Busch Gardens Williamsburg Unveils Curse of DarKastle
Busch Gardens Williamsburg: The dark ride will combine motion-based engineering with 3D visual projection and special effects as visitors travel through a castle frozen in time.
Yes, it's a "Spider-Man"-type dark ride.
Busch Gardens Williamsburg today made official that its new ride for 2005 will be "Curse of DarKastle" (ooh, German!), a dark ride that incorporates motion-simulation and 3-D technology, a la Universal's Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man.
From the company's press release:
Curse of DarKastle is the Williamsburg park's foray into the next generation of theme park thrills. Busch Gardens assembled a crew of expert ride engineers, compute-generated graphic media artists, audio and visual projection system designers, and theming architects. The park began construction on Curse of DarKastle in February 2004 with ride completion scheduled for Spring 2005.Curse of DarKastle will transport guests through a grand Bavarian castle frozen in time. Following a one-minute-40-second pre-show that hints at a mysterious legend, guests will board eight-passenger golden sleighs for a mesmerizing three-minute-20-second journey through the castle's ghostly chambers. Elements of the dynamic ride include 3-D imagery, special effects, and a bone-chilling chase.
"The integration of elaborate theming, eye-popping visuals and wicked effects will be seamless," said Cecil Magpuri, Curse of DarKastle creative director. "Curse of DarKastle will offer a fantastic ride," added Magpuri.
State-of-the-art ride technology sends passengers on their journey through Curse of DarKastle. In addition to the pulse-pounding ride experience, digitally projected 3-D media will immerse guests in the ride's story.
Curse of DarKastle is located in the park's Oktoberfest section of Germany. Busch Gardens Williamsburg will reopen for the 2005 season March 20, 2005.
A
video press release [QuickTime format] is available, as well.
Updated May 1, 2005: TPI's Russell Meyer has ridden DarKastle and offers his review of Curse of DarKastle, with photos and on-ride video.
I just watched the whole news release video, and one thing that caught my attention is that this ride is not slated to open until May, a good month and half after the park is opened for the season.
Question: do brand-new rides like this sometimes unofficially open beforehand so that people can take sort of a beta-version of the ride, or do they wait for a grand-opening?
Also, I happened to notice on the Busch Gardens website that their "Le Scoot" log flume is no longer listed in the rides section. Does anybody know if that ride is being removed (or better yet, updated)?
Depends. Typically, parks open rides to employees first, then annual passholders. Sometimes they do "soft openings" to the general public before their press event officially opening the ride, especially if they've scheduled the press event at a later date to take advantage of what they think will be a slow news day.
Plus, looking at this from a PR perspective... You'll get a story in local media on the opening day, even if you do not have something new. If you wait to debut your new ride, that gives you a second day of coverage.
Plus, opening in May allows you to build in some weather-related construction delays. (Yes, it is an indoor ride, but you still need to do exterior and area work. Plus, no one can get to the work site in an ice storm.) If the weather holds, you can always use the extra time for soft openings. Finally, a May opening puts that debut story closer to Memorial Day, so it is fresh in people's minds when they hit the road looking for something to do.
I just noticed in an archived discussion from back in the Spring that somebody was commenting that the log flume had been removed from the park map and website. I know it was on the website this summer, but now it's gone again. Is BGW trying to tell us something?
If a do take out Le Scoot, they would probably put a coaster in there. What else could go in there? Or maybe they will relocate Le Scoot to Drachen Fire's old Spot and give it a different name and make a new country out of it.Cetainly a possibility for 2007-08-09.
Spider-man rip off!!
Happy news, indeed--BGW needs a good dark ride. I'm glad Busch is taking the plunge.
Le Scoot is still on the park Web site (just click on "New France" on the map, and you'll find that the log ride is still listed as an attraction, even if you can't see it on the map). It was closed during the evening for Howl-o-Scream, so that BGW could use the queue for the Nightmare Express train ride. So, even though I don't have any inside information here, I'd say that Le Scoot will be soaking people next season; still, that would be a cool spot for a coaster.
All this weird werewolf ype and we get a haunted castle. I'm interest to see how this ride turns out, but isn't that plot a bit contrived. A haunted castle and it's ghostly chambers? I sure hope you can pull this off BGW.
It's not a big deal that the ride opens in May. May is still the "preseason", for lack of a better word, for BGW. Plus, they now have plenty of time to open this ride with zero bugs...and who's to say that they wouldn't push up the opening date if done sooner.
I'm also glad to see someone else cash in on the technology. Good for me and all the other people that can't make it down to Florida as much as they would like to. Let's hope that they can do it well.
I dont think it is a rip off Spiderman at all, unless one thinks that ride should be the only one able to operate in that manner or with that tecnology. Its good to see a dark ride being built, rather than juts going to another roller coaster coaster which isd the typical thrill ride response. I hope it is well done and im looking forward to riding it my next visit out east!!!
I have no problem with parks using the same type of ride system for different attractions. If you're going to complain that DarKastle is a ripoff of Spider-man because they (apparently) use similar technology, you may as well complain that rollercoasters are all based on gravity.
I could only see something being called a rip-off if it was a complete copy. That means everything(same angle of drop, same track, same inversions ect
why is bgw buliding a simulator ride. they already ahve one. this is going to be a distaster. i think buschgardens is loosing there nerve to bulid another coaster sence they lost drachen fire and why did they get rid of wild maus. i liked that ride
a little of the topic but wouldnt drachen fires trains look good on nessie. it would be a great face lift.
From Ben Mills
Posted December 22, 2004 at 7:11 AM
Wow. I hear they're giving out degrees in "Completely Missing The Point" these days, y'know.
From steve lee
Posted December 23, 2004 at 6:21 PM
That reminds me, Ben. I miss THC.
I can't figure out how this attraction is going to be a disaster. They're working with the technology that's on one of the best theme park rides in the world. It ain't like they're building a clone of Superstar Limo.
Busch Gardens may be using the technology from the best ride but it's what they do with it that counts.
From steve lee
Posted December 24, 2004 at 8:52 AM
Oh, yeah - there's certainly the chance that the overall concept of the attraction, or the execution itself may be subpar, which would definitely make some of these lowered expectations completely appropriate. But I think they have a good idea, and nearly everyone knows that the ride technology involved is solid, so their chances of success are high...
But there's always that chance that they drop the ball and pull another Haunted Lighthouse on us. I just choose to believe that Busch has a clue.
OK first of all BGW needs to focus on at least two new rollercoasters. that will make the park even more better than it is already. But unfortunatly bgt always gets all the rollercoasters. For a long time i have been wanting this ride to be like the mummy at IOA. but those hopes are gone. Even though i didnt like the mummy because i had to wait four hours to ride it. The way i look at is that if i can ride apollos chariot ten times a day and not get that bored will it be the same with this new ride.
From Ben Mills
Posted January 10, 2005 at 3:03 PM
Robert, give that man a column.
I beieve Darkastle will be a winner. It is incorporating proven technology and the concept sounds good.
I have to disagree with you Dwight concerning Busch Gardens buiding two more roller coasters before this attraction. BGW has many things going for it. However, they were in my opinion, in need of a very good dark ride. Of all the attractions BGW has it is strongest in the roller coaster department. Loch Ness and Big Bad Wolf are still very good after all these years and Alpengeist and Apollo's Chariot are both world class coasters. If Darkastle is as good as Spiderman, there will be 60 to 90 minute waits for this attraction. If that is the case, then you very well may be able to ride Apollos Chariot 10 times in a day.
I am a rollercoaster fanatic, but I'm also not blind to the fact that building another 300 foot coaster with an 80 degree drop or a rocket coaster that launches you 125 mph is only going to appeal to thrill ride junkies. A theme park has to have something for everybody.
Jeffery, you need to find better times to visit BGW if you look forward to the time when it's possible to ride Apollo's Chariot 10 times in a day!
Go there on a Fall Friday morning, and you'll be able to ride it 10 times in an hour.
Ten times in an hour?
My head hurts just *thinking* about that....
Robert, correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't you say a while back that you haven't been to BGW in 10 or 15 years, therefore have never been on Apollo's Chariot? It's a very smooth ride and not at all headache- or nausea-inducing.
Alpengeist, OTOH, can give you some motion sickness on numerous repeated rides since it flings you all around.
I didn't have any problems riding Alpengeist 52 times in a row 2 years ago, but some people do have problems with repetitive motion.
Pete, my head has a conceptual problem with riding *any* roller coaster rougher than Gadget's Go-Coaster 10 times in one hour. I just need a break between rides. When I worked Disney World's Thunder Mountain, I rode five times in a row once and even that left me a little silly.
Especially a coaster like Alpengeist.
Alpengeist is my "threshold" coaster--the ride ends just as I start to feel queasy.
I went to BGW in mid-August, it was empty. In two days, I went on Alpengeist 7 times, Chariot 5 times, LNM 4 times, and BBW 2 times. The longest wait I had was Roman Rapids, which was a 30 minute wait, and it was an upset. I also went on Le Scoot and EFP 2 times each. At one of the strongest times during the season, it was empty. Great move by BGW in making this attraction. It will boost their attendence, espiccally if they advertise it a lot.
Ryan, when in mid-August did you go BGW? School in most of Virginia started 8/23, so the last day of extended hours and large crowds was 8/22. Also, there's a pretty big difference between weekend and weekday crowds at the 2 Virginia parks. I went to BGW on a few weekends in the summer, and there were a lot of people there every time.
Fortunately for me, BGW is open on Fridays even in the Spring and Fall, so I took a couple of Fridays off in October (I had vacation I had to use up anyway) and enjoyed the extremely small crowds. I'm talking about riding all 4 coasters (plus Pompeii) over and over without even having to get out of my seat. If you have the flexibility, that's definitely the way to go!
From Mark Wall
Posted January 19, 2005 at 1:06 PM
Hats off to Busch Gardens for finally creating a much needed ride like this. I've always thought that Busch Gardens Williamsburg could use more dark/immersive thrill rides. Even though I ride coasters, there's a certain immersive storytelling element to a darkride that a basic "coaster" just dosen't give. Even though it could have been better executed, "Escape from Pompeii" was kind of going in that direction (at least in concept). I normally make yearly trips down to Universal Studios, IOA, and Walt Disney world theme parks for rides like this. Now I can say that I can experience it in my own "backyard".
so who is going to plan to take a trip to BGW for the ride. i plann on going on openning. Even though the ride might not be finished in time.
I went on spiderman its a great ride but for me i could care less about this ride and le scoot isn goin anywhere i wish it would that thing hurt and besides we all kno busch isn gonna build a world record coster right next to alpengeist but still im not into dark rides that hav really long waits but one thing i hope is that this will get some people off of alpengeist im not goin to busch this year i might go ther on a class trip or i might go to PKD which i would rather go to considering last time i went i was afraid of volcano i went on all 4 coasters at busch therfore i don hav a huge reason to go back for a couple of years i wanna go to pkd badly to try out tomb raider fire fall and volcano and flight of fear and andaconda i still luv busch because it has my first upside down coaster which is alpengeist
From Ben Mills
Posted February 21, 2005 at 1:15 PM
well i fink dat u shud maybe go nd...
Ah, screw it.
lol.
From steve lee
Posted February 22, 2005 at 4:34 PM
Hemingway lives.
Somebody needs to be hit with the puncuation stick!
good lord i never proofread on the pc unless its for a class thing
Your teacher must be proud. (Insert more dry sarcasm here.)
shutup since im a middle school student i use aim alot and that makes me wanna type cpu talk wer getting off the subject
Not to be mean but i have been using AIM since i was in middle school and i have no problem. If anything when i'm writing on a message board i try to make sure people can read it. Oh have you seen some of the pics of the inside of DarKastle. I am not really happy with them. http://www.screamscape.com/html/bgw_-_darkastle_0.html and another http://www.coaster-net.com/rg/curseofdarkastle.php From these pics it looks like a cross of the haunted mansion in Disney WOrld and spiderman.
What's not to be happy with. The inside of the attraction is beginning to take shape, and regardless how much it "borrows" from other attractions stylistically, as long as it presents an original and exciting story, it will be incredibly popular. BGW is taking a huge chance with this attraction, so to borrow some elements from known commodities is a way to protect their investment. It's in no copying or cloning an existing attraction, just drawing inspiration from some of the best theme park attractions in the world..Nothing wrong with that.
Dude, I'm in middle school aslo, but at least I make an effort to keep my posts clean and readable. Jerk.
Amen, Russell--I'm quite pleased that Busch is trying something new. Actually, I think the photos posted elsewhere suggest more of a fairy tale feel--the scary side of Snow White.
At any rate, I'll be there on opening day.
Sorry for my anger.
Hey Chuck, if your there opening day, can you take some pictures and post them?
If I can make it, I'll have my camera ready. Heck, I live only 15 minutes away.
I hope buschs next attraction after this one will be a B&M Flyer there would be alot of ideas for theming
Yeah i admit it was mean on my part. Sorry. and I know that it is a good thing to borrow the best things from other rides. but how long is Darkastle going to be a good ride, Cockscrew hill was a good ride but there is no way i am going to ride it more than twice a year. pompeii was a good ride but after riding the river adventure on the jurasic park side of IOA. It puts pompeii to shame. I do though think it is a ok move on BGW's part to make it a better park with this ride. But thats alot of money for this ride. Well the only thing we can do now is wait till it opens.
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