The State of the Park: Busch Gardens Williamsburg
- Thread starter CoasterTalkBob
- Start date
Listen, those black diamonds are becoming more dangerous with global warming
Are we just looking at terrible culinary quality at every eatery in the park for the foreseeable future? We tried the breakfast at Squires Grill today and lunch at Des Festhaus and they are just terrible. The food would not be acceptable quality for HALF the price, much less what they're charging. And lines backed up into the Festhaus all because of people waiting on pizzas that take 10-15 minutes per batch and are UNCUT? Even F&W is terribly hit-or-miss.
I just cannot understand it. No one (and I mean no one) looks excited about the options, prices, or quality in those restaurants. My family would love to spend longer days in the park, but just eating some meal (any meal) is a huge chore and a big expense. We'll continue to do picnics in the parking lot indefinitely. We've got a rhythm. But it's a pain.
Are there any bright spots in food at the park? Any hope for the future?
I just cannot understand it. No one (and I mean no one) looks excited about the options, prices, or quality in those restaurants. My family would love to spend longer days in the park, but just eating some meal (any meal) is a huge chore and a big expense. We'll continue to do picnics in the parking lot indefinitely. We've got a rhythm. But it's a pain.
Are there any bright spots in food at the park? Any hope for the future?
just eat at les frites, only good option nowadays imo
marco polos, les frites, and trappers smokehouse are my go-tos
Les frites was disgusting when I was there June 19th
I got the poutine fries around June 24th so it had to have been recent if they got rid of them…
I just had them on Sunday. The outside menu doesn’t list them but once inside there is a larger menu with more options including poutine fries.
I used to light up with excitement to eat at this park until 2019. Buzz words like "disgusting" and "terrible" were never things I'd hear previously, until now. Pricey, it always was, but pricey and bad is a different animal. Doubt park management is driving any focus groups on changes, though I am sure they are aware its worse food for more $$. Indifference in this regard keeps me stopping at Doswell instead of Williamsburg, and I wish it weren't that way as often as it has been.
I did have an early lunch at Trappers that same day 6/19 and was pleasantly surprised but the sampler (except the ribs).
2019 was great and it's what made us get passes.
It’s a busy Saturday so of course the drink stand in Ireland, the freestyle stand by Loch Ness and the one in England are all closed at 4:30pm
And this is exactly what I was afraid of when they put in the one by Nessie. They can’t even keep one open consistently. So what made them think they could handle a second freestyle station?!
Not to entirely change the subject…but:
One thing I’ve noticed about the park is that it no longer feels like escapism. When I first started visiting, coming to Busch Gardens felt like leaving the real world behind and going to a magical European fairy world. Dragons and leprechauns and beer ladies and stuff.
Recent visits have really just…not felt that way.
Don’t get me wrong. I think it’s still a lot of fun. It’s just a different kind of fun. It doesn’t feel like I’m in a different time and place…it feels like I’m at an amusement park. It’s a really nice amusement park, but an amusement park nonetheless. More like a well-run Six Flags than a local Disneyland.
I started to think this was just me getting older—just losing the “magic” in my busy 40(+) year old life, remembering things better than they were through the lens of nostalgia. But then I saw this video on YouTube, and I realized that no—I was right and there did used to be a whole different vibe at the park.
Seriously: watch this video. See not just what rides were and weren’t there, but just how different the entire park concept was. Really mind blowing.
The Old Country
One thing I’ve noticed about the park is that it no longer feels like escapism. When I first started visiting, coming to Busch Gardens felt like leaving the real world behind and going to a magical European fairy world. Dragons and leprechauns and beer ladies and stuff.
Recent visits have really just…not felt that way.
Don’t get me wrong. I think it’s still a lot of fun. It’s just a different kind of fun. It doesn’t feel like I’m in a different time and place…it feels like I’m at an amusement park. It’s a really nice amusement park, but an amusement park nonetheless. More like a well-run Six Flags than a local Disneyland.
I started to think this was just me getting older—just losing the “magic” in my busy 40(+) year old life, remembering things better than they were through the lens of nostalgia. But then I saw this video on YouTube, and I realized that no—I was right and there did used to be a whole different vibe at the park.
Seriously: watch this video. See not just what rides were and weren’t there, but just how different the entire park concept was. Really mind blowing.
The Old Country
That was a time when large corporations actually gave a shit about you, but now they just care about profits and shareholders.
Under Busch they still cared about profits-- the Busch Entertainment division was profitable. The change is now it is the only revenue stream and has to keep squeezing out more money, versus being a part of a giant company with multiple revenue streams. Now if the parks do badly, its a problem. Under Busch if the parks did badly the beer made up for it. They didn't HAVE to crank out huge profits, just not lose money, and they were a "goodwill" offering and a pet project of the Busch Family.
I think the park has also just suffered the fate of changing tastes. When the Old Country was popular, people still went to Colonial Williamsburg. It was one of the most popular family tourist destinations in America. I don’t think there’s such a huge audience for that sort of thing today. European history and Bavarian festivals and knights and all that are maybe a little out of date in 2024 (not to me, personally, but I don’t think I’m representative).
Williamsburg's decline has definitely been a part of the issue for BGW. It really is a "generational" thing I think. When I was in 5th grade in NJ, Colonial Williamsburg was a big deal overnight class trip that everyone took in all our local schools. I think that's something that went away and with it the kind of "this is a trip everyone is supposed to make" ideas. Williamsburg's whole tourist draw seems to have fallen off, but I always think part of that was their own undoing. The HATED all the BGW traffic that used to clog Route 60 and pushed for the park to build that direct exit off I-64. Now without the traffic so many tourist related businesses have closed.
Who knows, maybe with the Semiquincentennial maybe there'll be a new surge of patriotism and interest in Colonial America.
Who knows, maybe with the Semiquincentennial maybe there'll be a new surge of patriotism and interest in Colonial America.
A couple of notes from a quick weekend trip to the park...
The good
To the eye of this very familiar but recently more occasional visitor, the park looked pretty great overall. Better by far than the comments around here had me expecting, to be honest.
LOVE Super Saturdays. Relevant to "state of the park" because I consider it a true guest-oriented bright spot in the midst of austerity otherwise. Arriving shortly after 8am was rewarded with an effortless glide through parking, security, and the gate. Very enjoyable morning experience before the heat hit and the bigger crowd arrived. If we can't have truly late nights (memories of the midnight close), then a Saturday with 14 operating hours and a very easy park entry experience is a pretty fantastic substitute. Are Super Saturdays a money maker for the park? Do they particularly enjoy accelerating the morning schedule to have 20 attractions operating by 8am instead of hours later? Not sure on either count, but I hope Super Saturdays are offered again next year. And forever.
Also, Super Saturday is THE way to ride DarKoaster. No need to rush to the queue at all. There is some wait, of course, but barring ride breakdown it is quite minimal. Do this once, get your obligatory ride, and then don't bother to ride it ever again. More on this later.
Pantheon reminded me what a terrific fit it is for the park's ride lineup. It truly fills a gap in high-thrill offerings for the pure adrenaline seeker.
For those of us who are either cursed or blessed with an amateur interest in seasonal landscape design, It is instructive to see how garden trends evolve over time at BGW. Someone loves their lupines these days. I don't think I saw a single Persian shield anywhere in the park, a shocking reversal from just a few years ago. Perhaps I missed them somewhere. The garden areas looked largely meticulous. Even the potato vine, which by this time of year should be taking over in an uncontrollable tidal wave of light green, is well maintained and under control. Also, the combo of large ferns and tiny deep red roses in some planters is a real standout. Budget cuts be damned -- some horticultural wizards still lurk the grounds of BGW and leave ample evidence of their sorcery for those who take the time to look.
I have been riding Loch Ness Monster since the mid-80s and I can't remember a time when it looked, sounded, or rode better than it currently does. She is once again rideable for me. At 6'-4" I am a tight fit in a Arrow looper train to begin with. The spinal hammering of Nessie's loops was too harsh to be worth it in the past, given my cramped seating position. Now that pogo is basically gone in the first loop, replaced by a single moment of moderate whiplash. The second loop still jackhammers, but not as badly as before. I appreciate all of the upgrades, love the small shack one passes before the first lift, and the tunnel is especially cool (maybe fix the obviously broken monitors though). The Nessie statue looks great when standing dockside, but I didn't really notice it during the ride due to the aforementioned hammering. Nevertheless, it all adds up to a great improvement and a reflection of the park's commitment to its history. Kudos to whoever stuck up for this ride and got the funding secured to keep it in great shape for yet another generation to enjoy. Love it.
The Oktoberfest-San Marco bridge looks great. I'm glad the prior incarnation remained upright long enough to allow for a straightforward replacement. It didn't look so great near the end. The replacement looks sharp. Not metal-sharp, but rather eyeball-sharp. Though that doesn't make it sound much better, does it. Anyway, handsome bridge.
Fountains were running, Rhinefeld clock looked good, naked lady statue was naked-ladying, wolves were especially vocal in the afternoon, and employees were helpful. Lots to like.
We focused more time on the shows than usual; they are usually a third tier priority for us after rides and food. The outdoor act in Ireland seemed ridiculously loud, though I might have just been hallucinating due to the heat. Celtic Fire was good as always. American Jukebox was ... ok. The revue type shows never really grab me. No shade on the talent, who gave it their all and seem pretty fantastic. It just isn't my thing. Still, I can see why this show ultimately came back. It seems like a real crowd pleaser, despite occupying the Globe and denying for yet another year my dream of seeing the juggling acrobat show return. I will note that the show includes a mashup of 90s teen staples Baby One More Time and Tearin' Up My Heart, which -- despite the original songs' usage of hitting and tearing as metaphors -- comes across here with choreography suggesting something ... I dunno, surprisingly a lot more literal? Nobody is punching anyone in particular on stage, but there's nevertheless a lot of punching happening, and due to the nature of the mashup everyone seems to be requesting in song that it happen to them specifically. It's all tonally a bit odd, but again I don't really have a horse in the race. The disco section was the best, the country section was probably the worst, and top visuals go to the red-guitar segment of the program, a zero-to-hero moment which you'll know if you have seen it.
The bad
The 5% surcharge feels like such a cowardly and juvenile cash grab. I was willing to pay it for one day, but I don't think I will be back for a while, and the surcharge is the reason. It killed my fun every time I had to pay it. It isn't the amount; it's that it exists at all. These surcharges are a cheap stick 'em up tactic and they need to die. If BGW patrons are supposed to pay more to bolster massive profits, then just reflect it directly in the prices and be straightforward about the degree to which guests are treated like milking cows.
The attraction lineup that was ready to roll by, say, 8:30am on a Super Saturday was more sparse than advertised. Net of all caveats regarding the fundamental nature of ride downtime and the limited ride/attraction lineup in the first place, it still appears that opening 20 attractions within a half-hour of an 8am opening is quite difficult to achieve. There is no need to reply to this and point out that breakdowns are random, or people are trying their best, or some rides like Pantheon are deliberately slated to open later in the morning. That is all baked into the comments above. And for anyone who might forget about the latter point, a handy half-erased handwritten chalkboard sign on the Festa walkway serves as a suitable reminder. Nevertheless, Super Saturdays appear difficult to deliver as promised. I would MUCH rather have the early start than not, as those morning hours are a great way to get an appropriately peaceful (or thrilling) start to the day with short lines for anything that is open. But maybe the park can guide guests more toward the best and most reliable aspects of Super Saturday in the app and on the website, rather than saying "these 20 attractions are open."
The Pantheon plaza isn't great necessarily, but it is growing in better than I initially thought it would. The ride's queue, on the other hand, remains the third least interesting in the park after InvadR's, which should be sponsored by 84 Lumber, and of course after the Finnegan's Flyer queue which partially contributed to the visual destruction of one of the nicest areas of the park. (The willow is dead. Long live the willow.) Pantheon achieves the curious trifecta of having a low-effort queue, low-effort station, and low-effort ride "infield." For a ride that does so much, its immediate environment is astonishingly boring. The station is sad, the view you get upon boarding is straight into the crummy Marco Polo backstage lot, and anyone watching the ride from the station or the second half of the queue path gets to behold the power of five Roman gods distilled into the spectacle of a bright blue boom lift parked on a plain concrete pad. Seriously, WTF. I get that it's there for a reason, but maybe build a little Roman shack around the thing with a couple of big doors at one end. Don't just leave it sitting out there.
I was really hoping those pine trees would have grown more already and screened off the backstage area more effectively. Heavy on the slow-release fertilizer, please.
As a first-time rider who learned as little as possible beforehand: DarKoaster is uniquely, distinctively bad. The back story doesn't get told in any useful form before riding, despite the relatively lavish (legacy) building and grounds. Initial impressions are legitimately so good, too. My daughter noted that after seeing the outdoor statue which appears to have come alive and left behind its feet and right hand as it took off, the haunted painting in the queue is customarily painted torso-up and is somewhat ambiguous as to whether its subject has a right hand. Intentional? Maybe. One wonders. But that's the end of the intrigue. The skis and jackets in the queue seem to suggest we have arrived hastily at the castle during a storm, but no mention is made of anything else and then we are boarding snowmobiles for some reason. Was the silent haunted painting really so scary that we have to flee on stolen vintage snow machines? Was I not looking when the scary thing happened? Did the queue audio simply get turned off? What is happening? The ride itself offers no answers. It's a big open semi-dark room with some strobe props and a dim overhead sign of some sort. The second lap seems exactly the same as the first, unless I missed some changing visual effects. Ride dynamics made certain members of my party feel motion sick without providing them with the traditional compensation of any enjoyment. The modest acceleration events are nice moments, but even as a family style thrill I just don't get it overall. Tonally it doesn't click for me as a family ride. It doesn't feel like the task of theming it was ever finished, silently suggesting that family thrills maybe aren't so important. (The 2025 ride may say otherwise.) I watched the ride exit as my kids went into the shop across the way to find things they'll "pay me back for later." There were a lot of neutral faces exiting DarKoaster.
The other
The little hillside across from the Festa train station features a nice line of relatively young trees. The line continues beneath the pedestrian bridge to Pantheon, and curiously one of the trees stands in perpetual shadow directly beneath the bridge. Maybe move that one? There's open room for it at the left hand side of the line. There is no good long term outcome for that tree in its current location.
There were storms Friday night after a very hot day. I noticed in the morning that a lot of sticks were left on the pathways in places, suggesting some shortfalls in small debris removal. An evening storm leading into an 8am opening is a pretty crap scenario for anyone to deal with, so half-tripping on sticks near the Pompeii gift shop is maybe not such a big deal. The park probably had to do some of the cleanup before the sun even rose. I did feel like I was doing groundskeeping work for the park, though, as I kicked several branches into the grass.
Another storm whipped through shortly before dinnertime, sending people scrambling. We left at that time for dinner and came back later. The hand stamp system seemed inoperable by anyone. Fortunately we still had our admission tickets, so returning through the gates later was easy. On the way out we watched a medium sized branch crash out of a tree onto the entry walkway near the metal detector. Didn't hit anyone, fortunately. It was gone later, so clearly someone was on big-stick cleanup duty.
The End
Overall it was a much better return to BGW than I expected, proving yet again that the world is better experienced in person than on a screen. It probably will be a while before I make the trip again, because at a theme park I want to feel more like a guest and less like a knowing but resigned participant in a bait-and-switch pricing ploy. When you know the game but you willingly consign yourself to the losing side of it again and again, are you really any better or any less responsible than the person you resent for starting the game in the first place? In most situations I'd say no, I'm not, and this feels like one of those. Fortunately Kings Dominion has a big new ride coming in next year, surprisingly good food, and no endless surcharges.
That last thought above largely wraps up my feelings about the state of the park. BGW has promise ahead, some warts to be treated, and substantial corporate personality flaws which badly need attention.
The good
To the eye of this very familiar but recently more occasional visitor, the park looked pretty great overall. Better by far than the comments around here had me expecting, to be honest.
LOVE Super Saturdays. Relevant to "state of the park" because I consider it a true guest-oriented bright spot in the midst of austerity otherwise. Arriving shortly after 8am was rewarded with an effortless glide through parking, security, and the gate. Very enjoyable morning experience before the heat hit and the bigger crowd arrived. If we can't have truly late nights (memories of the midnight close), then a Saturday with 14 operating hours and a very easy park entry experience is a pretty fantastic substitute. Are Super Saturdays a money maker for the park? Do they particularly enjoy accelerating the morning schedule to have 20 attractions operating by 8am instead of hours later? Not sure on either count, but I hope Super Saturdays are offered again next year. And forever.
Also, Super Saturday is THE way to ride DarKoaster. No need to rush to the queue at all. There is some wait, of course, but barring ride breakdown it is quite minimal. Do this once, get your obligatory ride, and then don't bother to ride it ever again. More on this later.
Pantheon reminded me what a terrific fit it is for the park's ride lineup. It truly fills a gap in high-thrill offerings for the pure adrenaline seeker.
For those of us who are either cursed or blessed with an amateur interest in seasonal landscape design, It is instructive to see how garden trends evolve over time at BGW. Someone loves their lupines these days. I don't think I saw a single Persian shield anywhere in the park, a shocking reversal from just a few years ago. Perhaps I missed them somewhere. The garden areas looked largely meticulous. Even the potato vine, which by this time of year should be taking over in an uncontrollable tidal wave of light green, is well maintained and under control. Also, the combo of large ferns and tiny deep red roses in some planters is a real standout. Budget cuts be damned -- some horticultural wizards still lurk the grounds of BGW and leave ample evidence of their sorcery for those who take the time to look.
I have been riding Loch Ness Monster since the mid-80s and I can't remember a time when it looked, sounded, or rode better than it currently does. She is once again rideable for me. At 6'-4" I am a tight fit in a Arrow looper train to begin with. The spinal hammering of Nessie's loops was too harsh to be worth it in the past, given my cramped seating position. Now that pogo is basically gone in the first loop, replaced by a single moment of moderate whiplash. The second loop still jackhammers, but not as badly as before. I appreciate all of the upgrades, love the small shack one passes before the first lift, and the tunnel is especially cool (maybe fix the obviously broken monitors though). The Nessie statue looks great when standing dockside, but I didn't really notice it during the ride due to the aforementioned hammering. Nevertheless, it all adds up to a great improvement and a reflection of the park's commitment to its history. Kudos to whoever stuck up for this ride and got the funding secured to keep it in great shape for yet another generation to enjoy. Love it.
The Oktoberfest-San Marco bridge looks great. I'm glad the prior incarnation remained upright long enough to allow for a straightforward replacement. It didn't look so great near the end. The replacement looks sharp. Not metal-sharp, but rather eyeball-sharp. Though that doesn't make it sound much better, does it. Anyway, handsome bridge.
Fountains were running, Rhinefeld clock looked good, naked lady statue was naked-ladying, wolves were especially vocal in the afternoon, and employees were helpful. Lots to like.
We focused more time on the shows than usual; they are usually a third tier priority for us after rides and food. The outdoor act in Ireland seemed ridiculously loud, though I might have just been hallucinating due to the heat. Celtic Fire was good as always. American Jukebox was ... ok. The revue type shows never really grab me. No shade on the talent, who gave it their all and seem pretty fantastic. It just isn't my thing. Still, I can see why this show ultimately came back. It seems like a real crowd pleaser, despite occupying the Globe and denying for yet another year my dream of seeing the juggling acrobat show return. I will note that the show includes a mashup of 90s teen staples Baby One More Time and Tearin' Up My Heart, which -- despite the original songs' usage of hitting and tearing as metaphors -- comes across here with choreography suggesting something ... I dunno, surprisingly a lot more literal? Nobody is punching anyone in particular on stage, but there's nevertheless a lot of punching happening, and due to the nature of the mashup everyone seems to be requesting in song that it happen to them specifically. It's all tonally a bit odd, but again I don't really have a horse in the race. The disco section was the best, the country section was probably the worst, and top visuals go to the red-guitar segment of the program, a zero-to-hero moment which you'll know if you have seen it.
The bad
The 5% surcharge feels like such a cowardly and juvenile cash grab. I was willing to pay it for one day, but I don't think I will be back for a while, and the surcharge is the reason. It killed my fun every time I had to pay it. It isn't the amount; it's that it exists at all. These surcharges are a cheap stick 'em up tactic and they need to die. If BGW patrons are supposed to pay more to bolster massive profits, then just reflect it directly in the prices and be straightforward about the degree to which guests are treated like milking cows.
The attraction lineup that was ready to roll by, say, 8:30am on a Super Saturday was more sparse than advertised. Net of all caveats regarding the fundamental nature of ride downtime and the limited ride/attraction lineup in the first place, it still appears that opening 20 attractions within a half-hour of an 8am opening is quite difficult to achieve. There is no need to reply to this and point out that breakdowns are random, or people are trying their best, or some rides like Pantheon are deliberately slated to open later in the morning. That is all baked into the comments above. And for anyone who might forget about the latter point, a handy half-erased handwritten chalkboard sign on the Festa walkway serves as a suitable reminder. Nevertheless, Super Saturdays appear difficult to deliver as promised. I would MUCH rather have the early start than not, as those morning hours are a great way to get an appropriately peaceful (or thrilling) start to the day with short lines for anything that is open. But maybe the park can guide guests more toward the best and most reliable aspects of Super Saturday in the app and on the website, rather than saying "these 20 attractions are open."
The Pantheon plaza isn't great necessarily, but it is growing in better than I initially thought it would. The ride's queue, on the other hand, remains the third least interesting in the park after InvadR's, which should be sponsored by 84 Lumber, and of course after the Finnegan's Flyer queue which partially contributed to the visual destruction of one of the nicest areas of the park. (The willow is dead. Long live the willow.) Pantheon achieves the curious trifecta of having a low-effort queue, low-effort station, and low-effort ride "infield." For a ride that does so much, its immediate environment is astonishingly boring. The station is sad, the view you get upon boarding is straight into the crummy Marco Polo backstage lot, and anyone watching the ride from the station or the second half of the queue path gets to behold the power of five Roman gods distilled into the spectacle of a bright blue boom lift parked on a plain concrete pad. Seriously, WTF. I get that it's there for a reason, but maybe build a little Roman shack around the thing with a couple of big doors at one end. Don't just leave it sitting out there.
I was really hoping those pine trees would have grown more already and screened off the backstage area more effectively. Heavy on the slow-release fertilizer, please.
As a first-time rider who learned as little as possible beforehand: DarKoaster is uniquely, distinctively bad. The back story doesn't get told in any useful form before riding, despite the relatively lavish (legacy) building and grounds. Initial impressions are legitimately so good, too. My daughter noted that after seeing the outdoor statue which appears to have come alive and left behind its feet and right hand as it took off, the haunted painting in the queue is customarily painted torso-up and is somewhat ambiguous as to whether its subject has a right hand. Intentional? Maybe. One wonders. But that's the end of the intrigue. The skis and jackets in the queue seem to suggest we have arrived hastily at the castle during a storm, but no mention is made of anything else and then we are boarding snowmobiles for some reason. Was the silent haunted painting really so scary that we have to flee on stolen vintage snow machines? Was I not looking when the scary thing happened? Did the queue audio simply get turned off? What is happening? The ride itself offers no answers. It's a big open semi-dark room with some strobe props and a dim overhead sign of some sort. The second lap seems exactly the same as the first, unless I missed some changing visual effects. Ride dynamics made certain members of my party feel motion sick without providing them with the traditional compensation of any enjoyment. The modest acceleration events are nice moments, but even as a family style thrill I just don't get it overall. Tonally it doesn't click for me as a family ride. It doesn't feel like the task of theming it was ever finished, silently suggesting that family thrills maybe aren't so important. (The 2025 ride may say otherwise.) I watched the ride exit as my kids went into the shop across the way to find things they'll "pay me back for later." There were a lot of neutral faces exiting DarKoaster.
The other
The little hillside across from the Festa train station features a nice line of relatively young trees. The line continues beneath the pedestrian bridge to Pantheon, and curiously one of the trees stands in perpetual shadow directly beneath the bridge. Maybe move that one? There's open room for it at the left hand side of the line. There is no good long term outcome for that tree in its current location.
There were storms Friday night after a very hot day. I noticed in the morning that a lot of sticks were left on the pathways in places, suggesting some shortfalls in small debris removal. An evening storm leading into an 8am opening is a pretty crap scenario for anyone to deal with, so half-tripping on sticks near the Pompeii gift shop is maybe not such a big deal. The park probably had to do some of the cleanup before the sun even rose. I did feel like I was doing groundskeeping work for the park, though, as I kicked several branches into the grass.
Another storm whipped through shortly before dinnertime, sending people scrambling. We left at that time for dinner and came back later. The hand stamp system seemed inoperable by anyone. Fortunately we still had our admission tickets, so returning through the gates later was easy. On the way out we watched a medium sized branch crash out of a tree onto the entry walkway near the metal detector. Didn't hit anyone, fortunately. It was gone later, so clearly someone was on big-stick cleanup duty.
The End
Overall it was a much better return to BGW than I expected, proving yet again that the world is better experienced in person than on a screen. It probably will be a while before I make the trip again, because at a theme park I want to feel more like a guest and less like a knowing but resigned participant in a bait-and-switch pricing ploy. When you know the game but you willingly consign yourself to the losing side of it again and again, are you really any better or any less responsible than the person you resent for starting the game in the first place? In most situations I'd say no, I'm not, and this feels like one of those. Fortunately Kings Dominion has a big new ride coming in next year, surprisingly good food, and no endless surcharges.
That last thought above largely wraps up my feelings about the state of the park. BGW has promise ahead, some warts to be treated, and substantial corporate personality flaws which badly need attention.