This is easily the best ride in the park, that being said, I was fairly let down by this ride. So much hype and to be honest I wasn&#39.t all that impressed. Having ridden SROS SFNE so many times I was expecting something equally great or better. Everyone kept telling me how great this was, but I really wasn.t all that impressed. THe restraints were nice, but the ride wasn&#39.t as much an airtime machine as people made it out to be.

Let me start off saying that I have not being absolutely blown away by B&M hypers like everyone else has. Yes they are fun coasters, but they just seem less intense than others like the ones made by Intamin. Apollos strong point definitely is its setting because of how well the ride is concealed and how its a hyper coaster and a terain coaster as well. Not many coasters can make that claim. Anyway, I do love B&M hyper trains and the freedom they provide just is incredible. Now I find back seat rides on this to be really good, but front seat rides are really lackluster in my opinion and just have no intensity. The back provides insane air on all the major drops, but there just werent as many air moments as I had hoped. Also, there were a few hills lacking air completely and the helix is very overrated. It gave no forces at all! Is Apollo an amazing coaster. No, but its a very solid hyper thanks to the air in the back.

Raging Bull (SFGAm) was my first experience with this type of ride, and that ride is one of my all-time favorites. Ive ridden the Bull many times, and am quite familiar and comfortable with the thrills and joy it provides. Apollos Chariot, thus, was a similar ride for me and I knew coming in I was in for a Raging Bull-like experience.

The ride did not disappoint at Busch Gardens, and Apollos Chariot became one of my favorites along with the very similar Raging Bull. Separating the two, however, is ACs environment, which is surrounded by trees and a bit more of a scenic view. Therefore, I have to give AC the edge.

Enough of the comparison, though. Each ride is unique, and AC has some spectacular features. I especially like the small bits of airtime you can get throughout the ride. I also especially like the fast drop where you zip across the water below, as it creates a feeling of exceptional speed and quickness while providing the thrill of dashing toward the quickly approaching water.

Overall, I still cant put the ride in the "10" category, because that score is reserved for the best of the best. AC is an awesome ride, and a reliable thrill. The line moves fast (I waited about 15 minutes on opening day), and you can always bet on a fun time on Apollos Chariot.

This is one of the best rollercoaster i have ever ridden i love the part at the end where it dives back into the revien

Apollos Chariot was my favorite coaster at Busch Gardens. The first drop was incredible, as it was very long and the air-time in the back seat was amazing. The next hill and the helix were also very good. Also, the air-time on the drop out of the brake run and over the river provided extreme air-time in the back seat.

Lets just get this over with so everybody can get back to loving their favorite coaster designer without some crotchety old coot sticking his thumb in their eyes. I didnt hate Apollos Chariot. I just thought that on the whole it was boring in that way particular to certain categories of B&M roller coasters. People, I imagine, enjoy these rides for the same reason they enjoy stage productions like "River Dance." Going into it, they know that every element of the experience has been choreographed, synchronized, and rehearsed to the nth degree. If thats your thing -- and judging from the reviews on this website, it probably is -- thats fine. These qualities obviously have their appeal.

To be sure, Im not against choreography, synchronization, or rehearsal as a general matter; I just tend to appreciate them most where I want or expect excitement the least. So while theyre a big plus when were talking about, say, root canals or colonoscopies, they work less well for me in the roller coaster context. There, I prefer wildness, spontenaity, and surprise. Then again, Id also prefer watching break dancers on the boardwalk to cloggers on Broadway. You get the same level of skill and commitment from each type of performer, but with the break dancers, the experience seems more edgy and unnerving. Youre pretty sure nobodys actually going to crack his skull or dislocate his shoulder, but the impression that the whole thing could all go horribly wrong at any moment remains. In a word, its more exciting, and for me, at least, excitement is a necessary element in a great roller coaster.

Yet even boring ol Apollos Chariot has a few noteworthy moments, chief among them the first drop. On at least one back-seat ride the day of my visit, my restraint wound up rather loose. By rather loose, I mean it had just cleared the go/no-go line, which left several inches of space between the life-preserving clamshell and my bony pelvis. Now I must stress here for our young readers that I made no attempt to subvert or defeat the restraint system, nor would I ever violate the ACE bylaws by doing so or condoning anyone who did. In this particular case, it just so happened that the professionals at Busch Gardens saw fit to leave my restraint poised above, rather than upon, my lap, and I decided to leave it that way. As a result, I spent the entire first drop levitating above my seat. It was a wonderful feeling, the best Ive experienced on any B&M hyper.

Nevertheless, the big brains at B&M with their lab coats and protractors must have foreseen even this eventuality, since when the drop finally leveled out, the seat gently rose up to meet my tuckus, and the force of the pullout into the next hill authoritatively ratcheted the clamshell down onto my lap. The moment was like when the euphoria of being approved for a mortgage gives way to the slamming of the bankers briefcase, and you suddenly realize that the fun part of the transaction is over. Yet even during the time I spent basically free-falling some 200 feet, the experience never felt scary or jarring. Somewhat perversely, perhaps, I found that rather disappointing.

In fact, "rather disappointing" succinctly describes my impression of Apollos Chariot. Many of the good things people have said about it are true -- the layout continually mixes it up, the ride interacts artfully with its environment, a couple of the drops are rather sharp -- but to the extent it impresses, it still fails to thrill. Like far too many B&M coasters, it simply never cuts loose.

Apparently, the long-hairs with ripped jeans and concert t-shirts are all working in the suspended division of B&M, as a short walk from Apollos Chariot to the back seat of Alpengeist will demonstrate. That ride and any number of Batman clones prove that B&M has a few wild-eyed types wandering the lab. Unfortunately, none of them got anywhere near the drawing board for this overrate

I can not speak highly enough of this ride. I have been wanting to ride this ride ever since it came out and when I found out I was going to Williamsburg, if I only rode one ride all day this was going to be the ride the I rode. Sadly, I did not ride Apollos Chariot until mid day but the lines were not bad at all and waited for the back row. Definitely worth it. Anyway, this was almost like a religious experience for me. I have only been on one hyper before this one and that was Nitro. It was so long ago that I forgot how exciting and amazing these coasters are. Before going on, all I could think about is how good looking a coaster this really is, especially the colors, and watching the trains halt at the end of the ride. Which is right next to the waiting que. Anyway upon getting on the ride, I remembered how awesome the trains and the seats were. So comfortable and extremely safe feeling. Going up the hill I was shaking. Not because I was nervous, but anxious. The drop was everything I hoped it would be, after the pre-drop the train plummeted 210 feet to the water and was just awesome. Going up the second hill was very interesting because someone further up the train lost their map and it hit me in the face. I caught it and did not even care about it because this coaster was just too amazing. The rest of the ride, especially the end with all the airtime was great. The only part the lost any speed was at the end of the turn around before the drop. Nothing too horrible but slightly noticeable. Out of the mid course brakes was fast and full of air time. I loved this roller coaster and rode it one more time before I had to leave this coaster. That was sad. An extremely smooth coaster that I hope to ride again.

The first time I got on Apollos Chariot, I had only been on one B&M hyper coaster, Goliath at SFOG. Goliath was my number one before and after my first ride. After the second ride, I was questioning my number one slot. After about ten rides, it had me completely won over. For me, I think the first drop did it. It is so much better than Goliaths. The only thing that Goliath has over Apollos Chariot in my books is the helix, but the first drop makes up for it. Also, the MCBR hardly hits and provides a good pop of ejector air coming out of it. I love the variation in drop heights in the second half. In my opinion, night rides are also better on Apollos Chariot. It is just an all around great ride.

Date Ridden: 6-24-2007 Times Ridden: 5 total with 1 in the front, two in the back and two in other various cars in the middle of the train.

This ride has tons of reviews but Ill add mine since I only rode it a short while ago. AC was the final coaster on our Golden Ticket Top 10 (minus the overseas coaster) Coaster Tour of 2007. We were excited about Griffon but headed straight to AC to get our pics that we needed and ride our final Top 10 ride. While the coaster definitely did not disappoint, it was lacking a little after already riding Agawams Superman, Millie, Maggie, Nitro and the likes. It is virtually impossible to review this coaster without comparing it to its B and M brethern Nitro and Goliath at SFOG. The three rides are so similar that I rank them together at 5, 6, and 7 in my steel coaster list. I feel that Nitro gives the more forceful ride, Goliath has a little more air, and AC is by far themed the best of the three. BGE simply does an amazing job in upkeep and working their rides into the gorgeous surroundings. AC is definitely not an exception. I love B and M hypers as they are the equivalent of sitting in a comfortable recliner in your living room and riding a coaster. As a coaster enthusiast I respect these types of rides and will continue to rank them highly. However, sometimes its fun to get on a good old-fashioned woodie and take a beating from one side of the car to the next (I still dont like my head or neck bashed however....for that reason inverts and loopers are usually lower down on my rankings...see Maverick review). Like most B and Ms there is a great deal of floater air on this ride with the front being the best seat for visuals and the back being a little better for air. The final drop before the station is my favorite as it gives something to look forward to at the end of the ride. And did I mention the beautiful landscaping? Riding AC is an absolute blast due to the comfort of the trains and the scenery one sees. Just dont expect a great deal of intensity from the # 5 steel coaster in the world according to the Golden Tickets. Ill still ride it any day. Its a wonderful ride and gives BGE a trio of 9s and a definite stop on the road for any coaster enthusiast. I am now personally headed out west through a nondescript part of the country hitting the all new Wicked at Lagoon, The New Mexico Rattler at Cliffs in New Mexico, the classic Giant Dipper at Belmont, the all new Sierra Sidewinder at Knotts, and a few other smaller parks Ive missed on my other trips out there. Good luck to everyone during "peak riding time"

This is a great coaster because of all the airtime you get. I love the seats and I love that first drop and the smaller drops that follow. It deserves the right to get a ten! It is a must do for anyone! Still the #2 of the park though.