't critical to its initial operation was cut. This included any usable maintenance space, workshop, or even storage area. As I'm sure all of you know, Pantheon needs a lot of maintenance—and quite often too. These projects are all an effort to make that aspect of Pantheon a little less of a headache for the park.

I wouldn't expect much in the way of guest-facing changes in the immediate term.

 

[Jwanger93]

Pantheon was severely budget cut during development. Essentially everything that wasn't critical to its initial operation was cut. This included any usable maintenance space, workshop, or even storage area. As I'm sure all of you know, Pantheon needs a lot of maintenance—and quite often too. These projects are all an effort to make that aspect of Pantheon a little less of a headache for the park.

I wouldn't expect much in the way of guest-facing changes in the immediate term...

That’s crazy to me, not that I don’t believe you. To explain I work in construction. Them cutting corners during the initial construction to save money will likely end up costing them more money by the end of the project just due to the extra costs of being back in crews equipment supply’s to take on the job again.

 

[Zachary]

Oh, for sure. 2019 was like the apex of SEAS' short-term thinking period though. There are signs they're starting to try to pull out of some of that frame of mind now though thankfully.

 

[warfelg]

Oh, for sure. 2019 was like the apex of SEAS' short-term thinking period though. There are signs they're starting to try to pull out of some of that frame of mind now though thankfully.

Crazy to think with that, this started pre-COVID so it’s not like that can be an excuse.

 

[Zachary]

Crazy to think with that, this started pre-COVID so it’s not like that can be an excuse.

Bingo. COVID had nothing to do with Pantheon's hideous appearance. What they debuted in 2022 is what they requested to build in 2019. No more, no less. It was chainwide too—those planned-for-2020 additions all look like a blight on the land of their respective parks. That's far less true of more recent additions though thankfully.

Hopefully one day BGW will get funding to clean up the mess they made with Pantheon. The public reaction to, reception of, and return on investment from a certain other upcoming, already announced, thematic overhaul halfway across the park may influence those chances. Just some food for thought.

 

[warfelg]

Bingo. COVID had nothing to do with Pantheon's hideous appearance. What they debuted in 2022 is what they requested to build in 2019. No more, no less. It was chainwide too—those planned-for-2020 additions all look like a blight on the land of their respective parks. That's far less true of more recent additions though thankfully.

Hopefully one day BGW will get funding to clean up the mess they made with Pantheon. The public reaction to, reception of, and return on investment from a certain other upcoming, already announced, thematic overhaul halfway across the park may influence those chances. Just some food for thought.

It’s just wild. I get how far down SEAS has gone and taken BGW/T with it but man this is next level bad.

I do hope the reception to that is more than anticipated and it pushes thematic overhauls of Pantheon, Apollo, and Verbolten. All three of them need it bad.

 

[Jonesta6]

Considering AC never really had much in the way of theming which, to me, wasn't much of a detractor until they added Tempesto, what realistically could they add without it being tacky or too understated?

 

[warfelg]

Considering AC never really had much in the way of theming which, to me, wasn't much of a detractor until they added Tempesto, what realistically could they add without it being tacky or too understated?

I’ve posts this elsewhere but to me it’s simple:

Make the queue look like a Roman temple, give the posts Roman column flair, they could have a Chariot on the inside of the queue/turnaround. That’s my basic level.

Next level:
The overflow queue out front is themed to temple ruins. A few broken columns. A few supporting a roof that looks patchwork between stone and wood. Where the queue goes under the track it’s made to look like a hidden corner that’s a “magical gateway” into a beautiful garden area.

My story in the first on is you are at the celebration for Marco Polo in the ancient times and as part of the celebration Apollo is taking guests on a once in a lifetime journey across the Silk Road.

The story for the second one is Fiesta Italia is now a modern celebration of Marco Polo. As you tour the remains of a temple for Apollo you notice something in the corner, so you go to examine. As you get pulled through the portal to Apollos garden, he treats you to a journey on his chariot for still believing by finding the portal.

 

[Jonesta6]

I’ve posts this elsewhere but to me it’s simple:

Make the queue look like a Roman temple, give the posts Roman column flair, they could have a Chariot on the inside of the queue/turnaround. That’s my basic level.

Next level:
The overflow queue out front is themed to temple ruins. A few broken columns. A few supporting a roof that looks patchwork between stone and wood. Where the queue goes under the track it’s made to look like a hidden corner that’s a “magical gateway” into a beautiful garden area.

My story in the first on is you are at the celebration for Marco Polo in the ancient times and as part of the celebration Apollo is taking guests on a once in a lifetime journey across the Silk Road.

The story for the second one is Fiesta Italia is now a modern celebration of Marco Polo. As you tour the remains of a temple for Apollo you notice something in the corner, so you go to examine. As you get pulled through the portal to Apollos garden, he treats you to a journey on his chariot for still believing by finding the portal.

I know way off-topic, but that gives me Poseidon's Fury vibes.

Bringing that back to on-topic - is there a way to bridge that theme to the multi-gods theme of Pantheon?

 

[EdK]

They should go for broke and build a miniature replica of the Pantheon for the queue lines and the station. The first launch should be in a tunnel and the first inversion surrounded by ruins before going back into the building for the launches forward and back with some near misses from the structure. Having the launch and switch track hidden in a building would add some excitement.

 

[warfelg]

I know way off-topic, but that gives me Poseidon's Fury vibes.

Bringing that back to on-topic - is there a way to bridge that theme to the multi-gods theme of Pantheon?

I’d go a slightly different direction than @EdK :
Set up the queue to look like a beautiful garden with Roman columns, statues, and continually have the figure of Bacchus pop up. That’s because Bacchus has promised you a glass of wine from Jupiters private stash hidden at the center of the garden, which is atop Mt Olympus via a chariot. But as you exit the station the beautiful gardens give way to ruins as the gods have found out Bacchus’s scheme to have you steal their wine for him, so they cast you out of Olympus back to the entry gate.

 

[Mushroom]

I think the best example of how Pantheon’s theming should look is Wonder Woman Golden Lasso Coaster at Six Flags Fiesta Texas. When I visited SFFT at the beginning of the year, I was floored at how good Wonder Woman’s queue theming was, especially given that A) it’s a Six Flags park, and B) the coaster was built just a couple of years before Pantheon.

The temple queue felt like exactly what Pantheon should’ve had:




Short of a full temple, here’s how I’d fix Pantheon’s theming on a much tighter budget:

• Stucco the blue and brown fences around the queue to make them look more thematic and permanent. Let vines grow on them.
• Add some columns throughout the queue. They could use broken columns to cost-effectively give the impression we’re walking through what used to be a temple, now in ruins.
• Change the music from the generic movie trailer music to something more regal and intentional. The Apollo’s Chariot theme is a perfect example.
• Add larger, more congruent banners around the station walls and ceilings (any major changes to the station structure would probably be too expensive).
• Add an actual backstory, conveyed through signs like in the Wonder Woman queue. The little signs they have now — leftovers from Pantheon’s marketing announcement — just describe the ride’s elements, not a story.
• Add a small fountain or some design piece in the plaza near the ride entrance or exit.
• A few columns and ruins along the ride path. A near-miss or two would be the icing on the cake.

The above changes wouldn’t be perfect, but they’d make a huge difference over what we have now — and would at least give a respectable attempt at theming to an otherwise very respectable coaster.

 

[Nicole]

They should go for broke and build a miniature replica of the Pantheon for the queue lines and the station. The first launch should be in a tunnel and the first inversion surrounded by ruins before going back into the building for the launches forward and back with some near misses from the structure. Having the launch and switch track hidden in a building would add some excitement.

The coaster is themed to the pantheon of Greek/Roman gods, not Pantheon the building.

 

[Murphy]

The coaster is themed to the pantheon of Greek/Roman gods, not Pantheon the building.

Wouldn't that be exciting though?

New for 2020, 2021, 2022 A Church, The Ride

 

[mikes]

The coaster is themed to the pantheon of Greek/Roman gods, not Pantheon the building.

With the lack of theming, they can right this wrong easily

 

[rollercoastercoaster]

Has anyone ever gotten a Pantheon rollback (like on the passthrough that it isn't meant to rollback on)? If so how was it? I saw a video on YT of them intentionally doing it during testing before it opened, and it just basically stopped in the middle of the launch and restarted the whole launch sequence. Has this ever happened to anyone riding it?