Before coming out of the building, theres REAL fire and you can actually feel the heat! The plunge is fun, but getting wet is great.
Its better than Sklooosh, but its not as good as the log flume at Knoebels. Fun, fun, fun!

I still HATE shoot the chutes, but this is the best. At least there was a little backstory and a lot of water. Pretty good ride for a shoot the chute, but it is just not for me.

Amazing theming and a great ride

This is the best themes water-ride there is outside of splash mountain...the ride is a bit short but is wonderfully themed and the fire effects are amazing...definately make room for this ride on your visit! FYI--You WILL NOT get as wet as you think you might--its rather mild and though you will get wet, you wont get soaked--so dont be afraid to ride if you dont feel like getting wet!

This is one of the better water rides out there simply because its theming is astonishing. It beats the average splashboats ride which consists of a hill, turn, and drop. Instead of something so simple, Escape From Pompeii brings you back in time through the ruins of the ancient city. The theming is quite amazing and it gets pretty hot up there with some of the fire effects. After pillars crumble around the boat and other ruins fall to the ground you get sent down into the pool below. The water feels so cold after enduring the intense heat. If you simply just want to get wet and dont mind missing out on this attraction, you will actually get more wet standing off to the side of the ride and getting drenched with the splash.

This ride has incredible theming. All the effects worked perfectly and got me soaked. This is an absolutely spectacular looking attraction from any angle, but especially looking at it from the far end straightaway. Wow, what incredible theming! As for the ride itself, it was awesome - falling timbers and one statue that made me jump, incredible heat, followed by an excellent plunge. This ride wasnt made for you to get super wet, it was more the fantastic special effects. If there was no theming this ride would blow big time. I mean, all it is is a hill turn and drop. I was lucky. The wait for this was only 20 minutes though.

As far as water rides go, this is one of the best. The line was incredibly short, the themeing was amazing, and the drop was fun. The themeing really made it special though. The heat was so intense in that building that I couldnt wait to splash out of there. Excellent ride.

My most favorite water ride!

After you round the corner of the road and come face to face with Busch Gardens Apollos Chariot, it isnt long until you notice another astonishing structure, the crumbling stone fortress of Escape from Pompeii. Planted at the entrance of the parks San Marco hamlet, Escape from Pompeii is a forbidding mass of crumbling stone and ancient ruins. After climbing the lift, you are plunged into darkness, only to see the world lit up again by towering flames on either side of your boat. After dodging a few other effects and numerous other broiling pillars of fire, a bright light suddenly pierces through the dark, and the boat is thrust down into the surging waters below. With an earth-shaking crash, you slam into the water and the ride is over. Aside from the rather disappointing lack of wetness after you leave the ride, Escape from Pompeii is a staple in Busch Gardens Williamsburgs line-up of highly-themed thrill rides

APPEARANCE-10 The theming and care of this ride is amazing and the effects were all working really well. CAPACITY-7 Its hard to get a good idea of this since it was so cold there were only a few idiots in the line with me. It did appear that they dont run enough cars so it could take awhile. RIDE QUALITY-7 All about the effects baby. Without them this is a very common and boring ride. The effects are the only reason I went and the only reason I would go back. FUN-8 I enjoyed it and the extra fear of freezing once I was finished added some fun. RERIDE-7 First it would need a mangeable line, second each time I ride the desire to go again would be lessened. OVERALL- 39 AVG-7.8 I will go 8 but again this is a theme driven score so be warned. If you are more about thrills or splash I would only score it about a five.