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Disney World VS. Busch Gardens Williamsburg
- Thread starter WondersOfLife
- Start date
woodardfamily
Active Member
I agree with most everything mentioned here...we usually go the WDW and BGW once a year. One interesting note, my family and I we were riding in the back of the tram at BGW, right in front of the CM who was going on and on about BGW being voted "World's Most Beautiful Park." While I agree that it is a magnificently maintained and clean park, I asked the CM if that award of "Most Beautiful Park" included Disney Property as well. She would never give a concise answer yes or no.
I will say that the BGW employees are extremely nice and remind me of the type of service I receive when we go to any of the Disney properties.
I will say that the BGW employees are extremely nice and remind me of the type of service I receive when we go to any of the Disney properties.
Blueskyze
Well-Known Member
BGW is about 4 hours from us, and we've had season passes there for the past couple years. Apollo's Chariot is one of my all-time favorite coasters, and the suspended drop on Griffon is amazing! The park is beautiful, and I love the eagle and wolf sanctuaries that they have. Halloween is fun there, too - after a certain time, areas of the park become "scare zones" where live actors will jump out, and they have several Haunted Houses. It's definitely a great place to visit, but can't really be compared to Disney, because it's nowhere near the same scale. Everything can be seen and ridden (usually multiple times) there in one day, and that's plenty. Earlier this year, we went to BGW one day, camped in nearby KOA, and then drove to King's Dominion the following day. I can definitely say BGW blows KD out of the water. No competition!
I'm homeschooled. We can't do public school because we travel all the time, doing shows in those fancy retirement centers (alot nicer than nursing homes), and in the spring we put kids on stage in schools. We do OUR shows in Florida, Virginia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Washington D.C. and New York (not broadway, just some RC close to them). Then for schools, they're at Louisiana and South Carolina.
http://www.baillieplayers.com/
I live in South Carolina.
-WondersOfLife
The last original pavilion. :king:
I agree with just about everyone here.
I love the beautiful scenery and coasters at BGW. The crowds weren't to bad either considering it was Labor Day/LB Weekend. I'm going to BGW for better scenery, but the thing they lacked are resteraunt and dark rides. I love resteraunt and dark rides. -.- Disney has that magic. Just... that magic.
-WondersOfLife
The last original pavilion. :king:
I love the beautiful scenery and coasters at BGW. The crowds weren't to bad either considering it was Labor Day/LB Weekend. I'm going to BGW for better scenery, but the thing they lacked are resteraunt and dark rides. I love resteraunt and dark rides. -.- Disney has that magic. Just... that magic.
-WondersOfLife
The last original pavilion. :king:
thelookingglass
Well-Known Member
a rollercoaster without any theming is not inherently ugly. Busch Gardens (both parks) do an excellent job of making the structures look aesthetically pleasing against their backgrounds. Another example would be Hulk at IoA and how it looks beautiful over the lagoon water.
I know this is a Disney site, and with Disney, exposed rollercoaster track with no theming is a big "no", but I just don't understand why some people are so quick to criticize other parks for not "disguising" their coasters.
I know this is a Disney site, and with Disney, exposed rollercoaster track with no theming is a big "no", but I just don't understand why some people are so quick to criticize other parks for not "disguising" their coasters.
paul436
Active Member
When I went to Busch Gardens Williamsburg in 2003 I was extremely surprised at how well they did things. I remember feeling funny thinking that, "Darn, they pay attention to the details just like Disney!" I love WDW so much I almost didn't want anyone to be as good. (Silly, I know
) But they were great. Another difference was the hills in the park. Florida is much flatter than Virginia and it was noticeable to me because my daughter was in a stroller at the time and I had to push her up all those hills.
talonstruck
Member
I went to Busch Gardens Tampa for the first time ever this summer. In my oppinion it's a hidden gem. I now want to visit Busch Gardens Williamsburg to see how the two compared. I am now going to try to make Busch Gardens Tampa a stop on every Florida trip I make until I can finally move to Central Florida.
Yes, the hills are a big no-no for me. I got so used to the "flatlands" of WDW. :lol: Also, their map was a bit confusing, half of the countries look the same in my own opinion. But they still look nice. One thing I was excited to do was the Skyway ride. Now that I've been on it, I really wish Disney never took theirs down! Honestly, the queue moved fast, Disney's was about 3 times as long, and it looks beautiful!
-WondersOfLife
The last original pavilion. :king:
-WondersOfLife
The last original pavilion. :king:
jaime_1234
Member
Like a couple other people who posted, BGW is my "home" park and I've been going to that park since I was a little kid. I agree that the landscaping is beautiful, and the park is much shadier and more "natural" feeling than Disney World. In spite of that, I still very much prefer Disney World. Maybe part of it is that I feel BGW is a bit too "natural" and I still feel like I'm kind of in my backyard, while Disney World feels altogether "magical" and completely different from the real world.
The rides are fun at Busch, but I don't think the theming is anywhere near as good as at Disney World. Basically I go to Busch to have fun, not be immersed in a magical atmosphere like at Disney World. (Sidenote - I found Busch Gardens Tampa to be inferior to Busch Gardens Williamsburg. It didn't have the landscaping and just felt kind of barren to me).
The rides are fun at Busch, but I don't think the theming is anywhere near as good as at Disney World. Basically I go to Busch to have fun, not be immersed in a magical atmosphere like at Disney World. (Sidenote - I found Busch Gardens Tampa to be inferior to Busch Gardens Williamsburg. It didn't have the landscaping and just felt kind of barren to me).
VoiceGuy07
Active Member
Busch Gardens Williamsburg is awesome and we love going there every year. Great thrill rides and a beautiful park - the most beautiful in the US for something like 11 years running I think. The food is on par with the Magic Kingdom but not other WDW parks.
Now, operationally they are far behind Disney. Guests seat themselves on the roller coasters often leaving a number of seats or cars empty. They could be moving many more folks through those rides each day if someone was loading them. And I agree that their version of Soarin' is horrible, a joke and it makes me kind of sick.
Now, operationally they are far behind Disney. Guests seat themselves on the roller coasters often leaving a number of seats or cars empty. They could be moving many more folks through those rides each day if someone was loading them. And I agree that their version of Soarin' is horrible, a joke and it makes me kind of sick.
VoiceGuy07
Active Member
Oh, and you can't beat the wildlife aspect of Busch Gardens (Williamsburg or Tampa). Great shows and behind the scenes tours.
I've lived an hour (or less) from BGW my entire life, and I've been going since as long as I can remember. It's not unusual for me at least once during the summer to just drive up there for dinner at the Smokehouse.
It's interesting reading this thread. It's made me think about the park differently.
I made the mistake of comparing BG to WDW. I didn't go to WDW until I was an adult, and I went down assuming it was a lot like BG. Man, was I surprised! Luckily I was going with someone who knew the ropes. I agree with what a lot of other posters have said. You really can't compare the two.
It's interesting reading this thread. It's made me think about the park differently.
I made the mistake of comparing BG to WDW. I didn't go to WDW until I was an adult, and I went down assuming it was a lot like BG. Man, was I surprised! Luckily I was going with someone who knew the ropes. I agree with what a lot of other posters have said. You really can't compare the two.
bayoubelle
amuck, amuck, amuck
We've been to BGW a few times and we absolutely love it! The park is beautiful-much more so than WDW. My daughter and her cousin LOVED the thrill rides while my husband and I loved the theme. BGW is not a park that we would go to every year as it is much smaller than WDW and does not have as much to offer. If BGW was larger though I could see selling our DVC points and buying into a time share resort in Williamsburg.
Walt Disney1955
Well-Known Member
Okay, just a quick question. I have been to Busch Gardens Tampa, never Williamsburg. By all accounts it is a very lovely park. But how well does Williamsburg compare to Dollywood or Kennywood? These are two other parks I haven't been to yet that I always hear get rave reviews on theming and a certain "atmosphere".
Crockett
Banned
Busch parks are all icing but no cake. The employees don't treat guests half as well as Disney CM's do. The park grounds are not kept clean like Disney, and most attractions are concrete & steel with little or no story behind them.
If you put lipstick on a pig...it's still a pig. If you put lipstick on a Six Flags...you get Busch Gardens.
Not even comparable to Disney's standards (imo).
If you put lipstick on a pig...it's still a pig. If you put lipstick on a Six Flags...you get Busch Gardens.
Not even comparable to Disney's standards (imo).
woodardfamily
Active Member
Our timeshare is located at the Colonies at Williamsburg. We have been there every year since 2005 and I have yet to do everything this place has to offer, so for me it's not just about the size of BGW, although it is one of the main reasons we go. We usually have enough weeks banked so that we can do a trip to WDW about every other year.
woodardfamily
Active Member
I have never been to Kennywood, but IMO, Dollywood rates somewhat lower than BGW. While there are a few decent rides, I have never been impressed by the customer service. The parking and park exit is an atrocity.
thelookingglass
Well-Known Member
The Busch parks are just as clean if not cleaner than Disney's. They build their coasters to be aesthetically appealing even with minimal to no theming. (I hate how Disney fanboys think rollercoasters without a mountain around them = OMG HIDEOUS!)
But you're right about their staff.
jlandis44
Member
I can't comment on BG-Tampa, but BG-Va is always clean. The CM's there aren't exactly "magically friendly", but they aren't "Six Flags Grumpy" either. If you're going to compare theming between BG and WDW, they don't even compare. The only theming that really occurs at BG-Va is that the whole park is built around a European theme, and they try to at least name rides after something European. But, the only ride with a real tangible theme is Escape from Pompeii.
To compare BG-Va to Six Flags is also an unfair comparison. Comparing Six Flags to one of the Cedar Fair parks would be more appropriate.
And, as someone else said, "Europe in the Air" (BG-Va version of Soarin') is really not good. The line queue is inside a cave-like tunnel system, where it's unnecessarily dark and damp. Once you get on the ride, it's kinda like someone used the old Star Tours vehicle inside a blurry, poorly produced film of various popular tourist attractions in Europe. I know many people who get ill on this ride, yet have no problems with Soarin, Star Tours, or even Spongebob theaters in other parks.
To compare BG-Va to Six Flags is also an unfair comparison. Comparing Six Flags to one of the Cedar Fair parks would be more appropriate.
And, as someone else said, "Europe in the Air" (BG-Va version of Soarin') is really not good. The line queue is inside a cave-like tunnel system, where it's unnecessarily dark and damp. Once you get on the ride, it's kinda like someone used the old Star Tours vehicle inside a blurry, poorly produced film of various popular tourist attractions in Europe. I know many people who get ill on this ride, yet have no problems with Soarin, Star Tours, or even Spongebob theaters in other parks.