BGE on 9/12: Tips please.

I am going to Busch Gardens Europe on September 12th. I only have 5 hours available. Are there any strategies on managing my time?

Don't miss DarKastle!

Use the single rider line to get your Griffon credit.

Again, don't miss DarKastle!

I really don't think you need to worry about crowds that day. Schools are back in session. The park is only open from 10-6, which indicates to me they aren't expecting much of a crowd. If your worried about managing your time, get there immediately when they open and ride all of the coasters first. Then see the shows and eat the food as you have time. I don't think you will have much to worry about. I'd be more concerned about them opening the park in phases.

You might not need the single rider line to get a Griffon credit. That thing is a people eater.

I know the 3 B&M's are big hits... but to be honest, I really enjoyed the two Arrows- Loch Ness and Big Bad Wolf. Just the way the terrain was used in both of these coasters is just phenomenal.

Also, if you have time, just walk around and soak up the atmosphere. The park is completely in the middle of the woods and hills- it's amazing. Completely different the BGA down here in FL. Unfortunately though, there is no Hospitality House. That's the only bummer!

We go to BGE every year in the fall - it is our favorite time to visit. Fridays are much slower than Sat/Sun. My 12 year old daughter gets to miss a day of school in Oct so we can have fun! It looks like this is the last Friday before the Halloween events (and later closings) so I would expect the crowds to be very light. Your biggest challenge my be food and/or shows. Our experience has been that there are significant closings in these two areas on Fall Fridays during the day. The park opening follows its same schedule as during the summer. Three years ago I was in Norfolk for business at stopped at BGE on my way home. I rode all the big rides plus my personal favorite smaller riders in less than 4 hours. You need to be careful about waiting for front seats that can turn a 5- 10 wait into 30 - 45 minutes pretty quickly.

My first suggestion is to arrive at park opening if at all possible.

Our Oct Friday plan is usually to ride Nessie first (that section of the park is often open a little earlier). We then walk and grab one or two rides on Apollo. If it is running and did not just leave the station, we take the train (to relax and save our feet) to ride Griffon and the Alpengeist. Be aware that last fall the Griffon single riders line was not running because the wait was short enough. We then ride DarKastle, grab lunch in Festhaus and get in line for the Big Bad Wolf. If we want to eat at Trappers, I essentially reverse the order but will skip the wolf until later if the line is too long. The other food choice would be to eat a big breakfast before you arrive, grab a quick snack, and then eat outside of the park after closing.

The Wolf may have some of the longest lines during the day because smaller children (42"") are allowed to ride. The Fri we were there last Oct the wait was longer than Griffon or Alpengeist. This ride is a sentimental favorite for us because it was my daughter's first roller coaster when she was a little less than 4 years old. I still love how they use the terrain but the ride after dark is even better.

We would then walk around and enjoy the felling of the park and try and grab a quick ride on Pompeii (if it is running and not too cold), Rhine River (love the water view of AC), or Cork Screw Hill. *** Edited 8/31/2008 5:16:50 PM UTC by bwordsworth***

I went this summer. We arrived at 9, an hour before the official opening. The front of the park was open and we got 3 rides on Nessie before 10.

The park was pretty empty until about 1pm. even when it was most crowded, we still didn't wait for anything any longer than 15 minutes.

Try really hard to get a front far end seat on Griffin at least once. You'll have no one in front of you and no track under your dangling feet. That was probably one of the greatest coaster moments of my life.

Don't miss the bird aviary on the road between France and Ireland. It closes early. We stumbled on it late int the day and didn't have as much time playing with the birds as we wanted.

All the coasters are must! They are top notch. Also take some time and ride the train around the park. The train ride is great. I highly recommend the Rhine River Cruise as well. Also take in a few of the shows. CorkScrew Hill is always fun too!

Have a fun and safe trip! Stay out of Low Zones and if you lose your hat I'll buy you a new one.

Busch Gardens now has Qucik Queue for priority boarding. $20 per person on weekdays. You might not need it but if you run into a mobbed park you might want to keep it in mind.

I only had 4 hours in the park in early June but I made the most of it. Ran back to Griffon and managed 3 rides before the crowd meandered its way back there. Agree with LostKause - that seat was pretty cool! Moved on to the next coaster.

The one thing that threw me was the staggered opening times of the different countries but I suppose it worked out OK because I ended up being at the front of the pack going into Germany so I hit Darkastle just as it opened so it was a walkon. Only trouble with that is you miss the theming in the line. Definitely hit Loch Ness. Better than I expected and it is its 30th birthday. Could not get enough of Apollo's Chariot. Fantastic coaster in my opinion. Nothing but hills and air time.

I would skip the train. I did not think the ride was worth the looong ride. Good chance to relax but with only 5 hours I would skip it.

My 4 hours was certainly enough to hit the coasters and a few of the main flats but definitely not enough to take in the rest of the park. Hope to get back sometime to experience the rest of it.

Thanks, everyone, for the tips. I should have a good time. I just hope they won't miss me too much at the conference I'm supposed to be going to. Maybe I can get me coworker to go with me so I don't have to cover up my absence.

I agree, DarkCastle is NOT to be missed! The single rider line at Griffon is the way to go. Actually I think Apollo's has one too!

Too bad you only have 5 hours. BGE is one of those parks where you really have to spend a whole day "taking it all in." If you can manage it, stay as long as you can! It's worth it! It's NOT a "credit ho" park!

All of BGE's coasters are TOP NOTCH but like I said you really have to experience the whole park. The food is awesome as well! Just wear comfortable shoes because you will be walking A LOT!