Escaping the Storm at DarKoaster Member Previews!
The long-awaited day has come! Today we ventured back to one of our favorite semi-local theme parks to be among the first to ride Busch Gardens Williamsburg’s newest attraction, DarKoaster: Escape the Storm. The world’s first all-indoor straddle coaster features 4 launches and sits inside the remains of the retired Curse of DarKastle dark-ride. Though we never got to experience the dark-ride before it closed in 2017, we were very excited to check out its successor.
DarKoaster officially opens to the public on May 19th, but member previews began on May 11th. Before we could check out the ride, we had to visit Guest Services to print out our DarKoaster Member Preview voucher. Each member with a voucher is permitted a one-time ride on DarKoaster during park hours. This was a departure from previous member previews of new rides where proof of membership was shown prior to entering the queue line. We also noticed when we presented to the DarKoaster entrance that filming on-ride was not permitted. It is unclear at this time whether this policy will be upheld when the ride officially opens. Filming on other Busch Gardens rides is permitted provided the guest has a harness or strap that has been examined and approved by management, and must present an official “camera card” to ride operators prior to boarding. Like most Busch Gardens thrill rides, bags and other loose articles are not permitted so we left our items in the brand new locker bay located at the ride exit, DarKoaster Gifts.
We entered the queue within an hour of park opening and waited about 35 minutes to board the coaster. Wait times for the ride preview did increase throughout the day and peaked around 2 hours. The ride queue was very well themed and helps to set the tone and tell the story of the oncoming storm and supernatural forces at play. We quickly realized that this coaster was a “slow loader”, given that only one train can be loaded and on the course at a time. This is likely why members were only allowed a single ride and wait times were high even for previews. We waited an extra few minutes for the front row and were soon on our way.
DarKoaster is marketed as a “family” coaster, with a minimum height requirement of 48” and maximum height of 77”. Overall, we really enjoyed this new coaster and believe it is a great addition to the world class rides that reside at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. The themed elements are well done and everything from the lighting effects to the ride temperature really sell the “escaping the storm” tagline.
In addition to the ride, we also checked out (and purchased) DarKoaster-associated merchandise such as pins, hats, shirts, and collector coins. We also tried new libations available at Bar Kastle, located in front of the ride entrance. Of course, we had to try the official DarKoaster Mixgetränk, a cocktail comprised of vodka, white peach, and lavender. The drink certainly looked the part, but you will have to check out of vlog for our full review! We had a fantastic day celebrating all things DarKoaster at Busch Gardens and cannot wait to return for another change to escape the storm!
