Busch Gardens Williamsburg will open DarKoaster to its passholders on May 11, with a grand opening to all park visitors on May 19.
DarKoaster will run inside the old Curse of DarKastle show building and nods to that former attraction's story of supernatural forces "as explorers discover that they are evading more than just a raging storm," according to Busch Gardens' press release.
The Intamin coaster will feature four launches and a top speed of 36 mph on its 1,400 feet of indoor track. But the ride's configuration will have guests traveling across 2,454 feet of track during their adventure.
"DarKoaster is an unprecedented addition to Busch Gardens' lineup of thrills. As the park’s tenth coaster, this attraction will immerse riders like never before in an all-new dark ride experience," Park President Kevin Lembke said.
The park is promoting DarKoaster as North America's first "all-indoor straddle coaster" because the coaster trains are themed to snowmobiles. To be fair, though, straddle-style seating on roller coasters in the U.S. is hardly new - see Walt Disney World's new TRON Lightcycle Run, Knott's Berry Farm's Pony Express, and the motorcycle seats on Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure at Universal Orlando. But those coasters run all or in part outdoors, though TRON is under cover the whole time.
Fans can debate Busch Gardens' semantics over a new DarKoaster Black Lager, a German-style Schwarzbier with hints of chocolate and coffee that the park is debuting along with the coaster on May 19. The 5.2% ABV is brewed by The Virginia Beer Company and the limited-edition beer will be available on draft and in commemorative cans to visitors 21 and up.
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For those who haven't ridden Intamin "straddle coasters" before, the seating position is very different from Tron, Pony Express, and the motorcycle seats of Hagrid's. Riders sit upright with a lap restraint that comes from the front (not the back), and safety instructions ask guests to not lean forward during the ride. From my experience on Wave Breaker at SWSA, it's a bit awkward to not lean forward, but I'm curious if that inclination will be reduced as a result of the indoor experience presumably with dark ride elements to look at along the route.