Busch Gardens Williamsburg- Site Plans for Festa Italia Expansion

Busch Gardens Williamsburg- Site Plans and Specs for Festa Italia Expansion.

 Well, the folks at BGW Fans have done it again. Finding the decoding the plans for the 2015 Busch Gardens Williamsburg expansion to the Festa Italia area. 

 It's pretty obvious that the fears of a stock Premier Rides coaster had come to pass, with nothing original about it. A stock ride which is often found in Six Flags Parks will soon be raising into the sky for the Festa Italia expansion. While myself and many others have been attempting to deny this, it's getting harder and harder to stand when so many plans are being found then released. 

 While it's still impossible to say if the ride builder is Premier Rides, it's seeming more obvious due to past relationships with other ride builders and the parks. So it's very likely an announcement will be coming soon from Busch Gardens, which will either confirm or deny the facts we've uncovered for ourselves. 

 If the plans are accurate and all guesses to the ride manufacturer are correct, we can easily know the stats for this new coaster.  While some folks who've ridden this style of ride assure me it's more fun then it appears, I think it's likely a mistake. You don't get people coming back to the park for a stock ride, that privileged is often reserved for new, original design coasters. People will come but I doubt they'll get the turn-out they seem to be hoping for with this move. 

  Either way, the stats are as follows for this style coaster from premier rides:
150 Feet Tall
863 Feet Long
1 Inversion
62 MPH Launch Speed  
50 Seconds Ride Time
 






All images are from BGW Fans

Busch Gardens Williamsburg- Possible Premier Rides Coaster for 2015?

Image from BGW Fans

 Busch Gardens Williamsburg- Possible 'Primer Rides' Coaster coming for 2015?

Well, it's no real secret that fans of Busch Gardens Williamsburg have been in an uproar for months over the possible 2015 'Festa Italia' expansion.  For months the speculation has run wild over a project which we know will be roughly at a height of 156 feet.

Image from BGW Fans

Now, while it can't be confirmed, the great folks at BGW Fans have been posting up blue-prints of what looks like a stock (off the shelf) Premier Rides coaster. This also has fans in a complete tizzy, with many feeling that the park is going cheap with using a stock design and not something custom built.

While the 'Festa' area has never had a well set theme, being that more of a carnival feeling, this addition could cement the area of the park. The project name (or the working name) seems to be that of "Diavolo' who was a big name bicycle stunt rider in the 1880s.

So, while we're speculating, could this coaster have the 'moto-seats'? Meaning, your coaster train would be designed off the old 'steeple chase' idea. 

Honestly, these seats are hard to explain, so I've liberated a picture from Coasters and More. This photo is from "Booster Bike" which is in Towerland, The Netherlands.  Very similar to 'Pony Express' at Knott's Berry Farm and Steeple Chase at Coney Island.

However, Premier Rides has never used this system of seat before...but it's also not entirely unknown to have another company design the coaster trains while someone else does the track, it's just very rare in steel coasters.

Now, with that said, I can't say if this restraint system will work with a coaster that has inversions involved since nothing using them has any. Most coasters which have inversions have the normal 'over-the-shoulder' style restraint system, leaving us with a stock Premier Rides coaster with little to no themeing involved but that doesn't fit with the way Busch Gardens normally does business.

Which, in the end, leads us right back to the fact that we simply don't have enough information on this ride yet. So, until such a point, I shall resume my 'fence sitting' position and hoping against hope that Busch Gardens isn't falling into any bad habits.

*Rumor Alert* Busch Gardens Williamsburg- 2015 Expansion A Coaster?

Image from BGWFans

 Busch Gardens Williamsburg- The 2015 'Festa' Expansion A Coaster?

 The great folks at BGWFans thinks they've found the answer that's been lingering in all our minds.

 We've all known an expansion is coming to the 'Festa Italia' area of the park in 2015 and we know it was suppose to be decently sized, based alone on the permit submissions.  However, what I don't think anyone expected what BGWFans has possibly figured out.

Image from BGWFans

 Based on Size and Footprint someone put two-and-two together can game up with Primer Rides.  One of their smaller, single train coasters which would match the height and generalized footprint which we believe Busch Gardens is currently working with.  Their fairly small, have a low rider capacity and are what fans call "Off the Shelf" coasters. Their not original and have a stock footprint any park can buy. The example to the left is "Superman" from Six Flags Discovery Kingdom. Which has a low rider capacity and low through-put time. All these will create long times and general headache type situations.

 Please keep in mind, all of this is speculation. Nothing has been confirmed.

 Now, here is when I begin to speculate on my own. While many are having fits over this, I think there are a few things their not considering. A several different types of coasters can and will fit into this small space, things much better than a stock ride. Several of these aren't my favorite type of ride.

Image from RCDB

 For Example-
 In that small small footprint you can fit in an Intamin AG 4th Dimension 'Ball Roller' style of roller coaster. One good example of these is to the right- Green Lantern- First Flight.

 These are small, compact and rather damn fun. They also have the benefit of being fairly unique styles of rides with a much higher rider/capacity rate overall.  Sure they get lines and can't chew through the lines the way a giant 'steel monster' can, but their better that the original proposal of a Primer stock Coaster.

 This could easily fit into the general parameters which people smarter then I can read on the permit sheets filed by Busch Gardens. 

 This is just one example.
 Other rides like this exist, which fit in small areas. Busch Gardens also has ZERO history with Primer Rides and these parks are creatures of habit. I've gone through   We should be looking outside to someone which Seaworld Parks has worked with in the past- B&M, Zierer, Intamin AG and Mack Rides. I'd look to them first. If I've learned anything about these parks, they go with what they know.

 I'd bet my money on Intamin AG to build the new attraction. I'd like to see it be a 4th Dimension coaster but I'm not even going to speculate on the type! Just know that Seaworld Company Parks have a relationship established with this company already in the form of 'Cheetah Hunt' found down at Busch Gardens Tampa.

BREAKING NEWS: Busch Gardens Williamsburg Expansion and New Attraction? UPDATE!

Busch Gardens Williamsburg will Expand and build a New Attraction in 2015.

Image from BGWFans

Today BGWFans found permit proof that Busch Gardens Williamsburg will be expanding the Festa Italia area and adding in a new attraction.

 The permit states the attraction will have a height of 156 feet with an approximate total elevation height of 242 feet.

Image from BGWFans

 They report this began almost two months ago when a "line of sight" test happened and lately lots of "ground marks" have been seen in the Festa Italia area. One member of BGWFans has even reported that soil tests have been taken from the area around Teatro di San Marco. However, this dosn't exactly explain what the park has in the work for the area.

 Most of the 'ground marks' are found surrounding where the teacups currently are plus ranging back to the entrance area of Apollo's Chariot and upwards towards Roman Rapids.  They believe this will put the highest area of the ride smack in the middle of the Clydesdale and Sheep paddocks which surround the area just outside of the Festa Italia train station.

While no one is currently sure what this may mean. Could Festa Italia be getting a complete re-theme to their area? Are we seeing the ground work for a new roller coaster coming to Busch Gardens Williamsburg?

We'll have to watch and see!
Please visit BGWFans for a more detailed explanation about this breaking news from Busch Gardens Williamsburg!  Because if something is going on, these are the people I look to for information!

UPDATE 10/10/13

BGWFans has located the full permit submitted to James County for the Busch Gardens Expansion! Please visit their website to read the full letters and view the images attached with it, it's way to much for me to try and break down or explain here! Once they've gone through it and broken it down completely, we'll post of the findings!
-Because really, I'm not good at translating these types of permits.