Home > Virginia > Busch Gardens Williamsburg > Apollos Chariot

Apollos Chariot
Website: Busch Gardens Williamsburg Homepage
Ride Type: Steel Coaster
Ride Status: Running
Average Rating: 4.7143
TPC Overall Rank: #15 out of 2933 rides.
Reviews: 148
Last Review: 7/25/2015 11:43:00 PM
In User Top 10: 259 times.
User Tracker Count: 296 times.
 


Apollo

Climbing the lift-hill...
   
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5 Rating
0 Rating Rate Down Rate Up Fedor on 5/5/2006 8:59:00 PM - User's Top Ride #1
Wow, what a relaxing ride. You just feel like youre floating the entire time. The front is by far the best. Much better than the back. All the wind in your face, smashing your ears. Just hearing the wind thunder your ears up makes the front that much more intense. In the back you get a better sense of float but its like youre missing the intensity of the front. This is the only rollercoaster here I could ride over and over again and just feel relaxed and not overly worn down by riding coasters relentlessly.

5 Rating
-1 Rating Rate Down Rate Up Pasch on 3/23/2006 4:37:00 PM - User's Top Ride #1
Very Fun and makes you feel like your having the coolest hangover in the world!!!!!!!!!

4 Rating
+1 Rating Rate Down Rate Up buckeyefan on 1/20/2006 11:39:00 AM - User's Top Ride #5
Awesome hyper in a great setting. First hill is sweet and the drop over the river makes the coaster in my opinion. The bunnyhills down the home stretch are also sweet.

5 Rating
+2 Rating Rate Down Rate Up Animan1 on 1/11/2006 12:07:00 PM - User's Top Ride #4
An airtime machine, Apollos Chariot is one of the best coasters I have ever had the pleasure of riding. When I went to BGW, I had already ridden Raging Bull at SFGAm many times, so I was wondering how Apollo was going to compare to RB. I was not disappointed. Apollos Chariot, being more of an out-and-back layout, packs in a ton of airtime, more than Raging Bull, and the use of the terrain by Apollo is also superb. The swooping turnaround is a blast, and the final bunny hills are insane. Perhaps my favorite part of the whole ride is the point where the track dodges off to the right, under the lift hill, and reappears on the other side for the final return to the station. Overall, few rides can match Apollos sheer fun factor, airtime, or balance when it comes to providing the rider with a variety of experiences in one complete package. Apollo still trails Raging Bull by the slimmest of margins for my #3 coaster spot, with Apollos taking Spot #4. But a great job nonetheless to BGW and B&M for creating such an amazing coaster, and one that I will always look forward to riding again.

4 Rating
0 Rating Rate Down Rate Up coasterf42 on 10/28/2005 7:23:00 PM
After riding Apollos Chariot for the first time in over five years on 6-13-2007, I finally am able to update my formery lame review! What a different experience this was, riding as an enthusiast compared to a little soon-to-be middle school graduate! Although I had lost my "big-coaster-phobia," by then, I had not lost my hyper coaster virginity. That ride back in 2002 really had me pissing myself (well, waiting there did anyway). It was my first of the day and I remember fearing the end seats and telling my friends I wanted to be in the middle! Well, those days are now long over, and I am now able to give an unqualified opinion (Im a geeky coaster-CPA wannabe) on the coaster. No, I wasnt peeing myself one bit in line last Wednesday. Instead I was yacking to a few other enthusiasts and enjoying the great views that the big, purple, circus tent-queue line had to offer. I couldnt believe the trains when I got to the station. After all the buckles and bars I was strapped into on SROS last year, a comfy captains chair with a single lapbar made me feel like I was about to ride a log flume with a headrest. After a long lift hill, the pre-drop dip and following piece of strait track made it feel like we were 170 feet up in the Roman atmosphere forever. The drop was....well, fast I guess! It didnt quite have the "omg this thing lasts forever" appeal that Alpengeists drop had, but it certainly was faster and more fun. On the next hill, the train lost a lot of speed at the top, but screamed its way back down. The following twisted drop into the turn-around was pretty darn good, but it didnt have much airtime. I thought the first half was extremely fast and smooth, but didnt have many pops of air. The turn around was done at a fast speed, but it seemed a little lame compared to the rest of the ride. The helix was fast, but forceless, and the whole turnaround just seemed like a waste of time. So far, Apollo had been good, but the second half is really the part that made the ride. If you havent figured it out, I (like thousands of coaster enthusiasts before me) am an airtime-junkie, and Apollos Chariot has some of the best airtime Ive found on a steel coaster--and the second half is where its at! Starting with the drop out of the mid-course breaks, almost all of the small hops leading back to the big purple tent have great air. The drop out of the MCBR is the best or second best drop on the ride-the train just seems catapulted out of it, and there are ejectors the whole way down! Just completely heavenly. Some of the other hills I liked were a twisted hill, which had good air, but no where near as good as SROS (SFAs) twisted fourth hill. The other hill that is a tie for tops on the ride is the final one, which is kind of like a double down with the small hill before it. There is a camera moment somewhere on the last hill, but I was getting too much airtime to get on a pose! The only thing about Apollos that I really didnt like were the brakes. There was so much airtime in the second half, yet the speed seemed a little off. That was probably because of several trim brakes on some of the hills, and the fairly strong mid-course brakes. Judging from the amount of airtime the mid-course drop gives you, those brakes are probably needed, but I could only imagine how good the ride would have been if the trims were down just a tad. I rode twice in 2007: in row 8 and row 1. I, personally, enjoyed the 8th row more because of much more quality airime, even though the other enthusiasts I was with liked the front more. The front did feel faster, more windy, and had a better view. I really liked Aopollos Chariot, as it is great from begining to end (with a lame helix to catch your breath in the middle). However, I feel that SROSs (SFA) second-half airtime is just more enjoyable than Apollos, and so are SROSs highly banked helixes. Despite all the trim brakes, a less intense Apollos Chariot was pure

5 Rating
0 Rating Rate Down Rate Up coasterwom on 10/27/2005 10:13:00 AM - User's Top Ride #5
This is a great hyper coaster that delivers alot of airtime, has alot of hills, has smoothness, and is very fun. Its in my top 10 for hyper coasters. Its a must ride for all enthusiasts. This ride is fast, fun, rerideable, has a large capacity, long ride duration, and is nicely decorated . It is a steel sit down non looping mega coaster/hyper coaster. It was built by B&M. It is 170' tall, 4,822' long, it travels at 73 mph, it was built in 1999.

5 Rating
+2 Rating Rate Down Rate Up jdale on 10/4/2005 2:14:00 PM - User's Top Ride #8
This is my 1 of the best coasters in america. The seats make you feel so vulnerable so theres plenty of room for air time--and boy, did this ride deliver! Theres incredible air on every hill including the first drop and the unique final drop into a ditch (It takes your picture in that ditch!). The lift hill is very quiet and you can have a conversation while going up. Anyone know why theres a little dip before the first drop? After staying up there for a second, you take the 210 foot plunge toward the Rhine River and theres a cool straight track at the bottom. Catch some good air as you rush up the second hill. The second hill drops into a tunnel and the tunnels a nice touch. After that, you scramble up yet another hill and make a twisting return. Get ready, folks, for an insane upward spiral. After that mindcruncher, you make a 102 foot dive and head for the brakes. After that is a nice collection of camelbacks, all providing great air. Apollos Chariot is an awesome rush from beginning to end! It isnt quite as good as Nitro, but close. What cant B&M create?

5 Rating
+1 Rating Rate Down Rate Up CoastrGlxy on 9/27/2005 1:30:00 PM - User's Top Ride #3
After having not ridden one of my favorite coasters for over three years I was excited to see that it still shines. All the plusses that had made it my number 2 ride were still there. (Its fallen to 3 now thanks to S:ROS @ SFNE) The breathtaking drop to the Rhine River, the smooth ride, the funky helix, and those great airtime drops on the trip back. The small drop off of the chain lift before the first drop is good because it allows the train to fall down the hill without the last couple cars still being stuck on the chain. Also, like some of the other top rides Ive ridden, Apollos still got a hyped up station thats buzzing with excitement. The trains are different from other non-B&M coasters with nine rows of four seats across that helps with capacity and keeps the line moving. They are also THE most comfortable seats and restraints out there. Not to mention they are elevated and open allowing your legs and arms to swing freely. Id have to say this is one of B&Ms signature rides as it has everything that makes their rides great from the design to the theming. Its fast, smooth, and thrilling with great views. What else could you ask for? Final Rating - 10 (Superior)

4 Rating
0 Rating Rate Down Rate Up penguin22 on 9/8/2005 12:50:00 PM
My favorite B&M hyper over Nitro. I just think Appollos Chariot is a much more exciting ride especially going over the rhine river. I still am not a hyper coaster fan, but this one is a must ride for me.

4 Rating
0 Rating Rate Down Rate Up thinkdif on 8/12/2005 4:16:00 PM
This is a great coaster. The drops are amazing and going over the rapids ride is cool. however I would prefer a drop imediatly following the lift (like S:ROS at SFNE), having a flat area on top makes the ride feel as if it has a bit less of a climax. My only other complaint is that the ride ops seemed to be running the coaster at a very slow pace. Other than that, this is an extremly smooth, fast hyper-coaster.

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