BGW 10/9/05 - The Homecoming

It’s been 3 or so years since I’ve been to my home park. I’ve been skipping Busch because of their lack of rollercoasters and other thrill rides. DarKastle was the only thing that persuaded me to go this year.

Who – My friend Andrew and I

Date – Sunday, 10/9/05

Arrival – 2:45pm

Departure – 10:00pm

Weather – Cloudy all day. Scattered showers were in the area, but no rain hit BG at all

We paid $49.99 for a one-day admission ticket. Since we were VA residents, we got a 2nd day free. Boy was I glad about that! In my opinion, BG is not worth the $49.99. I’d rather spend that money at PKD.

First up, the legendary Lochness Monster…We waited 4 trains for the backseat. Man, they were getting them trains out so quickly! The first drop on this bad boy gets me every time! After that, the ride is boring. I always enjoy the helix in the dark though. What happened to the lighted up lochness monster towards the end? And the mist exiting the tunnel? Lochness sure is getting bumpy. Good grief!

Alpengeist - The line was rather lengthy. Waited 30 minutes for the backseat. Going up the lift I noticed how Lochness was waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay below us! Alpengeist totally dwarfs it. I enjoyed every second of Alpengeist. That cobra roll is something else! Is it me, or does it feel like it goes through it a little TOO fast? LOL The midcourse brakes were on light, so we flew through the 2nd half. At end, everyone was cheering and clapping. The sign of a really good ride!

We walked by DarKastle, but decided to get something to eat before we waited in that line. I usually eat at the Festhaus, but decided to try something different. We went to the Ristorante Della Piazza joint in the San Marco section. I paid $13 for chicken parmesean, a large cup of Pepsi, and a slice of cheesecake topped with cherries. Not bad! The food was d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s.

Curse of DarKastle - We ended up waiting 1 hr 30 minutes because it broke down for 15 minutes when we were in the station. The ride was fun! I noticed that the timing was off on the first screen. Everything else was on point. I told the exit attendant that some of the effects weren’t working, so he let us do it again! I planned to do that all along after reading many reviews when the ride first opened ;-) Well, it seemed like nothing worked the 2nd ride! The timing was way off and some of the screens were blank. It’s funny because when it happens, the general public doesn’t know! Oh well. The ride is really convincing. That caught me off guard. It really felt like we were rising and dropping. They had wind effects during the drop and everything. Kudos to Busch! I can’t wait to do it again! *Side note* It is COLD in that building. They really went all out on the themeing!

Big Bad Wolf - Waited 3 trains for the backseat. Man, I love this coaster! We went back around 9:30 because it’s a tradition to get a night ride on this thing. The station was empty except for the front seat of course. We went up to the front and waited 4 trains. On word: WOW! The Wolf is old, but still smooth as glass. What happened to Lochness?

Apollo’s Chariot - I forgot just how fun this one was. Waited about 20 minutes for the backseat. AC kicks booty from beginning to end! The way it just whips you down the first drop is truly breathtaking. I love how the 3rd hill banks to the left half way down. The helix made me black out a little. Now this was the first time this has happened to me on this coaster! The midcourse brakes weren’t on hard. We flew through the 2nd half of the ride! I got a kick out of the Chariot. For the longest time, I ranked SROS at SFA over this one, but now that has changed. Apollo blew me away.

Didn’t do the log flume, Roman Rapids, or Pompeii. Andrew and I both agreed that we weren’t gonna catch a cold. Roman Rapids was drained, so I don’t even think it was open. Pompeii closed really because they utilize the building for a Howl-O-Scream attraction.

Howl-O-Scream is nothing like it was when I went 3 years ago. It seems watered down. I guess parents complained because their children were having panic attacks? Oh well.

Busch Gardens is so beautiful. I did not see one piece of trash anywhere! The bathrooms were spic-n-span. My only complaint is the lack of coasters and other rides that make ya scream!

I will be using my 2nd day by October 30. Hope you all enjoyed the report!

~Corey *** Edited 10/11/2005 10:36:54 PM UTC by Coreo81***

I personally thought that DarKastle was bad. The first part was well, be after we "rose" up, it went downhill. Maybe I didn't feel like I was falling because the video screen was off. I never thought about that. Because it really did NOT feel that way.

I think Spiderman was MUCH better ride than DarKastle.

Of course, you missed the best attraction at BGW, the Photo Op Jack of the Lanterns, AKA, ME. :)