When I get an itch to ride roller coasters late in the year, I can always count on Busch Gardens Williamsburg (BGW) to settle my craving. And since it is BGW, I know just the person to ask to go with me… Jen. Jen absolutely loves this park. She calls it her “happy place.” She also calls Hersheypark her happy place, but who am I to judge? Although more and more, it seems like going to any amusement park counts as a happy place for the We Were Inverted Crew. Believe me, we love taking a break from our everyday lives to ride some good coasters and BGW is one of our go-to places, especially this late in the year when many parks around us close for the season.
Sadly, No Alpengeist
One thing I was most looking forward to during this BGW trip was riding Alpengeist over and over. With the ride offerings reduced due to this being during the December Christmas Town event, I knew we’d be riding most rides multiple times. With Alpengeist being right up there alongside Pantheon as my favorite rides in the park, I was going to hit it extra hard. I even joked with Jen on the drive down saying I planned to ride it 10 times in a row at least. It, however, was not meant to be.
As we walked toward Alpengeist, stopping at Loch Ness Monster, Finnegan’s Flyer, and DarKoaster, I never saw a train traversing Alpengeist’s track. I wasn’t too worried though because I’ve been to BGW when they opened some of the ride in the back of the park an hour or so later than the rest. Still, that wasn’t the case. Alpengeist was closed, with a sign out front saying it would be down for the day. I was bummed, but it was what it was.
DarKoaster
One great thing about DarKoaster in the summer is it is a nice break from the scorching hot weather. Well, in the winter, it’s the opposite. On a frigid day, DarKoaster gets you out of that bitter cold. Unlike the summer months, however, you generally don’t have to wait in the long lines for the ride. At least on weekdays anyhow. I’m sure weekends might be a different story.
As for the ride, it was the usual fun in the dark that I’ve come to expect. I still wish there was some enhancements to the theming inside. What is there is fun, but it’s so sparse and feels lacking. Give me more weather effects, more flashes of being stalked, more props of some kind. Even some illuminated broken pillars and walls would be nice for a near miss element. Something. As it is though, it’s a fun little ride that I do enjoy hitting a time or two depending on the wait times.
Verbolten
Verbolten was running three trains when we jumped in line. I looked at Jen and told her that it would be easy to track what theme would play out inside with the three trains and each one being a different color. Each color train would always have the same theme unless a breakdown occurred or a train was moved on/off the track. And since there was hardly anyone in line, I suggested we ride it three times and do all three themes – the Wolf, the Storm, and the Spirit. Jen loved the idea and that is exactly what we did.
I honestly cannot recall if I ever experienced all three themes in the same visit before. Heck, for a long time I’d always get the Spirit. The Wolf eluded me for ages, but not on this day.
Loch Ness Monster
Another ride I was looking forward to riding, aside from Alpengeist, was Loch Ness Monster. Yes, the park’s classic Arrow Looper. With its recent upgrades I wanted to get in a couple more rides on this legendary attraction. It holds a sentimental place in my heart, riding it with my parents and brother the first time we visited in the 90’s. I was in middle school and I thought this ride was so cool. And you know what? It still is.
Yeah, it’s been surpassed in height, speed, inversions, and every other metric out there, but it isn’t always about stats. Sometimes it’s about history and a place in your heart. I’m sure we all have rides that are little extra special for one reason or another.
I am so glad BGW decided to do the theming upgrades to this ride. I love the station. It looks so much better than it used to with all the fishing equipment. The small fishing hut around the first bend is a nice touch, but that scratched train, umm “boat,” is one of my favorite new additions.
I can take or leave the audio as it’s hard to understand between the loud chain lift and the dialect of the narrator. I’d honestly prefer just a soundtrack to hype me up. Maybe play the speech in the station instead where it would be easier to hear.
Further out, the screen inside the tunnel is a welcome touch, but it’s getting some dead pixels already. I hope that is address because that is quite immersion breaking. It’s new, so I’m sure they’ll address it sooner rather than later.
Then my favorite bit of the new theming – the huge Nessie under the loops. The monster staring you down you as you escape the second loop is over and done before you know it, but looks so neat. I love it. I just wish it was more visible from the walkway over the river below. The protective wall hinders its view quite a bit. Oh well. I guess it’s really meant for the riders.
Final Ride Counts
Battering Ram (1)
Busch Gardens Railway (1)
DarKoaster (2)
Finnegan’s Flyer (2)
Grover’s Alpine Express (1)
InvadR (3)
Loch Ness Monster (1)
Verbolten (3)
Always a Great Way to Bring in the Holidays
Even without Alpengeist running I still had a great day getting in the rides we did. This late into the year and with the holidays looming, my vibe is usually a little more relaxed, to be honest. Sure, it would have been nice to have been flipped upside over and over again by Alpengeist too, but spending a few hours riding other coasters and flats like Finnegan’s Flyer and even The Battering Ram was fun too.
I can’t wait to return to the park in 2025 to experience The Big Bad Wolf: The Wolf’s Revenge. I really hate its super repetitive name, though. Why not just Revenge of the Big Bad Wolf? I digress.
I wonder if this new coaster will be able to run during Christmas Town? I’m not sure if the park has made mention of this in its advertisements or not. Does anyone know? It would be nice to have yet another ride to lap a few times during Christmas Town in 2025 for sure!
Busch Gardens Williamsburg Photo Gallery - November 25, 2024
If you would like to use any of the images in the gallery above for your commercial and/or non-commercial projects, feel free to do so. I ask that you credit We Were Inverted whenever they’re used. I also ask that you do not alter the image or remove the watermarks. If you need any images/video resized or without the watermarks, please contact me directly.
CREW MANIFEST
The following flight crew members attended this park, & earned the respective credits below:
Patrick
CAG
New Credit(s): n/a
Jen
Commander
New Credit(s): n/a