Bush Gardens Williamsburg 5/22

This was my first time at Busch Gardens since I was very little, under 10 years old, (im 31 now) so everything was completely new to me. I was with some family on a Beach Vacation in Nags Head NC which is about 2 and 1/2 hours away and we left NC at about 8 AM and got to Busch Gardens around 10:30. I was expecting crowds to be light but I never expected them to be THIS light. The only times we ever waited for ANYTHING was when we decided to wait for the front row, and even then it was maybe a 2 or 3 train wait at MOST . Stations were near empty the entire day.

I was most exited about Apollos Chariot so that was the first ride of the day and it did not disappoint. A good simple out and back hyper. It never tries to do too much, but delivers a great ride . Next we rode Tempesto which I enjoyed about as much as I was expecting--it was OK but not really my thing. I think Verbolten was next and I was actually quite impressed with this one. I didnt know much of anything about this ride going in, I knew it went indoors and I figured it Launched, but that drop was certainly unexpected! Just a very fun ride I thought. Alpiengiest was great as expected. And the minimal wait for the front row made it even better. Griffon was very good, comparable I would say to the one at Cedar Point which I rode a few years ago. I enjoyed Loch Ness for nostilagas sake, but not for much else...these old arrow loopers just havent aged well. Invadr was pretty good as well!

We rode the Train and tried the new Battle of Erie thing as well. I was un-impressed with Erie. I didnt think the VR was very good, it seemed to me like the resolution was not high enough or something. Made me wish the DarkKastle ride or whatever it was, was still there as I love dark rides and I think I would have enjoyed at a lot more! Also did Pompei, which I actually liked. I got wetter then I expected I would, but the fire effects before the drop were great!

Other thoughts: This is a beautiful park and I can see why it is always rated highly in that regard. We stopped in for a drink at a little Irish style pub somewhere, and it was nice to get out of the heat for awhile and they had a decent beer selection . I will say the one day ticket price is a little high I thought, even with the only discount I was able to find we had to pay $65 each. Id say thats a little high compared to other comparable parks, especially this early in the year when they should be offering better deals to get guests into the park. Does anyone know if they offer any better discounts I missed?

Overall it was a great visit to Busch Gardens.

I'd gladly pay $65 for a day as lightly attended as you describe.

$65 is a bargain IMO. If you're comparing coaster to coaster it might be out of line with the region but the experience you get there is closer to a Disney experience than a Cedar Fair or Six Flags experience.

Awesome you were spoiler free for Verbolten!

I see your point and I agree to an extent, maybe im just a cheapskate :) But, it would have been nice if my Parents could have gotten in for less with maybe a senior discount since they barely rode any rides. I guess parks are not offering much in terms of senior discounts nowadays. I can say for certain some others in our group would have come along with us instead of staying down in NC, if the tickets were say $20 cheaper. But they couldnt justify paying $65 if they were not interested in the big coasters, and I cant say I blame them. I can get a mid week one day ticket to Cedar Point for $49, and while I mentioned Busch Gardens is well landscaped and a very nice park, so is Cedar point. While Bush Gardens had a good selection of quality rides, especially coasters, Cedar Point has more Coasters and more Flat rides that I would be interested in riding. Im not trying to hate on Busch Gardens as I loved the park and rides, but in terms of bang for your buck I think most parks beat Busch Gardens in that regard.