Last week I was talking to Chris online about pins we saw on eBay. During our conversation he mentioned going to Busch Gardens Williamsburg (BGW) on Monday, December 5. He wanted to know if there were any pins from the park I was looking for. That’s when I pretty much invited myself to hang out with him, his friend, Ben, and Carrie. I was free that day and Chris didn’t care if I came along.
I’m glad Chris and I had that conversation as I was looking to get out to at least one park for winter holiday events before the end of the year. Add in all the membership perks available on my pass that day, it turned out to be a great evening with friends, while picking up a few goodies.
A Focus on Pantheon
We rode all the coasters running during Christmas Town, along with Finnegan’s Flyer and the park’s train, Busch Gardens Railway, before the night ended. There weren’t too many people at the park, with our longest wait being for the train. When it came to coasters, I think we had a one train wait for pantheon as our longest line of the night.
With the park opening at 4 p.m., it didn’t take long for the skies to turn dark. It made it feel much later than it truly was. At one point, we all worried that we were getting short on time, and then realized it wasn’t even 7 p.m. This time of year can do that to you. Speaking for myself, it felt much later than 9 p.m. when the park closed for the night.
Pantheon
Chris’ friend, Ben, had yet to ride Pantheon, so that was our priority upon arrival. We had ideal weather for our visit, especially considering how much it rained leading up to our visit and in the days since. The temperature in the low-50’s, so outside any unforeseen circumstance, the coaster would be operating.
We made sure to get rides in both the back and the front. I told Ben that with the forward and backward elements, this coaster is a must ride in both the front and back. After his first ride, Chris asked Ben what he thought of the ride. Much like my initial impressions earlier this year, Ben thought the ride would be a little faster and more forceful – especially along the outer bank. He still enjoyed it and later told me that it is his favorite ride at BGW.
Verbolten
I was happy to see the park has done some work on the covered bridge leading into Verbolten’s final drop. I took a bunch of photos of the ride earlier this year when I took my DSLR and zoom lens with me. I was a little bummed that the roof was missing in those shots. I wasn’t sure if they had any plans to fix it, or if they’d just leave it as it was. I guess I’ll have to take the DSLR back next year to get updated shots.
On our lone ride on Verbolten, we ended up getting rides in the last two rows of the train. I wanted the back row to hopefully get more of the standing airtime I’ve had on this ride during recent visits. Sadly, that didn’t happen on Monday, but it was still a fun ride nonetheless. It always is, honestly. Zierer did an amazing job with this ride and it is a worthy successor to Big Bad Wolf. If you’d like to know more of my thoughts on Verbolten as a replacement for Big Bad Wolf, I ask you to read the following entries in the Influential Coasters of My Childhood series:
- (03.13.2021) Influential Coasters of My Childhood – Big Bad Wolf
- (03.29.2021) Modern Take on Influential Coasters of My Childhood – Big Bad Wolf
If you’re wondering which theme we ended up getting on our ride, it was the forest spirit. I wasn’t filming any POV’s during this visit to the park, but I did manage to film one on Halloween day in 2021, which can be found above.
InvadR
After a ride around the park on the train, we walked right on to InvadR. We sat in the middle of the train since those rows were open and they were boarding when we entered the station.
I find InvadR to be enjoyable, but nothing overly special. Depending on how many people are in line, I sometime skip the ride due to its low capacity and slow moving lines. On Monday, however, I wanted to ride it again. The ride we got was easily the best I’ve experience on the small wooden coaster. I was telling Ben as much as we pulled back into the station. When exiting the platform, Chris was saying the exact same thing.
All around, InvadR felt faster and more intense. Being it’s December, I doubt the ride is running faster than it does in the summer. I honestly just don’t know why it rode so good, but it did. I had multiple airtime moments, with one standing airtime spot when the train felt like it dropped out from under me. The laterals were also strong, with my body pulled tight to the side of the train over and over again. Are Chris and I imagining things or has anyone else had the same experience riding InvadR lately. I really wish I rode it again now in hindsight.
Final Ride Counts
Apollo’s Chariot (1)
Busch Gardens Railway (1)
Finnegan’s Flyer (1)
InvadR (1)
Pantheon (3: Ben, Patrick, 2: Chris, 1: Carrie)
Verbolten (1)
Picking Up Some Freebies!
In addition to all the great rides we experienced, I left the park with some goodies – two of which were free! We also got some hot chocolate before jumping on Finnegan’s Flyer, which is always a nice treat when the sun goes down at these parks. It tasted so good.
One of the perks available to me during my visit Monday was for $10 in Busch Bucks. These can be used to purchase food or merchandise. With my 40 percent off member discount, I used both to finally buy the Loch Ness Monster windbreaker I’ve been eyeing this year. I got it for a great price.
During checkout, I also made sure to cash in another perk for my free tree ornament. Then, much to my surprise, I was asked if I wanted my free coffee mug for being a member. I didn’t know anything about it and was told they were being given to members who purchased $40 or more at The Emporium gift shop. I don’t drink coffee, but hey, it was free. I’m sure I can find someone who might want it.
My visits to BGW are always wonderful. I’ve certainly put the Platinum Pass that I purchased during 2021’s Howl-O-Scream. I don’t think I’ll be back down again this year with it being a 3.5 hour drive from Baltimore, but my aim is to visit a few times next year to experience DarKoaster. Hopefully I can attend a preview event and share my early thoughts with all of you. Until then, I hope you all have a great holiday and can manage to squeeze in a last minute park visit with your coaster-loving friends and/or family members. Enjoy yourself! You all deserve it.
Busch Gardens Photo Gallery - December 5, 2022
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
Chris D.
Ensign
New Credit(s): n/a
Carrie
Ensign
New Credit(s): n/a
