DarKoaster • Busch Gardens Williamsburg

DarKoaster is solid for what it is, but if you want to ride it then you’re gonna have to run to it right after the park opens otherwise you will be waiting for a good while. It has absolutely abysmal...

DarKoaster is solid for what it is, but if you want to ride it then you’re gonna have to run to it right after the park opens otherwise you will be waiting for a good while. It has absolutely abysmal capacity(10 to a train) and if it’s running one train like it was when I rode it then the line will get long very quickly(for reference, I got on back row in about 15 minutes in the station and it was already up to a 45 minute wait by the time I got off). The reliability is also pretty bad, so there’s a decent chance that it goes down during the time you are waiting. As for the ride experience itself, there really isn’t much to write home about. The theming is solid, and the launches do have some punch(especially the second one), but most of the ride is just a bunch of meandering through turns with little to no force at all. It’s a fun ride for families, but it’s not worth waiting a long time for and enthusiasts will most likely walk off disappointed. Do it EARLY for the credit and move on.

Very fun ride. Good for families but still intense enough to be fun for people looking for a bit of a thrill. The darkness adds to the speed and the launch is pretty punchy. The theming is mediocre bu...

Very fun ride. Good for families but still intense enough to be fun for people looking for a bit of a thrill. The darkness adds to the speed and the launch is pretty punchy. The theming is mediocre but the queue is great. Overall just a fun family coaster with good speed.

It's probably the second worst coaster in the park, you go in circles a few times and that's about it. It was just a waste of money for the park and a nothing burger in my opinion. Ig it's a good s...

It's probably the second worst coaster in the park, you go in circles a few times and that's about it. It was just a waste of money for the park and a nothing burger in my opinion. Ig it's a good starter coaster for kids but other parks coasters have better options for that as well.

Such a fun ride! You feel the wind in your eyes and face and the thrill of the ghosts and speed and lightning. SO COOL! I'm suprised of such bad reviews and this ride definetely has some disney level ...

Such a fun ride! You feel the wind in your eyes and face and the thrill of the ghosts and speed and lightning. SO COOL! I'm suprised of such bad reviews and this ride definetely has some disney level effects. The only cons are that it's so much of a line for it and that it breaks down, more than other coasters. Tip: To avoid lines, go to it as soon as the park opens! RUN TO IT! If you don't, there'll probally be a big line

Coaster placé à la place d'une ancienne attraction dans un espace restreint. Ils ont fait ce qu'ils ont pu mais le résultat n'est pas terrible : peu de vitesse, pas de transitions intéressantes et sur...

Coaster placé à la place d'une ancienne attraction dans un espace restreint. Ils ont fait ce qu'ils ont pu mais le résultat n'est pas terrible : peu de vitesse, pas de transitions intéressantes et surtout décors très bas de gamme...

I had a lot of fun on this one and I'm surprised it's rated so low. The theming is fantastic but the lighting effects during the ride are something to be desired. I didn't expect Disney-level effect...

I had a lot of fun on this one and I'm surprised it's rated so low. The theming is fantastic but the lighting effects during the ride are something to be desired. I didn't expect Disney-level effects, but it isn't one of its strong points experiencing a pitch-black experience. I am also pretty pleased with the comfort during the ride. I've had rides where you lean forward and they tend to be a bit uncomfortable but this one was smooth throughout. The capacity is pretty abysmal and the line can get extremely long so I would recommend going straight to this on opening if you're looking to get all credits. This park seems to have a collection of underrated rides and this one is no exception. It should not be ranked as the 9th best in the park out of 10 coasters at the time of this review. 3.5/5 stars

This ride overall looks very cheap. Must be built cheap too by the way it closes down multiple times throughout the day pretty much every time I visit the park. Anyways the launches are pretty fun as ...

This ride overall looks very cheap. Must be built cheap too by the way it closes down multiple times throughout the day pretty much every time I visit the park. Anyways the launches are pretty fun as well as the layout. I just wish everything else wasn't halfassed.

When I was just about to enter the line there was this lady up front and I asked her hey is this a calm, non-jerky ride and she replies “yes this is very calm. So I say I have neck problems and I ask ...

When I was just about to enter the line there was this lady up front and I asked her hey is this a calm, non-jerky ride and she replies “yes this is very calm. So I say I have neck problems and I ask if I can still go on and she says yes. As I am going on the ride my neck was hurting like crazy and it was a very rough ride aswell. I usually love roller coasters but this was a hit or miss because it really depends on you if you like the jerkyness or not. I feel like they could do better not only with their staff but ride too.

Kind of fun, but this ride felt like a missed opportunity to me. Good family coaster and intro to launch rides for younger riders, but nothing more...I would have tolerated a little bit more light for...

Kind of fun, but this ride felt like a missed opportunity to me. Good family coaster and intro to launch rides for younger riders, but nothing more...I would have tolerated a little bit more light for a lot more intensity.

After I waited forever in line for this sad little thing, I couldn't help but imagine how much better this ride would be with an actual story and theme. Like, just take this dark building and throw ou...

After I waited forever in line for this sad little thing, I couldn't help but imagine how much better this ride would be with an actual story and theme. Like, just take this dark building and throw out the tiny coaster and put a story-based ride in its place about the Prince Ludwig and how he scares his subjects or something. Spend actual effort on theming and make this worth riding.

This is nowhere near as bad as people have been saying. The story is weak, but there's solid theming. The launches were shockingly intense and the ride was just plain fun. 90 minutes was a bit excessi...

This is nowhere near as bad as people have been saying. The story is weak, but there's solid theming. The launches were shockingly intense and the ride was just plain fun. 90 minutes was a bit excessive of a wait and it's nowhere near as good as Verbolten, but if you go in with reasonable expectations, it's fun.

I have waited in line for this ride three times since it opened 4 months ago, and each time it shuts down for maintenance. This is a low thrill ride with cheap, boot-leg theming throughout the duratio...

I have waited in line for this ride three times since it opened 4 months ago, and each time it shuts down for maintenance. This is a low thrill ride with cheap, boot-leg theming throughout the duration of the ride. The hype doesn’t match the experience. The induction of this ride was nothing more than a marketing scheme and cheap cash grab on BGs part

This was my first straddle coaster I've ever ridden, and I'd say it was an enjoyable ride overall. I never got to experience the original Darkastle, so I don't really have much to compare it to. My bi...

This was my first straddle coaster I've ever ridden, and I'd say it was an enjoyable ride overall. I never got to experience the original Darkastle, so I don't really have much to compare it to. My biggest problem with the ride was a capacity. The day I rode it everything else was a walk on, and this had about a 30 minute wait. I know it's a new ride, but that shouldn't have been the case. The theming is also a pro and a con. The theming in the que line is really well done, but it doesn't do a very good job of explaining the actual storyline of the coaster. Then the theming in the actual coaster portion is almost non-existent except for some Spirit Halloween props and an admittedly cool projection at the end of the ride. As for the coaster itself it actually exceeded my expectations. I really like the fact that you go around the coarse twice, otherwise it would've been a very short ride experience. The coaster was also more intense than I expected. The launches were decently punchy, and there were some surprisingly whippy transitions, especially after the launches.

I waited a hour to ride this ride yesterday and I think it’s a fun family coaster but it wasn’t quite worth the hour wait. The most I would wait for it is 30 minutes, the queue has good theming and th...

I waited a hour to ride this ride yesterday and I think it’s a fun family coaster but it wasn’t quite worth the hour wait. The most I would wait for it is 30 minutes, the queue has good theming and the ride has just ok theming, they could’ve added more from the 2/4th launch to the break run. The launches are surprisingly punchy and it’s a fun coaster to ride whether it’s sunny or stormy outside. The line does move insanely slow though.

Difficile de le comparer avec les gros coasters car ça reste plutôt familiale. Sympa quand on se maintient au guidon, les propulsions étaient assez punchy mais de plus beaux effets visuel auraient ajo...

Difficile de le comparer avec les gros coasters car ça reste plutôt familiale. Sympa quand on se maintient au guidon, les propulsions étaient assez punchy mais de plus beaux effets visuel auraient ajouté un vrai plus à cette attraction. Par contre ils ont dû recycler une vielle attraction car pour un coaster de 2023, dans la file d’attente quelques éléments de décors ou les rambardes sont déjà bien usés !

I waited almost 2 hours to ride this new attraction. I wish I would have spent that time riding Griffon or any other coaster, like 4 times. The capacity is awful, only allowing 2 per row, with 5 r...

I waited almost 2 hours to ride this new attraction. I wish I would have spent that time riding Griffon or any other coaster, like 4 times. The capacity is awful, only allowing 2 per row, with 5 rows. There is little they can do to help in that respect because of the way it was built. I rode as a single rider, but with precious few chances to fill a gap due to the low capacity, there wasn’t much chance to bypass anyone in line. When I boarded, the disappointment continued. The launches were cool, but there was very little in the way of vertical movement. The spooky theming elements felt cheap and tacked on and didn’t add much of anything to the experience either. The whole thing feels like it was originally a much bigger idea that was massively scaled back thanks to a Covid-induced budget slashing. DarKoaster felt like a combination of Epcot’s Test Track, with a haunted house from a traveling carnival, but on a very small scale. It was nice to get out of the heat, but if the wait is longer than 20 minutes, this one is an easy skip for me in the future.

Despite having 4 very punchy Intamin LSM launches it doesn't really do much else. The straddle cars are pretty cool, but the only thing they feel cool during is those launches. The queue has quite goo...

Despite having 4 very punchy Intamin LSM launches it doesn't really do much else. The straddle cars are pretty cool, but the only thing they feel cool during is those launches. The queue has quite good theming, but once you're on the ride there is a jumpscare of a stringed up Party City skeleton, and I expected a lot more. It also has one of the worst capacities at the park; since it loops its layout twice it can only run two trains, and for some reason they designed each train with only 10 seats. Needless to say the 2 hour wait was not worth it for me. 6/10 - "Waste of my time, waste of my life" -Guy sitting next to me after waiting 2 hours

The theming in the queue is great, but on the ride itself it's a little disappointing. The launches and turns have good force to them. This was my first straddle coaster and I found the seating positi...

The theming in the queue is great, but on the ride itself it's a little disappointing. The launches and turns have good force to them. This was my first straddle coaster and I found the seating position kind of awkward, but maybe my posture was wrong. The line moved very slowly with only ten people to a train. It's not a bad ride but I'll probably skip it on most of my visits to BGW.

Solid fun family coaster. Much better than the awful haunts that occupied the building the past few years. The theming is ok, not great and it could use more fx and a story or something. The coaster i...

Solid fun family coaster. Much better than the awful haunts that occupied the building the past few years. The theming is ok, not great and it could use more fx and a story or something. The coaster itself is solid though and a great use of the space