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Staggered opening times are as follows; however I will say these times were specifically for Saturday, March 23 and may vary day to day.

England - 9:15am
- Skyride - 11:00am
Scotland - 9:30am
Ireland - 10:00am
France - 10:00am
New France - 10:00am
- Railroad - 10:30am
Germany - 10:15am
Oktoberfest - 10:15am
- Festhaus - 11:30am
Italy - 10:00am
- Pavilion - 11:30am
Festa - 10:00am
- Roman Rapids - 10:00am

I will say one employee told me that it would also depend on the employee blocking guests; they might let guests go through early but I feel like they could possibly get in trouble. Either way those are the official times for that day listed above.
 
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I plan on going to the park this week, once or twice. But can someone please tell me which day(s) would probably be the least crowded?
 
I'd say Monday would be the worst day. Being the warmest day of the week, 73. Everyone will try and go before it cools off
 
Preferred parking?

Do they still offer preferred parking in Williamsburg? I see no mention on their website. Also is there really any advantage to buying parking on the web? It looks like the price is the same from what I have read
 
Sunday - What time do they open parking and actually open the gates

They have posted that 10am is the opening time. Does anyone know what time the parking lots open? Do they usually open the gates to the park a little early?
 
RE: Preferred parking?

phareous said:
Do they still offer preferred parking in Williamsburg? I see no mention on their website. Also is there really any advantage to buying parking on the web? It looks like the price is the same from what I have read
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Don't know about buying it online but yes, there is preferred parking available at the toll booths.
 
RE: Sunday - What time do they open parking and actually open the gates

guscjm said:
They have posted that 10am is the opening time. Does anyone know what time the parking lots open? Do they usually open the gates to the park a little early?
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If you search around you will see that they do in fact open earlier than the advertised time and an example schedule was posted there by myself at one point. Typically they open approximately one hour prior to the advertised opening time with staggered hamlet openings.

EDIT: Sorry if this post came off to anyone as rude and inconsiderate.
 
Thanks for finding this! So does parking open up even earlier than the 9am soft opening on Sunday?
 
Well on average... if the park opens at say 10am- they begin letting folks in the lot around 9am and into the England section of the park a little early... but this is not guaranteed. I've never seen the park let anyone in earlier than 9am..(on a 10am opening) unless you take the coaster tour or another tour that requires you to get there before 8:30.

The Hamlets have to open on schedule otherwise there would be no employees in the area when the gates open.

France and Italy always open at the same time as they are the countries with Train stations. That is why when you first come into Scotland in the morning, the train isn't running yet.

I would imagine if Germany ever had a train station, the staggered opening times would disappear.

Germany is always last because it takes the longest to walk to and thus would be too empty to necessitate having all this extra staff sitting around doing nothing.

I wouldn't get to the park any earlier than an hour before it opens. Otherwise, you'll be waiting behind the orange cones of power for a long time staring at Apollo's Chariot and wishing you were inside the park.

If you have your heart set on getting to be first into a Hamlet right as it opens - say to ride Griffon, Verbolten, etc.. the best way is to arrive at the pathway to the opening of the country 10 minutes prior.

You'll have to wait but at least you can be ahead of the rest of the crowd that is gathering to get into the country faster when it opens; thus shortening your wait time on the coaster you wish to ride first.
 
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I agree with Nora. It's fairly pointless to get there at 9am on a 10am opening unless you plan to eat breakfast in England which, if you don't mind paying for it, is actually a pretty great, relaxing way to start the day.
 
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My thought exactly Zachary. I love to get a cup of coffee and browse the stores before they get crowded. Actually, it is the best time to shop at the Emporium and Union Jacks as it is so quiet and calm when the gates open.

If I want anything from the stores in England- I buy them in the morning and have them shipped up package pick-up. That way I do not need to hit the stores when I leave (when they are packed to the brim with exiting guests).

~And that concludes Nora's tip of the day. Ta da!
 
Nora said:
France and Italy always open at the same time as they are the countries with Train stations. That is why when you first come into Scotland in the morning, the train isn't running yet.
I would imagine if Germany ever had a train station, the staggered opening times would disappear.
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Form the staggered opening schedule that I have seen, the train isn't scheduled to start running with guests until after Oktoberfest opens.
Examples:

Wednesday, April 3, 2012 -
Park Opens (9AM)
England - 8:15 (Skyride - 10)
Scotland - 8:30
Ireland - 9
France - 9
New France - 9 (Railroad - 9:30)
Germany - 9:15
Oktoberfest - 9:15 (Festhaus - 11:30)
Italy - 9 (Pavilion - 11:30)
Festa - 9

That schedule is also the same for the following day Thursday the 4th. As you can see, the train was scheduled to run with guest starting 30 minutes after the hamlet open. The skyride even longer. The park obviously doesn't want guests using these methods of transportation while the staggered openings are going on.
 
Well regarding the train.. the train does start running from Caribou when the Hamlets in France and Italy open. It just takes a while to get the train to Tweedside in order to get guests to the first stop in Festa.

There is no advantage of waiting for the train in Scotland- say to get to a hamlet before the guests who choose to walk. The only advantage is a relaxing ride and less stress on your legs.

It should also be noted that maps are constantly updated with the newest opening schedules. What is the same for Saturday for example- is not the same for Sunday and so forth. There are times in the summer (mostly) that the times are the same for a long block of days; but the times are set for how busy the park thinks it will be any given day. It is always good to check a map when you walk in for this info as well as showtimes for shows, as they too change frequently.
 
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Kind of a weird question, but I've been going to the park at least 7 or 8 times a year for 4 years and I've never found a restaurant where I can get a good old burger and fries.

Am I just clueless, or is BGW lacking the typical greasy park food that we crave once in a while?
 
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