Not only is Busch Gardens Williamsburg adding a new maze and scare zone for 2016's Howl-O-Scream, but now they're diving into some uncharted territory as far as theme parks go, escape rooms with the recently announced, No Escape experiences. We've seen upcharge mazes before at events, but this is the first time that I've seen a full blown escape room challenge being tried and that makes this pretty unique.
As per the usual, guests will be locked into a room in groups of 6 and then tasked with figuring out the clues to solve the case and escape from their friendly confines with victory in hand. Don't have 6 in your group? No worries, you'll be put with others to help crack the case. However, given that this is Howl-O-Scream, you can bet there's a few surprises in the ways of scares and other creatures lurking within to throw you off. Think you can handle it?
Both experiences feature a maximum time limit of 30minutes and require advanced reservation and a separate ticket to take part in the experience. Both, the Case of Mr Karver and the Case of Jack the Ripper will cost $30 per person before 4pm and then $40 after 4pm and are located at the Wilkommenhaus in the Germany section of the park. One other thing of note is that guests also must be over 16 years old and have a valid ID proving such as well, which makes sense for this.
So, just what are these experiences? Glad ya asked! Here's the official rundown:
"Mr. Karver’s dolls want to play. The puppet master has created new works of art for his evil encore, and it’s up to you to stop his evil machinations from becoming reality. Searching for clues, you will try to uncover the location of his secret workshop and, if found, attempt to stop him from making any more of his monstrous dolls."
Okay, that sounds delightfully twisted. I mean, who doesn't love a creepy ass doll factory and a crazed doll maker behind it all? That and it makes a bit of sense with the Karver's Dolls material that they've been teasing on the event's website for quite some time now. That's something which left me wondering just what it was all about, but now we know! If I had to choose one, I think this might be the one I go with, just because I like the premise.
So, of course that fits with the German theme in the area as well and that has me thinking that the next one might be a little out of place there, but I can understand putting them together for efficiency and space concerns. Anyway, onto experience number two!
"Jack is back and he puts the cape in No Escape. You have heard the tales, now join the yard as you investigate the grisly murders of Jack the Ripper. Guests will be part of the experience as they attempt to solve the riddles before it is too late to catch happy Jack red-handed."
Finding The Ripper before it's too late and he claims another victim? Good fodder for trying to solve where he's going to strike next and win the challenge if you ask me. However, depending on how it's done, I'm just not feeling this one as much as I am with Mr Karver. Maybe it's an originality thing for me on that front, and this does tie into the themes in the England section of the park. Either way, everyone has their own tastes and I'm sure both experiences are worthy of a go.
Overall, I think this can definitely work. Sure, the amount of people they can put through in a day is limited but the fact that they are open most of the day, even before Howl-O-Scream starts at 6pm, means more will get the experience if they want to pay the extra. As far as the cost goes, well, that's another matter and compared to escape room experiences in other places, it's not too far off the mark. A bit higher but then again, without seeing them, it could totally be worth it in the end.
For more info on Howl-O-Scream at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, check out their website for all the details and keep an eye out as I hope to get down to see at least one of these during this year's Haunt Tour and let everyone know just how they are!
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