I know all the questions in this thread have been answered, but I can't resist doing a little (fine, probably lengthy
) post on BGW. I love this park. So, I thought I'd talk about the rides (especially coasters) and stuff.
Ride Opinions
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Griffon - Dive coaster, 200 ft tall, about 70 mph. I haven't ever been on it since I'm a big chicken of it, but I know enough from what my sister and other people have said. It's basically: drop, Immelmann, drop, Immelmann. If you're scared, ride in the middle of the row if possible, since the far out seats dangle out from the car. If you don't want to look down while the car dangles over the first drop for a few seconds, don't sit in the front row. Probably the most intense coaster in the park.
. Lines are hardly ever more than 15 minutes or so, because of the ride's large capacity.
Apollo's Chariot - Fast and smooth. No, I haven't been on this one either.
. Hypercoaster, first drop about 210 ft, again about 70 mph. Only has a lap bar in case you'd rather have a shoulder harness (I do,and that's one of the main reasons I haven't ridden). Serious airtime on this one. Also, if you're wondering where the on-ride photo is taken, smile over the last few 'bunny hills' before the station. The photo is taken in that area.
. Don't be turned off by a full 'tent' of people; even with the tent full, the line won't take more than 20 minutes or so. If the line is in the switchbacks you see when you first get in the queue? Well....that could take a while. I've never seen it like that except once, though. To be on the safe side, hit this one first thing in the morning if you're interested in riding, though.
Alpengeist - My very.favorite.coaster.EVER. Your stomach doesn't drop on it, which is good for me. Inverted coaster, so your legs will be dangling, in case you don't like that. Tip: Put your hands out on the first drop and the second smaller drop into the shack. It'll feel like your flying!!!
. (To me, anyways). Frankly, I'd recommend this for a first coaster before Loch Ness Monster, even though its drop is at least 60 ft taller. It's definitely less 'scary' to me, anyways. It does have 6 inversions, so if you don't like going upside down, this one will be a no-no. The front offers great views, while the back feels faster and is definitely a bit more intense. My very favorite seat is back row, second to the right. Why? I love the back, but the two end seats DEFINITELY tend to be jerkier and bumpier. Make sure to watch for the cobra roll in any seat, since your head can be bumped against the harness on that inversion. And the brake run in the middle will snap you to the side. Sadly, there isn't an on-ride camera on this one. And, the coaster definitely looks bigger and scarier than it really is! Conclusion to the coaster: AWESOME FUN!!!!!!
. Lines are never very bad for this one; I've never waited more than 15 minutes or so, except one time when the ride broke down and I decided to wait it out in line.
.
Loch Ness Monster - This is the park's oldest coaster.......with interlocking loops!!!
This is my second favorite in the park. Your head can get bumped around, hence the complaints online about getting nauseous. I never have. Unless your eyes are open, you won't notice the loops, unlike Alpengeist's inversions. The seats are closed in, so you definitely won't feel like you're going to fall out. The front is the best seat on this coaster in my opinion, and there are two seats per row. Hands up won't work here, since the over the shoulder harnesses are very close to the sides of the car, and your arm on that side actually CAN'T go up. Scream like a maniac in the tunnel, its really fun and echoes like crazy.
. The on ride photo is at the bottom of the second loop. Longest I've ever waited is 30-45 minutes (for the front row), but normally anywhere from walk on- 15 minutes.
Verbolten - I've only been on this once, and never again. This coaster is almost completely inside in the dark, so you never know what's coming. Only lap bars on this one, too. The thing that really turned me off is the 'surprise' in the dark SPOILER SPOILER when the car stops and then free falls straight down about 10 feet SPOILER SPOILER. It's really not that big of a drop, but I wasn't expecting it, and it really freaked me out. The biggest drop on this one is about 80 feet, after shooting out of the inside. The on ride photo is on the last helix before stopping at the station. There are scary lights and things on inside, since you're supposed to be in the terrifying 'Black Forest', but I can see where this could scare smaller kids. Me? Well, I had my eyes squinched shut practically the whole time, so I barely knew.
. Lines usually average about 15-30 minutes.
Curse of Darkastle - This is a 'dark ride', and it scared me so bad the only time I've ridden it, my eyes were closed the entire time. No drops or anything, but the 3D stuff is really scary.
Da Vinci's Cradle - My favorite flat ride in the park. You can get some serious airtime on this though, so just be warned. I didn't like it the first time. Lines are hardly ever more than 5-15 minutes.
Der Autobahn - Um, they're bumper cars.
Der Wirbelwind - Waveswinger. Very fun, and not scary. Line are usually around 15 minutes or so.
Escape from Pompeii - The last drop is around 80 ft. Inside, there are fire and other special effects as you 'escape from Pompeii'. It is pretty warm inside the ride too. Be warned, you will get SOAKED on the last drop though! Plus, there are water boasters that people can use for good measure.
. Wait has been anywhere from no one on it, to 20 minutes.
Europe in the Air - Very fun as you 'fly' over Europe. Don't ride if you get motion sickness, though. Not scary, and it isn't very jerky, just feels like you're sort of in an airplane, and moves around quite a bit. I've only ridden once, and had to wait around 10 minutes, but since its now summer and hot, the queue is quite cool and a relief from the heat, so lines are probably longer.
Kinder Karrussel - Um, it's a carousel.
Le Catapult - It's a scrambler ride, and very fun, not scary. If you don't mind getting soaked, ride in the rain for even more fun!! It does take quite a while to load and unload, so waits have been as long as 20 minutes.
Le Scoot - Log Flume. Only has two drops; a small one in the middle of the ride, and the large one at the end, which I believe is around 45 feet. Again, you'll get soaked, but lots of fun!!
. It can be a bit bumpy, though.
The time I went on it, there was a walk on, but lines are a lot longer now in summer.
Mach Tower - It is a drop tower that I have never ridden. Even you don't want to ride, don't worry about it, since it has a habit to be down quite often. My sister, who will ride ANYTHING, has only been on it two or three times. If it is open, be warned that even if there's a relatively short line, it takes F.O.R.E.V.E.R. to load.
Roman Rapids - A great way to cool off on a hot day.
. You sit in a circular raft and go around the 'rapids', getting soaked as you go. Wait usually around 10-20 minutes.
Battering Ram - Swinging ship ride. There's only a lap bar, and it doesn't come down very far, so you might feel like you're going to fall out. Don't worry, you won't.
. Wait usually around 5-15 minutes.
Flying Machine - I don't know what this kind of ride is called, but its the kind with 4 arms, with three cars an arm, and they lift up and down and spin. Yes, I'm very technical.
. Anyways, its lots of fun, and not a bit scary!
. Wait usually around 10 minutes.
TradeWind - It's the kind of ride that spins in a circle and goes up and down. It does not go backwards, like some rides of this kind do. Usually around 10-15 minutes wait.
Turkish Delight - Spinning teacups ride.
Whew!! Now that I've gone over the rides, how about the shows? I haven't seen all of them, but I'll talk about the ones I have seen. London Rocks, the new show, is really fun. It's a 'Rock'n'Roll' show set in England, with a loose plot set around a girl and this boy who fall in love, get married, and have kids, with lots of songs thrown in. Since its new though, I think they are still ticketing this show, so get your tickets early in the day to see the show later. (The tickets are free). More...Pet Shenanigans is a really cool show with lots of animals in it. (Duh!
). I think most of the dogs and cats are rescues, too. There's also a pig, a rat, a parrot, and I think a few others in it?? Animals lovers will ADORE this show. A must-see, in my opinion. The only other show I've seen is Entwined, which is done in the Festhaus. I've seen this one quite a few times, since somehow or other, it was always being done when we went in there to eat!!
. It's fun and a bit silly, but definitely fun to watch while you eat!!!
And other miscellaneous stuff.....
The Festhaus is a great place to go eat, since there's such a variety of food, there has to be something for everyone. As I said, Entwined plays in here too. The Festhaus has a habit of filling up near lunchtime and dinnertime , and you can't find a place to sit at all, so I'd suggest coming in not around those times. I've also had a crepe at the crepe and drinks stall near Griffon, which was delicious, but definitely overpriced (like all theme park food). I think it was 7 or 8 dollars, and was pretty small. I've also had fudge at the candy place in France, I think, which was soooo good, but very rich.
. I didn't finish the pretty large cube in one or even two days. If you don't have to eat in the park, especially at dinner, go to Pierce's BBQ a few miles away. They have the best BBQ sandwich EVER!!!
. They're carrot cake is delicious too. They are very popular, though, so try not to come during 'dinner time'.
. In the summer, they usually have fans all over blowing both cold air and misting water, especially on the bridges. The park is pretty hilly, so I'd suggest taking a direct route around the park. If you can, take only what you can fit in your pockets, especially if you'll be wanting to do all the coasters. I've heard many stories of phones flying out of open pockets on Alpengeist's first drop, too, so try to have zippered, buttoned, or velcroed pockets. Fanny packs or little pouches put around your neck work too.
Hmmmm......I think that's about it. Hope all that helps somebody, but even if not, I actually had fun writing it!
