Escape from Pompeii
Encyclopedia
Escape from Pompeii is a shoot-the-chutes
water attraction
designed by Intamin located at Busch Gardens Williamsburg in Williamsburg, Virginia
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The attraction is based on the ancient city of Pompeii
when it was destroyed by Mount Vesuvius
in 79 AD. Guests board flat bottom boats that advance through the attraction along a canal
of water as if the volcano is alive once again.. Special effects include swinging flickering lights, cracking wooden boards, burning walls and ceilings, and tumbling statues. At the end of the ride guests go through a misty dark room right before they go down the five story drop into the splash pool below.
/Jupiter
bursting into flames. A small passageway includes ripples of fire on the ceiling and a falling statue. The next room is dark, misty and is enhanced by fog machines, small strobe lights, and thrilling music. The boats come to a door that suddenly blows open, revealing the outside of the building and sending the boats down the signature drop. The boats make a U-turn, pass some ruins, and returns to the boarding deck.
Shoot-the-Chutes
Shoot-the-Chutes is an amusement ride consisting of a flat-bottomed boat that slides down a ramp or inside a flume into a lagoon. Unlike a log flume, a Shoot-the-Chutes generally has larger boats and one single drop....
water attraction
Water ride
Water rides are amusement rides that are set over water. For instance, a log flume travels through a channel of water to move along its course...
designed by Intamin located at Busch Gardens Williamsburg in Williamsburg, Virginia
Williamsburg, Virginia
Williamsburg is an independent city located on the Virginia Peninsula in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia, USA. As of the 2010 Census, the city had an estimated population of 14,068. It is bordered by James City County and York County, and is an independent city...
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The attraction is based on the ancient city of Pompeii
Pompeii
The city of Pompeii is a partially buried Roman town-city near modern Naples in the Italian region of Campania, in the territory of the comune of Pompei. Along with Herculaneum, Pompeii was destroyed and completely buried during a long catastrophic eruption of the volcano Mount Vesuvius spanning...
when it was destroyed by Mount Vesuvius
Mount Vesuvius
Mount Vesuvius is a stratovolcano in the Gulf of Naples, Italy, about east of Naples and a short distance from the shore. It is the only volcano on the European mainland to have erupted within the last hundred years, although it is not currently erupting...
in 79 AD. Guests board flat bottom boats that advance through the attraction along a canal
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
of water as if the volcano is alive once again.. Special effects include swinging flickering lights, cracking wooden boards, burning walls and ceilings, and tumbling statues. At the end of the ride guests go through a misty dark room right before they go down the five story drop into the splash pool below.
Ride experience
After boarding flat bottom boats, guests are taken up an 80 feet (24.4 m) incline. A small drop brings the boats into an indoor building and begins the journey as the boats pass archeological sites that are looking for research on the tragedy of Pompeii. Fast-paced music starts, "wooden" boards crack (it is actually two pieces of metal separating), and swinging lights flicker as the boats advance into the next room. This room is the ride's signature room, as it includes fire on top of the water the boats pass through, burning ceiling supports, walls burning, and a statue of the Greek/Roman god, ZeusZeus
In the ancient Greek religion, Zeus was the "Father of Gods and men" who ruled the Olympians of Mount Olympus as a father ruled the family. He was the god of sky and thunder in Greek mythology. His Roman counterpart is Jupiter and his Etruscan counterpart is Tinia.Zeus was the child of Cronus...
/Jupiter
Jupiter (mythology)
In ancient Roman religion and myth, Jupiter or Jove is the king of the gods, and the god of the sky and thunder. He is the equivalent of Zeus in the Greek pantheon....
bursting into flames. A small passageway includes ripples of fire on the ceiling and a falling statue. The next room is dark, misty and is enhanced by fog machines, small strobe lights, and thrilling music. The boats come to a door that suddenly blows open, revealing the outside of the building and sending the boats down the signature drop. The boats make a U-turn, pass some ruins, and returns to the boarding deck.
Trivia
- By the splashdown, an observing platform is present, and it has clear windows on part of it so on-lookers don't get drenched.
- Similar to Roman RapidsRoman RapidsRoman Rapids is a white-water river rafting ride located in Festa Italia of Busch Gardens Williamsburg, Virginia. It is themed after a canal race through Roman ruins and leaves riders completely soaked after the ride.-Ride experience:...
, another water ride at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, it has a "family dryer."