Project 2021/Drachen Spire: Intamin Multi-Launch Shuttle Giga Coaster [Cancelled]

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General Information:​

"Project Drachen Spire," is a community-generated identifier for the Intamin-made, multi-launch, shuttle giga coaster that was originally slated to open at Busch Gardens Williamsburg in 2021. The attraction is planned to utilize the currently-vacant land behind Verbolten, Festhaus Park—the former home of Drachen Fire.

The coaster's main layout—as leaked before the addition was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic—featured two launches, two spikes (one spiral, one vertical-ish), and a couple of banked turns. Drachen Spire was designed to run two trains by means of a pair of switch tracks connecting the primary, shuttle portion of the layout to the station platform.

Important Articles:​

  • Most Up-To-Date Understanding of the Layout:
    bgwfans.com

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    If there’s a god, he’s up there laughing this afternoon. Why? Because BGWFans just had one of those classic sitcom moments. Yesterday, we published our painstakingly detailed analysis of the footer plan for what we believe is Busch Gardens Williamsburg’s 2021 roller coaster—seemingly a huge...
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  • Most Recent Status Update:
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    Drachen Spire Height Waiver Extension Details – BGWFans

    Just over a week ago, we reported on the renewal of the notorious 355 foot Festhaus Park height waiver that was originally requested for the controversial, Intamin-made, multi-launch, giga, shuttle coaster we’ve dubbed Drachen Spire. In last week’s article, we were very careful to leave the door...
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I would hope for this!
I’m gonna get to Belgium eventually. Kondaa’s on the list. Was already supposed to be there last year, but you know- Covid.
 
Exeter Dime said:
If they dont cancel this and then wait and then make a giga version of Kondaa at Walibi Belgium i cry
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That would make me more than excited.

With the uncertain future of The Ultimate at Lightwater Valley, I'm considering replacing England with Benelux for my 2022 plans.
 
i mean when i first saw kondaa and then heard about what BGW was getting i was lost like why double down on launches when you could get a bigger kondaa and this ride looks like it will single handedly bring a lot of people to belgium
 
Drachen Spire is/was all about getting a highly marketable, record breaking coaster out of part of Project Madrid’s original budget. All of these discussions about how Spire should have been something more grandiose ignore the reality that such a large attraction would also require Pantheon to not exist. Basically, what I’m saying is that sure, you can wish for a history that includes a more exciting version of Drachen Spire, but by doing so, you will also be inadvertently wishing for a timeline without Pantheon.

Drachen Spire gets a lot of flack from enthusiasts while Pantheon seems to be widely praised. I get it, but at the same time, our understanding of the design process basically says that Pantheon only looks like it does today BECAUSE of Drachen Spire—and conversely, Drachen Spire only looks like it does today BECAUSE of Pantheon. They are two sides of the same coin. Under any normal circumstance, one literally wouldn’t be able to exist without the other. If you love Pantheon, you can thank Drachen Spire for that.

Who knows what happens to this project now, but whether we ever get to ride it or not, I hope years from now everyone still remembers Pantheon’s evil twin. I think it’s a really fascinating chapter in BGW history.
 
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Okay I’m sorry, but what makes you think in THIS economy BGW would cancel a project they’ve worked on for ages for an even bigger project
 
Getting two major attractions in consecutive years -- for the price of one that on its own might have been only marginally better than Drachen Spire in the first place -- is arguably a great use of money. From a park health and profitability perspective it's a really solid move.

I'd rather see a substantially longer, thematically immersive Pantheon that more fully utilizes its footprint/stretches farther in some direction, and save Festhaus Park for something else... but as that would mean no Drachen Spire and (much more importantly) only half the new-attraction-driven financial boost to the park over the near future, I can't really wish that on the park in return for roughly the same outlay, or just a bit less.

And the last thing I'd want is what some have suggested the actual original concept was for a single attraction. That's all I'll say about that.

There is so much I don't particularly like about Drachen Spire as a park guest... but the culprit here isn't the park's decision to create it in this two-fer deal. What choice do they have for a better balance of guest experience and meeting financial performance requirements? The real culprit is the park's loss, years ago, of a doting independent A-B to invest in and run it as a showcase property. The parks must by necessity play a different game now.

Of course, I'll still complain here and there. But the understanding is always lurking just beneath the grousing...
 
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SLC Headache said:
I really hope this does get cancelled. Another launch coaster right after Pantheon would be too much for the park as it is. With the shift to year-round operations, DarKastle's replacement should be a much higher priority.
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Obviously I can't say much, but at this time I wouldn't expect to see Drachenspire as it was intended and we saw the plans for. However I would expect to see the next major attraction still go in Festhaus Park, but it will look very different from the plans we have for this ride.

SEAS had been paying for this ride before the pandemic for my understanding. However with the delay and them not knowing precisely when they will be able to begin this project, it seems they've gone back to the drawing board.
 
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Would like to see a large scale GCI in that spot or a spinning coaster like Time Traveler in that spot if they aren’t going with the Giga
 
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BGWnut said:
Obviously I can't say much, but at this time I wouldn't expect to see Drachenspire as it was intended and we saw the plans for. However I would expect to see the next major attraction still go in Festhaus Park, but it will look very different from the plans we have for this ride.

SEAS had been paying for this ride before the pandemic for my understanding. However with the delay and them not knowing precisely when they will be able to begin this project, it seems they've gone back to the drawing board.
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Fascinating. Since I doubt they’re gonna just get a refund on whatever down payments they’ve made for this, I would assume they’re locked into Intamin for another major attraction. I wonder if “going back to the drawing board” is good or bad for those who want something “better” than Drachen Spire? My gut feeling is that like most things in this pandemic they’re probably being forced to cut costs and scale this project down, but I could see a world where the opposite is true if they know a significant enough delay to all new projects freed up more of the budget meant for other new additions in the short term that can’t happen now.

I personally was more than fine with Drachen Spire, it was a really unique concept for a ride of its scale. I hope it doesn’t turn into a smaller, more cookie-cutter version of itself. And it would be a damn shame to not see that height waiver used after how hard they fought for it.
 
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BGWnut said:
SEAS had been paying for this ride before the pandemic for my understanding. However with the delay and them not knowing precisely when they will be able to begin this project, it seems they've gone back to the drawing board.
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Does back to the drawing board mean sufficiently different to reset the height waiver process?

Particularly if the promises made last time (looking like a thin tower from Kingsmill, max height being at the Rhine end of the field) are possibly no longer true?
 
halfabee said:
Does back to the drawing board mean sufficiently different to reset the height waiver process?

Particularly if the promises made last time (looking like a thin tower from Kingsmill, max height being at the Rhine end of the field) are possibly no longer true?
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Oh god can you imagine the outrage from Kingsmill if they yet again apply for a height waiver and don't use it all?
 
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I'm curious in terms of local planning if something like a pandemic affecting pretty much all commerce everywhere would be a good argument to revisit building permits and height waivers for projects conceived but not built before the pandemic?

Obviously in this case I'd think it be compelling, but I'd be curious with any other project.
 
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