apollo's chariot - CoasterBuzz

I was thinking about BGW the other day and how excellent their scenery and theming is. Wow, this park truly is world class. Just one question I was going to raise to see if the enthusiast community agrees with me. Do you feel that the worst themed coaster in the park is Apollo's Chariot.....i mean yes, the station is great, the ride is incredible, and it has great capacity. but when comparing AC to say alpengeist and the german ski village themed around it it seems a little bare. what do you think? one thing i was thinking about was the amount of "openness" around apollo's chariot. this seems to be a trend. consider the open feel of PKI's action zone. what are your opinions?

I got a related question. There are plenty of places out there with pics of AC but i would really like to see some pics of the line, and the area around the entrance and stuff like that. Last time i was there was the year before AC so i am really curious as to what it looks like now.
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Kicking screamin' Gucci little siggy.

*Preparing to get ROASTED*...AC just didn't "do it" for me...I think I needed some ground-hugging or tree-skirting to get the feel of the speed. Perhaps it IS the 4-across seating or something, I just feel too *comfortable* on the B&M hypers...

After the theming on Alpie, it's not really fair to compare. I tried to track down Suzanne Sessions, Inc., who did the theming on Alpie, but it seems they are no longer in business. THAT is the job for me, taking a $5-25M coaster and adding the little touches that make it an "experience"...

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PoTP acolyte - remove fear to reply
Son of Drop Zone - PKI CoasterCamp I Champions!!!

Yes, the theming for Apollo's Chariot is rather sub-par. Six Flags would have done just about the same. The theming for their other rides is much more superb. What makes up for it, though, is the fact that it is such and amazing ride.

And I thought I was the only one who thought they skipped the theming on AC. Great ride though.
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SFA 2002-What are they building?

If rollergatorwoodie is getting roasted for his comments, then I'm essentially going to get bannished to hell with gasoline drawers on:

Personally, I wasn't impressed by either the theming of Alpie or BBW...while on the ride. I *guess* the theming was okay, but once I was on the ride, I didnt really pay any attention to the scenery. In fact, the only themeing I remember on any of the rides is the neon Nessie on LNM and the tunnel on Alp.

Oh and RGW, what about skimming the little lake at the bottom of the first drop on AC. That's some ground hugging fo' ya!
ciao,
moi
--Put yo hands in the mutha $%^@!%( air!

I wouldn't say it lacks so much in theming. What it is missing (dreadfully, I might add), is a ride 'through the woods,' so to speak. BBW, Nessie, and Alpie all track through the shrubbery and flora. AC just dives down to the lake, and then.................. nothing until the lake shows up again at the end. A big, fast, open out and back. It has a much different ride than the rest of the BGW coasters, and it has more to do with the environs surrounding it than the theming in or around the queue, if you ask me.
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I don't think the theming is anything special on AC, especially at Busch Gardens. I do think the story fits perfectly with the ride, though.

MOST coasters I ride on, I can think of 10-20 theming "improvements" I'd like to make. I understand it's not all about the riders, that a LOT of the "chickens" and some of the older patrons really enjoy walking around LOOKING at the rides. Alpie was themed to the 9's. I mean, the skis on the trains, the chalet station, the "snow" on the ground, the skiing maneuvres (swoosh) near the end of the ride - I almost caught an edge, LOL, the run THRU the building destroyed by Alpie, everything! The ONLY thing I wanted to add was a giant "abominable snowman" (preferably animatronic) getting ready to take the train from the tracks...I'm sure you are all used to my theming *rants* by now, but I really think they add more to the "park experience" than we (as riders and COASTER enthusiaists) are aware of...

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PoTP acolyte - remove fear to reply
Son of Drop Zone - PKI CoasterCamp I Champions!!!

Well, all of those very long drops, including significant drops at the end, seriously do it for me, that's for sure! I think when the trees grow in a little more around the ride it will make a difference.

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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com
"As far as I can tell it doesn't matter who you are. If you can believe, there's something worth fighting for..." - Garbage, "Parade"

I have to agree with 2hostyl, yeah the theming was great on Alpie but when you're riding it your zooming past soooo fast you can't see it! The only theming I saw was while in line and at the end with the helix and corkscrew. Etherwise I preferred Apollo's Chariot way over Alpie because it was just a better ride IMO. It gave u better airtime had a good headchopping tunnel, the surprise drop was amazing and the airtime is unexplainible. And the trains give you that Roman Empire feeling along with the music on the lift hill and the line has an awesome canopy over the lines.

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There isn't a problem that can't be solved.

Suicide is NOT a solution.

Send me an AOL instant message, my sn is unXplanible

Apollo is my favorite coaster, bar none. If I rode other B+M speed coasters, I might have a different opinion. It stacks up very well against MF IMO.

I think the lack of theming can be attributed to the geography surrounding it. I'm not really sure what type of theming would be appropriate though...guess I'm just not a terribly creative fellow :)

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Doesn't it seem as though morons always have the caps lock on?

2Hostyl said:
Personally, I wasn't impressed by either the theming of Alpie or BBW...while on the ride.
What? Okay the theming wasn't that great while on Alpengeist but the theming was awesome on Big Bad Wolf. It really does feel like you are going through the village and multiple times it feels like you will hit the buildings. On the ground the theming for Alpengeist is better.
In reply to the question about Apollo, the theming on the ride is not really good. It actually isn't themed at all(to my memory). But the story fits well and it does set up the ride. I thought the ride was good though, maybe it doesn't feel really fast but it is still a good ride with quite a few major drops(first 4 over 100). Another plus is the great visuals of the park from above, especially Drachen Fire:). Got some great on-ride picks from the top of the hill.
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Paramount Carowinds: Forgotten but not Gone

ditto: I was so absolutely stunned by the ride quality of BBW, actually frightened by the intensity that YES, I missed the theming. Plus, I think both times we rode, we rode in the second seat of a car and with those Arrow trains, in the backseats of the cars you cant see S-H!
ciao,
moi
WHAT?

2Hostyl: You are right, you can't really see anything if you aren't in the front seat, which sucks. I know the rumor of the ride being a Swarpskof's(spelling is morbidly wrong:)) brainchild and I have to agree, the ride is so well paced and ingenious.
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Paramount Carowinds: Forgotten but not Gone

I rode AC a week be4 it opened to the GP. I love it!! Yes, all those drops, who cares about theming when your going that fast!!!!

Its my favorite B&M and I would say would probably be my favorite hyper if it wasn't for Magnum.
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Daniel Haverlock
magnum count :2166
www.spiritofthepoint.com

Mark W. Baruth,

how can you even compare mf and ac?......different manufacturers and totally different concept......is there anything to compare other than speed and height? just wondering where you have found such a comparison.

on another note.....thanks jeff. i never thought of the trees growing in but that is a great theory. that will make this great ride even better.

Since when are comparisons off limits?

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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com
"As far as I can tell it doesn't matter who you are. If you can believe, there's something worth fighting for..." - Garbage, "Parade"

I was underwhelmed with the theming for Apollo's Chariot as well. In any other park it would have been fine, but compared to the rest of BGW it seems lacking. That didn't affect my enjoyment of the ride, however. The left-hand plunge toward the stream at the turnaround is incredible. I love sitting in the left-most seats -- any of them -- because at that point they hang out over open space. I dream about that coaster, and I can't wait to go back to BGW next year.

Jeff: I think you're right about the trees. It will be interesting to see how the AC experience changes over the years.

What is the story to AC that several people have mentioned? I must have missed that during my visit.

*** This post was edited by Oherian on 12/7/2001. ***