It has been three years since a coaster has made the legendary plunge into the Rhine River at Busch Gardens Williamsburg in Virginia. Big Bad Wolf Closed in 2009, and the park has been steadily at work trying to find a worthy replacement for the classic coaster. While we won’t know for sure if the coaster will meet the standard set by Wolf, we now have another coaster taking that perilous dive through the woods and into the water below.
Friday rumors began swirling about an accident involving the new coaster (click here), but those rumors were laid to rest Saturday when guests saw the all new coaster doing full circuit testing.
Full circuit testing is a positive sign that things are on schedule as planned. The coaster is manufactured by Zierer and will feature a launch through the Black Forest, as well as special effects, and an immersive experience inside a darkened building. The video shows the coaster leaving the station and then immediately going into a ride building. Once inside the building, riders will experience the first horizontal drop in North America and then be shot out for the final thrill plunge to the Rhine River.
The coaster is expected to open May 18th this year, and will be the first launch coaster for Busch Gardens Williamsburg. Last year Busch Gardens Tampa opened the multi-launched Cheetah Hunt. This year SeaWorld San Diego opens the all new Mack Launch coaster Manta. It seems that SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment (parent company) has found a groove that fans seem to love with the launch coaster system.
Special thanks to Jordan Ford (TheMIXstation) for the video.
For more information including tickets, visit the official Busch Gardens Virginia website!
