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THE BAD: Friday was the last chance for me to use my Busch Gardens Europe season pass, and the forecast called for rain and storms non-stop all day. It was either then or never.
THE GOOD: Rain means tiny crowds. Take a poncho and you’ll be fine.
THE BAD: It poured raining my entire drive up to Williamsburg Friday morning, and started coming down really hard as I neared the park.
THE GOOD: As soon as I pulled into the Busch Gardens parking lot, the rain stopped. Over at Apollo’s Chariot, there was hardly anyone riding the coaster.
THE BAD: Most of the park lost power shortly before opening. For the first two or three hours of operation, Italy and France were the only areas of the park with power.
THE GOOD: Even with everyone in the park basically concentrated at Apollo’s Chariot and Griffon, there were still no lines. Once the power was restored all rides were operating.
THE BAD: After a couple of hours without rain, it started coming down, and never really stopped. Riding Apollo’s Chariot in a downpour is not recommended.
THE GOOD: I was able to take advantage of the indoor stuff, including Pirates 4-D, which I had not done in six years. It was written by Eric Idle and starts him and Leslie Nielsen, with a cameo by Rodney Dangerfield. How could it not be good?
THE BAD: It’s really not that good. I guess it’s above par for a cheesy amusement park movie, but still not very entertaining.
THE GOOD: I finally got a chance to do the Brewmaster’s Club. Our server or instructor or whatever you want to call it was really nice, and actually gave everyone an extra pour at the end. It was kind of interesting trying different foods with different drinks and learning what goes best with what. Plus it’s free.
THE BAD: It’s all Anheuser Busch products, of course. I had no idea they brewed a stout, a pumpkin beer, and an organic ale, so that was interesting. Like everything else they do, though, they were weak (well, I didn’t have the stout). I’m pretty sure the things I sampled were all the worst I have ever had from their category.
THE GOOD: The rain was not coming down so hard in the evening, and I was able to get a lot of night rides on Apollo’s Chariot. I also had my first night ride on Big Bad Wolf, which is really really awesome, especially with all of the fog coming off of the Halloween mazes.
THE BAD: The park closed early because of weather and such small crowds.
THE GOOD: The crowds were that small that the park closed early. I was leaving before then anyway, so it didn’t really affect me. I was able to do all of the new Halloween attractions in the old Drachen Fire area, which is now recommended only for people who are at least 17 years old. There were two mazes and one scare zone over there, and it was a big improvement I thought over last year, which was just disappointing. Despite the rain, it turned out to be a great day at the park, and a good end to the season.
THE BAD: My season pass expires after Sunday, and who knows when I will get a chance to return to one of my favorite parks in the country.
THE PHOTOGRAPHS: Here they are at Flickr
