BGW is, reasonably, held to a higher thematic standard than the other SEAS parks. BGW was the only BEC park built from the ground up to be a world-class, fully immersive theme park. Additionally, people in search of immersion in FL or CA have better options than SEAS parks—here in the Mid-Atlantic though, BGW has been the go to option for us immersive, themed entertainment junkies for decades. It's not unreasonable to expect BGW fans to be more vocal about these issues than BGT or SWO fans.
As per BGW's current collection (ignoring their legacy with the likes of The Wolf, DarKastle, Corkscrew, Eire, etc): Loch Ness, Alpengeist, Verbolten, Escape from Pompeii, and Roman Rapids all have on-ride theming. Loch Ness, Alpengeist, and Verbolten have themed queues. Loch Ness, Griffon, InvadR, Alpengeist, and Verbolten all have well-themed entry plazas. Loch Ness, Griffon, Alpengeist, Verbolten, Apollo, Tempesto, Escape from Pompeii, Roman Rapids, Mach Tower, Finnegan's Flyer, The Flying Machine, and countless others all have queue buildings. The vast majority of the park's attractions are designed and placed in such a way as to elegantly integrate with the park's natural beauty, sight lines, path structure, etc.
The issue people have with Pantheon is that there is a clear lack of care and attention paid to any of its environmentals. No one claims that BGW needed to build Hagrid's—no one is expecting sets, effects, and whatever else—they're just expecting the bare minimum for a major Busch Gardens coaster. For a lot of us, the reasonable minimum looks something like Loch Ness, InvadR, or Alpengeist. Many of us have long been consistent in saying that Apollo's Chariot or even Griffon are thematically subpar—but Pantheon has struck a real cord with folks because it doesn't even near the bar set by either of those weak points.
No one is telling you that you have to care about these things, just don't strawman the people who do. Our perspective is totally reasonable. If Cedar Fair and Six Flags parks are doing a better job theming their coasters than BGW (which they are), I think the criticism is not only realistic, but also justified. Again, you don't have to hold the same opinion—but don't tear down the people who do.
Lastly, about the length—I agree with you there. Pantheon's ride time is pretty adverage—seems weird to take an issue with it. That said, the comments about Pantheon's length that I've seen are typically in the context of comparing it to VelociCoaster which is quite a bit longer. People can make that comparison while also not using it as a criticism of Pantheon—VelociCoaster is just a helpful parallel since it's the only thing anything like Pantheon that most people in this market have even had a chance at riding.
As per BGW's current collection (ignoring their legacy with the likes of The Wolf, DarKastle, Corkscrew, Eire, etc): Loch Ness, Alpengeist, Verbolten, Escape from Pompeii, and Roman Rapids all have on-ride theming. Loch Ness, Alpengeist, and Verbolten have themed queues. Loch Ness, Griffon, InvadR, Alpengeist, and Verbolten all have well-themed entry plazas. Loch Ness, Griffon, Alpengeist, Verbolten, Apollo, Tempesto, Escape from Pompeii, Roman Rapids, Mach Tower, Finnegan's Flyer, The Flying Machine, and countless others all have queue buildings. The vast majority of the park's attractions are designed and placed in such a way as to elegantly integrate with the park's natural beauty, sight lines, path structure, etc.
The issue people have with Pantheon is that there is a clear lack of care and attention paid to any of its environmentals. No one claims that BGW needed to build Hagrid's—no one is expecting sets, effects, and whatever else—they're just expecting the bare minimum for a major Busch Gardens coaster. For a lot of us, the reasonable minimum looks something like Loch Ness, InvadR, or Alpengeist. Many of us have long been consistent in saying that Apollo's Chariot or even Griffon are thematically subpar—but Pantheon has struck a real cord with folks because it doesn't even near the bar set by either of those weak points.
No one is telling you that you have to care about these things, just don't strawman the people who do. Our perspective is totally reasonable. If Cedar Fair and Six Flags parks are doing a better job theming their coasters than BGW (which they are), I think the criticism is not only realistic, but also justified. Again, you don't have to hold the same opinion—but don't tear down the people who do.
Lastly, about the length—I agree with you there. Pantheon's ride time is pretty adverage—seems weird to take an issue with it. That said, the comments about Pantheon's length that I've seen are typically in the context of comparing it to VelociCoaster which is quite a bit longer. People can make that comparison while also not using it as a criticism of Pantheon—VelociCoaster is just a helpful parallel since it's the only thing anything like Pantheon that most people in this market have even had a chance at riding.
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