One of the cool things about being part of CoasterRadio.com is that we sometimes get to go to media events. Usually it's when a park is unveiling a new ride or attraction.
One of the most highly-anticipated rides of 2005 is "Curse of DarKastle: The Ride" at Busch Gardens Europe.
Flava and I arrived at the main gate, signed in and were given some very nice "DarKastle" promotional items. This included a backpack, a mousepad, a t-shirt, and some other nice things. We were even given a personal escort (no, not that kind you perverts!) Her name was Cindy and she was assigned to help us while we taped the show and conduct our interviews.
We hopped on a bus and were taken backstage to the area right behind "DarKastle." Let me tell you, this building is huge! It has to be big, because the building houses 11 chambers with enormous projection screens. More on that later.
We had been having good weather in Virginia, but for some reason it was cold and rainy that day. Some media members and enthusiasts were complaining, but I thought it was a perfect setting for the ride's storyline. Here it is:
You see, a long time ago in Bavaria there was this Prince named Ludwig. He was kind of a strange kid. Most of the castle's servants avoided him because he had an evil glare.
One day, while taking a walk in the woods, Ludwig stumbled upon an old woman. He instantly became angry at her interruption. Magically, she transformed into a wolf and revealed to Ludwig his true destiny. He was to become a ruthless monster who ruled the kingdom with terror.
Eventually, his parents - the King and Queen, mysteriously disappeared. After he became king, his advisors plotted to remove him from the throne. Instead of getting angry, he threw a lavish winter party in their honor. He offered to take them on a tour of his castle in his fleet of golden sleighs.
No one knew what really happened that night, but people say the walls echoded with screams. The advisors and their wives were never heard from again. Today, the castle sits exactly as it did that night, "frozen in time."
So, as you can see, they've got a good backstory going for this ride.
As the Media Day began, we heard extremely eerie music being played by the 30-piece Virginia Pops Orchestra. As they played, 10 ghosts emerged from the castle. You guessed it, it was Ludwig's advisors and their wives!
They took their positions behind a podium made of ice (nice touch) and Donnie Mills, the V.P and General Manager of Busch Gardens Williamsburg made some opening remarks.
One of the most interesting things he said was that the technology behind this attraction is so new, it could not have been built 3 years ago.
Donnie was in the middle of his speech when he was rudely interrupted by some dude who had managed to climb into castle's tower. He was screaming something about "the curse being real!"
Oh wait, I get it. The dude was really the ghost of King Ludwig!
The ghost then did his best Bela Lugosi impression and said "Velcome to my castle." (Welcome with a V!) The gates to the castle (which were made of solid ice for the media event) opened and the crowds started flowing into the attraction.
Now, CoasterRadio.com is all about the average park guest. We could have easily used our media credentials to be one of the first to ride, but we hung back so we could experience the ride with "real people."
It was so interesting to see how park guests were reacting to this ride. We overheard conversations where people were talking about how much they liked the theming.
The queue line has really been designed well. To get to the ride, you have to walk through the castle's gardens. The only problem I saw is that the queue doesn't seem to be able to hold many people.
Anyway, the line was long! Flava and I were almost at the very end of the line. We saw folks like Paul Reuben getting off the ride before we even made through the first part of the queue. But, we reminded ourselves that our place was with the people, not the media.
That sentiment only lasted a little while though, because the line itself seemed to be "frozen in time" just like the castle. Flava and I were thinking twice about our decision to wait.
Eventually, we made our way into the castle. The first part of the attraction is a 1:30 pre-show where they tell you the story of King Ludwig, his castle and his mysterious sleighs. Then, you move through a secret passageway and into the load area for the ride vehicles.
I'm not sure if we missed seeing an area, but there was only room to load two sleighs at a time. At Island Of Adventure's "Amazing Adventures of Spiderman," I think they can load 4 cars simultaneously.
Anyway, we picked up our 3D glasses and were directed into the front row of the sleigh. I was surprised that the sleighs themselves were not decorated more than they were. The themeing throughout the rest of the attraction is AMAZING! But the ride vehicles themselves are yellow and plain. There is some type of design on the back, but that's about it.
Finally, after months of anticipation, the ride began. As soon as the sleigh turned the corner and entered the first scene, it started moving in a very similar manner to "Spiderman."
I was impressed that the ride's designers were able to seamlessly blend the projected 3D images with the surrounding sets. The result, was a totally immersive experience. In most cases, it was very difficult to tell where the screens ended and the sets began.
The motion of the ride vehicle had a gravity-defying or "flying" feel to it most of the time.
The ride also made good use of heat and cold air. It's hard for me to explain, because I don't want to give away what goes on in any of the ride's scenes. But those parts were impressive.
Many people on the internet have been speculating about this ride having "a drop." In fact, I saw someone post a message about this being the first 3D ride with a major drop included. Think again my friends.
There is a fun drop, but it is a sensory drop, just like the one featured in "Spiderman."
There are a couple of other surprises, but I want you to experience them for yourselves and enjoy them.
So, what's the bottom line on this ride?
Well, if you had told me 2 years ago that a ride like this would be at a regional park like Busch Gardens Europe, I would have not believed you.
For the most part, the ride is on-par with most of the attractions in Orlando. There is an excellent storyline, thememing and the technology behind the attraction is first-rate.
For instance, when we talked with Brent Young, (his company, Super 78 did all of the animation for the ride), he explained that all of the animated movies are projected digitally and are stored on a huge server that is located on-site. He and his crew can work out of their offices in Hollywood and continuously update the ride-film to make tweaks and adjustments. He even said that Busch Gardens could feasibly order new scenes to be added to the ride.
At one point during our conversation, he reached into his pocket and pulled out (wait for it) a 128MB Sony Memory Stick. He told us that entire final scene of the attraction was able to fit onto the stick. Flava and I tried to grab it to sell it on EBay, but we didn't have any luck.
So, what are some of the downsides to this attraction? Well, at times it was difficult to hear the dialogue during the ride. This is probably something they are going to fix over time. But during our ride, it made following the story difficult. Also, I would have liked to see more interaction between the screen and the surrounding sets. I think they call this "cause and effect." Don't get me wrong, there definitely was some interaction, but I felt like something was missing. For my money, one of the greatest dark ride moments ever is in "Spiderman" when the Hobgoblin throws a flaming pumpkin at your car. Spiderman deflects it and the projected 3D Pumpkin slams into the real set and explodes into a ball of fire! That impresses me every time I ride it.
"Curse of DarKastle" is definitely going to be a hit. It might possibly be the best new ride to debut in 2005. Don't go in to the ride expecting to see something better than "Spiderman." It's a totally different experience anyway.
To really enjoy "DarKastle," ride it with someone who isn't a theme park enthusiast. When they're screaming and laughing, you won't be able to help yourself... you'll do it too.
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© 2005 CoasterRadio.com
Images 6, 7, 8 &9 © 2005 Busch Gardens Williamsburg