Busch Gardens Williamsburg, Please Help?

[Danny K]

We are planning a trip to Busch gardens/water country usa in VA in the mid july, and need help on advice.

First of all we live in philadelphia area and have 2 kids (10 and 14 years old), so I am first wondering is Busch Gardens VA worth the 6 hour drive from philadelphia area?

We all LOVE thrills, but also like theming as well, and LOVE water parks also. We have been to amusement parks near by us but we thought hershey park and Dorney park sucked, and six flags great adventure was ok, but getting booring after a while especially the lack of theming and water park rides availible. So I thought We would try something new and take a trip down to Busch Gardens and enjoy all of those nice things. Never been there. Also shows and water rides say like rapids are nice as well.

So I am first wondering how many days should we go there for? I was thinking to spend 3 days at Busch Gardens theme park, and 2 days at Water Country USA. Is that enough time?

Secondly I want to know about some good hotels between both. I herd that they are not in the same parking lot, they are about 3 miles away from each other, but they are the same company right?
Yeah so what are some good hotels nearby, I am referring to chain hotels like say: holiday inn, best western. Those kinds.

Next I am wondering how does Water Country USA compare to Six Flags Hurricane Harbor NJ? Is it better? I know it has much more water slides and better ones, but I am also a fan of wave pools as well and the one at HH in NJ is very huge, so I'd like some input on those that have been to both? And how is the lazy river at water country usa? I read some where it pushes you fast. Is that right?

Now at both parks I need to know how are the crowds there? Where should I start in the parks? And is there any kind of system to skip the lines, say similar to flash passes at six flags. I am willing to pay extra for those as I never like going to parks without those things.

I also want to ask about dining in each country in Busch Gardens? I heard that there are countries divided there and I am wondering how is the dining in each country? Do they have full service sit-down restaurants there or I need to go out of the park for that? I prefer not to get any dining plans, I avoid all of those.

And what kind of tickets should I buy for that kind of vacation? I thought season passes are the best deal for that kind, but is there any cheaper way I am missing?

Thanks for any help you give me.

 

[MarciaBrady]

Personally I think BGW/WCUSA would be worth a 6-hour drive. My parents would disagree, but that's 'cause they don't like parks all that much. (The parks are about an hour from me.)

3 days for BG is more than enough. 2 days at WC and your feet will be dead, though. (Hint-Get water shoes, and not flip-flops.)

The first time I went to WC, I was really little, and I remember we stayed at a Super 8. I haven't been to any hotels around there since then, though, since we're about an hour away.

I haven't been to Hurricane Harbor, so I can't compare. My Water Country opinions:
~Aquazoid-A fun family slide that's pitch black much of the time. The heaviest person gets to go backwards.
~Big Daddy Falls-Another family slide, but this one's open and when it's closed, you can still see. there's a couple splash pools you float through, too. Always has a take-forever line.
~Hubba Hubba Highway-Fast moving lazy river. And I mean fast: it's VERY hard to stop moving.
~Jet Scream-4 single-person tube slides. The line moves quickly since there's 4 slides. The darker blue ones have a steeper final drop into the pool.
~Malibu Pipeline-Two person tubes fly down the two mostly enclosed slides. You can ride alone though (IDK if this is always true, but I've ridden alone no questions asked.) I like screaming on the inside parts.XD
~Meltdown-Tame when it's one or two people, but 3 people in your raft and you're really flying around the turns. Just plain fun. Can get a long boring line.
~Nitro Racer-Race down the slide on your tummy on your mat. I really like this ride even though it's really short.
~Rampage-I've never ridden it 'cause we ALWAYS forget. It's stuck off in a corner, so it's really easy to miss. Lemme know what it's like!
~Rock'n'Roll Island-Meh, it's ok. If you gotta skip something, skip this. The lazy river is very very lazy. The 3 body slides are fun, but they hurt your back. (And they are not worth the owies, like Vanish Point is.) I'm sure the section would be more fun for a kid younger than me.
~Vanish Point-You have a choice: 1)Get dropped through a trapdoor, or 2)Push off yourself down a 75-foot speed slide. The trapdoor slides always have a crazy long wait. I've never done the trapdoor ones because I don't want to wait in line for something IDK if I like; and two, I HATE getting water up my nose. You can't control your breathing if you don't know when you'll drop. That being said, I LOVE THE SPEED SLIDES!! The wait is practically nothing, and it's really really cool. Do not scream on the way down, and con't forget to cross your legs. If you don't, you WILL get a bad wedgie. And the slide does hurt your back a little After riding 3 times, I had red marks all over. But I think the ride is worth it. There's one point on the way down where it feels like you're lifting off the slide. It feels really odd and cool.
(Ok, if I missed any WC rides, I'm sorry.)

Water Country always has rotten lines unless it's cloudy. But then you risk a thunderstorm chasing you out (which has happened to me). I've been to BG when it's really busy, and when it's almost empty. Mid-July will probably be pretty busy. There is QuickQueue, but IDK how much it costs or how it works.
At Water Country, I would go to the rides you're most concerned about first. (Within reason; don't walk back and forth across the park 10 times.XD)
At Busch Gardens, RIDE APOLLO"S CHARIOT AND GRIFFON! They are my favorites. Seriously, though, I would pick clockwise or counterclockwise and stick with it for the day. Since you'll have 3 days, it's foolproof.

I hate sitting around eating in parks. But yes, there are sit-down places in the park.

It is probably 'cracking the system', but I would buy a season pass for one member of your group and buy the rest Fun Cards (the "pay for a day and come back all year" things). The season pass will get you free parking, and the rest of your group will cost a LOT less if you buy Fun Cards.

 

[Danny K]

Thanks a lot very detailed. Yeah I am planning to ride all coasters there, and also what other stuff is there to do besides coasters at the theme park?

And at water country USA how is the wave pool there?

 

[Janet Hill]

BG and Water Country are the same company.

If a trip to FL is in your future (12 months of Williamsburg visit), for only $100 more/person you can add unlimited Sea World, Aquatica, and Busch Tampa Bay to the ticket. Free parking at all of the parks would be included.

It's a great deal if you plan on using it; especially, since you can pay for the tickets on an interest free 12 months payment plan.

Busch Gardens also has shows throughout the day. As far as theming - nothing to match Disney, but it is a beautiful park that rivals even Disney in landscaping.

There are also many timeshare options available in the area that in many instances are cheaper than staying in a hotel. You can probably get a 2BR with full kitchen for ~$90/night or less.

 

[Danny K]

BG and Water Country are the same company.

If a trip to FL is in your future (12 months of Williamsburg visit), for only $100 more/person you can add unlimited Sea World, Aquatica, and Busch Tampa Bay to the ticket. Free parking at all of the parks would be included.

It's a great deal if you plan on using it; especially, since you can pay for the tickets on an interest free 12 months payment plan.

Busch Gardens also has shows throughout the day. As far as theming - nothing to match Disney, but it is a beautiful park that rivals even Disney in landscaping.

There are also many timeshare options available in the area that in many instances are cheaper than staying in a hotel. You can probably get a 2BR with full kitchen for ~$90/night or less.

I do have a trip to FL coming up in the future, but don't have time to visit seaworld or busch gardens tampa. Its for my work and a visit to disney only.

 

[aubreysmom09]

I live in the area, and I agree with what is being said. IF you live in Philly you can go to Seasame St Place and get a Super Grover pass. It will get you into BG in Williamsburg, and Tampa along with all the Seaworlds, and normally it costs less. We go to BG or Water Country almost weekly. BG is a clean pretty park, and you will probably have fun. They do not have full dining sit down restaurant yet. They tried it and apparently it didn't do well, but on that note it was opened very limited times during the day. The Festhaus is an indoor venue that has seating you just have to go get the food. Normally they have a show in there. I also suggest a timeshare. Feel free to PM if you need help.

 

[GAGirlInVA]

Festhaus is one of our favorite places to eat.

We really enjoy BGW and WC and are annual pass holders to both. We will be upgrading to their platinum pass in the future (we don't qualify for SuperGrover because we live in Virginia.)

BGW is a BEAUTIFUL park. I'm not into gardening but even I think that the landscaping is beautiful! I think it is themed better than many other parks even if it isn't Disney.

We go several times a season and have a great time! I think they do have a program for line passes but we've never used them.

Oh and they have their own version of Food and Wine Festival on certain weekends. That was fun!

 

[MarciaBrady]

Thanks a lot very detailed. Yeah I am planning to ride all coasters there, and also what other stuff is there to do besides coasters at the theme park?

And at water country USA how is the wave pool there?

YW.
There are other rides too(included are my opinions):
~Battering Ram-Swinging ship ride that does not go upside down. It's very meh towards the middle, but sit in the very back and it's a lot of fun. Lots of 'floater' feeling there. I love it, but my sis hates it. (She is a chicken though and doesn't like roller coasters either. ) Battering Ram is NOT as 'intense' feeling as Da Vinci's Cradle, although really neither one is intense IMO.
~Da Vinci's Cradle-A fun magic carpet ride that just goes up and down and around back and forth till you go all the way over. I like it better than Battering Ram UNLESS I get to sit in Battering Ram's back row. Then I like Battering Ram better.XD My sister likes to squash us really bad with the lap bar though, which is annoying. (I like to just have it on me, but not squashing tight.XD)
~Flying Machine-Fun, but really really short. By the time you reach full speed, you're already starting to slow down.
~Le Catapult-Scrambler ride. I got to ride it on an extra long cycle once when there were zero people in line. It was great!
~Tradewind-Musik Express ride. It does not go backwards. I like to ride alone, but if my sis and I are in the same car, I don't like it all that much because I'm the one who gets squashed.
~Turkish Delight-Teacups. Some teacups spin more and easily than others. Look at the floor of the ride before you get on and pick a teacup that is in the part that has a separate circle that spins. DON'T RIDE IF YOU GET SICK ON SPIN-Y RIDES. My dad rode it once and hated it.
~Der Wirbelwind-Swings. My sister loves them. I like them but don't love them. They are oddly 'relaxing' to me, lol.XD
~Der Autobahn-Bumper cars. Honestly they just frustrate me. I seem to never get them to go where I want them to go.
~Mach Tower-246 foot drop tower that should be named 'Closed Tower' instead. I wish you luck to be able to ride it. It is constantly down, and days when it's running, it seems to always go down part of the time. In fact, I've never been on it when it actually drops because it's always closed. (I did, however, go on it when it wasn't dropping at ChristmasTown.) Also, the line moves really really slow. What I thought was a 20 minute wait at ChristmasTown was nearly 45 minutes. BTW, it does NOT look 41 feet taller than Griffon when you're at the top. In fact, I would think we were around the same height up except that I could see Griffon below us.
~Escape from Pompeii-Shoot-the-chutes water ride. It has really cool theming inside and it's also hot in there too. The drop gets you wet but not soaked.
~Le Scoot-Log flume ride. I have never been on it.
~Roman Rapids-Never been on it 'cause usually my group doesn't want to get all wet.XD
~Escape from DarKastle-Dark ride. I hate it. It's creepy and it kind of freaked me out. (Well, it would have, but I had my eyes closed most of the time.)The one and only BG ride I will not go on again. I would rather dangle over Griffon's drop any day (THAT is fun!) than see creepy stuff in a dark-ride. Maybe I am weird, but oh well.


WCUSA's wave pool is better than Ocean Breeze's. It's fun to go in if you don't want to wait for a slide. There's usually sand on the bottom whenever I'm there.XD (The water HAS been clean, though.) I like to go in the deep water and experience the waves there. I like diving under them and stuff like that.

 

[aubreysmom09]

Water Country is just all around better than Ocean Breeze. I know ocean breeze use to charge for tube rentals also. WC is a cleaner park, has shade, and they have a new ride opening this year. The wave pool is nice, and even on really crowded days is manageable.

 

[jennib5426]

Not sure your budget but I would recommend the Marriot Manor Club at Fords Colony. It's a Marriot time share but you can book a cash room on Marriot website. They have studio, 1 and 2 bedroom.
The place is beautiful and has multiple pools, tennis, basketball, golf, bike rental, kids activities and a spa.

It is on the west end of Williamsburg about 15 minutes from parks but it is peacful and quiet set back in a private golf community.

We got a 2 bedroom last year for $129 a night in April

 

[wiigirl]

Water Country is just all around better than Ocean Breeze. I know ocean breeze use to charge for tube rentals also. WC is a cleaner park, has shade, and they have a new ride opening this year. The wave pool is nice, and even on really crowded days is manageable.