Project 2022: Pantheon

[Adam]

When do you guys think they will start working on this? I'm guessing they will be starting the updates to the pastures soon if they haven't already so they can move the horses and then really start to work on the ride. Based on past coasters we probably won't see heavy construction until the fall.

They recently requested utility markings for clearing/grading on the opposite side of the railroad tracks, presumably for preparing the new pastures. Also, they requested utility markings to install fencing along the tracks near the site (Roman rapids to the treeline near the Rhine), so I'm guessing that's the privacy fencing they're already installing or getting ready for.

 

[GrandpaD]

I am wondering if any of the additional work we saw in other RPA filings will also occur?

The first pic @Zachary posted when the plans first leaked; I see some drainage(?) near the Rhine shoreline by RR and the pastures.
The second- is any of this (via a composite from @thopping ) going to be a part of the overall project or a separate undertaking? Maybe the (utility?) bridge(?).

 

[RKRCC]

I worry about the wellness of the animals after this project is complete. Rollercoasters are not quiet things. People screaming as they ride all day long, the noise from the cars on the tracks, the vibration of the ground from the rollercoaster, etc. The pastures they are leaving in place and the new area they are creating are beside the rollercoaster. Animals in captivity can be very sensitive to ground vibrations and noise. Putting the rollercoaster in this location and / or leaving the pastures in this area is not the best decision for the wellness of these animals (IMHO).

 

[Icer]

I think that since those pastures have been back there for a long time with the train (which is considerably louder than a roller coaster) coming through regularly, they will be fine.

 

[----------------------]

I worry about the wellness of the animals after this project is complete. Rollercoasters are not quiet things. People screaming as they ride all day long, the noise from the cars on the tracks, the vibration of the ground from the rollercoaster, etc. The pastures they are leaving in place and the new area they are creating are beside the rollercoaster. Animals in captivity can be very sensitive to ground vibrations and noise. Putting the rollercoaster in this location and / or leaving the pastures in this area is not the best decision for the wellness of these animals (IMHO).

Cheetah hunt flies right over a number of enclosures and the animals seem to do fine. OFC, they can't talk or anything but it isn't like it hasn't been done before.

 

[GrandpaD]

With Carowinds opening Copperhead Strike and looking at some photos, I am not confident BGW/SEAS will follow through with any extensive theming to support this new coaster. I see these pictures and then look at Invadr and just shake my head.

Carowinds has in-park food tie-ins and a local brewery with a beverage tie-in.

The attraction sign and areas? I love the follow-through of posting a stat sheet. I don't think we'll see anything close to what our Southern neighbors executed.

I hope they prove me wrong. The plans @Zachary posted don't convince me they will. A multi-million dollar attraction deserves more than a Lowes backyard fence with stencils.

 

[Nicole]

Cheetah hunt flies right over a number of enclosures and the animals seem to do fine. OFC, they can't talk or anything but it isn't like it hasn't been done before.

@RKRCC:

A few years ago, when BGT was doing construction near the elephant area, we took the now defunct Elephant Keeper Tour. I asked specifically about their reactions to the chaos and noise. According to the keepers, they are adjusted to the normal theme park noise (people, rides, etc), and seemed to take the new sounds in stride, as well.

I have no idea, if the same can be said for BGW's animals. That said, t was clear to me at the time that the Zoology Department was aware of the potential threats from the environment, and making sure their animal charges were not being affected.

 

[Ghost of Pretzel Kaiser]

FWIW, the train and Nessie aren't the quietest and the animals seem to have adjusted to them. There used to be an eagle under Griffon as well.

 

[musicman3204]

I am not confident BGW/SEAS will follow through with any extensive theming to support this new coaster. I see these pictures and then look at Invadr and just shake my head.

I'm in the same boat. Considering Invadr felt like the whole process was on a dime, I was satisfied (I expected more) with the entrance plaza. I am not encouraged by Finnegan's Flyer, especially considering the concept art features a straight cliff drop off. I am doubting this will actually be constructed.

Due to both of these, I am extremely worried about MMXX. It's going to be out there in a field. It's going to need to feel like a mini-hamlet (similar to Griffon). Otherwise, its going to feel exactly like 305. A coaster in a field with no actual purpose. I am especially disappointed in the bare bones coaster barn. I know its just a covered housing/maintenance bay, but I just expect it to be themed. I am hoping the leaks posted are just the before thematic elements, but I am not inspired.

 

[BGWnut]

Didn't Griffon start site clearing in late Summer '06 or am I remembering wrong?

That's possible. I'd differentiate between land clearing and major construction. I think land clearing for invadr started in the summer as well

With Carowinds opening Copperhead Strike and looking at some photos, I am not confident BGW/SEAS will follow through with any extensive theming to support this new coaster. I see these pictures and then look at Invadr and just shake my head.

Carowinds has in-park food tie-ins and a local brewery with a beverage tie-in.

The attraction sign and areas? I love the follow-through of posting a stat sheet. I don't think we'll see anything close to what our Southern neighbors executed.

I hope they prove me wrong. The plans @Zachary posted don't convince me they will. A multi-million dollar attraction deserves more than a Lowes backyard fence with stencils.

Invadr had a stat sheet posted outside the ride and they had at least one cart (now closed) that were tied into Invadr. That's not too say that I think Invadr in any way comes close to what Carowinds is doing. But it gives me some hope that they will go bigger for MMXX

 

[GrandpaD]

Invadr had a stat sheet posted outside the ride and they had at least one cart (now closed) that were tied into Invadr. That's not too say that I think Invadr in any way comes close to what Carowinds is doing. But it gives me some hope that they will go bigger for MMXX

Emphasis on HAD and NOW CLOSED.

I'm not talking Disney-ish. But if regional parks such as Carowinds and Dollywood can properly "set the scene" so can SEAS. People mentioned Finnegan's. Look at what Dollywood did with Barnstormer. Meanwhile, BGW gets fake painted mossy rocks.

/end rant.

 

[Icer]

I personally think links to food stations and such are lazy. Busch can do better theming than "InvadR Snacks!".

 

[RKRCC]

I do a lot of work locally here with the VA Zoo and the VA Aquarium. The American Zoological Association (AZA) guidelines they have to adhere to for housing and displaying animals are very stringent on what can and can't be done with those animals. I know cheetahs, tigers, sea turtles, etc. are a different type of animal entirely than a Clydesdale horse, cattle, sheep, etc., but some of the same concepts with animal welfare still apply.

 

[Icer]

Well of course. I don't see Busch Gardens WIlliamsburg (who always has had an emphasis on the welfare of animals) intentionally disregarding basic codes or ethics about animal welfare.

 

[RKRCC]

I don't want to get this thread off topic with my rant about animal wellness, but the decisions BGW has made the last several years has made me doubt any commitment they have to animal wellness or conservation.

 

[madmax]

Tempesto, Invadr, and FF are meant to be super cheap additions. Idk why you would expect extensive theming for those.

I can imagine some better theming for a large scale project.

 

[Applesauce]

Funny, because Apollo's Chariot and Griffon would also be considered cheap by your standards.

It's almost as if the theming of the ride doesn't determine the cheapness of it.

 

[madmax]

Funny, because Apollo's Chariot and Griffon would also be considered cheap by your standards.

It's almost as if the theming of the ride doesn't determine the cheapness of it.

Alpengeist Loch Ness and Verbolten though have really good queue theming though.

 

[GrandpaD]

Any ride addition should be considered as major. This is supposed to be "The World's Most Beautiful Theme Park". To me, that's more than landscaping. The Screamin' Swing costs the same in Tennessee or Virginia. Yet Dollywood made it look like an attraction and not a "cheap addition".

Yep, you're right @madmax , for the most part August Busch made sure his attractions were just that.

 

[madmax]

Any ride addition should be considered as major. This is supposed to be "The World's Most Beautiful Theme Park". To me, that's more than landscaping. The Screamin' Swing costs the same in Tennessee or Virginia. Yet Dollywood made it look like an attraction and not a "cheap addition".

Yep, you're right @madmax , for the most part August Busch made sure his attractions were just that.

Verbolten is the SEAS era

Also the ride swinging over water is cool