Such an opportunity missed by not having Roman ruins spread throughout the course layout. Just a handful of Ionic/Corinthian columns to weave through and create near miss effects would have been epic. Still looks like another solid Intamin and with the best in the biz restraints. Looking forward to riding this later this year.
Yeah like they did with Taron or Velocicoasters first half, it makes an already good ride easy twice as cool. I fantasized about the vertical spike being enclosed in a huge tower-like building which fits the Theme...
They can still “plus” the ride as it should be. They can use some of that money that they were going to use to purchase Cedar Fair to properly theme the ride. The theming should be a step above “Escape from Pompeii” with mist/fog and fire elements, a small volcano in middle that shoots fire whenever the train enters the stall element, and water spouts in front of the side roll before the brake run. A 300 movie type soundtrack being played as well.
SeaWorld as a company has been drifting away from well-themed rides ever since Blackfish’s release. Sadly, so long as Ross is on the board, I don’t see it changing anytime soon
I feel like the lack of theming is less BGW’s fault and more the mentality of Seaworld as a company. I mean, Ice Breaker falls behind in the theming department as well. Emperor literally doesn’t even have a station. I feel like that having multiple large-scale coaster additions at each part is draining the budget away from the thematic elements, because this ride by far has the greatest potential for theming. But as long as Ross, being the money launderer he is, is on the board, then I see no change occurring in the company’s mentality. Hopefully they’ll give Pantheon something akin to Poltergeist’s revamp and spice up the queue in the future
I rode this for the first time recently and ive watched countless povs and they can never portray the intensity and force that this ride has. The first launch is alot more forceful than it looks. Its such a nice surprise. It really set my expectations of the rest of the ride up even higher and it delivered
Been waiting on this one. The backwards launch sold me. It became my favorite ride in the park. Griffon after opening the 2010's coasters remained my favorite. Pantheon was well worth the wait. Only thing they gotta work on is more theming. Crap even Griffon has more theming than Pantheon.
I am really hoping that they add some ascetic elements over time. Anything will beat the current open field that it sits on right now. I had a different experience on that banked hill after the top hat. It shot me out of my seat on the up hill and I didn't touch it again until we were almost at the bottom of the other side! All lap bar!
Yeah I rode Pantheon early on and in the middle of the day and the difference was pretty noticeable. The top hat sent me out of my seat for an extended ejector airtime that I wasn't expecting on that second ride, one of the highlight moments that is kinda fickle to catch. the bunny hill in the middle of the launch also hits harder. I feel like the quality of your ride is more circumstantial for Pantheon than anything else I've ridden (which isn't much tbf).
I'm excited to ride this weekend. I just can't help but feel disappointed by the lack of theming. No one expected Disney, Universal, Phantasialand or Alton Towers here. Just some rock work with faux ancient ruins, crumbling columns and sculptures of the Roman Gods (they could be located next to their respective track sections) and this thing would have been golden. People would rave about it being a perfect or near perfect ride. It's a missed opportunity for sure. I really hope they go back and add theming during a future off season.
Taylor, you're (by far) the best coaster reviewer that I know. I can feel how a ride experience should be like just by hearing your opinion. Great job with this one (and the other ones too!).
I definitely think SeaWorld got nervous about theming budget when COVID hit, but that leaves me with some hope that eventually, once the pandemic is dealt with for good, they'll probably come in and do what KI did with Area 72, completely revamping the theming for both the station and the on-ride scenery. Also, a little off topic, are we going to get an updated review of Kings Island in the future? Just curious.
Aw man, I’m 6’6! It’s so frustrating not being able to enjoy rides because of restrictions like this. Similar experiences with Intamin OSTR and T-bars, and B&M inverted OSTR. Really wish more rides would increase accessibility as a priority.
some stone spires during the little rapid s bend at the end and like an actual station and story with theming to follow during the que line would be good. Maybe like some stone walls to dive under or buildings to go through during the ride would be cool too
They can always add stuff as far as theming,, but not sure why they wouldn’t have done it already…. Also, the backwards launch is SICK. It’s a very solid ride overall.
Heads up for Everyone: When Taylor says an element doesn't really have crazy airtime, it does. He's just so desensitized to most coasters at this point that it doesn't feel that way to him 😂 Both on the outer bank and wave turn from his reaction POV it looks to have crazy airtime
I’m being completely honest, I rode this 5 times last Friday, and the outer bank didn’t have much airtime (due to it being 43 degrees out), and the wave turn didn’t really have anything either 😂
@@Official.foxy_the_pirate_ to be fair it depends on what side of the train you’re on. If you sit on the side closer to the exit gates you’ll get more air on the outer bank but not the wall stall. Vice versa applies. Sit on the side closer to the load gates and you’ll get more air on the wall stall rather than the outer bank
I feel the same way... The one thing I have always said about our amusement parks is we don't have a lot of theming.... Big Bad Wolf has great theming. Can't wait to ride Pantheon this summer.
I agree that it’s odd that the park didn’t put a lot theming into it, but something else I’m not a fan of with this coaster is that they can only run two trains. Most of the coasters at Busch Gardens can run up to three trains and I’m not sure why they didn’t include more block zones into the layout. I’m sure this ride will consistently have 2+ hour waits everyday during the summer.
I went there on a tuesday (opening summer, 2022) and we went to pantheon immediately at park open, it was posted a 50 minute wait. We got through a bit faster than that and I was pleasantly surprised. but im sure any weekend at peak italy crowd is horrible wait times. Wonderful, could do better on the rider capacity/themeing
I am hoping that during the breaks when BGW is transitioning throughout the seasons that they add themes to Pantheon. Like little statues of the gods themselves in their respective area of the ride
I haven't ridden Velocicoaster or Pantheon yet & you can't judge a coaster by seeing videos but I can't help but think that Pantheon looks like it's more fun.
Velocicoaster is amazing I went last year in August and rode it 11 times within a 9 day period. I was terrified to get on it but once I did I loved it. I am now terrified to get on the Pantheon 🤣
I’m glad I wasn’t alone with true theming issue I usually don’t have an issue with theming on rides because some rides have a weird name and even I wouldn’t be able to figure out a theme for it But for Roman and Greek themed rides I have standards for Because it is SO EASY TO THEME literally all you had to do was add a tunnel comprised of columns on the first launch and then some cheap statues and Roman columns along parts of the queue Six flags would at least add columns in the queue Unthemed Greek/Roman rides make me sad Thank god they’re a minority because they’re so easy to theme
Watching this after riding Pantheon for the first time today. This thing is awesome! I was not expecting the amount of hangtime you actually get in that first inversion. And good lord the bump! The airtime over the bump is something serious, shocked me lowkey 😂
I managed to pull 7 rides in a row on it yesterday, 8 in total, and I'd say your points are pretty reasonable on it, it's just that I don't care if a coaster has theming or not, although it would be nice, I still just focus on how fun a ride is, especially if you're riding with family, and thanks to this coaster, I have a brand-new #1.
I know I shouldn't have been shocked to hear Mr Freeze come up in this review but I still was. It's remarkable how different Six Flags St Louis' position within the chain has changed since the 90s.
GREAT REVIEW MAN. Saw you guys saturday launch weekend! Being a regular at BGW for 23 years, im really disappointed in Seaworld Parks in their lack of theming, i understand covid made things difficult, BGW shut down, loss of work force etc, but i mean, every other ride there has some kind of theming or decorations throughout the queue and plaza area. APART FROM THAT LETS CONTINUE TALKING ABOUT BEING EJECTED BACKWARDS. Wow what a sensation and thrill, hands down my favorite roller coaster in VA.
I rode this yesterday. Great coaster, but I mentioned to my sister while we were standing in line that the station and surrounding area looked like it was just thrown together at the last minute. They had 2 extra years to work on this and the just couldn't be bothered. I feel like things have been going downhill in the theming department since Busch Brewery sold the park.
Just got back from visiting BGW this past week. Rode Pantheon 5 times in a row thanks to a misty, dreary day scaring everyone away on a Wednesday. 3 in back, 2 in the front car. No review or POV video can do this coaster justice. It is a *relentless* ride where the only break you get is when you free-fall backwards down the top-hat on the first attempt. The ride bombards you with elements in rapid succession right up until the end with that sharp bank before the brake run near the station. The inverted "Garden of the Gods" element where you fly through the coaster's support beams upside-down is one of the best parts of the ride. The feeling of inverted weightlessness for that length of time is intimidating. The ride itself is extremely smooth but after 5 rides I felt absolutely wiped. This is by far the most aggressive ride at BGW. As Taylor mentioned, the restraints are great and the cars themselves are very comfortable. If you can, go to BGW in the middle of the week. I can't imagine the lines for this ride on weekends in the summer.
I was lucky enough to get the first ride of the day on Saturday! It was a phenomenal ride, just sad with the lack of theming. I would love to see a coaster battle comparing this and Velocicoaster!
Just went yesterday when it was 95 degrees, and there's a bit of whip over the big drop. Not a lot, but I'm sure more than when Coaster Studios rode. Also, the back seat is insane. Easily the best ride in the park
Just road this coaster on Saturday and it is EXCELLENT! Intense and surprising. The noise when you roll over the launch tracks doing the roll back into the hill is also very intense.
If they would have used that extra time delaying opening to do more theming it would have been better. Hopefully they will add theming over the next down season.
I wanted to be surprised so I didn't watch any videos of the coaster prior to riding it. From all the views that I had of it in various places in the park, it looked really tame. Boy was I wrong...It was an adrenaline rush from the very first launch section. What an amazing coaster!
I really don't think that Theming makes or breaks a ride, I hate it when people discredit a ride just because it has no theming. I'd gladly take a great coaster in a field, rather than a mediocre ride that's themed, since theming does take budget away from the ride layout
Wife and I just came back from Busch Gardens. Wanted to go in blind, neither of us knew anything about the coasters here. We've been around a bit, Velocicoaster and Skyrush are two of our favorites. This one scared the crap out of us. We had no idea what to expect. The park was also slow and we could walk on (twice). I believe the ride operator was asking the guest in front of us if they wanted "extra" and they must have done something because we did fly over that top hat. After our second ride we were so shaky and tired we had to sit down. Both of us were just spent after that, and we usually complaining that coasters are too boring. Idk, this one hits different. Awesome ride.
Some makeshift pillars along the first launch would’ve spiced it up some since they didn’t build the bridge. Hopefully they add more theming to the queue and plaza later.
3:15 Sign might be okay but the picket wood fence behind it destroys it. Haha. Just insane. How can you spend $20 million or whatever and not budget an extra $250-500k for nice station and queue? It's PART of the experience. Just as important as the ride in my opinion. That's just bad design on Intamin's part to have a 6' 4" max height. That's like a few percent of the population haha.
SeaWorld had a lien on Iron Gwazi. Something like 3 million dollars. They had to pay before they could open. I feel like Pantheon lost out due to COVID.
@@nichtsistkostenlos6565 indeed. "Virginia man tested coaster height restriction limit and lost his arms thinking the limit was there for fun". I'm 6'2" so I'm still lucky, but that limit really sucks for the taller people! I guess a workaround would be to hold on for dear life. Some say the restrictions are for the back headrest for your head, but who knows the truth.
My daughter and I attended a VIP riding event for Pantheon… unfortunately we’d literally just come off a weeklong stay at Universal resorts and rode Velocicoaster before trying this ride…. It’s good, but Velocicoaster is NEXT LEVEL!! They are 2 very different experiences with the exception of the top hat and a few rolls. The final roll on Velocicoaster makes you really believe you are going to touch the water!! I wished we’d been able to ride Pantheon first because we really had an unmet expectation.
Keeping up with the great work showing us this amazing new roller coaster pantheon this year 2022 at Bush gardens in Williamsburg va on your RUclips channel sending me more of your amazing videos like this one on my RUclips channel I am biggest fan of riding all kinds of amazing roller coaster 🎢 my favorite roller coaster in Williamsburg va at Bush gardens is the locnnss monster
I fear coasters but I love them. I will straight up have a panic attack waiting in line to get on one that I haven't been on before especially if I even suspect it's gonna drop my stomach. Although I am terrified to get on the Pantheon I will probably end up riding it but I can tell you that every ride I have rode made by Intamin has been amazing with the exception of hagrids in the front row ai will never do that again I will only ride in the back.
I couldn't agree more with your assessment - especially in regards to theming..teeming... This is a ride that cries out for some awesome theming.. and the ride's backstory - about the four God's is COMPLETELY glossed over... I'm going to have to go back and re-read the riders backstory - to form an opinion of how that could be leveraged for theming..teeming... I love your reviews - and really enjoyed your European trip. Now I want to go to Poland...!.
The height limit due to the near miss reminded me of when I rode Iron Rattler a few months ago. I'm 6'3" and at one point my fingertips hit an overhead support.
I need to go to this park to ride pantheon, which I will do that soon. Also one of their rides is celebrating it's 25th year there, and that is Alpengeist.
After yours and several others’ reviews, I was not expecting such an intense ride. It was definitely more of a floaty type of intensity than ejector, but man, when you’re floating in your chair for some seconds, it’s pretty amazing. I like RMC-ish whippy intensity too, but I like the Intamin launches and elongated swooping intensity just as much. And this ride has launch in spades.. really seven, with four of them paired.
Does this ride drop your stomach bad? I rode velocicoaster and I loved it I was scared about the top hat but it didn't drop my stomach. I also rode hagrids at universal studios in the very front and I hated the drop . They are both Intamin coasters as well.
I was looking forward to watching this review video. But after watching this video, all it did was make me look forward to the review video from Canobie Coaster.
after a 2-year delay they obviously prioritized getting the ride done, with material and labor shortages, the scenery is going to be secondary lol. busch gardens is a beautiful park i have no doubt this will be totally different by next summer. the line is very apparent this is the case BG would never just have wood walls for the entire queue, its clearly a barrier for them to continue working and opening for the preview
I'm sure someone has mentioned this before but I don't want to look through 359 comments to find it: Regarding theming - I think we have to take into account that during the pandemic supplies dwindled, the workforce dwindled, even the housing marking went bonkers because new homes were on halt due to... a lack of workers and supplies! When you could find supplies, wood, cement etc - the price for this stuff went through the roof! My thought is that once things get 'back to normal', if they ever do, they will do the theming later. I mean, it's Busch Gardens (but then again, the new owners... okay, don't get me started) HA!
I revisited BGW a few days ago after so long, and I absolutely LOVED Pantheon. It became my new favorite roller coaster in the park after Apollo’s Chariot used to be my favorite for several years. I loved the swing launch section, particularly the backwards portion, the hangtime-filled inversions, the ejector airtime, and rapid transitions. It’s almost as good as Maverick at Cedar Point, but not quite. I’ll hopefully get some more rides on Pantheon next time I go back to BGW.
Weird that you gave it a 9 based on the feedback you gave - I was expecting closer to an 8 - but a thorough and informative review nonetheless. Seems like a nice addition if you’re a local but it’s not something I would travel for.
the fact that you consider plaques theming is just crazy to me, they can be used to wrap you in the theming with some info about what's around you but they are not theming and since it's in a plot of dirt the gods plaque don't really make sense
Got to ride it twice in the last two days. Great ride overall. Doesn’t seem as fast as they claim. The inversion toward the end was intense. However in two days I was at Busch gardens it was down three times for maintenance issues. The second day only 1 car was running and it took a while to get on
That backward air pop was crazy, like a piece of SkyRush. But the requirement to remove glasses when I was clearly wearing an effective retention strap was completely unjustified. As you say, it’s not that intense a coaster. I liked the ride, but I didn’t have a strong desire to re-ride. Apollo’s Chariot is more my style of fun. Gettin’ old. 😀
God I wish I was old enough to travel around to parks, as I want to go to here, cedar point, ect, but Atleast I’m in the heart of Florida I have Busch gardens close to me
I just rode this 3x for the first time, and it was an awesome ride, but I was thinking the same, it looked a little underwhelming for the type of coaster it is…. I did enjoy it, and that air time hill going up to the spike😳😳
I’m so excited to ride this! I’m giving up on SeaWorld parks having almost any theming on their coasters tho…all of the coasters that opened this year by them have left much to be desired…even just the stations! 😜
As I said in the previous video it feels slightly gimmicky and short and doesn't have enough before launch 2 i.e velocicoaster/taron Edit: never mind I can't ride it I'm half and inch to tall!
I agree that Six Flags would do a better job theming this ride than Sea World. Seems like Sea World as a whole is focusing less on theming with a lot of their newest coasters. Pantheon's lack of theming makes Twisted Timbers' loose theming look like something out of a Disney or Universal Park. I also agree that Pantheon is much more thrilling than Ice Breaker but not a full package like Velocicoaster. I haven't ridden Pantheon but it definitely looks to be the best coaster in BGW. I still think Kings Dominion will have the two best coasters in Virginia in I305 and Twisted Timbers.
People were getting tossed off Pantheon yesterday who were in the 220 to 250 weight range and that's a problem. I'm 250 and had to wait to see if I could fit in another seat. Intamin really missed the boat on the restraints and should have had shoulder harnesses. I've been the size for a long time in never have gotten tossed off a ride for my size. This is a major problem. Otherwise I think it is the best coaster at Busch gardens Williamsburg it was glad to be able to ride it after the seat change.
I wonder if there is a chance that the theming will come next year. Maybe they just wanted to get it open finally and handle that stuff later on. Kinda like how Marineland said they’ll do the Dragon Mountain theming later.
Great review!! I need your and Sarah's professional roller coaster opinions. I am 4 hours away from Bush Gardens and 4 hours away from Lake Compounce. If you had to pick only one coaster to ride.. which do you choose? Boulder Dash or Pantheon? Thanks!
I'm 6'4 as well and I was just at the park last week. When you enter the line, you have to walk under a bar. The top of my head touched up against the bottom of the bar and was told that I should be fine but if someone up at the platform asked to measure me, they'd let me take my shoes off. No one asked. I did notice on the three times I rode it (spread across 3 days) that the person at the start of line does watch when taller people go by.
Honest to god, if anyone made a video to explore the possibility of what it would take to increase the power of a LSM launch, or if it’s even possible. This coaster is close, but is running about 6 mph off purchase specs. A 2mph diff on the 3 forward/reverse launch would cover this. Have unconfirmed reports this coaster was tested at a faster speed in 2021. Sorry to see they backed off.
I agree with you on the station, that really should have looked like the real Pantheon! I mean everything else is very well themed stations at Busch Gardens...well, Verbolten and Invadr, but those were the 2 coasters that were opened the day i was at Busch. This looks like a fun coaster. I wish there was more theming also. So, you like Pantheon better than Intimidator 305?
Has anyone else noticed that there's actually more mounting points for lsm's then what they are using. Both in the first launch and the air time hill between launch sections. (EDIT😂) After re watching off ride footage its for retractable brake fins common on intamin's
That height limit was such a disappointment for me, I had a lot of fun riding the other coasters in the park but was shocked to learn it had that 6’4 height limit. As someone who is 6’6 and into roller coasters it’s a shame that there’s so many rides I will never experience because of my height limit. Super Duper Looper - Can’t fit in the car cause of my knees Pantheon - To tall (never ridden) El Torro 😢 - to tall (never ridden) This actually brings up and interesting question, can you still count the coaster credit even if you can’t physically ride it but want to, like I’ve done kingda Ka So I love them, I just feel it’s a bummer cause so few people love coasters and aren’t afraid of them but to not eb able to ride is unfortunate
Rode it the other day. It was badass 😂 It didn’t blow me away like I thought it would but I think it overtakes Griffon as the most thrilling ride in the park.
Finally got to ride this today, I think it’s a great ride I rode velocicoaster last year at opening so I thought I wouldn’t like this as much but it exceeded my expectations I thoroughly enjoyed myself but it wasn’t as intense as I expected it would be. some more theming like to the levels of verbolten would definitely be cool though so I agree on that.
yeah i’m pretty pissed about the whole height thing with clearance. i’m 6’3 and almost 17 so i still have room to grow. why would they put a support that close if they knew it would be an actual problem :|
Such an opportunity missed by not having Roman ruins spread throughout the course layout. Just a handful of Ionic/Corinthian columns to weave through and create near miss effects would have been epic. Still looks like another solid Intamin and with the best in the biz restraints. Looking forward to riding this later this year.
It's America lol
9:58 i cant ride Penteon! 😭😭😭
Yeah like they did with Taron or Velocicoasters first half, it makes an already good ride easy twice as cool.
I fantasized about the vertical spike being enclosed in a huge tower-like building which fits the Theme...
@@upsidedown_ It’s Busch Gardens Williamsburg. It’s probably more of a sign that SeaWorld Entertainment is doing super well financially.
They can still “plus” the ride as it should be. They can use some of that money that they were going to use to purchase Cedar Fair to properly theme the ride. The theming should be a step above “Escape from Pompeii” with mist/fog and fire elements, a small volcano in middle that shoots fire whenever the train enters the stall element, and water spouts in front of the side roll before the brake run. A 300 movie type soundtrack being played as well.
I never thought Busch Gardens Williamsburg would neglect theming on a coaster.
SeaWorld as a company has been drifting away from well-themed rides ever since Blackfish’s release. Sadly, so long as Ross is on the board, I don’t see it changing anytime soon
Apollos chariot has no theming, griffon has no theming
Griffon still has the worst theming in the park lol
@@coasterviking305 well having no theming will do that to you
Same and I am honestly in shock.
I feel like the lack of theming is less BGW’s fault and more the mentality of Seaworld as a company. I mean, Ice Breaker falls behind in the theming department as well. Emperor literally doesn’t even have a station. I feel like that having multiple large-scale coaster additions at each part is draining the budget away from the thematic elements, because this ride by far has the greatest potential for theming. But as long as Ross, being the money launderer he is, is on the board, then I see no change occurring in the company’s mentality. Hopefully they’ll give Pantheon something akin to Poltergeist’s revamp and spice up the queue in the future
You're just not realizing that Emperor's station is themed to the Emperor's New Clothes.
@@marcustulliuscicero5443 lol
@@marcustulliuscicero5443 you mean the emperors new groove?
Wait what about a money launderer?
I rode this for the first time recently and ive watched countless povs and they can never portray the intensity and force that this ride has. The first launch is alot more forceful than it looks. Its such a nice surprise. It really set my expectations of the rest of the ride up even higher and it delivered
I agree!!!
I agree and also what the heck is going on with the swing launch like it’s so loud it literally vibrates the train
Been waiting on this one. The backwards launch sold me. It became my favorite ride in the park. Griffon after opening the 2010's coasters remained my favorite. Pantheon was well worth the wait. Only thing they gotta work on is more theming. Crap even Griffon has more theming than Pantheon.
The airtime hill on the backwards launch was amazing.
@@collegeluvr you got that right
@@collegeluvr when I rode it for the first time I dropped a few f-bombs lol
Even with glasses strap you can’t ride them on which is a bummer for people like me who need them to see
@@bengianturco7926 yeah they changed the rules with the glasses on that ride months after opening. My first ride on there, I had my glasses on.
I am really hoping that they add some ascetic elements over time. Anything will beat the current open field that it sits on right now.
I had a different experience on that banked hill after the top hat. It shot me out of my seat on the up hill and I didn't touch it again until we were almost at the bottom of the other side! All lap bar!
Ascetic = "abstention from all forms of indulgence" ... they did ;)
@@spentron1 haha! Google keyboard got me!
Was there alot of leg room on this ride
I had no problem. If you're needing leg room just keep in mind there is a height limit as well as a height requirement
Yeah I rode Pantheon early on and in the middle of the day and the difference was pretty noticeable. The top hat sent me out of my seat for an extended ejector airtime that I wasn't expecting on that second ride, one of the highlight moments that is kinda fickle to catch. the bunny hill in the middle of the launch also hits harder. I feel like the quality of your ride is more circumstantial for Pantheon than anything else I've ridden (which isn't much tbf).
I'm excited to ride this weekend. I just can't help but feel disappointed by the lack of theming. No one expected Disney, Universal, Phantasialand or Alton Towers here. Just some rock work with faux ancient ruins, crumbling columns and sculptures of the Roman Gods (they could be located next to their respective track sections) and this thing would have been golden. People would rave about it being a perfect or near perfect ride. It's a missed opportunity for sure. I really hope they go back and add theming during a future off season.
Taylor, you're (by far) the best coaster reviewer that I know. I can feel how a ride experience should be like just by hearing your opinion. Great job with this one (and the other ones too!).
thank you so much!
🤢
Ahhh eating lunch while watching a Pantheon review is so satisfying 😄
I’m making breakfast lol
Your name is king cobra like the old launch coaster at kings dominion too
@@theunknown0887 yesss I just found out about that last month and was like omggg
I was just eating dinner ;-)
I love that coaster studios typically has a new video by the time I take my lunch break always my go to lunchtime entertainment. 👌🏾
I definitely think SeaWorld got nervous about theming budget when COVID hit, but that leaves me with some hope that eventually, once the pandemic is dealt with for good, they'll probably come in and do what KI did with Area 72, completely revamping the theming for both the station and the on-ride scenery.
Also, a little off topic, are we going to get an updated review of Kings Island in the future? Just curious.
Aw man, I’m 6’6! It’s so frustrating not being able to enjoy rides because of restrictions like this. Similar experiences with Intamin OSTR and T-bars, and B&M inverted OSTR. Really wish more rides would increase accessibility as a priority.
Hey at least that's the cutoff for a ton of rides with a listed limit
Can you still ride it aslong as you don't put up your hands?
I’m with ya man bum 6’6 and I’m just as bummed as ever
Disappointed by BGW and Intamin for making that a thing
At least you’re not in New England. SFNE has many rides with a max height of 6’4, and I’ve only got a few years or so.
@@letsgobrandon4596 nope. The way it seems to be, is that if you head passes the top of the headrest you can’t ride
Easily the best coaster at BGW and it's so comfortable. Love this ride. So glad that my home park final got something next level
Imagine if the spike had a holding brake!! I feel like that and some theming would really push this ride to the next level
some stone spires during the little rapid s bend at the end and like an actual station and story with theming to follow during the que line would be good. Maybe like some stone walls to dive under or buildings to go through during the ride would be cool too
They can always add stuff as far as theming,, but not sure why they wouldn’t have done it already…. Also, the backwards launch is SICK. It’s a very solid ride overall.
Heads up for Everyone: When Taylor says an element doesn't really have crazy airtime, it does.
He's just so desensitized to most coasters at this point that it doesn't feel that way to him 😂
Both on the outer bank and wave turn from his reaction POV it looks to have crazy airtime
I’m being completely honest, I rode this 5 times last Friday, and the outer bank didn’t have much airtime (due to it being 43 degrees out), and the wave turn didn’t really have anything either 😂
@@Official.foxy_the_pirate_ to be fair it depends on what side of the train you’re on. If you sit on the side closer to the exit gates you’ll get more air on the outer bank but not the wall stall. Vice versa applies. Sit on the side closer to the load gates and you’ll get more air on the wall stall rather than the outer bank
The tiny bunny hill in-between the launches is very underrated, hella air time
I feel the same way... The one thing I have always said about our amusement parks is we don't have a lot of theming.... Big Bad Wolf has great theming. Can't wait to ride Pantheon this summer.
I agree that it’s odd that the park didn’t put a lot theming into it, but something else I’m not a fan of with this coaster is that they can only run two trains. Most of the coasters at Busch Gardens can run up to three trains and I’m not sure why they didn’t include more block zones into the layout. I’m sure this ride will consistently have 2+ hour waits everyday during the summer.
Agreed.
I went there on a tuesday (opening summer, 2022) and we went to pantheon immediately at park open, it was posted a 50 minute wait. We got through a bit faster than that and I was pleasantly surprised. but im sure any weekend at peak italy crowd is horrible wait times. Wonderful, could do better on the rider capacity/themeing
As a local, I am so pissed at the lack of theming. Hopefully something could get done!
I am hoping that during the breaks when BGW is transitioning throughout the seasons that they add themes to Pantheon. Like little statues of the gods themselves in their respective area of the ride
I haven't ridden Velocicoaster or Pantheon yet & you can't judge a coaster by seeing videos but I can't help but think that Pantheon looks like it's more fun.
Velocicoaster is amazing I went last year in August and rode it 11 times within a 9 day period. I was terrified to get on it but once I did I loved it. I am now terrified to get on the Pantheon 🤣
VELO is god tier.
I’m glad I wasn’t alone with true theming issue
I usually don’t have an issue with theming on rides because some rides have a weird name and even I wouldn’t be able to figure out a theme for it
But for Roman and Greek themed rides
I have standards for Because it is SO EASY TO THEME
literally all you had to do was add a tunnel comprised of columns on the first launch and then some cheap statues and Roman columns along parts of the queue
Six flags would at least add columns in the queue
Unthemed Greek/Roman rides make me sad
Thank god they’re a minority because they’re so easy to theme
Watching this after riding Pantheon for the first time today. This thing is awesome! I was not expecting the amount of hangtime you actually get in that first inversion. And good lord the bump! The airtime over the bump is something serious, shocked me lowkey 😂
I managed to pull 7 rides in a row on it yesterday, 8 in total, and I'd say your points are pretty reasonable on it, it's just that I don't care if a coaster has theming or not, although it would be nice, I still just focus on how fun a ride is, especially if you're riding with family, and thanks to this coaster, I have a brand-new #1.
I know I shouldn't have been shocked to hear Mr Freeze come up in this review but I still was.
It's remarkable how different Six Flags St Louis' position within the chain has changed since the 90s.
GREAT REVIEW MAN.
Saw you guys saturday launch weekend! Being a regular at BGW for 23 years, im really disappointed in Seaworld Parks in their lack of theming, i understand covid made things difficult, BGW shut down, loss of work force etc, but i mean, every other ride there has some kind of theming or decorations throughout the queue and plaza area.
APART FROM THAT LETS CONTINUE TALKING ABOUT BEING EJECTED BACKWARDS. Wow what a sensation and thrill, hands down my favorite roller coaster in VA.
RMC and Alan Schilke really have had a lot of influence in the coaster world. this ride looks awesome
Don't forget that Werner Stengel and intamin have had way more.
This is definitely the park to go to if you enjoy launches! It has SOOO MANY!
I’m planning on visiting BG Williamsburg for the first time this year. This review has sparked my interest in the park even more. Nice review!
I’m wondering if they will theme it if they add more rides to this section
I rode this yesterday. Great coaster, but I mentioned to my sister while we were standing in line that the station and surrounding area looked like it was just thrown together at the last minute. They had 2 extra years to work on this and the just couldn't be bothered. I feel like things have been going downhill in the theming department since Busch Brewery sold the park.
Just got back from visiting BGW this past week. Rode Pantheon 5 times in a row thanks to a misty, dreary day scaring everyone away on a Wednesday. 3 in back, 2 in the front car.
No review or POV video can do this coaster justice. It is a *relentless* ride where the only break you get is when you free-fall backwards down the top-hat on the first attempt. The ride bombards you with elements in rapid succession right up until the end with that sharp bank before the brake run near the station. The inverted "Garden of the Gods" element where you fly through the coaster's support beams upside-down is one of the best parts of the ride. The feeling of inverted weightlessness for that length of time is intimidating. The ride itself is extremely smooth but after 5 rides I felt absolutely wiped. This is by far the most aggressive ride at BGW.
As Taylor mentioned, the restraints are great and the cars themselves are very comfortable.
If you can, go to BGW in the middle of the week. I can't imagine the lines for this ride on weekends in the summer.
Pantheon is awesome! I gotta say too that verbolten and apollo's chariot were running way better this past weekend than I remember last summer.
I was lucky enough to get the first ride of the day on Saturday! It was a phenomenal ride, just sad with the lack of theming. I would love to see a coaster battle comparing this and Velocicoaster!
Just went yesterday when it was 95 degrees, and there's a bit of whip over the big drop. Not a lot, but I'm sure more than when Coaster Studios rode. Also, the back seat is insane. Easily the best ride in the park
Just road this coaster on Saturday and it is EXCELLENT! Intense and surprising. The noise when you roll over the launch tracks doing the roll back into the hill is also very intense.
If they would have used that extra time delaying opening to do more theming it would have been better. Hopefully they will add theming over the next down season.
I wanted to be surprised so I didn't watch any videos of the coaster prior to riding it. From all the views that I had of it in various places in the park, it looked really tame. Boy was I wrong...It was an adrenaline rush from the very first launch section. What an amazing coaster!
I really don't think that Theming makes or breaks a ride, I hate it when people discredit a ride just because it has no theming. I'd gladly take a great coaster in a field, rather than a mediocre ride that's themed, since theming does take budget away from the ride layout
Was so happy to get to ride this coaster twice on its opening season.
I hope they’ll add more theming in the future, kinda similar to what’s happening to Abyssus at Energylandia
Wife and I just came back from Busch Gardens. Wanted to go in blind, neither of us knew anything about the coasters here. We've been around a bit, Velocicoaster and Skyrush are two of our favorites. This one scared the crap out of us. We had no idea what to expect. The park was also slow and we could walk on (twice). I believe the ride operator was asking the guest in front of us if they wanted "extra" and they must have done something because we did fly over that top hat. After our second ride we were so shaky and tired we had to sit down. Both of us were just spent after that, and we usually complaining that coasters are too boring. Idk, this one hits different. Awesome ride.
That 6'4 height restriction is really disappointing. Even B&M stand-up coasters set the restriction at 6'8 if I recall correctly
Some makeshift pillars along the first launch would’ve spiced it up some since they didn’t build the bridge. Hopefully they add more theming to the queue and plaza later.
Just rode it for the first time a few hours ago, absolutely insane and so so fun.
Good to see Intamin making a resurgence
3:15 Sign might be okay but the picket wood fence behind it destroys it. Haha. Just insane. How can you spend $20 million or whatever and not budget an extra $250-500k for nice station and queue? It's PART of the experience. Just as important as the ride in my opinion. That's just bad design on Intamin's part to have a 6' 4" max height. That's like a few percent of the population haha.
SeaWorld had a lien on Iron Gwazi. Something like 3 million dollars. They had to pay before they could open. I feel like Pantheon lost out due to COVID.
I hope the 6’4’’ clearance doesn’t become a trend. I’m 6’5”, but I’m going to still at least try to ride 🤷♂️
Keep your arms fully extended in that near miss and let me know if you wacked the supports.
@@Marty_NZ When I see "Virginia man loses arms on new rollercoaster" in my news feed, I guess I'll know what happened
@@nichtsistkostenlos6565 indeed. "Virginia man tested coaster height restriction limit and lost his arms thinking the limit was there for fun". I'm 6'2" so I'm still lucky, but that limit really sucks for the taller people! I guess a workaround would be to hold on for dear life. Some say the restrictions are for the back headrest for your head, but who knows the truth.
Rode Pantheon last week. I loved it!
Twisted Timbers is still my favorite ride in VA, but Pantheon was awesome
My daughter and I attended a VIP riding event for Pantheon… unfortunately we’d literally just come off a weeklong stay at Universal resorts and rode Velocicoaster before trying this ride…. It’s good, but Velocicoaster is NEXT LEVEL!! They are 2 very different experiences with the exception of the top hat and a few rolls. The final roll on Velocicoaster makes you really believe you are going to touch the water!! I wished we’d been able to ride Pantheon first because we really had an unmet expectation.
Keeping up with the great work showing us this amazing new roller coaster pantheon this year 2022 at Bush gardens in Williamsburg va on your RUclips channel sending me more of your amazing videos like this one on my RUclips channel I am biggest fan of riding all kinds of amazing roller coaster 🎢 my favorite roller coaster in Williamsburg va at Bush gardens is the locnnss monster
I'm finally ready to overcome my fear of coasters! I am so excited to ride this bro
I fear coasters but I love them. I will straight up have a panic attack waiting in line to get on one that I haven't been on before especially if I even suspect it's gonna drop my stomach. Although I am terrified to get on the Pantheon I will probably end up riding it but I can tell you that every ride I have rode made by Intamin has been amazing with the exception of hagrids in the front row ai will never do that again I will only ride in the back.
I couldn't agree more with your assessment - especially in regards to theming..teeming... This is a ride that cries out for some awesome theming.. and the ride's backstory - about the four God's is COMPLETELY glossed over...
I'm going to have to go back and re-read the riders backstory - to form an opinion of how that could be leveraged for theming..teeming...
I love your reviews - and really enjoyed your European trip. Now I want to go to Poland...!.
The height limit due to the near miss reminded me of when I rode Iron Rattler a few months ago. I'm 6'3" and at one point my fingertips hit an overhead support.
I’m only 6’1 but I have abnormally long arms for my size, I wonder if my hands can get hit on these ridiculous near misses.
as a french guy, I just can't believe i will have a similar one in my country, this will be the best one, no doubt
Velocicoaster will still be better but Toutatis may be better than Pantheon!
@@triple7marc Oh sorry I meant the best French coaster, i have no opinion about that since i will probably never ride Pantheon 😀
I need to go to this park to ride pantheon, which I will do that soon.
Also one of their rides is celebrating it's 25th year there, and that is Alpengeist.
After yours and several others’ reviews, I was not expecting such an intense ride. It was definitely more of a floaty type of intensity than ejector, but man, when you’re floating in your chair for some seconds, it’s pretty amazing. I like RMC-ish whippy intensity too, but I like the Intamin launches and elongated swooping intensity just as much. And this ride has launch in spades.. really seven, with four of them paired.
Does this ride drop your stomach bad? I rode velocicoaster and I loved it I was scared about the top hat but it didn't drop my stomach. I also rode hagrids at universal studios in the very front and I hated the drop . They are both Intamin coasters as well.
it's said to see busch gardens of all places to not have good theming, because BGW is known for having amazing theming and looking beautiful
I was looking forward to watching this review video. But after watching this video, all it did was make me look forward to the review video from Canobie Coaster.
Finally got to ride this today and I’m in love
I would really love If it had more theming and stuff they could have made Greek pillars and some white ancient italy architecture
Even Banshee at Kings Island has more theming than Pantheon, and that’s at a Cedar Fair park.
Imagine being able to ride so many roller coasters that you really care about how the theme is executed. Must be the life🤣🤣🤣🤣🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽
This is a ridiculously good analysis. Love it dude. Great job
I love all the rides there it's about spending time with family and having a great time
The drop into the ravine looks reminiscent of the first drop of I-305 just smaller
This ride is the best ride EVER and I LOVE COASTERS
Wow the budget cuts/pandemic must have really killed the theming on this one. Shame since the rest looks like a great ride!
after a 2-year delay they obviously prioritized getting the ride done, with material and labor shortages, the scenery is going to be secondary lol. busch gardens is a beautiful park i have no doubt this will be totally different by next summer. the line is very apparent this is the case BG would never just have wood walls for the entire queue, its clearly a barrier for them to continue working and opening for the preview
The annoying thing is they clearly have the budget for good theming if they wanted to….they put up a 3.5 billion dollar offer a month ago 🥴
They could have added another inversion at the end before the final brakes
Personally I think they need another inversion based coaster.
I'm sure someone has mentioned this before but I don't want to look through 359 comments to find it: Regarding theming - I think we have to take into account that during the pandemic supplies dwindled, the workforce dwindled, even the housing marking went bonkers because new homes were on halt due to... a lack of workers and supplies! When you could find supplies, wood, cement etc - the price for this stuff went through the roof! My thought is that once things get 'back to normal', if they ever do, they will do the theming later. I mean, it's Busch Gardens (but then again, the new owners... okay, don't get me started) HA!
I revisited BGW a few days ago after so long, and I absolutely LOVED Pantheon. It became my new favorite roller coaster in the park after Apollo’s Chariot used to be my favorite for several years. I loved the swing launch section, particularly the backwards portion, the hangtime-filled inversions, the ejector airtime, and rapid transitions. It’s almost as good as Maverick at Cedar Point, but not quite. I’ll hopefully get some more rides on Pantheon next time I go back to BGW.
Weird that you gave it a 9 based on the feedback you gave - I was expecting closer to an 8 - but a thorough and informative review nonetheless. Seems like a nice addition if you’re a local but it’s not something I would travel for.
I agree. If this still get's a nine then what does that say about coasters that get a 10?
I would travel for this when adding in the rest of their line up.
the fact that you consider plaques theming is just crazy to me, they can be used to wrap you in the theming with some info about what's around you but they are not theming and since it's in a plot of dirt the gods plaque don't really make sense
I mean, I agree, I'm just pointing out the fact that it exists
It’s a soft pretzel color scheme 🥨
Take a shot every time he says “don’t get me wrong”
Well, there's still hoping that they add decoration later. If they already got plans for more rides, they can probably squeeze in some theme.
Got to ride it twice in the last two days. Great ride overall. Doesn’t seem as fast as they claim. The inversion toward the end was intense. However in two days I was at Busch gardens it was down three times for maintenance issues. The second day only 1 car was running and it took a while to get on
Now all we need is the Emperor review and the 2022 SeaWorld Quadrifecta will be complete!
That backward air pop was crazy, like a piece of SkyRush. But the requirement to remove glasses when I was clearly wearing an effective retention strap was completely unjustified. As you say, it’s not that intense a coaster. I liked the ride, but I didn’t have a strong desire to re-ride. Apollo’s Chariot is more my style of fun. Gettin’ old. 😀
God I wish I was old enough to travel around to parks, as I want to go to here, cedar point, ect, but Atleast I’m in the heart of Florida I have Busch gardens close to me
I just rode this 3x for the first time, and it was an awesome ride, but I was thinking the same, it looked a little underwhelming for the type of coaster it is…. I did enjoy it, and that air time hill going up to the spike😳😳
I’m so excited to ride this! I’m giving up on SeaWorld parks having almost any theming on their coasters tho…all of the coasters that opened this year by them have left much to be desired…even just the stations! 😜
As I said in the previous video it feels slightly gimmicky and short and doesn't have enough before launch 2 i.e velocicoaster/taron
Edit: never mind I can't ride it I'm half and inch to tall!
Take your shoes off, slouch a bit and don't put your hands up.
I agree that Six Flags would do a better job theming this ride than Sea World. Seems like Sea World as a whole is focusing less on theming with a lot of their newest coasters. Pantheon's lack of theming makes Twisted Timbers' loose theming look like something out of a Disney or Universal Park. I also agree that Pantheon is much more thrilling than Ice Breaker but not a full package like Velocicoaster. I haven't ridden Pantheon but it definitely looks to be the best coaster in BGW. I still think Kings Dominion will have the two best coasters in Virginia in I305 and Twisted Timbers.
TT and 305 are still the best....
People were getting tossed off Pantheon yesterday who were in the 220 to 250 weight range and that's a problem. I'm 250 and had to wait to see if I could fit in another seat. Intamin really missed the boat on the restraints and should have had shoulder harnesses. I've been the size for a long time in never have gotten tossed off a ride for my size. This is a major problem. Otherwise I think it is the best coaster at Busch gardens Williamsburg it was glad to be able to ride it after the seat change.
I wonder if there is a chance that the theming will come next year. Maybe they just wanted to get it open finally and handle that stuff later on. Kinda like how Marineland said they’ll do the Dragon Mountain theming later.
Great review!! I need your and Sarah's professional roller coaster opinions. I am 4 hours away from Bush Gardens and 4 hours away from Lake Compounce. If you had to pick only one coaster to ride.. which do you choose? Boulder Dash or Pantheon? Thanks!
Pantheon!
@@CoasterStudios ok...Pantheon it is!! Thanks!!!
I’m 6’4 and I gotta say, I’m pretty worried about not being able to ride. Anybody have any experience dealing with the restriction?
I'm 6'4 as well and I was just at the park last week. When you enter the line, you have to walk under a bar. The top of my head touched up against the bottom of the bar and was told that I should be fine but if someone up at the platform asked to measure me, they'd let me take my shoes off. No one asked.
I did notice on the three times I rode it (spread across 3 days) that the person at the start of line does watch when taller people go by.
Honest to god, if anyone made a video to explore the possibility of what it would take to increase the power of a LSM launch, or if it’s even possible. This coaster is close, but is running about 6 mph off purchase specs. A 2mph diff on the 3 forward/reverse launch would cover this. Have unconfirmed reports this coaster was tested at a faster speed in 2021. Sorry to see they backed off.
It’s a shame you missed the rebel yell backwards. It was amazing! Can’t wait until I fell that again.
I agree with you on the station, that really should have looked like the real Pantheon! I mean everything else is very well themed stations at Busch Gardens...well, Verbolten and Invadr, but those were the 2 coasters that were opened the day i was at Busch. This looks like a fun coaster. I wish there was more theming also. So, you like Pantheon better than Intimidator 305?
Really late to comment but yay you did a pantheon review!
Has anyone else noticed that there's actually more mounting points for lsm's then what they are using. Both in the first launch and the air time hill between launch sections. (EDIT😂) After re watching off ride footage its for retractable brake fins common on intamin's
Thought they were there for Trim Brakes but I like the idea of more LSMs XD
Those are for the retractable brakes in case the ride rolls back (when it’s not supposed to)
@@starryagent9936 your right i watched testing footage definitely brake fins. Guess i was overwhelmed watching it 🤣
That height limit was such a disappointment for me, I had a lot of fun riding the other coasters in the park but was shocked to learn it had that 6’4 height limit. As someone who is 6’6 and into roller coasters it’s a shame that there’s so many rides I will never experience because of my height limit.
Super Duper Looper - Can’t fit in the car cause of my knees
Pantheon - To tall (never ridden)
El Torro 😢 - to tall (never ridden)
This actually brings up and interesting question, can you still count the coaster credit even if you can’t physically ride it but want to, like I’ve done kingda Ka
So I love them, I just feel it’s a bummer cause so few people love coasters and aren’t afraid of them but to not eb able to ride is unfortunate
I personally feel they will add theming over the next 2 years !
Rode it the other day. It was badass 😂 It didn’t blow me away like I thought it would but I think it overtakes Griffon as the most thrilling ride in the park.
Finally got to ride this today, I think it’s a great ride I rode velocicoaster last year at opening so I thought I wouldn’t like this as much but it exceeded my expectations I thoroughly enjoyed myself but it wasn’t as intense as I expected it would be. some more theming like to the levels of verbolten would definitely be cool though so I agree on that.
yeah i’m pretty pissed about the whole height thing with clearance. i’m 6’3 and almost 17 so i still have room to grow. why would they put a support that close if they knew it would be an actual problem :|