Verbolten Review, Busch Gardens Williamsburg Zierer Launch Coaster | Better than Big Bad Wolf?
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- čas přidán 26. 04. 2021
- Verbolten at Busch Gardens Williamsburg is a Zierer multi-launch coaster. Built at a whopping cost of $54 million, Verbolten features two launches, an indoor section, and a finale that follows the same path as the Big Bad Wolf coaster that it replaced. But is it better than Big Bad Wolf? Find out in this review!
Video Credits
Big Bad Wolf Off-Ride, 2009 (Sean Flaharty)- • Big Bad Wolf - The Fin...
Big Bad Wolf POV & Off-Ride (Coaster Jeff)- • Big Bad Wolf at Busch ...
Verbolten Drop Track (Busch Gardens Williamsburg)- • Verbolten: Ride Testin...
Background Music
royalty free Music by Giorgio Di Campo for FreeSound Music
freesoundmusic.eu
/ freemusicfor. .
/ freesoundmusic
original video: • Oktoberfest Schunkler ...
mp3 download: link-to.net/49870/Oktoberfest...
I adore Verbolten. It may not be an extreme RMC or anything like that but it's such a great overall experience. And I was lucky enough to ride the coaster my first time without being aware of its little secrets.
Nice!
Although I was an enthusiast when this was built, I wasn't reading up on all the news and rumors back then. I didn't know about the drop track and never had experienced one before. It was insane.
I remember Screamscape posted some pictures that spoiled it.
There is one thing that bugs me a little bit about this ride and that's how they took out so many trees and foliage to build the ride. Big Bad Wolf was surrounded by landscaping throughout the whole ride and now it's all gone which doesn't even make sense to me personally as a ride themed to a forest should have a forest setting as well.
That's fair. Hopefully the trees can grow back.
From what I heard it did not use the complete layout from Big Bad Wolf and there is still some leftover remnants from Big Bad Wolf Footers and also do you know if that little stream looks like a little waterfall is still right there right on the bottom before you reenter the station?
@@nathanlopez5667 I doubt it. The ride basically covers it all up.
@@mitchellries256 damn that sucks it was nice to see that when you reenter the station
this was actually my first roller coaster, and i have a lot of nostalgia for it because of this reason. 9 year old me was not expecting that drop track whatsoever lmao
Makes sense!
My first coaster too! Really fun.
I rode Big Bad Wolf 🐺 as a child in the mid 80s. What a ride. Verbolton is a terrific successor. Rode it in 2019 with my boy. Had a blast. The dark ride additions and the second launch 🚀 into swooping Rhine drop are a genuine thrill. Great review.
Thanks!
I rode this this weekend and honestly I like rides like this more than thrill coasters, this is one of my favorite coasters rn, I have a wack top 5, it goes Phantom's Revenge, Steel Curtain, Skyrocket, Verbolten, then Jackrabbit.
This was my sister's second favorite coaster in Virginia after Volcano. Everyone likes different things.
My family and I went to Busch Gardens when going on vacation to Williamsburg a couple years ago. I'd never heard of this park before, so everything was new to me. The drop was one of the most startling experiences I've ever had on a coaster, my family had NO IDEA what was coming.
That's awesome! I wish I didn't know it was coming.
Another great review. Can listen to you for hours
Same
Same
Thanks!
Returning for the first time in decades I had no idea what to expect. My kids were little when we went three plus decades ago. Today we were with my son and his family. We remembered the Big Bad Wolf. I didn't remember the actual ride experience. Anyway, this was a great ride.
Enjoy!
I went on this as a young kid and covered my eyes the whole time I was in the dark part. I rode it later and thought it was very good, but needed more thrills.
It's enough thrills to still be a family coaster in my opinion.
@@CanobieCoaster that’s true, but I would have liked more focus on thrills and a longer layout.
Any airtime??
@@wilbert_GT some, at least in the back row.
@@wilbert_GT You definitley get some on the drop track,
It looks like a solid ride but I can’t believe they spent 54 mil on this
Agreed. It's shocking.
Wait WHAT!?!?!?
Totally idiotic.
I mean zierer had never built anything close to this before, it was insanely ambitious for them. idk who convinced them to go with that manufacturer though
@@CanobieCoaster yeah but 50% of it was probably for the octoberfest remodel
Looks to be a very solid family coaster indeed. It could be better paced and a little more intense in some areas but it's got great themeing, a nice long layout, and a unique ride experience with lots of surprises. Tbh, I may or may not have skipped the supprises on the indoor section like I did in your Kärnan review cause I wanted some unexpected supprises but I washed the rest. Overall, this looks to be an amazing replacement of Big Bad Woof and a great choice for BGW to choose for this spot.
If you have no clue what happens on the inside on Verbolten, it's for the better.
@@CanobieCoaster very true. All I’m gonna say, is keep your head to the very back of your seat when it starts slowing down suddenly.
Good evening! I have been watching a lot of the channel lately and by far you have the best, most in-depth, and most researched ride reviews. As to my thoughts on Verbolten, where do I begin with this...I work at the park. I have been going my whole life and a few years ago I went to a job fair. Life has been better since. I rode Big Bad Wolf as a kid, including on its last day of service (Labor Day 2009). I miss it a lot but mostly because of nostalgia and the fact that I don't remember it as well as everything else at the park. Either way I remember it well enough that when I rode Bat at Kings Island in 2019 I had nostalgia for a ride that I had never been on. But for Verbolten- it might be the most unique credit that I have under my belt. Obviously, multi launches are a dime a dozen at the park and just about everywhere else now, but for Zierer I see it as their flagship. The fact that only one ride of this type was built makes me wonder, but Verbolten is awesome. It has not aged as graceful as most would like with a respect to theming, but the ride has always wowed me with its unassuming intensity for a "family coaster." 2012 still blows my mind as a quality year for the park. The original theming and show elements, 5 train ops (doesn't really happen anymore due to the dual load station and a small marginal capacity vs 4 train ops), the newness and color palette it brought to the park's original expansion, the ride's story, the advertisements, everything stood out as magnificent to 13 year old me. It was the perfect culmination to a 5 year hiatus in new coasters. Almost a decade later the ride still has similar levels of theming and charm, but could perhaps use a refurb for its 10th anniversary next year. When did you ride for the first time? I am not sure when the show elements on the inside of the building started showing signs of being less than what was originally created, but having ridden the ride in May of 2012 and going on it quite often (and walking around inside of the Black Forest show building while giving roller coaster tours), I have seen the gradual aging of the theme inside the building. At one point the operations, black lights, painted show elements, and the three scenarios worked in perfect unison to create a ride that felt like it not only belonged at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, but perhaps a destination park. Oh and the drop track, I knew about it before my first ride but it still feels just as awesome. Having ridden Hagrid's, I find that the vertical drop track on Verbolten is marginally more intense. The 17 foot drop itself feels less regulated. The three different show scenes are awesome and my favorite one in the current state of the ride is the thunder storm. The audio for it kicks in a bit before the other scenarios. The launches (especially the first one) are adequate and do bring a smile to my face. The entire ride brings an even greater smile to my face during Christmas Town as it is the best coaster running. The lightning bolt that "strikes" the car upon entering the forest is brilliant. The airtime followed by oddly intense laterals is a great combination and my only wish is that the spinning moon effect still worked in the interior of the helix. Not only was the aforementioned a great visual spectacle, but it gave a reference point to tell if you were graying out or not. The last few turns post final drop have developed a noticeable but unbothersome set of vibrations through the train. The ride is themed to a car that goes down some dirt roads and falls off a bridge so I just assume it is unintended theming that developed on its own about 5 years after the ride opened. I used to wish that there was more after the final drop but from an engineering perspective and cost perspective it makes sense. One of my favorite aspects of the ride that nobody seems to think of is how it not only physically leaves the Oktoberfest hamlet of the park, but how it also reminds you that you have re-entered the area. Most other coasters at the park do a pretty good job of giving you a feeling of seclusion, but Verbolten (surrounded by beautiful, luscious trees in spring and summer visits and is sunk down in a valley surrounded by nothing) always impresses me when I hit the final brakes and begin hearing the musical score of the area, smelling the nearby pretzel shop, and perhaps hearing Mäch Tower falling to Earth again. Days where this is paired with a full queue and dual station operations make this effect even better. It is one of the finer details in the park that I'm not sure if enough guests truly take advantage of. I am 100% biased writing this as BGW will probably always be my favorite park but I do believe everything there needs to be well-themed and fun. If anyone is curious, my ride ranking there is 1)Alpengeist, 2)Apollo's Chariot, 3)Griffon, 4)Verbolten, 5)Loch Ness Monster, 6)Tempesto, and 7)InvadR. I do not dislike any of these rides and I do not want any of the to leave the park anytime soon. I expect Pantheon to become my favorite in the park but we'll see; I very much enjoy B&M. To anyone that somehow read all of this, thank you. I did not intend to spend an hour writing a comment for a CZcams video.
I was lucky enough to ride Verbolten in its opening year. I couldn't remember if the effects were less impressive today or if I misremembered them, but I do remember them being better back then. Thank you for the detailed comment and it's clear this coaster means a lot to you.
BBW: The greatest suspended ever.
Verbolten: a really nice follow up with that same beauty Rhine drop.
There are a few I prefer to Big Bad Wolf.
@@CanobieCoaster it was my first suspended back in circa 1981, holds memories, especially the swing over the Rhine.
Can-O-beast!! You the man, Stan. Love the look of this rare Zeirer launch coaster.
Thanks!
The theming on this ride is very well done. The drop is perfect!
Sure is.
THIS RIDE!!!! My absolute favorite!
Nice!
Riding this at night makes it so much better! At night, the way the last dip from the brake run is lit, it looks like you’re going to go straight into the river because only the top half is lit. I always make sure to ride it when I’m at the park.
This park has a lot of fun night rides, but my favorite at night is Apollo's Chariot.
I had no idea about the main surprise before my first ride. I didn't even know that such an element existed in the world. That & Full Throttle's surprise will always stand out in my mind, because I didn't know about them ahead of time.
I never considered Full Throttle's element a surprise since it's visible from the pathways.
@@CanobieCoaster I rode Full Throttle early in my first day, before I had made my way over to where you can see the surprise. And actually, I didn't even notice that you could see it over there on my entire first visit.
I like verbolton, but, I will never forget big bad wolf. It was the first rollercoaster I ever rode
They may be honoring Big Bad Wolf with their 2025 addition if rumors are correct.
Beautiful ride. I worked at Busch Garden when they opened the Wolf. Nothing better than racing down the first lift and not seeing the track. Even back then you didn't have many builders that could handle building rides of this size
Nice!
Never been to BGW. If I ever do ride Verbolten, I'll just have to let my imagined what that final drop was like while swinging under the track. Not to say that Verbolten is a bad coaster, it looks great (overall probably better than Big Bad Wolf)--but that final drop was far more intense with Big Bad Wolf. Great review!
Thanks!
I still get a good thrill from this ride, and most of the ride being in the dark just makes it even more fun, plus the great theming. Definitely my #3 at the park
It's a great all-around ride.
I love both but I'm a sucker for Arrow suspendeds, and this was my favorite, just beating out Ninja. Big props to the parks that keep them running since they're hard to maintain now. I'm surprised S&S doesn't continue to offer this model since they acquired Arrow's property, and they do offer other things Arrow produced like the 4-D
Regardless, Verbolten is still a solid ride that's well-deserving of its place in the park's lineup. The indoor section can be a little scary if you don't like bright lights and loud noises, but all in all this is a perfect "family thrill" coaster. In terms of demographic I put in a similar category to Expedition Everest (including the budget lol).
I think Vekoma's suspended/invert model is a nice compromise.
Yo Hersheypark now has a rule that operators have to staple riders on skyrush and candymonium because of the "skyrush method" meme
I was unfamiliar with the Skyrush method meme until yesterday. Skyrush automatically staples you at the base of the first drop, so I don't care if the ops do it for me now. That ride is insane no matter how tight the restraints are.
@@CanobieCoaster I also thought it wasn't that big a deal since you end up stapled anyway but cmon with candymonium too
I like how they paid homage to bbw with not only the drop over the river but the screen before the drop track
It's a nice touch.
I went on a rainy day 2 months ago. No Lines. All rides goin. It was so awesome. My 7 year old and I rode verbolten 10 times. It is so fun for kids and adults alike. And the drop paying tribute to BBW is a great touch.I rode BBW too. It was also great. I think verbolten is an appropriate replacement. I wouldn't expect less from BGW.
Lucky!
The airtime on that thing is crazy
It's decent, especially after the first launch.
@@CanobieCoaster lol I just went to dis comment but for me I got some good fli-jector in the first launch
haven't ridden big bad wolf but this was my 3rd favorite at the park behind alpengeist and pantheon and i liked it more than copperhead strike
Wow!
I definitely agree with the point that verbolten always has the longest line. Although it is a good coaster, I personally like griffon and Apollo’s chariot more, two rides that seem to usually have a smaller wait time
I agree.
i love verbolten and its my favoirte rollercoaster and the drop is so fun
I love the drop.
The helix in the show building is a little too intense for a family coaster.
It's shockingly forceful.
It’s a super fun night ride
Many rides at this park are.
I rode Verbolten in 2019 and knew nothing about it and I really enjoyed the ride. In 2021 I rode Thirteen at Alton Towers and I honestly prefer Verbolten. I think Verbolten has better themeing, and is a hell of a lot longer, than Thirteen. The drop track on both coasters a great and surprising if you don't know about them. I kinda just wish Thirteen was more like Verbolten, then again I'm pretty sure Thirteen (like most things at Alton Towers) was just a prototype.
Drop tracks are extra sweet when you don't see them coming.
I found BBW (interesting abbreviation there actually) was really only a stellar ride in the front row. This is my home park and I rode it often but never really understood it’s draw until I rode it front row it’s closing season. Throughout was often slow as well. Both great rides so BBW > Verbolten but only in the front row.
That's fair. I definitely preferred Big Bad Wolf up front.
@@CanobieCoaster Throughput*
My best friend and I went on a weekday and rode BBW in the front seat seven times without having to get out of the seats. My friend lasted five runs and I had to get out on the seventh, otherwise I would have lost that delicious hot German potato salad and Black Forest cake we enjoyed at the Oktoberfest Festhaus.
@@riproar11 I've been going to this park for ages and hardly ever eat anywhere other than the festhaus. SO GOOD
I thought the surprises in the indoor section were worth riding the entire coaster for, but a storm said nope and I wasn't able to ride :(
Dang!
Family coaster? Verbolten was one of the roughest rides I have ever been on. I rode the Big Bad Wolf years ago as a child and then in college. Absolutely loved it. Last year my family visited and I rode Verbolten. I would not let my son ride it. He may when he’s older but I’ll never get on it again. Was really looking forward to letting my son ride Big Bad Wolf. Guess not
It is intense for a family ride, especially with the darkness and surprises.
Why is the second launch not stronger than the first one? Shouldn't a flat launch be more powerful? Just curious about that statement since I never rode it.
If you have a launch of equal speed (say 40 mph), but it's uphill, you have to overcome gravity to reach that speed.
I liked Verbolten. I can now safely say that I have braved the Black Forest. It definitely has a rattle, but it didn’t ruin the ride for me. I actually enjoyed the theming of the indoor section. The ride would be very boring without it. I agree that this is a worthy successor to Big Bad Wolf, and the fact that it still has the same ending is very nostalgic.
Glad you liked it!
54 MILLION DOLLARS!?!?
Yeah...
I wonder why the shack above the river appears to be being rotted down to the supports 🤔
No clue.
When I first rode it the shack looked like an abandoned house or soemthing, but over the years I think they are intentionally taking it down very slowly and as if today on the top of the drop there is literaly no shack! It's just red painted metal scafolding
I went Memorial Day weekend and Alpen Geist and pantheon both had lines of at leas an hour and verbolten had 20 minutes (it was only like ten) I think it’s due to the capacity
That's rare for Verbolten to have a shorter wait.
@@CanobieCoaster the park was not very crowded so I don’t understand alpengeists but I remember the crew on verboten being good this is the only ride here I would wait a long time for because the line moves pantheon I had a five minute wait because I got on right after a breakdown right as it opened.
What’s the thrill level of this vs Expedition Everest?
Verbolten is a smidge more intense.
Would you say the first launch is similar to Lightning Rod’s?
Yes
Did you ride Big Bad Wolf and if you did, can you do a review on it?
Yes and I already made a review for it.
@@CanobieCoaster Nice, have you ever heard of Eagle's Fortress at Everland? It has the same crazy swinging as Big Bad Wolf but with only one lift hill.
This is my absolute favorite coaster of all time, (hot take lmao) But that makes sense considering ive only ridden 2 coasters in my life. (Planning to ride pantheon and apollos chariot next time I go!)
Pantheon is my favorite there.
@@CanobieCoaster nice! Does it make a good first inverting coaster?
Great!!!😄
Thanks!
@@CanobieCoaster 💙No Problem :)💙
Why are you playing Bavarian music when talking about a ride themed to the Black Forest?
It's the closest German music I could find that was non-copyright.
When I went on this and we approached the drop track I didn't know it was a drop shot but like I felt the thing bouncy little like once the train stopped I felt the thing bounce down like go down just a tad bit and then like 3 seconds later it dropped but before that I didn't know it would be a drop track like my mom was like it's going to do something here and then that's when I felt it bounced and I said it's going to drop us down it's a drop track and then that after I finish saying that it's wrapped down
It's a nice surprise.
Big Bad Wolf was the best coaster ever. Verbolten was an awesome replacement. Even though it took many tries to ride it due to breakdowns.
I haven't had issues with the ride breaking down.
And big bad wolf had a lot more trees around the drop over the lake then verbolten does now
Sure did.
I don't know I was never a huge fan of the Wolf. I thought Verbolten was a much better ride. I think the biggest mistake was not having Intamin make Verbolten, though.
Zierer was an interesting choice.
My family calls this coaster The Acitrip.
It is a bit trippy with the theming.
I like this ride a lot but for $54M, they could've built dueling Gigas at that time
Yeah it was certainly pricey.
cool
Yes
I went on this ride like I wish I would go on every ride completely blind I had no idea what it was he came to the park during the Christmas event And I thought this was a kiddie coaster
Nice!
I have easily seen the line well over an hour on a busy weekend
Not surprised!
@@CanobieCoaster thankfully BGW sells one use lines skips of it at the rides lockers. Usually 4$
1 world fun. This coaster is just fun and nothing else.
Very true.
Holy shit, they spent $54 million? $15 million or so is probably theming and land grading and what not.C ould have gotten an insane B&M or Intamin for that. Must have had tons of specific demands and hence why Zierer was the one they went with. They were probably the only company willing to work with the park to such an extent. B&M, definitely not. They don't do custom requests really. I mean, because Intamin had a drop track available at the time. Maybe they weren't available, haven't been in U.S. in a while really. Well, until their next coaster Pantheon they just built haha. Big Bad Wolf is my most treasured credit. Still remember that drop and ride through the village vividly. Was cold out that day and smelled like corn dogs, so it helps with keeping the memory fresh. Ya know, smells are weird like that.
I'm hoping that cost also included the rest of Oktoberfest.
@@CanobieCoaster Would sure hope so. Doesn't sound like a wise investment to me. Hahah Good ride but not $54 million good. Not even $30 million good honestly.
Hey @Canobie Coaster, you should do some videos on Lagoon. Especially on Cannibal! Also, anyone who agrees, like this comment!
I'd love to review some of the rides at Lagoon, but non-copyright footage of their rides is hard to come by. I just have photos from my visit.
Hey, I’d be fine with that!
Also, if this helps, there is offride footage on Airtime Thrill’s raw footage on the biggest roller coasters at lagoon!
They could have used the money blown on this kiddy ride to update two big bad wolfs...
Yes, this ride was crazy expensive.
I really thought this was supposed to be a family coaster. It’s definitely not😂
It has an edge for sure.
Damn this is the one coaster that was closed today so I could not ride it,,,,,,,:-(
That stinks, usually it's pretty reliable.
I honestly didn’t like this ride. It has a noticeable vibration, and the drop track was my least favorite element on any coaster. I thought it felt like a drop tower, which I hate that feeling.
I love that feeling myself.
REMEMBER DON'T LOOK BACK AS YOU BRAVE THE BLACK FOREST
True!
They spent so much money on this coaster
Yes
They should have done whatever needed to be done to keep Big Bad Wolf. It would have been cheaper, and it was a better ride. BBW was legendary. This isn't.
Arrow going out of business probably didn't help.
@@CanobieCoaster there are still a number of the type out there still running fine, so parts could be had or made. And S&S has the rights to it and likely the plans, too, so there is support for it. Even if it needed a retrack or a redesigned new set of trains , it still would have been cheaper than verbolten. For how much that was, they probably could have completely redone BBW and added Invadr for the same price as just Verbolten.
@@porcelainthunder2213 not only that the wasted the amazing land BBW used on a glorified box coaster with a tacked on terrain ending from the previous ride. We could have had a family multi-launch like Manta in California but mixed with Helix's amazing terrain use. But no, we got this $54-million dollar mistake instead.
Verbolten isn't a German word btw
Isn't it a play on the German word for forbidden (verboten)?
@@CanobieCoaster oh that makes sense, still a strange name
Coaster studios has become obsolete, and we need a new hero. Canobe coaster is here to save the day.
Glad you enjoy the videos!
Yes, I agree! Especially because of how hard he works to upload multiple videos a day!
@@jacoboehler Ironically most of the videos you see on a given day were produced a month or two ago. Covid keeping things closed and a knee injury helps.
This ride completely wasted the amazing land they had to work with, it's a glorified box coaster with a tacked on terrain ending from the previous coaster that stood there. As a result it's easily one of the worst coasters ever built and one that I rip down in a heartbeat if I were to take over BGW (I'd also erase any evidence of its existence from the park as well). If you wanted to build a box coaster BGW you had a MUCH better plot of land to work with nearby in the old Drachen Fire plot.
Look at the terrain in the pre-launch section, they had great land to work with, but they not only wasted it but RUINED it with the shitty looking show building. They could have done better, I'm not against them building a launch coaster there, but one that wastes the amazing terrain that they had. Big Bad Wolf had great theming that didn't require an unsightly show building, they didn't need a box to do that.
At least with some rides that I despise (Twisted Cyclone, Iron Gwazi, Hagrid's) I'd consider them decent to good in a vacuum (which I can't for any of them with that they replaced or were converted from), this ride on the other hand can't even get that right, ignoring Big Bad Wolf and looking at the ride as it's own thing it fails with the waste of the terrain that it is looking at the track at 4:19 and the terrain it ignores.
In short I consider this ride one of the worst coasters ever built for its squandering of amazing land that could have housed a MUCH better terrain launch coaster, think something like Helix but with the intensity of something like Manta at Sea world San Diego. Instead they built a glorified box coaster with a tacked on terrain ending. What is seen at 4:57 could have been built almost anywhere else other than that plot of land.
I agree they could have used the terrain more in the first half, but I still enjoy the coaster for what it is.
airtime is overrated
I love it.