Pepsi Commercial (featuring Alpengeist at Busch Gardens WIlliamsburg)

This is an old commercial, but you'll need to see it to follow along with a discussion on our upcoming show! Enjoy!

Top Five (non-Disney) Parks - #5 - Busch Gardens Williamsburg

On this week's show, we unveiled the Top Five (non-Disney) Theme Parks as voted on by the listeners of CoasterRadio.com.

We invited our listeners to submit their favorite five parks. We tallied the votes, assigned a point system and came out with an interesting list.

Coming in at #5 is Busch Gardens Williamsburg.

In our opinion, it's one of the closest parks you'll find to Disney's cleanliness and theming.

The thrill rides are top notch and iconic. You've got legendary coasters like The Loch Ness Monster, Alpengeist and Apollo's Chariot all in one park.

You also have newer attractions like Griffon and Curse of DarKastle that keep people coming through the gates.

Busch Gardens is also known for their excellent food, which goes above and beyond the normal park fare. They also continually receive awards for their landscaping, which blows away most parks that we have visited.

One comment I made during the podcast is that it's one of the few parks where I don't mind watching shows. The stage shows in Oktoberfest, Ireland and Italy are particularly good.

It's no secret that Busch Gardens Williamsburg is one of my favorite parks and I would have liked to have seen it voted a little higher than #5.

So I wonder what parks will make up the Top Four? They must be good!

Talk about this in the CoasterRadio.com Forums!

CoasterRadio.com #422 - The American Idol Experience

The Original Theme Park Podcast is back with a brand new episode!

This week, we talk with Stacey Lantz who was a winner at The American Idol Experience at Disney's Hollywood Studios in Florida.

She'll tell us what it was behind-the-scenes at the attraction and give Mike some advice on what he should do during his audition.

You can check out Stacey's Blog about the experience and also watch some of her videos on YouTube too!

EB and Mike have also tabulated the hundreds of e-mails that came in last week and have the official Top Five (non-Disney) Theme Parks.

Who will make the cut? Who will be #1?

The guys also go Off-Topic to discuss two very different experiences for the Wii video game system. Plus, there's potentially interesting news on The David Arquette Project!

Direct Podcast Link
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Talk about this episode in the CoasterRadio.com Forums.

Weekend Theater - Say Goodbye To The Big Bad Wolf

Filmmaker Rob Warren takes a look at what made Busch Gardens Williamsburg's infamous roller coaster "The Big Bad Wolf" so special.

Free Beer Is a Thing of the Past

One of the most fun (albeit obscure) things you could do at the Anheuser-Busch theme parks was to take part in their free "Beer School".

In most cases, you'd get together in a bar-inspired classroom and learn about the beer making process while sampling some of Busch's finest brews.

It was actually an interesting experience and provided a nice break from the theme park day.

Today the brewer announced that they will stop giving free samples at the SeaWorld theme parks in Orlando, San Antonio and San Diego and its Busch Gardens parks in Tampa and Williamsburg, Va.

An Anheuser-Busch Parks spokesman says that the free samples had a "narrow appeal among park customers."

Bummer, man. But at least it gives me an opportunity to post that fun Octoberfest picture.

Talk about this in the CoasterRadio.com forums.

What's next, paying to pee?

When I was in Europe a few weeks ago, I saw a lot of strange things.

Since this is a coaster blog and my name isn't Rick Steves, I won't go into all of them. But one thing caught my attention, especially because it's being copied in the amusement industry.

As we were driving from Switzerland to Austria, we pulled over at a rest stop to use the bathroom. Earlier, I had finished off a 2 liter bottle of water, so nature was calling. I ran to the restroom (as quickly as one can in that situation) and when I got there, a mean, old German lady with a cane was blocking the door. I tried to slip by her, but she shouted,

"NO!!!!! ONE EURO!"

Say what you want about America, but I've never been to a place where you have to pay to pee. But I really had to go, so I wasn't in the mood to argue. As I handed her what was the equivilant of almost two dollars to take a leak, she must have noticed that I didn't look happy. She looked at me with disgust and said,

"GET OVER IT! YOU'LL GET IT BACK!"

I had no idea what this crazy lady was talking about, but I didn't want to hang around and ask. So I did my business and made my way out. But as I passed her again, she jutted out her cane and gave me a voucher, good for "One Euro" off "certain merchandise" at the rest stop.

Now this rest stop was the seediest one I've ever seen. It had a "fully stocked" sex shop right next to the bathroom. I was tempted to use my voucher in there to bring back a gag gift for EB. But he probably has enough of that stuff at home. So instead, I bought another bottle of water (which cost 3 Euros with my voucher.)

Anyway, how does this story relate to theme parks? (I was starting to wonder the same thing.)

A few weeks ago, CR Forums member Alex wrote a great trip report about his visit to Michigan's Adventure. He had a great time, but lamented about their locker policy"

"A locker was $10 with a $6 'deposit'. When i first rented the locker, I thought this wasn't a bad deal since I was going to get my $6 back...wrong. The deposit came back as either a souvenir cup or a $6 voucher for food or merchandise. Not only that, it was only valid at a small number of places in the park and shown in smaller print on the signs. This is the kind of nickel and dimeing that makes me go insane."

I understand that the economy is down and parks are looking for more ways to earn a buck, but this seems a little shady. If you truly got six dollars worth of food or merchandise, it would be OK. But we all know that souvenir cup is probably worth 25 cents. Plus, they make you run all over the park looking for places to redeem the voucher.

I guess I don't blame theme, because this money making scheme probably works. But when I encounter practices like at the parks, it makes me hold on to my wallet a little tighter instead of spending freely.

Places like Holiday World, which offer free parking and free drinks, make you feel like you are getting a bargain. So odds are, you'll spend a little more throughout your day.

But the whole locker voucher thing makes me feel a little uncomfortable.... just like that mean, old German lady in the bathroom. What's next, paying to pee?

Talk more about this is the CoasterRadio.com forums!

Disney Gardens?

As most of you have heard by now, Anheuser-Busch has agreed to accept a new cash offer from InBev to buy their company.

So far, there hasn't been any mention about the fate of the Busch Theme Parks (Busch Gardens, Sea World, Sesame Place).  But most analysts believe that InBev will most likely sell them off.

I consider Busch Gardens Europe to be my home park.  It's one of my favorite places to relax and have fun.  So I'm a little more than interested to find out who the new owners will be.

The Busch parks are some of the best run properties in the world.  They have set the standard for what a regional theme park should look and act like.  So any company that bought them would instantly be a major player in the industry.

Now, I know the odds are completely against it.... but what if the Walt Disney Company stepped up and bought the parks?

Let's use Busch Gardens Europe as an example.

It's been voted "Most Beautiful Park" for as long as I can remember.  So it would definitely fit the Disney standards for cleanliness and beauty.

Also, it wouldn't be very tough to add a little "Disney Magic" to the theming that already exists there.

What if they turned BGE into a Mid-Atlantic version of EPCOT?  The countries and related architecture are are already there.  All the Imagineers would have to do is to add some creative story overlays.

For instance....

Curse of DarKastle - Change the ride film, storyline and a few sets and you could have the first ever "Haunted Mansion" in 3D.

Roman Rapids - With a few animatronics, you could have a Hercules themed white water adventure.

Big Bad Wolf - The Bavarian village the coaster flies through during the first section of the ride could be themed to any number of classic Disney stories.  Add some on-ride audio and you could totally reinvent this classic roller coaster.

Loch Ness Monster - I don't think you'd necessarily have to re-theme this ride (which is celebrating it's 30th birthday this year).  However, Disney could design a killer monster animatronic to go in the cave that currently sits empty.  It worked with Expedition Everest, why not here?  (By the way, whomever owns the park needs to step up and put a monster in that cave.  Plus, they need to restore the fog and lighting effects!)

Globe Theater - There is already a perfect place towards the front of the park for one of the world famous Disney 4-D movies.

(I'm sure you guys could come up with some good ideas too...not just at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, but at the other parks too.  Give it a shot in the forums!)

Plus, let's not forget about Water Country USA and the Kingsmill Resort & Spa.  Add that in and you have a ready made Disney theme park resort.

Remember, Disney wanted to get into Virginia once before.  Yeah, I know, they wanted to get into the Washington, DC market.  But this might be close enough.

History tells us that Disney doesn't acquire parks, they build them.

But remember the rumor from a few years ago that Disney was thinking about buying Knotts Berry Farm in California and turning it into a west coast version of Disney's America?

Sure, this is all just a daydream.  I know it's not going to happen.  There are too many reasons why it wouldn't be feasible for Disney to take on this project.

But, maybe there are a few reasons why it would work?

Talk about this in the CoasterRadio.com forums!

The numbers are in....

Last week, the Themed Entertainment Association and Economics Research Associates released their Attraction Attendance Report.

If you're interested in the business side of the amusement industry, it's a pretty interesting read. It's also fun to read if you're only interested in why the lines were longer at your favorite park.

There are a couple of interesting items in the report, but one that has my head spinning....

Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom is #1 in attendance for 2007 with 17,060,000 guests.

Wait a second.... if you divide that by 365 days, that means that the Magic Kingdom averaged 46, 739 guests per day. Is that even possible? I always thought that a crowded day at the park was when 25,000 people were in attendance.

I was also surprised to see Busch Gardens Europe beat out Cedar Point in pure attendance numbers. Although, BGE's attendance did jump 12.5% with the addition of Griffon. But Maverick wasn't too shabby of an addition either.

In the world of waterparks, I was also surprised that Disney's Typhoon Lagoon beat out Blizzard Beach in guest numbers. I suppose it could be because of the addition of Crush N' Gusher, but I always thought that Blizzard Beach was the more popular of the two.

Did anything in the report surprise you? Talk about it in the CoasterRadio.com forums!

Food With A View

About 10 years ago, I didn't stop to smell the roses when I visited a theme park.

I tried to cram in as much fun as possible without stopping to rest or to eat.

Now that I'm getting older, I don't mind taking the time to find some good food and more importantly, a good atmosphere to dine.

For instance, during our trip to Disneyland, Molly and I decided to splurge and eat at the famous Blue Bayou. The restaurant is built in the same show building as Pirates of the Caribbean. Even though you're indoors, it feels like you're eating in an outdoor restaurant at nighttime. One of the best parts about eating there was that we had a perfect view of riders floating by in their boats at the start of Pirates.

If you're a theme park fan, you can't ask for any better entertainment than to watch one of your favorite rides in action while you eat.

At Busch Gardens Europe, guests can eat at the Bistro 205. This full service outdoor restaurant offers a picture perfect view of Griffon's entire layout... including the 205 foot drop. They even experimented with offering an early admission that includes breakfast at Bistro 205 and ERT on Griffon.

Of course, you don't need to spend big bucks and eat at a full service restaurant to have a similar experience. At Hersheypark last year, I grabbed a BBQ sandwich and found a perfect table directly below Stormrunner's Tophat. I must have seen 20 or 30 trains rush by as I enjoyed lunch with friends.

Hopefully this will be a trend. I'm hoping more parks will create restaurants with a view.

What do you think? Join our conversation on this topic in the CoasterRadio.com forum.