Europe in the Air
| Europe in the Air | |
|---|---|
| Busch Gardens Williamsburg | |
| Status | Removed |
| Opening date | March 26, 2010 |
| Closing date | September 4, 2016 |
| Replaced | Corkscrew Hill |
| Replaced by | Battle For Eire |
| Ride statistics | |
| Attraction type | Reflectone |
 Quick Queue was available | |
Europe in the Air was a motion
History
In 2009, it was announced that the Corkscrew Hill ride would retire to make way for Europe in the Air. The ride was originally manufactured by the now-defunct Reflectone company.[1]
Europe in the Air closed on June 30, 2013, for the rest of the 2013 season.[2] It was later reopened for the 2014 season.
On March 18, 2017, Busch Gardens announced that Europe in the Air would be replaced by a VR attraction, and the ride did not reopen for the season- making 2016 Europe in the Air's final season. All Europe in the Air signage was removed from the ride building, and all references to it were removed from the park's website. [3]
Experience
Queue
The queue line begins in a castle-like structure (in which a "hand" used to hold Corkscrew Hill's logo) with the ride's name on a bill board, saying "Europe in the Air: A High-Flying Adventure." The line wraps around ponds, through dark primitive tunnels and (oddly) enter a high-tech room showing maps of the countries and landmarks you are about to "fly" over. Next, guests enter a room with a pre-show, showing an "advertisement" and summary of Europe in the Air, a fictional airline. After that, another preshow in the next room requires riders to stand in front of the row of your choice. This time the pre-show is more about safety than humor. After this, guests enter the ride.
Pre-shows
- The first of the two pre-shows show a flight attendant telling about the features of the flight, like Big Ben or the Eiffel Tower, and Coronado Romero.
- The second pre-show is aimed at telling guests how to fasten their seatbelts, to remain seated, and if you should or shouldn't ride.
Ride
The ride vehicle is a large box-like seating area, occupied by rows of seats. In front is the screen, as well as some fans. When the ride begins, the fans start, and the boarding platforms are raised and taken away. After "taking off" from Ireland, the ride "flies" upward, using clouds as the screen wipe. The ride "flies" over Europe's landmarks to laid-back music and eventually "lands" in Ireland again. The loading and unloading platform drop back down, and guests exit through a hallway, showing pictures of the previously seen sights along with advertisements from Aer Lingus which were ended in 2011. The hallway now contains the images minus all traces of Aer Lingus. This hallway is also the Quick Queue entrance.
References
- ^ "Busch Gardens Amends Ride". Daily Press. September 25, 1991. Archived from the original on November 4, 2013. Retrieved November 3, 2013.
- ^ "Europe in the Air". seaworldparks.com. SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment. Archived from the original on 7 August 2016. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
- ^ "Europe in the Air Flight Simulator Ride | Busch Gardens Williamsburg". Archived from the original on 2016-10-27. Retrieved 2017-03-28.