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Fans Want Busch Gardens To Apologize After ‘Blatantly False Advertising’

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Posted on by Rick Lye 1 Comment
A thrilling roller coaster named Pantheon is visible through some green foliage at Busch Gardens. The ride features a large, vertical loop and tracks that twist and turn. A covered platform for boarding is seen in the foreground with the Pantheon sign prominently displayed.

Pantheon Busch Gardens Williamsburg. Credit: Busch Gardens

Advertising has always involved deception. In the early Twentieth Century, Jell-O came up with the slogan “America’s Favorite Dessert” without supporting its claim. It stuck, and Jell-O is still known as America’s favorite dessert.

Disneyland claims it is the “Happiest Place on Earth,” and Disney World says it’s “The Most Magical Place on Earth.” Is that true? For some, yes, but for others, not so much.

But when it comes to a roller coaster, a theme park can make just about any claim they want with few repercussions. The only people they have to answer to are the Roller Coast fan community online, and that’s precisely what Busch Gardens Williamsburg has to answer for now.

This week, Busch Gardens Williamsburg tweeted that its roller coaster, Pantheon, was the fastest multi-launch coaster in the world. They were so confident in the claim that they followed it up with, “Don’t even think of debating us on this.”

Coaster enthusiasts have decided to debate Busch Gardens Williamsburg on this claim, saying that the company has “blatantly lied” about the speed of their coaster and that there are other faster multi-launch coasters.

According to the Busch Gardens Williamsburg website:

Pantheon, the world’s fastest multi-launch roller coaster, harnesses the speed and strength of five of the greatest Roman Gods. This record-breaking coaster stands 180 feet tall with a top speed of 73 mph and features a 95° drop, 4 launches, 5 air-time hills, and 2 inversions.

While thrill ride fans took no issue with Busch Gardens’ comments about Pantheon’s speed and record-breaking status, they did point out that Soaring with Dragon at Hefei Suna Land in China has a top speed of 77.7 mph, making it faster than Pantheon.

One coaster fan pointed out that if Busch Gardens said that, the amusement park would have simply changed the word “world” to “North America,” and the tweet would have been accurate.

Whether the tweet is accurate or not, the Pantheon still offers riders some of the most thrilling roller coasters in the world, and it may be one of the best thrill rides on earth.

Perhaps Busch Gardens Williamsburg should have gone with that tagline for its newest roller coaster. It wouldn’t have caused as much controversy.

Share your experience on Pantheon at Busch Gardens Williamsburg with Inside the Magic. 

in Busch Gardens, Theme Parks

Rick Lye

Rick is an avid Disney fan. He first went to Disney World in 1986 with his parents and has been hooked ever since. Rick is married to another Disney fan and is in the process of turning his two children into fans as well. When he is not creating new Disney adventures, he loves to watch the New York Yankees and hang out with his dog, Buster. In the fall, you will catch him cheering for his beloved NY Giants.

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