Busch Gardens Williamsburg will open its newest roller coaster, Pantheon, to the general public on March 25, with member and passholder previews starting on March 4.
The 178-foot-tall Pantheon is a launch coaster built by Intamin, the Liechtenstein-based coaster firm behind VelociCoaster at Universal Orlando. Promoted as the world’s fastest multi-launch coaster, it will hit 73 miles per hour, and its 3,328 feet of track includes four launches, two inversions and a 95-degree drop.
Like other SeaWorld additions opening in the coming months, Pantheon was initially scheduled to open in 2020 before being delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, first to 2021 and then to this year. Busch Gardens Williamsburg operated a series of limited-capacity events for the pandemic’s first year, restricting attendance to 4,000 guests for reserved time slots, making the opening of a new coaster impractical.
Previews for the ride will be open only to Platinum members on March 4, followed by previews for Premier, Unlimited, and Basic members on March 5, 6, 11, 12, and 13. According to the Busch Gardens Williamsburg website, members can visit a self-service kiosk on their preferred date to get a voucher good for one ride on Pantheon.
Other members and passholder may get invited to special Passport to Thrills events scheduled for March 18 through 20. These after-hours parties require some qualifications that are explained on the Busch Gardens site. Additionally, if you were a member who bought a pass after July 30, 2019 that has since expired, and completed an online survey before a deadline of Oct. 17, 2021, you’ll receive details via email on riding Pantheon before it opens to the general public.
The Pantheon announcement is the latest in a series of opening date reveals for the SeaWorld chain’s delayed 2020 coasters. Around the rest of the country, Ice Breaker at SeaWorld Orlando will open Feb. 18, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay’s Iron Gwazi opens March 11, which will be followed by Emperor at SeaWorld San Diego on March 12.