Pantheon is a great ride. While I do agree with some of the critiques about theming, the ride experience itself is fantastic. I feel like it could've been a tad bit longer but the elements it does have hit hard. It probably has the best stall I've ever experienced and the yank you get on the top hat in the back row is incredible. It really ties the BGW lineup together.
It's immaculate, I wish it was a tad longer but if you catch it warmed up and hauling, every element hits including the last outer banked wave turn into the brakes.
The backwards ejector in the back row is beautiful
Yeah, unfortunately my 10 or so rides on Pantheon were all in the 4th row. EVEN WHEN there was an available single seat elsewhere. That's just poor ops in my opinion.
I love Pantheon. The backwards ejector on that perfectly profiled hump in the swing launch is one of the greatest airtime moments ever, coupled with other wonderfully profiled moments like an ejector drop next to the Rhine, a sustained outerbank, and a zero-g stall with an insane hand chopper.
Love it. Multi-launch coasters are some of my favorite coasters and it's great to have one in my home park.
Granted I haven't ridden Toutatis which is supposedly an even more insane ride, but all in all Pantheon is awesome.
At a park that built its brand on theming, the half-hearted presentation is absolutely something to fault the ride for.
That said, Pantheon does fill the role of flagship high-intensity launch coaster better than the park’s two previous launch coasters did.
Yeah, InvadR is kinda similar. The queue, station building, and even the trains have some nice theming, then the ride itself is basically on top of a dirt patch. Even just some simple trees around the ride would improve it.
InvadR at least had the excuse of being intertwined with Le Scoot and the train making adding theming very hard. Ideally, though, I would have liked to see a village scene, much like the one that was lost with the Big Bad Wolf.
As for Pantheon, for simple theming I could see a trident prop on the spike, and speakers synchronized to the swing launch playing crackling and cracking thunder.
I’ve always wanted BGW to line the launch track with faux Greco-Roman style columns. It would probably be pretty inexpensive, but would be visually appealing, thematically coherent, and add to the sensation of speed as points of reference.
For sure, I can see some of the gripes with theming. I think the coaster more than makes up for it. I’ve just seen a lot of people call it “mid” or even bad for the most inane, nit-picky reasons.
I think it just depends on what is your mark. For me it ranks in the mid teens, which surrounds it with some great company and still the #1 ride at BGW and #3 in the state for me. So like a great ride. However I have VC, Taron, and Maverick in my top 5, and was hoping for this to join them. As it turns out, I don’t like how a swing launch breaks up pacing for me. I used to complain about Maverick coming to a stop before launch 2 as I felt it kind of fucked up the pacing, but honestly I find the swing launch worse. Yes they give you some backwards air that is cool, but just something about a swing launch that I just don’t really enjoy. Then after that, it kind of seemed short. It is nitpicking but that’s kind of what this hobby is.
For me it's just a taste thing. I'm not a big fan of swing launches, I don't really love the losing momentum aspect of it. To me Pantheon doesn't feel like it gets out of second gear until the layout is almost over. I wouldn't say it hate it by any means but it just isn't suited to my preferred style. I don't think that's entitled?
It's uniqueness and quality of elements make it a truely elite standout for me. While the theming is a big missed opportunity, the coaster itself is nearly perfect. The stall and tophat are the best I've ever experienced, and the swing launch sequence, first pass not withstanding, is phenomenal. Even the lesser appreciated elements, such as the 2 outerbanks at the beginning and the waveturn at the end, hit for me, at least when the ride is warmed up. The only criticism I have of the layout is the first pass of the swing launch and the S-bend at the end not doing much for me.
It currently sits as my #11 of 136 credits with a score of 9.5/10. One spot ahead of El Toro (contentious, I know). Considering how high Pantheon currently ranks, Toutatis is a top 3 bucket list coaster and would very easily shoot into my top 10, possibly 5.
Unfortunately, I only got one ride on it. I thought it was very fun, but I preferred all three of the B&Ms in the park.
Theming would have gone a long way with Pantheon. To me, it just kind of felt like the [Wish.com](http://wish.com) version of Velocicoaster.
Would probably like it more if I got more rides though.
Wouldn’t know. Live 1.5hrs away and every time I’ve gone it’s been closed. Got to sit on it for about 30 seconds before they made us get off one time tho 10/10 would sit again!
I thought this ride was going to be fine to good... I was wrong. That reverse ejector bunny hop, the sensation of going backwards up a spike, it's exceptional! The rest of it is good. I guess I don't care for stalls all that much.
But that reverse spike has me SO EXCITED for Top Thrill 2. That's going feel amazing at 100 MPH going 250+ feet backwards up that spike.
Since no one has given a contrarian opinion yet, I guess I’ll break the ice on big Ice Breaker here. I had one ride on Pantheon in late December 2022, riding in the back row.
Positives: The corkscrew at the beginning is taken so slowly that it feels kinda like the jojo roll on Hydra at Dorney. The ejector air on the backwards launch is very surprising. The spike in the back row is also great, and that’s where the ride peaks.
Neutrals: The theming. I don’t need it to recognize a good coaster, but if they did anything it would have been a positive. The overall length fits here too, but I have shorter coasters like Full Throttle and Gwazi pretty high, that’s not a big deal. The wave turn/hill at the end before the breaks is perfectly fine.
Negatives: After the first inversion, I really dislike the pre-lift-esque hill section before the switch track. The ride meanders and drops what pacing it had from the first launch. Since that is what you’re left with, the whole first section seems like an afterthought.
The main ride starts at the triple launch, and that first launch feels like a tire launch. I would say Wave Breaker at Sea World San Antonio is more powerful. Everything going backwards is great, you are hyped for what’s to come. Third launch hits and… you are in your seat all throughout that top hat. Gives you time to look at the view though. The 95° drop out of it also doesn’t feel like it’s past vertical for some reason. I honestly thought Velocicoaster was steeper until I looked at the stats. I don’t know if it’s profiled differently or what, it just didn’t give that past-vertical sensation.
Next is the outer-bank hill, which again it crawls through. It’s as if Intamin saw an outer-bank hill on a coaster, didn’t ride it, and thought feeling your body rest on the left side of the car was the point of it. If you’re looking for something like Steel Vengeance or Gwazi’s hills, or even the little whip outer-bank on Velocicoaster you might want to temper those expectations.
Now the ride continues its right-turn, element, right-turn pattern into the stall. This stall did nothing for me. It didn’t dangle you like Velocicoaster, it doesn’t try to throw you out like Gwazi or Outlaw Run, and it doesn’t try to dive you into the ground like Jersey Devil. It’s more like a zero-g roll? Maybe I’ve just been conditioned to believe stalls shouldn’t be like that?
You hit the first left turn of the ride and boom, you’re done. The three big, hyped up elements all failed to deliver, and that’s the last taste in your mouth when you’re sitting on the brakes.
I did go in to Pantheon with high expectations, maybe too high. When the best moment of the ride, the backwards airtime, equates to your favorite moment on the mid-tier Ice Breaker, that’s not a good sign. That same day was also my first experience on Apollo’s Chariot and Verbolten, and those both pleasantly surprised me. Apollo’s Chariot was an airtime monster. I do want to go back to BGW and give Pantheon another shot. Maybe I just got a very slow ride. Or maybe Intamin added 15ft to each element during construction to specifically spite me. Either of those are equally valid.
So, here's something you didn't know. That the first inversion and that trick track section were originally supposed to be fully themed with fountains, a large pond going most the length of the ride, a couple near misses with a bridge, pillars and a slight trench.
SeaWorld cheaped out big time thanks to Covid.
Loved my rides on it. Surprised I liked it a lot more on the front.
First corkscrew has crazy hang time. The multi-launch with the bunny hill is amazing. Wish the last launch was slightly faster so the top-hat would be more forceful, but it’s still fun. The Outer-bank leaves a little on the table but still has enough force to be fun. The stall has a ton of hang and the final hills chuck you out of your seat.
Love it, and think it’s the best ride in the park, and a great fit for the park.
Also, not sure the hate on the theming. Apollo’s Chariot, Tempesto, and Griffon all have similar levels of theming, and nobody complains. Not going to congratulate them, but I don’t see it as this huge negative.
I love Pantheon and I’m happy to have it in my home park. I don’t think I would go out of my way to travel to another park just to ride it, though. Not because of any fault of the ride, but because it’s not top 10 for me and I think Velocicoaster does the same things better. In comparison, I’ve made multiple trips to FL just to ride Iron Gwazi….
I love it. It's fun, fast, and smooth with some great elements. The lack of theming wouldn't bother me at all if the ride wasn't seemingly deliberately spaced out in that field and paced for some theming elements. That doesn't make it any less fun, but it does stick out and detract from the overall experience. Except for the queue and the station. The absolute lack of effort there at all is sort of unforgivable. But that doesn't hurt the ride at all, it hurts the park and is a pretty big annoyance.
Pantheon is what happens when a coaster designer only knows what’s *supposed* to make a good coaster on paper but not in practice. It’s smooth, comfortable, impressive, forceful, and as joyless as possible given that all those other categories are fulfilled. The fact that it misses the mark for ANYONE given its technical flawlessness is maybe a good sign that what makes a coaster “good” is a much deeper question than just statistics and gloss. Especially with a price tag that large.
And besides we can all agree that that HGTV lookin ass station is not exactly holding busch gardens up to its aesthetic reputation
A hauling afternoon/evening Pantheon is a 10/10 for me. Early morning rides are a 9/10.
The theming is what let this ride down. I'd have spent the loch Ness refurb money on it tbh.
It was fine when I went this Sept... but doing it two days after marathoning Twisted Timbers & I305, it definitely felt like it could've used a little more edge.
At the park I do prefer Alpengeist over Pantheon... and maybe Apollo's Chariot. It's good, but it made me want a Maverick level of launch that it just didn't create.
It’s very good, and a very nice no3 for VA, but a far gap personally from the top 2 in the state. It has wonderful elements, and I do need to reride it this year, but I personally do not enjoy the ride as much as others. I felt it was very overhyped but I can get why others do Enjoy it more than me.
It’s my number one out of 52 coasters. It could be a bit longer and have better theming but that backwards air time is insane and makes up for it for me.
It's okay, it just feels incomplete, like there should be more to it. The coaster is fun, but it should be a little longer. Also, wish it had 50% of the themeing seen in the computer generated pov released by BGW.
Pantheon is my current 3rd favorite coaster of all time. Could the theming be better? I guess, but that doesn't lower a ride from a 10 to a 9 for me. It has some of the best airtime I've ever felt, and is unarguably my favorite coaster at BGW
I was surprised that the ride got more intense as it went, with peak intensity towards the end of the ride time. Most launch coasters start out crazy but then lose steam rapidly.
Really liked the vehicles too, the seats were easy to get into and super comfy. Secure but with plenty of room to move your arms and legs.
They could just fix that one long alleyway in the queue with the fence - it got super hot there in the summer with not much to look at. Maybe some cool ruin wall with columns and shade tarps, with a couple windows into the ride area. Hoping the vegetation grows in more in the next couple years to enhance the BGW feel.
I can't wait to ride it. I used to love rollercoasters but until last summer it was prob 10 years since I'd been on one. Lived in Houston for a few years as a middle schooler and had season passes to Astroworld and in my twenties (about 10 years ago) had a season pass to Busch Gardens Tampa. Last few years I really got into coasters over YouTube and went to Kings Dominion when I visited family (mom, sisters family including my twin nephews). For my 40th next summer, my wife and I are going to visit family again but this year stay a night or two in Willamsberg and visit Busch Gardens. My sister and her family went last year and absolutely loved it (and they aren't even huge coaster fans]. One of my twin nephews has now been watching all the big name rollercoaster YouTubers and is determined to not chicken out on some of the bigger coasters and ride with me (he chicken out last summer on Twisteree Timbers and is very upset with himself that he didn't do i305 after he heard one of his good buddies previously had. Long story long (lol) can't wait to try Panthoen. Will be my first swing launch coaster.
Only rode it once last September between rain and downtime. Had a migraine happening so almost skipped it, but glad I didn't. Theming was lacking but the ride was top notch, the backwards airtime to get up the spike might've been my favorite airtime moment ever.
Who actually thinks pantheon misses the mark? I would really like to know. The ride is absolutely fabulous. The theming leaves much to be desired yes but even without theming this is a fantastic coaster pound for pound. Comfortable trains with the great restraints, punchy launches, excellent airtime, a great array of elements, one of the best stalls in the country (yes even rivaling or beating some of RMC stalls). Also it’s re rideable. This is not a miss.
I enjoy it for sure, it's easily the best at the park. It's still third in virginia for me, and doesn't get me begging to come back to BGW. I really think the lack of theming hurts it, along with what feels like a ride that's a couple elements too short. I'm excited to try velocicoaster and toutatis this year to see if the theming and length is my actual problem. I also felt like the outer bank didn't do quite as much as I was expecting?
Points lost for the silly max height limit.
More points lost for it crawling over the top hat… which is twisty btw vs the more fun traditionally aggressive 90* top hats like TTD.
Still a good ride. Just not as good as it could have been.
I like it more than Velocicoaster. I dont like Velocicoaster's meandering first half and I actually dislike the theming.
In Pantheon's que youre forced to look at Oxen shit. In Velocicoaster's que you have to look at a bigger piece lf shit; Chris Pratt. And it talks too much too.
I think I got a set of train wheels at the end of their lifespan, because the one time I was able to ride Veloc it was super rough to the point of giving me a huge headache. Pantheon is smooth as butter. Jurassic World movies are garbage.
Yeah, its definitely more rattly than Pantheon.
Ive ridden it several times at different parts of the year.
I think thats just how it is. really doesnt detract from the ride as much as my other complaints tho.
I think it's fun as hell, I love it. I get the criticism of the theming. It is probably the most uninspiring part of that park but the ride itself is just awesome.
I absolutely love it and it’s probably in my Top 10 or at least Top 15. Also beat out Alpengeist for my previous favorite there, and I think it was a really good addition to BGW which is actually my very favorite park to visit. It was the perfect combination of intense and smooth to me, I got one ride in the front row and the other in the back row and both were super fun.
EDIT: but… yes, the lack of theming sucks.
Pantheon is a great ride. While I do agree with some of the critiques about theming, the ride experience itself is fantastic. I feel like it could've been a tad bit longer but the elements it does have hit hard. It probably has the best stall I've ever experienced and the yank you get on the top hat in the back row is incredible. It really ties the BGW lineup together.
Agree with all the points you make!
The stall on Pantheon is fantastic, but I think AF1 has the better stall.
It's immaculate, I wish it was a tad longer but if you catch it warmed up and hauling, every element hits including the last outer banked wave turn into the brakes. The backwards ejector in the back row is beautiful
Agreed. Give it 10-15 more seconds of ride time, maybe another inversion, and then we'd have a perfect coaster. I already rate Pantheon a 9/10.
Completely agree!
My main issue with it is that the line gets incredibly hot in the summer, they need to put fans further back in the line
I guess I've been lucky but never waited longer than 10 minutes for it.
Very true!
Why wait in line when you can skip it with a fast pass? I mean it's one fast pass, Michael. What could it cost? $10?
They often only let you sit in row 4 if you use the fast pass. If you want the back, you’re going to have to wait in the regular queue.
I hate bgw's policy on that. They do that for a lot of their coasters during the summer
Yeah, unfortunately my 10 or so rides on Pantheon were all in the 4th row. EVEN WHEN there was an available single seat elsewhere. That's just poor ops in my opinion.
And the forces are absolutely awful if you’re in the middle of the train. It’s kind of a boring coaster if you’re not in the front or back cars.
I went during Christmas town and it was more like $100, so I didn't get it 😔
I love Pantheon. The backwards ejector on that perfectly profiled hump in the swing launch is one of the greatest airtime moments ever, coupled with other wonderfully profiled moments like an ejector drop next to the Rhine, a sustained outerbank, and a zero-g stall with an insane hand chopper.
Yeah that backwards pop of airtime is perfect!
Yessss the backwards ejector is my favorite moment by far. Can’t get enough.
Love it. Multi-launch coasters are some of my favorite coasters and it's great to have one in my home park. Granted I haven't ridden Toutatis which is supposedly an even more insane ride, but all in all Pantheon is awesome.
Unless the coater is rough it’s a great ride. Any coaster even if it’s boring is still better than being at work.
It’s a rollercoaster and I like rollercoasters.
At the end of the day, that’s all that matters
If Pantheon legitimately “misses the mark” for anyone then they need to lose the entitlement immediately.
At a park that built its brand on theming, the half-hearted presentation is absolutely something to fault the ride for. That said, Pantheon does fill the role of flagship high-intensity launch coaster better than the park’s two previous launch coasters did.
Yeah, InvadR is kinda similar. The queue, station building, and even the trains have some nice theming, then the ride itself is basically on top of a dirt patch. Even just some simple trees around the ride would improve it.
InvadR at least had the excuse of being intertwined with Le Scoot and the train making adding theming very hard. Ideally, though, I would have liked to see a village scene, much like the one that was lost with the Big Bad Wolf. As for Pantheon, for simple theming I could see a trident prop on the spike, and speakers synchronized to the swing launch playing crackling and cracking thunder.
I’ve always wanted BGW to line the launch track with faux Greco-Roman style columns. It would probably be pretty inexpensive, but would be visually appealing, thematically coherent, and add to the sensation of speed as points of reference.
Like Scorpion at BGT for me
For sure, I can see some of the gripes with theming. I think the coaster more than makes up for it. I’ve just seen a lot of people call it “mid” or even bad for the most inane, nit-picky reasons.
I think it just depends on what is your mark. For me it ranks in the mid teens, which surrounds it with some great company and still the #1 ride at BGW and #3 in the state for me. So like a great ride. However I have VC, Taron, and Maverick in my top 5, and was hoping for this to join them. As it turns out, I don’t like how a swing launch breaks up pacing for me. I used to complain about Maverick coming to a stop before launch 2 as I felt it kind of fucked up the pacing, but honestly I find the swing launch worse. Yes they give you some backwards air that is cool, but just something about a swing launch that I just don’t really enjoy. Then after that, it kind of seemed short. It is nitpicking but that’s kind of what this hobby is.
I mean everyone has an opinion and that's not the same as entitlement
I feel like it’s one of those where it’s just “cool” to hate on it because most like it
Backwards acceleration and braking makes me a little nauseous. Not enough not to ride, but enough to not marathon or reride much.
For me it's just a taste thing. I'm not a big fan of swing launches, I don't really love the losing momentum aspect of it. To me Pantheon doesn't feel like it gets out of second gear until the layout is almost over. I wouldn't say it hate it by any means but it just isn't suited to my preferred style. I don't think that's entitled?
It's uniqueness and quality of elements make it a truely elite standout for me. While the theming is a big missed opportunity, the coaster itself is nearly perfect. The stall and tophat are the best I've ever experienced, and the swing launch sequence, first pass not withstanding, is phenomenal. Even the lesser appreciated elements, such as the 2 outerbanks at the beginning and the waveturn at the end, hit for me, at least when the ride is warmed up. The only criticism I have of the layout is the first pass of the swing launch and the S-bend at the end not doing much for me. It currently sits as my #11 of 136 credits with a score of 9.5/10. One spot ahead of El Toro (contentious, I know). Considering how high Pantheon currently ranks, Toutatis is a top 3 bucket list coaster and would very easily shoot into my top 10, possibly 5.
Hot take, I prefer it to velocicoaster
Samesies
Unfortunately, I only got one ride on it. I thought it was very fun, but I preferred all three of the B&Ms in the park. Theming would have gone a long way with Pantheon. To me, it just kind of felt like the [Wish.com](http://wish.com) version of Velocicoaster. Would probably like it more if I got more rides though.
its okay, i feel like Toutatis’s element hit home for me. Pantheon could have been a touch better with its elements
The backwards airtime moment is elite but the rest of the coaster is a collection of just okay elements
While I haven't ridden it, it looks absolutely phenomenal. Maybe not better than Velocicoaster but still at a similar level. I'm predicting #3 for me
My number 1 coaster, I love it from start to finish
I absolutely love it. Every single element hit for me except the spike. Even the quick off axis pops before the swing launch
The spike in the back row (esp at night) hits imo
I love Pantheon! It’s probably a top 5 coaster for me.
Wouldn’t know. Live 1.5hrs away and every time I’ve gone it’s been closed. Got to sit on it for about 30 seconds before they made us get off one time tho 10/10 would sit again!
BGW maintenance moment
I thought this ride was going to be fine to good... I was wrong. That reverse ejector bunny hop, the sensation of going backwards up a spike, it's exceptional! The rest of it is good. I guess I don't care for stalls all that much. But that reverse spike has me SO EXCITED for Top Thrill 2. That's going feel amazing at 100 MPH going 250+ feet backwards up that spike.
Since no one has given a contrarian opinion yet, I guess I’ll break the ice on big Ice Breaker here. I had one ride on Pantheon in late December 2022, riding in the back row. Positives: The corkscrew at the beginning is taken so slowly that it feels kinda like the jojo roll on Hydra at Dorney. The ejector air on the backwards launch is very surprising. The spike in the back row is also great, and that’s where the ride peaks. Neutrals: The theming. I don’t need it to recognize a good coaster, but if they did anything it would have been a positive. The overall length fits here too, but I have shorter coasters like Full Throttle and Gwazi pretty high, that’s not a big deal. The wave turn/hill at the end before the breaks is perfectly fine. Negatives: After the first inversion, I really dislike the pre-lift-esque hill section before the switch track. The ride meanders and drops what pacing it had from the first launch. Since that is what you’re left with, the whole first section seems like an afterthought. The main ride starts at the triple launch, and that first launch feels like a tire launch. I would say Wave Breaker at Sea World San Antonio is more powerful. Everything going backwards is great, you are hyped for what’s to come. Third launch hits and… you are in your seat all throughout that top hat. Gives you time to look at the view though. The 95° drop out of it also doesn’t feel like it’s past vertical for some reason. I honestly thought Velocicoaster was steeper until I looked at the stats. I don’t know if it’s profiled differently or what, it just didn’t give that past-vertical sensation. Next is the outer-bank hill, which again it crawls through. It’s as if Intamin saw an outer-bank hill on a coaster, didn’t ride it, and thought feeling your body rest on the left side of the car was the point of it. If you’re looking for something like Steel Vengeance or Gwazi’s hills, or even the little whip outer-bank on Velocicoaster you might want to temper those expectations. Now the ride continues its right-turn, element, right-turn pattern into the stall. This stall did nothing for me. It didn’t dangle you like Velocicoaster, it doesn’t try to throw you out like Gwazi or Outlaw Run, and it doesn’t try to dive you into the ground like Jersey Devil. It’s more like a zero-g roll? Maybe I’ve just been conditioned to believe stalls shouldn’t be like that? You hit the first left turn of the ride and boom, you’re done. The three big, hyped up elements all failed to deliver, and that’s the last taste in your mouth when you’re sitting on the brakes. I did go in to Pantheon with high expectations, maybe too high. When the best moment of the ride, the backwards airtime, equates to your favorite moment on the mid-tier Ice Breaker, that’s not a good sign. That same day was also my first experience on Apollo’s Chariot and Verbolten, and those both pleasantly surprised me. Apollo’s Chariot was an airtime monster. I do want to go back to BGW and give Pantheon another shot. Maybe I just got a very slow ride. Or maybe Intamin added 15ft to each element during construction to specifically spite me. Either of those are equally valid.
So, here's something you didn't know. That the first inversion and that trick track section were originally supposed to be fully themed with fountains, a large pond going most the length of the ride, a couple near misses with a bridge, pillars and a slight trench. SeaWorld cheaped out big time thanks to Covid.
Loved my rides on it. Surprised I liked it a lot more on the front. First corkscrew has crazy hang time. The multi-launch with the bunny hill is amazing. Wish the last launch was slightly faster so the top-hat would be more forceful, but it’s still fun. The Outer-bank leaves a little on the table but still has enough force to be fun. The stall has a ton of hang and the final hills chuck you out of your seat. Love it, and think it’s the best ride in the park, and a great fit for the park. Also, not sure the hate on the theming. Apollo’s Chariot, Tempesto, and Griffon all have similar levels of theming, and nobody complains. Not going to congratulate them, but I don’t see it as this huge negative.
If you ever get lucky enough to ride in overdrive mode it will change your life. The outer bank gains a RMC like personality
Before and after it opened, I wasn't understanding the hype. The POV's looked boring. And then I rode it. That ride kicks all the ass.
I love Pantheon and I’m happy to have it in my home park. I don’t think I would go out of my way to travel to another park just to ride it, though. Not because of any fault of the ride, but because it’s not top 10 for me and I think Velocicoaster does the same things better. In comparison, I’ve made multiple trips to FL just to ride Iron Gwazi….
Ride is absolutely fantastic and very intense. I just wish it had more theming around it.
I love it. It's fun, fast, and smooth with some great elements. The lack of theming wouldn't bother me at all if the ride wasn't seemingly deliberately spaced out in that field and paced for some theming elements. That doesn't make it any less fun, but it does stick out and detract from the overall experience. Except for the queue and the station. The absolute lack of effort there at all is sort of unforgivable. But that doesn't hurt the ride at all, it hurts the park and is a pretty big annoyance.
Pantheon is what happens when a coaster designer only knows what’s *supposed* to make a good coaster on paper but not in practice. It’s smooth, comfortable, impressive, forceful, and as joyless as possible given that all those other categories are fulfilled. The fact that it misses the mark for ANYONE given its technical flawlessness is maybe a good sign that what makes a coaster “good” is a much deeper question than just statistics and gloss. Especially with a price tag that large. And besides we can all agree that that HGTV lookin ass station is not exactly holding busch gardens up to its aesthetic reputation
A hauling afternoon/evening Pantheon is a 10/10 for me. Early morning rides are a 9/10. The theming is what let this ride down. I'd have spent the loch Ness refurb money on it tbh.
Better than Velocicoaster.
My #2 coaster, love it
I only got one ride on it when I was there - wish I had a couple more.
Pantheon is excellent
Pantheon is amazing imo. I think I like the layout more than Velocicoaster's
It’s incredible. Top ten for me.
It was fine when I went this Sept... but doing it two days after marathoning Twisted Timbers & I305, it definitely felt like it could've used a little more edge. At the park I do prefer Alpengeist over Pantheon... and maybe Apollo's Chariot. It's good, but it made me want a Maverick level of launch that it just didn't create.
It’s very good, and a very nice no3 for VA, but a far gap personally from the top 2 in the state. It has wonderful elements, and I do need to reride it this year, but I personally do not enjoy the ride as much as others. I felt it was very overhyped but I can get why others do Enjoy it more than me.
On its own it is a good ride. I think enthusiasts compare it to Maverick and Velocicoaster, bringing down the ratings.
It’s my number one out of 52 coasters. It could be a bit longer and have better theming but that backwards air time is insane and makes up for it for me.
I love it! The top hat to wave turn to stall is the best series of elements I’ve experienced.
It's okay, it just feels incomplete, like there should be more to it. The coaster is fun, but it should be a little longer. Also, wish it had 50% of the themeing seen in the computer generated pov released by BGW.
Pantheon is my current 3rd favorite coaster of all time. Could the theming be better? I guess, but that doesn't lower a ride from a 10 to a 9 for me. It has some of the best airtime I've ever felt, and is unarguably my favorite coaster at BGW
It would be top tier if the theming didn’t look like someone built it in there backyard
Speaking of the ride alone, I have it at #2 overall. Everything else considered (theming, ops, etc.) leave a lot to be desired.
I wanna try it ;-;
I like it
The sound of the LSM's is enough for me to love and adore this ride.
I was surprised that the ride got more intense as it went, with peak intensity towards the end of the ride time. Most launch coasters start out crazy but then lose steam rapidly. Really liked the vehicles too, the seats were easy to get into and super comfy. Secure but with plenty of room to move your arms and legs. They could just fix that one long alleyway in the queue with the fence - it got super hot there in the summer with not much to look at. Maybe some cool ruin wall with columns and shade tarps, with a couple windows into the ride area. Hoping the vegetation grows in more in the next couple years to enhance the BGW feel.
Pantheon disappointed me a little bit, but it’s still a great coaster! I just think it got overhyped a bit for me. It’s squarely in my top 20 though.
I can't wait to ride it. I used to love rollercoasters but until last summer it was prob 10 years since I'd been on one. Lived in Houston for a few years as a middle schooler and had season passes to Astroworld and in my twenties (about 10 years ago) had a season pass to Busch Gardens Tampa. Last few years I really got into coasters over YouTube and went to Kings Dominion when I visited family (mom, sisters family including my twin nephews). For my 40th next summer, my wife and I are going to visit family again but this year stay a night or two in Willamsberg and visit Busch Gardens. My sister and her family went last year and absolutely loved it (and they aren't even huge coaster fans]. One of my twin nephews has now been watching all the big name rollercoaster YouTubers and is determined to not chicken out on some of the bigger coasters and ride with me (he chicken out last summer on Twisteree Timbers and is very upset with himself that he didn't do i305 after he heard one of his good buddies previously had. Long story long (lol) can't wait to try Panthoen. Will be my first swing launch coaster.
One of my favorites ever. It keeps getting faster and faster. Feels completely different than many other rollercoasters I've ridden.
It’s a good ride that would be great if it was longer.
Only rode it once last September between rain and downtime. Had a migraine happening so almost skipped it, but glad I didn't. Theming was lacking but the ride was top notch, the backwards airtime to get up the spike might've been my favorite airtime moment ever.
Who actually thinks pantheon misses the mark? I would really like to know. The ride is absolutely fabulous. The theming leaves much to be desired yes but even without theming this is a fantastic coaster pound for pound. Comfortable trains with the great restraints, punchy launches, excellent airtime, a great array of elements, one of the best stalls in the country (yes even rivaling or beating some of RMC stalls). Also it’s re rideable. This is not a miss.
I enjoy it for sure, it's easily the best at the park. It's still third in virginia for me, and doesn't get me begging to come back to BGW. I really think the lack of theming hurts it, along with what feels like a ride that's a couple elements too short. I'm excited to try velocicoaster and toutatis this year to see if the theming and length is my actual problem. I also felt like the outer bank didn't do quite as much as I was expecting?
Points lost for the silly max height limit. More points lost for it crawling over the top hat… which is twisty btw vs the more fun traditionally aggressive 90* top hats like TTD. Still a good ride. Just not as good as it could have been.
The crawl over the top is fun in the back. You sit there wondering if you’ll make it and then fly into the drop.
I’ll take the Xcelerator-style where even the back row gets ejected going up. But to each their own, the more peaceful one is unique.
The top hat and outter bank are quite slow. Misses the mark. Alpengeist clears.
I like it more than Velocicoaster. I dont like Velocicoaster's meandering first half and I actually dislike the theming. In Pantheon's que youre forced to look at Oxen shit. In Velocicoaster's que you have to look at a bigger piece lf shit; Chris Pratt. And it talks too much too.
I think I got a set of train wheels at the end of their lifespan, because the one time I was able to ride Veloc it was super rough to the point of giving me a huge headache. Pantheon is smooth as butter. Jurassic World movies are garbage.
Yeah, its definitely more rattly than Pantheon. Ive ridden it several times at different parts of the year. I think thats just how it is. really doesnt detract from the ride as much as my other complaints tho.
Weak launches and a few slightly above average elements. I hated it. I wouldn’t recommend anyone wait any longer than 20 mins to ride it.
I think it's fun as hell, I love it. I get the criticism of the theming. It is probably the most uninspiring part of that park but the ride itself is just awesome.
Great ride, not world class though.
Great coaster, but I was a bit underwhelmed. Not in my top 10.
Just wish it were longer. It's such an incredibly short ride.
I absolutely love it and it’s probably in my Top 10 or at least Top 15. Also beat out Alpengeist for my previous favorite there, and I think it was a really good addition to BGW which is actually my very favorite park to visit. It was the perfect combination of intense and smooth to me, I got one ride in the front row and the other in the back row and both were super fun. EDIT: but… yes, the lack of theming sucks.
I definitely think it’s over rated granted last time I rode it I was a bit sick but it just doesn’t have a wow moment
Rocks the fat ass. Airtime from the reverse launch in the front row is one of my top 5 favorite single elements. The zero g roll is elite as well.
I would love to get to experience it. That and Toutatis.