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.

 

[Lord Robert]

I've always imagined a re-theme and experience based on the myth of the Minotaur's Labyrinth. The name "The Minotaur" would fit right at home with Lochness Monster, Alpengeist, Griffon, etc.

 

[Mushroom]

They should theme it to the famed 1st century Roman archer Tiberius Julius Abdes Pantera.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you: Panterian.

 

[Ultrasuede]

Wait, Apollo has a story? I always thought it was just duck if you see a goose...

 

[harry580]

Wait, Apollo has a story? I always thought it was just duck if you see a goose...

well, apollo is a African grey parrot so...

 

[filter]

While the narrative and theming are interesting proposals. I really wish they would scrap the roman named gods and go Greek (names are more well known) , move the battering ram into the area and theme it to Odysseus’s ship, maybe add a Greek food stand and another flat (relocate the cows for space and some of the infield of Pantheon) and move forward with the Italian gardens survey concept in the garden of invention.

 

[warfelg]

Ok, @Zachary heres my attempt at a better story, but I will say I used the interns models and renovation as inspiration.

First off: the 5 Roman god concept is gone. No longer is that there. This is about a battle between Jupiter and Pluto. I find it kinda strange Apollo is represented twice basically.

The ride gets the new tagline that BGW is fond of:
Pantheon: Plutos Invasion

The story goes:
To celebrate the travels of Marco Polo (what Fiesta Italia is based on) Jupiter has decided to invite distinguished members of the Roman Empire on a one time tour of the gods gardens.

Vulcan has built a special mechanical sleigh that can carry and protect mortals from the travel to go to the Pantheon to tour their gardens.

As you board your sleigh Zues takes you on a fun frolicking tour of the gardens (launch 1 through the switch track). But something sinister is lurking.

As you hit the switch track Pluto arises, hungry for all the souls he lost when Marco Polos travels failed to be attacked. Jupiter tries to push you away (forward launch, tunnel over launch has white lighting effects), but Pluto pulls you back (backwards launch with now blue lighting effects), then Jupiter saves you from Pluto (hangtime on spike), and pulls you forward with a mighty heave (start of last launch). As soon as you thing you escape, a strike of red crosses the sky (lighting change to red) and Pluto redirects your sleigh towards the underworld.

As you start flying through your trip Jupiter saves you multiple times (top hat decent, outer banked turn, the roll) from plunging into the depths of Plutos realm. With one final pull through a lightning portal (head chopper element) Jupiter pulled you to safety. Before you are able to return to the land of the mortals, Jupiter puts you through one last portal (stall) to wipe your memory of the warring gods and make you forget all about the battle of the gods.

What I like is that it could use all the theme elements put forth by those interns, but it pares down the story.

The only additional work I would include is sprucing up the queue and adding elements that seem a bit sinister like open portal with steam and rumbles. Along the track putting speakers with music, sound effects and even short blurbs of sayings.

 

[Zachary]

You can't convey any of that on the ride. You can include elements you can retroactively point to as evidence of your story, but you cannot actually convey a story like that to riders.

Anyone can understand Apollo by way of its name and dispatch audio despite zero theming. You're riding Apollo's chariot. Easy.

Anyone can grasp the basics of Alpie thanks to the architecture, a little prop work, and some skis strapped to the trains. It's an out-of-control ski lift. Nailed it.

Loch Ness Monster. You're searching for Nessie. That was evident from the queue both pre- and post-renovation. No problem.

Pantheon. It's... a collection of gods...? How do you ride a collection of gods? Different parts of the layout represent different gods...? How? Why? It's senseless. I need to read multiple Wikipedia pages to even remember who these gods are.

I have yet to see anyone come up with a couple-word-long justification/explanation/setting/story/theme/whatever for Pantheon. Everything is so convoluted and, on an outdoor, fast-paced coaster, there's just no reasonable way to convey any complex thoughts to riders. I'd argue this is what BGW got super wrong with Wolf's Revenge, for the record. The original ride was super straightforward. You're the Big Bad Wolf terrorizing the village. Maybe that's the idea behind Wolf's Revenge too? But it's far less clear in my opinion if so.

I just hate it when parks fall into the trap of believing that when people say they want theming and stories that means they need to write a multi-paragraph story and somehow tell that story to guests. It's cool when rides have lore, but outdoor thrill rides like Pantheon need a strong, basic, straightforward concept you can explain to someone in 5 words LONG before they need in-depth lore.

 

[warfelg]

So basically incredibly dumbed down? Because I feel like your asking for a very small needle hole to be threaded.

Pantheon: Garden of the gods

Ride a special chariot designed by Vulcan to tour the gardens of the gods.

FWIW I think you can solve the problem of telling to story by using the station. Have a video of an actor playing Jupiter greeting you, saying he’s taking you on a tour but beware his brother Pluto, he believes he’s owed a debt.

 

[Zachary]

So basically incredibly dumbed down?

The basic concept should be kindergarten-level, yeah.

It's possible that, with a name like Pantheon, it's already impossible to pull off for the record. The percentage of guests who think they know what the pantheon is is almost certainly small. The number guests who think they know what the pantheon is but also think it's a famous building (The Parthenon) is a significant portion of that small subset. Even for the people who do know that the pantheon is the collected group of classical gods and goddesses are left wonder what the hell a coaster has to do with a group of people.

Even if you look at poor recent BGW coaster names like InvadR, InvadR is still conveying something about the ride—it's an invasion—a battle—there is action, activity, and excitement conveyed there. Prop work communicates a viking theme. Put it together, InvadR = viking invasion. DarKoaster—it's dark/spooky/sinister. You enter a castle in the queue. Eventually you see ghostly Ludwig dude come to life in the queue. It's a spooky-ghost-haunted-castle coaster.

Pantheon is literally just a group of beings. At best it provides nothing and at worst it confuses people.

 

[warfelg]

So my takeaway here is just rename the ride. I know when the rides name was figured out a lot of people bashed it for being named after a building. Maybe a rename would come from trying to theme it/tell a story.

I just personally don’t think it’s as challenging as you’re stating.

 

[metalman]

The Pantheon in Rome is a Catholic Church now. Maybe the story can go that route.

 

[MrBradferd]

This thing is still on 1 train man, Unbelievable. It went through the whole spring break on 1 train? Is that normal since the ride came out?

 

[SixFlagsIssues]

Even KD is doing better with their intamin

 

[MrBradferd]

Even KD is doing better with their intamin

Havent been to busch in a month and the 2nd train is still in the same state it was then LOL

 

[horsesboy]

This thing is still on 1 train man, Unbelievable. It went through the whole spring break on 1 train? Is that normal since the ride came out?

Even KD is doing better with their intamin

Year round operation with a maintenance staff that really hasn't grown from when the park was completely closed for months are going to equal longer one train runs to allow for tear down. This is especially true Pantheon as corporate didn't budget for a proper maintenance bay when it was built.

 

[MrBradferd]

Year round operation with a maintenance staff that really hasn't grown from when the park was completely closed for months are going to equal longer one train runs to allow for tear down. This is especially true Pantheon as corporate didn't budget for a proper maintenance bay when it was built.

I mean I get the excuse but its still bullshit and should never happen. 0 logical reason you don't have rides up fully by spring break crowd time. Apollo/alpen have way better capacity on 1 train than something like pantheon. Focus on pantheon 1st

 

[Irishlad]

I mean I get the excuse but it’s still bullshit and should never happen. 0 logical reason you don't have rides up fully by spring break crowd time. Apollo/alpen have way better capacity on 1 train than something like pantheon. Focus on pantheon 1st

Reiterating horseboy, other coasters have proper maintenance bays allowing them to do work in the weather during the winter. Pantheon does not thanks to United parks.

 

[MrBradferd]

Reiterating horseboy, other coasters have proper maintenance bays allowing them to do work in the weather during the winter. Pantheon does not thanks to United parks.

I don't really buy that as a reason. I just don't. It doesn't get so cold in VA that should be a major concern. Run some bullet heaters or something. Tennessee tornado had some set up last week in its maintenance shed. Does busch have some sort of work policy about working in the cold? Painters are out there in the off season constantly

 

[Zachary]

United doesn't budget enough to pay maintenance a competitive wage so maintenance is perpetually short-staffed. BGW not having rides ready to run at full capacity for spring break is a financial choice made by corporate.

 

[MrBradferd]

United doesn't budget enough to pay maintenance a competitive wage so maintenance is perpetually short-staffed. BGW not having rides ready to run at full capacity for spring break is a financial choice made by corporate.

There we go. That was the answer I was looking for. Meanwhile pantherian is on 2 trains now and that maintence doesn't even have a single form of roof