# Busch Garden and Water Country ,VA



## jesuis1837 (Jun 20, 2012)

Will be at the Manor Club, Williamsburg in August with the kids (boys 7 and 10) and was wondering if anyone here have already bought VIP passes or quick pass for those attractions.  In August it is pretty crowded (my guess) and i will have only one day to spend on each of those parks and if we have to wait an hour or two for a ride....:annoyed:   

I know when we were in orlando the quick pass worked great but at some places...  you dont really win in time by spending more $$$ so i was wondering if either at Busch or Water it would be worth it.... 

Also, is there a show of some sort about the secession war in the area? Wich places would be best for two kids who loves history and wanted to see artefact of that time? Jamestown, Yorktown? Williamsburg?

thanks for any tip!


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## hvsteve1 (Jun 20, 2012)

I haven't been to Busch Gardens in a few years.  I don't recall a VIP pass in either Tampa or Williamsburg, but that may have changed with the new ownership.  I don't recall it ever being crazy crowded like Disney or Universal.

The main thing to do is get Patriot Passes for Williamsburg. Check on line.  They have all sorts of reenactments going on as well as loads of reenactors at the restoration. When we were there a few months ago, they had something I hadn't seen before.  Costumed actors were moving about the town recreating a part of Williamsburg history.  The streets were blocked off so only those with tickets could stay with them, though we could watch pretty well from a distance.

Jamestown and Yorktown each have both a state and national park.  The state visitor centers tend to be museums with costumed hosts, displays and recreated scenes such as at Jamestown where they have rebuilt the fort and have several recreations of the sailing ships to visit.  Yorktown is basically a big battlefield which saw action in both the Revelutionary and Civil Wars.  There are cannon positions set up and a field where there is an audio description of Cornwallis surrendering to Washington.  Jamestown is the archeological dig where they are still working.  If you get there at the right time (ours was 2 PM) they will take you on a free guided tour of the excavations. It was very interesting but, depending on how young the kids are, may be a bit boring for them to spend an hour or so looking at holes in the ground.  The state visitor centers at both places are much more child friendly.

If you want to take a ride to Norfolk, about an hour on the interstate, you might want to visit Nauticus, which is a marine museum and allows you to board a battleship.  If you do go, there are signs on the interstate to tune to a radio channel for traffic information.  They're not kidding!  Access to Norfolk is by a the Chesapeak Bay Bridge-Tunnel which can get backed up for hours in the event of an accident, which is almost daily.  If they tell you the tunnel eastbound is really bad, you may want to forget about the trip.  One of my trips back had an 18-wheeler wreck right at the tunnel entrance after I was on the bridge.  As I was near the head of the line, I was tied up for about an hour while they cleared the wreck.  The report said the line of cars sitting in the road behind me was six miles long.


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## hvsteve1 (Jun 20, 2012)

By the way, jesuis, I like the way you refer to the "war of succession". You will keep hearing it called the "war for independance" so be prepared. Then again, since I moved south to Tennessee, I have to get used to hearing the Civil War referred to as "the war of Northern agression".


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## tschwa2 (Jun 20, 2012)

Tuesday's and Wednesday's are the least crowded days at the park and it may not be worth the quick passes for those days.  If you are going Fri-Sunday the quick passes may help.


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## jesuis1837 (Jun 20, 2012)

Was planning on going tuesday-wednesday so i wont change my mind! 

Thanks for the tip abut Yorktown and Jamestown  Might see Norfolk too as my oldest is crazy about war boats...


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## scootr5 (Jun 20, 2012)

We were just at the Manor Club last week, and my girls (9 and 6) had a great time at Jamestowne. We did not do Yorktown. Colonial Williamsburg was great, and they have kids activity maps where they can get punches at various activities and earn a pin.  Make sure they check out the brick maker.

If you plan on doing Colonial Williamsburg, Busch Gardens, and Water Country you may want to go online and purchase the "bounce ticket". It was $400 for the four of us, it gets you in to all three of those parks for 7 consecutive days, and includes parking at BG and WC ($13 per day at each park otherwise).


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## laura1957 (Jun 20, 2012)

Going from Williamsburg to Norfolk -           
It isn't the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel you have to worry about (unless you also want to visit the Delmarva Peninsula)  it is the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel - and it being 6 miles backed up is fairly normal 
My husband was in the hospital in Newport News a couple weeks ago, and I was pretty lucky/timed it okay all week - there have been other times coming back from Massanutten that we spent what seemed like hours waiting to get through.  


I know when it is really backed up my husband has taken a different way around, but I can't remember what # / exit it is.


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## chalucky (Jun 20, 2012)

We were there memorial day week 2011....get the bounce pass......water park was crowded...get there early! Not sure I remembr the fast pass working or not...we didn't do it.


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## jesuis1837 (Jun 21, 2012)

wow thanks!    I am seeing the Bounce ticket on the net for 103$ (adult) and the Williamsburg Flex ticket at 178$ (adult) The difference is that we're having Jamestowne and Yorktown access with the flex ticket...  

Hum... will i have the time to see it all?  Will have to chime it with the wife...


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## tschwa2 (Jun 21, 2012)

I don't think you should try to do it all in a week.  Keep in mind too that it is often in the 90's and with humidity the heat index can very well be over a 100 like it has been for the last 3 days.  This is a little unusual for June but not unusual at all for Williamsburg in August.

You might want to spend at least a day or two enjoying the resort activities and pool between active days.

You will probably get enough American History at colonial Williamsburg.  The river walk at Yorktown makes a nice picnic area for an afternoon visit without the paid admission.


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## scootr5 (Jun 21, 2012)

jesuis1837 said:


> wow thanks!    I am seeing the Bounce ticket on the net for 103$ (adult) and the Williamsburg Flex ticket at 178$ (adult) The difference is that we're having Jamestowne and Yorktown access with the flex ticket...
> 
> Hum... will i have the time to see it all?  Will have to chime it with the wife...



No problem. I knew we were not going to Yorktown, so it was cheaper to just pay out of pocket for Jamestowne.

You'll easily be able to spend two days at CW, half a day at Jamestowne, and at least a day and a half at Busch Gardens (check out the Celtic Fyre show - a lot of fun). Water country is huge, and you can spend an entire day there. 

We missed it, but I was told the wine and cheese reception on Monday evenings at Manor Club was a lot of fun. I did the beer tasting later in the week, and met quite a few nice people (and opened a couple eyes with talk of resale and exchanging).


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## shorts (Jun 21, 2012)

I would get the Bounce ticket for the $103. If you find you have time for Jamestown /Yorktown (each take about a 1/2 a day) you can get a combo ticket for $20.


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## jesuis1837 (Jun 21, 2012)

This forum is so great!!!  :whoopie: 

I'll go with your advices for the Bouncer ticket.  You are right about spending some days at the resort. We'll take it easy with WC,BG and Water Country USA.  When we'll be back, kids are gonna be older so we'll visit James and York


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## Big Matt (Jun 21, 2012)

I wouldn't underestimate how hot and humid it will be.  I grew up in Williamsburg and still am amazed at how bad it can be in July and August.  Think about 90 plus degrees with 90 percent humidity.


Having said that, it will be decent in the morning and at night.  Busch Gardens is great at night.  The water park is very busy, but it is huge and it fits a lot of people.  Camp yourself at the Huba Huba Highway under a shaded area and move out from there.

Jamestown is the easiest of the historical sights given the size.  Some is indoors and some is outside.  Try the Settlement, but the National Park site is great also if you like archeology.

Yorktown is a waste of time unless you are really into the Revolutionary War and how it ended.  Colonial Williamsburg can be visited and enjoyed without paying admission.  You can always buy a pass if you think that it is worth it to see the sights that required a pass.


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## spencersmama (Jun 21, 2012)

jesuis1837 said:


> When we'll be back, kids are gonna be older so we'll visit James and York



Actually, I think the settlement at Jamestown is perfect for your aged kids.  It is a recreation of a Powhatan village and the original fort, plus replicas of ships.  The nice thing about the Jamestown settlement is that they make it very interactive.  The kids can grind corn and scrape the fur off animal skins with shells like the native people did.  The kids can try on the military uniform pieces and touch tools and household items in the fort.  I agree with Big mike below that the Yorktown Center is not as fun as Jamestown.  They have an old farmhouse, but it's not as interactive.  The one thing my son loved there was that they have people dressed as revolutionary war soldiers that fire off old cannons a couple times a day.

I would totally skip the battlefield stuff.  It is pretty much just looking at fields where things took place, but it's not very interesting for kids.  

Here is the link to look over the Jametown and Yorktown stuff.  
http://www.historyisfun.org/Jamestown-Settlement.htm



Big Matt said:


> I wouldn't underestimate how hot and humid it will be.  I grew up in Williamsburg and still am amazed at how bad it can be in July and August.  Think about 90 plus degrees with 90 percent humidity.
> 
> 
> Having said that, it will be decent in the morning and at night.  Busch Gardens is great at night.  The water park is very busy, but it is huge and it fits a lot of people.  Camp yourself at the Huba Huba Highway under a shaded area and move out from there.
> ...





jesuis1837 said:


> Was planning on going tuesday-wednesday so i wont change my mind!



My parents used to live in Yorktown.  When I would visit with my kids, I never did a whole day at the park, especially at Water Country.  (My favorite park!)  We would usually go to Water Country in the late afternoon for a few hours a few times during the week.  We would do something else in the morning and have lunch and rest at home for a bit, then head to the water park at around 4.  They are usually opened until 8 during mid-summer.  Most people are starting to leave at the late afternoon and the park really thins out at dinner time.  (A lot of the patrons are locals, ad there are camps that bring kids for the day sometimes.)  There are usually parking spots in the first or second rows.  We spray sunscreen at the car or before we go.  We go in in our bathing suits and water shoes or flip flops so that we don't have to get a locker.  (I use one of those waterproof necklace things to hold the tickets and the car key.)  Since we don't have anything to carry, we can just go from ride to ride and not have to worry about keeping track of stuff.  I find it much more enjoyable than going in the middle of the day.  The crowds are smaller, I am less likely to get sun burnt, and I don't feel as drained from the heat.  

We drive back home in our suits with a pair of shorts over my bathing suit.  I usually keep a beach towel on each seat of the car and bring a (non-melting) snack and a bottle of frozen water for everyone.  It thaws out in the heat of the car while we are in the park.  We head home, shower, and have a late dinner.   I would consider doing Williamsburg, Jamestown or Yorktown in the morning, rest early afternoon, and Water Country in the late/afternoon or evening a couple of days.


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## pedro47 (Jun 21, 2012)

laura1957 said:


> Going from Williamsburg to Norfolk -
> It isn't the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel you have to worry about (unless you also want to visit the Delmarva Peninsula)  it is the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel - and it being 6 miles backed up is fairly normal
> My husband was in the hospital in Newport News a couple weeks ago, and I was pretty lucky/timed it okay all week - there have been other times coming back from Massanutten that we spent what seemed like hours waiting to get through.
> 
> ...



Suggestions: The best time to travel to Norfolk via the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel are 9:00AM - 11:00AM and 1:00PM - 3:00PM and after 6:30PM Monday - Friday's.


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## jesuis1837 (Jun 21, 2012)

Spencermama: WOW     Nice idea about Water country and might reconsider going to Jamestown now as my boys would love to do exactly what you've described!!!!   

and a visit to Norfolk....  oh... so many things to do!!!


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## northovr (Jun 21, 2012)

Busch gardens has a Quickque which is around 20 some dollars extra and allows you to bypass most of the line for the most popular rides once. It's worth it  if the park is real crowded. I dont think water country has a quickque? 
Hubba Hubba Highway is my favorite attraction  at WCUSA


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## javabean (Jun 22, 2012)

I think I remember a discussion about a very good meal plan for Water Country and/or Busch Gardens. You might want to do a search for it. We're heading to MMC in one week. We're big kids who love all aspects of Colonial Williamsburg, Water Country and Manor Club. The bounce pass worked well for us a couple of years ago but we bought an II getaway last Fall for MMC and purchased a year long Patriots pass when we got there so we are still covered for CW. We will have to look for discounts for the other properties though. Enjoy your trip.


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## Luvstotravel (Jun 27, 2012)

So much great info here!  I've been reading this thread for our trip to Williamsburg in early August.

Question:  we check in on a Friday, and plan to get a Bounce ticket for each of us.  I know that Busch Gardens and Water Country will both be busy on weekends, and we plan to visit them on the weekdays.  We also plan to go to Virginia Beach while there.  What would be the best place to visit on Sat. and Sun. that's not too crowded?  Colonial Williamsburg, Busch Gardens, Water Country USA or Virginia Beach-or should we just hang out at the pool?

Thanks.


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## scootr5 (Jun 27, 2012)

Luvstotravel said:


> So much great info here!  I've been reading this thread for our trip to Williamsburg in early August.
> 
> Question:  we check in on a Friday, and plan to get a Bounce ticket for each of us.  I know that Busch Gardens and Water Country will both be busy on weekends, and we plan to visit them on the weekdays.  We also plan to go to Virginia Beach while there.  What would be the best place to visit on Sat. and Sun. that's not too crowded?  Colonial Williamsburg, Busch Gardens, Water Country USA or Virginia Beach-or should we just hang out at the pool?
> 
> Thanks.



We took a drive out and did a tour of Berkeley Plantation on the Sunday we were there, and then hung out at the pool in the late afternoon.


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## Luvstotravel (Jun 27, 2012)

scootr5 said:


> We took a drive out and did a tour of Berkeley Plantation on the Sunday we were there, and then hung out at the pool in the late afternoon.



Great ideas!  Thanks.


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## scootr5 (Jun 27, 2012)

Luvstotravel said:


> Great ideas!  Thanks.



No problem. The drive was nice, and the tour was interesting. It's not too expensive (about 30% for the 4 of us with a 10% AAA discount IIRC). They have some lovely gardens that stretch all the way out to the river.


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## spencersmama (Jul 9, 2012)

jesuis1837 - I just want to let you know that I went to Water Country three times this past week.  I got there between 4:30 - 5:30 each day that we went depending on what we were doing earlier in the day.  We were able to do everything we wanted to do in the park with the longest line being about 10 minutes for Melt Down and Astrozoid, or some name like that.  The individual rides were pretty much walk on, even the new slides where the floor falls out when the lifeguard presses a button.  I was so worn out, it was like doing step aerobics for 2 hours straight those days.  We also parked in one of the spots right next to the entrance/exit that the early birds vacated, so we didn't have far to walk.  We had a great time.  I hope you do, too!


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## jesuis1837 (Jul 9, 2012)

oh boy Spencermama....  My boys are so happy to hear this!!!!

I was planning to do like you a 2-3 times visit during the week after 4:00 pm.  Will get them after 4:30 pm!!!  It's closing at 8:00 pm right?  Happy to see and hear that most of the crowd will be out by then!!!


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## Don (Jul 10, 2012)

jesuis1837 said:


> Spencermama: WOW     Nice idea about Water country and might reconsider going to Jamestown now as my boys would love to do exactly what you've described!!!!
> 
> and a visit to Norfolk....  oh... so many things to do!!!


You could also add the Naval Shipyard Museum in Portsmouth.  It has displays that date back to Colonial times and depicts the navy's history in the area through to the present.


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## spencersmama (Jul 10, 2012)

The park stayed open until 8 last week.  I think it stays open until 8 most of the summer.  

I got a lanyard from the front and put out tix, drivers license and debit card it in.  Then I strung the lanyard straps through the key ring.  I put the lanyard up during the wave pool, but kept them on for the other activities.  (I didn't do the ride with the floor that drops out though!   I walked up and watched my daughter do it. Let's just say, I wasn't the only one that walked down the stairs.)  They didn't ask to see my driver's license.  I thought they might ask for ID since I bought my tix online.  They just confirmed the name and address.

Also, don't miss Wild Thang and Rampage.  There was no line for wither of those.  I think because they are tucked in a corner.  I really like Wild Thang.  It's a two person tube slide.  The ride is a little fast and splashy, but not too bad.  Just enough adrenaline for me, but not too much to give me a heart attack!


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## spencersmama (Jul 10, 2012)

I also wanted to let you know that New Town Regal Cinema in Williamsburg has a discount movie night ($7.50 per adult), plus $2 popcorn on Tuesdays.  I happened by that accidentally, but enjoyed the savings.  The New Town area was a nice area to have dinner and walk around.


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## jesuis1837 (Jul 10, 2012)

I'm taking notes...   The floor that drops... For sure we will try this one!  Just hope my 7 years old boy is enough tall!


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## LAR (Jul 11, 2012)

Sorry to barge in but our family of 5 will be at the Williamsburg Plantation and so this string has been of great interest to me.  We are there so that my boys can participate in a football camp so the notion of going to a park late in the day for 2 hours is perfect for us.  We might make a run to CW to check it out but that would be a one time visit.  So....

Question:  I'm trying to compare the two 7-day passes - The Bounce vs. The Discovery (this doesnt include entry to CW), what does an entry ticket to Colonial Williamsburg get you?  

Do you need an entry ticket or going without one prevents you from specific sites?  If you can, please clarify.

thanks!
LAR


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## jesuis1837 (Jul 11, 2012)

Lar, i will check for you as i dont have answers to those questions if you go there after me.


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## Thinking (Jul 13, 2012)

We were there July 4th week and I can tell you getting to both parks first thing in the morning is a good plan also.

For both parks we arrived a little before the 10am opening.

For Water Country -- we parked at H2O area because our youngest is 4 and that area is perfect for kids up to 5-6.  Close to food options, bathrooms and not too far from Hubba Highway.  Older kids were able to jump right on the popular rides with no wait.  Crowds were fine up until noon -- so at that point we gave up the slides and jumped into Hubba Highway which is great.  We were very pleased with this park.  Usually left the park at 3-4pm.

Busch Gardens -- also got there before 10am, and all major rides were open except those in Germany (they dont open until 11am).  We did all of the big rides with zero line -- in fact, were able to jump off and jump back on very easily.  Again, by noon the crowds really start arriving.  So we focused on smaller rides (skyway, train, etc) and left park around 3-4pm.  Watch out as some areas of the park dont open at 10am (example - kids water area in kiddie dinosour land didnt turn on until noon for some reason).

For the fireworks at Busch Gardens we found the bridge in Italy near the pirate ship that swings backward and forward gave us a fantastic view of the fireworks show.  In that case, we came to the park around 8pm and caught the fireworks at 930pm and then headed back to the rooms.


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## scootr5 (Jul 13, 2012)

LAR said:


> Sorry to barge in but our family of 5 will be at the Williamsburg Plantation and so this string has been of great interest to me.  We are there so that my boys can participate in a football camp so the notion of going to a park late in the day for 2 hours is perfect for us.  We might make a run to CW to check it out but that would be a one time visit.  So....
> 
> Question:  I'm trying to compare the two 7-day passes - The Bounce vs. The Discovery (this doesnt include entry to CW), what does an entry ticket to Colonial Williamsburg get you?
> 
> ...



You need an entry ticket to go into any buildings or do any activities at CW. You can walk the grounds without one.


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## nightnurse613 (Jul 14, 2012)

Additionally, for $2 you can ride the CW bus which makes about about 8 stops around the outside of the park. One approach is to go to the Visitor's Center (nice displays, movies and AC!!); then you can go downstairs to the bus (or take the bridge to the property - maybe a short 5 minute walk). As was pointed out, there is no entry fee unless you want to go inside the buildings or see some of the living exhibits.  Some of the buildings are operating shops (food or gifts) for which there are no entry fees.  As you wander around you will see people dressed in colonial style.  There is a carriage ride available ($20/20 minutes).  A couple of the exhibits are very interesting (governor's palace, the magazine) but you'll have to decide if they are worth the price of admission.


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