Loch Ness Monster — Attraction in Williamsburg

Busch Gardens there are two qualms I have about my experience yesterday and I am going to let you have it, but the ride is SO much better with the refurbishment and I can't wait to ride it again!

THE STAFF - On 07/27/2024, this staff seemed to be the most clueless and inefficient staff of operations that I had ever experienced on any ride! Maybe Pantheon's staff can train them?

a. When we got closer to the front, I realized that there was a timer. They 1,000% paid zero attention to it. It would hit zero and stay on zero for minutes before the trains would take off. I noticed each person did not look at it once. I like the idea that they aren't stressing themselves but ... come on.

We saw a girl stand at one side of the platform just hanging out while another worker was checking the left side of the train. A good 30 seconds went by and she casually walked to the rear and finally began checking the right side.

b. Staff would check children well into them being seated. They'd then have them get up and go to the other side of the platform to be measured (sloooowly) and out of 20-plus measurements only one had to be denied (not her fault but there was a lengthy discussion with that parent).

I do agree that ultimately this is a parental duty when they enter the park to determine these things, but we know humans are humans...

Would it be more efficient to have some measure gauge directly at the gates? I believe there are red markings at each gate on Tempesto.

THE TUNNEL - What's going on with BGW and theming? It makes such a huge experience to the rider's experience. Adding effects was an awesome idea, but they were a bit underwhelming.

OK, all that said, the ride is smoother than ever! The queue is a major improvement and I was very engaged in the details. The train felt so much more comfortable than ever.

In my experience, it is more intense and more exciting and I cannot wait to...

The ride itself starts off pretty well, and though it shows it's age, I appreciate the simplicity of it. You slowly move up a ramp shakily, but as you reach the peak you get a gorgeous view of the park, standing pretty high above the trees your able to see the other coasters as they tower around you. The first drop goes directly down towards the water, passing by the walkway which leaves room to wave at family and friends as you pass. You then go up the hill on the other side, careening around a soft turn while keeping up enough speed to stay interested, until the second hill which leads you to a beautiful loop, accented by a second loop that entangle themselves together masterfully; however, what comes next haunts my nightmares. After the loop you go up a creaky rail that leads you to the top of a 'mountain' that appears constructed out of paper mache laid on a metal frame. The ride then sends you down a drop, reaching an unimaginable speed before sending you twirling for what seems like an eternity in an unrelenting darkness. The speed combined with how tight the area is forms a vacuum that sucks the air directly from your lungs. Prior to entering the tunnel, I firmly had my hands up, enjoying the ride for all it was worth, but as I entered the tunnel, I felt myself unable to keep my hands up, the strength fading from me. You exit the tunnel, dazed and confused, and get some respite in a pleasant, if not slightly shaky, climb before being sent through the second loop, which at this point seems like a cruel joke. I wake up in a cold sweat some nights, unable to breathe, dreaming...

Basically everything in Busch Gardens Williamsburg is beautiful, and Loch Ness Monster is no exception. You can get rather close to the ride’s interlocking vertical loops since the path that leads between the Germany and Scotland areas is at the bottom of the hill the ride goes over, and as you can probably see from my pictures, it’s really picturesque. There’s even a statue of the namesake monster.

I just wish the ride itself was actually good. It’s an Arrow coaster, and all of their rides besides Dollywood’s Tennessee Tornado are janky old rides with harsh transitions and track work that makes their rides rough even if everything was as smooth as possible. BGW retracked LNM not too long ago, but even with all of their trackwork, the ride itself is still hard to enjoy due to the shuffling of the train.

There is a saving grace to the ride experience, though. When BGW replaced the track, they also added some theming to the helix and both lift hills, and if you can hear through the chain’s noise and understand the words spoken by the narrator with the heaviest Scottish accent in Virginia, you will enjoy the story the ride tells much more than the actual coaster.

All in all, Loch Ness Monster is amazing in terms of everything except the actual ride, which is lackluster at best. At most, it’s a one-and-done coaster in a park of otherwise amazing rides that only evades getting a 1-star review from me because of its beauty and the recently...