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Another great post! Effectively dealing with rain at WDW means you can have an awesome day when everyone else seems to be melting like wicked witches. It's like winning the theme park gymkhana or something.

 

I'm a Disney geek, why did I not hear about the super awesome Maleficent dragon float immolating? I love the dragon float! Poor dragon, I know he's evil and stuff but still, dang.

 

As we began walking it started to rain again which was a real bummer since I was drinking a Bud Light out of a plastic cup and the last thing Bud Light needs is to be watered down any more than it already is.

 

Wait times are so weird at WDW, you're right about Pan, the only thing it has going for it is middle-aged idiots like me remember riding it as a kid and liking it ever so much better than the terrifying Snow White's Scary Adventures. We still ride it every time we're at DL or MK, but it's rope drop or nuthin', I'm not waiting in a 50+ minute line for a short old dark ride made with wood cutouts and a nice paint job.

 

I've only gotten one ride on Flight of Passage and I totally agree with you. It is beyond amazing, everything about it is immersive and feels so darned real. Now THIS is a ride I'd wait 90 minutes for.

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I will never understand the wait for Pan either. It's a fine dark ride if you wait 10-15 minutes for but I will never understand the fascination of why people will wait 90-120 minutes for it. Is this just another example where to all of us, a "suspended dark ride" is old hat, but just proves the often argued theory that to thousands of people who visit Walt Disney World every day that even things that are decades old, those guests are experiencing it for the "first time" and they are WOWed by it?

 

That's the only logical explanation I can think of.

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In defense of the Peter Pan, I love that ride but yeah I'm not waiting more than like 20 minutes standby for it if I can't get a fastpass for it. I mean I know it's short but come on that model of London you fly over is pretty cool......

 

 

My personal theory is that the line is ~40% "Omg it flies!", ~30% "Omg it's Peter Pan!", and ~30% "Its got a long line so it has to be good!"

 

Also there might be a large percentage in there somewhere for "it has no height restriction, is accessible for anyone and everyone, and is based on a popular IP that's been around for like 100 years". Seriosuly kids and old people love that ride. Also, I've always wondered how accurate the standby times for that ride really are. I mean I know there is internal system for measuring and reporting wait times at Disney, but given the capacity of that attraction and the limited space in the que area if the line was really 50 minutes but they posted it at 100 to maybe encourage quests to seek out another attraction would it really surprise you? Maybe they distribute a ton a fastpasses for it but the number if people standing in the line compared to the posted wait time always seems a bit off to me.

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I will never understand the wait for Pan either. It's a fine dark ride if you wait 10-15 minutes for but I will never understand the fascination of why people will wait 90-120 minutes for it. Is this just another example where to all of us, a "suspended dark ride" is old hat, but just proves the often argued theory that to thousands of people who visit Walt Disney World every day that even things that are decades old, those guests are experiencing it for the "first time" and they are WOWed by it?

 

That's the only logical explanation I can think of.

This is probably it. I was impressed by Peter Pan, but yes, it was my first and only visit. Worth the 40 minute wait I think, but maybe I wouldn't say so a second time.

 

Bill, great report as usual and I was laughing at the It's a Small World stuff as well as Stich.

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enjoying the report as usual, Bill

 

as to Peter Pan. . I love that ride, and when we do go to Disney, I always ride it a few times (fast pass or not). so yeah, I've waited in the line.

 

I think it's a mix of not living near Disney (either in CA or FL), so when we go it's fairly rare, and that I recall going to the Orlando Park back when I was 7 or 8, and was just absolutely enthralled with the idea of flying over that London Model.

 

not a fan of the IP, and don't even own the Disney Film the ride is based on!. . but I can't really explain it. the ride just makes me feel good when I go on it, so I always make the choice to go on it.

 

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Awesome TR as usual! I haven't been to WDW in forever because it usually costs an arm and a leg to get in

 

I get that, but it's so worth going. I honestly feel like you CAN do Disney on a budget and have an awesome time. As I mentioned, food prices in the parks are reasonable (not that you have to eat in the parks), and if you buy multi day one park tickets then prices go way down.

 

Plus you don't HAVE to stay on Disney property. Just rack up points and stay on 192 or I Drive (though both areas have their fair share of horrific hotels so be careful with that).

 

It's better to stay on Disney property, but if it makes a Disney vacation more accessible then by all means, do it! That's what we did. We stayed in a nice suite on I Drive and used rewards points for every night of our stay.

 

Great report!

 

Your thoughts on Seven Dwarfs sum up mine perfectly. It's a fine attraction and I'd ride it if it didn't pull the longest line in the park. While I know I could get on fast with the enter at closing trick, I'd much rather get that last ride on Space Mountain.

 

And then Flight of Passage really is a masterpiece. There are many reasons that ride is so immersive, but I also think being that close to the screen helps as well.

 

Yeah, I agree. The one thing I love about Seven Dwarfs is what an awesome centerpiece it is for Fantasyland. There's no backstage area on that ride at all, they had to theme the entire thing all the way around. I'm sure they spent a ton on that thing and it really paid off.

 

Flight of Passage is one of the most amazing rides I've ever experienced in my entire life and it was an amazing way to end our two days at Disney. It makes every other motion simulator I've ridden look like a steaming pile of sh*t and it's a serious contender for the best ride at Walt Disney World. I could gush about this thing for days, and I'm honestly STILL trying to process it.

 

I feel the same way and I had never seen the movie! It actually made me want to watch the movie finally, which I did! I just kept saying "OMG" the whole ride and I didn't even take my eyes off the screen! Its truly the best ride I've even been on!

 

It's up there with my buzzed night drinking on Helix 10 times in row!

 

I hear that a lot. We saw the movie but I don't think it makes a bit of difference if you saw it or not. The ride is amazing either way.

 

I've only gotten one ride on Flight of Passage and I totally agree with you. It is beyond amazing, everything about it is immersive and feels so darned real. Now THIS is a ride I'd wait 90 minutes for.

 

I'd never turn down a Flight of Passage Fastpass, but I actually think we lucked out by getting a River Journey Fastpass instead.

 

If I waited in the standby line for River Journey I don't think I would have enjoyed it as much. In addition, Flight of Passage has such a cool queue that it's really not that big of a deal if you have to wait in it at the end of the night for 30-60 minutes. It's also a great way to end the day with a bang.

 

Basically... if you wait 90 minutes for River Journey then you'll probably walk off disappointed. You can wait hours and hours for Flight of Passage and still walk off amazed.

 

I will never understand the wait for Pan either. It's a fine dark ride if you wait 10-15 minutes for but I will never understand the fascination of why people will wait 90-120 minutes for it. Is this just another example where to all of us, a "suspended dark ride" is old hat, but just proves the often argued theory that to thousands of people who visit Walt Disney World every day that even things that are decades old, those guests are experiencing it for the "first time" and they are WOWed by it?

 

That's the only logical explanation I can think of.

 

That makes sense to me. I know Capacity plays a role too but I never understood how it was all that awful. It's not Haunted Mansion, but it's still an Omnimover with a ton of ride vehicles (even if they're relatively small).

 

I don't know, I think it'll be awhile before I ride that thing again. There are just so many other awesome rides at Magic Kingdom.

 

Glad I'm not the only one who doesn't like Peter pan. It always has a stupid long line and other than it being a capacity thing, I never got why.

 

Agreed! You sound like someone who has great tastes in ri.... <>, uh, never-mind. (kidding kidding)

 

My personal theory is that the line is ~40% "Omg it flies!", ~30% "Omg it's Peter Pan!", and ~30% "Its got a long line so it has to be good!"

 

Yeah, I definitely think the queue time plays a role. If I see a ride with a 2 hour line, I assume it's a decently good ride. I'm sure many others feel the same way.

 

Awesome update as usual. #brokenrecord

 

Seriously tho I'm so stoked to hang with yall soon!

 

Can't wait!

 

Where are the Rehoboth Beach updates??

 

Meaning the unicorn float

 

Maybe one day.

 

Also there might be a large percentage in there somewhere for "it has no height restriction, is accessible for anyone and everyone, and is based on a popular IP that's been around for like 100 years". Seriosuly kids and old people love that ride. Also, I've always wondered how accurate the standby times for that ride really are. I mean I know there is internal system for measuring and reporting wait times at Disney, but given the capacity of that attraction and the limited space in the que area if the line was really 50 minutes but they posted it at 100 to maybe encourage quests to seek out another attraction would it really surprise you? Maybe they distribute a ton a fastpasses for it but the number if people standing in the line compared to the posted wait time always seems a bit off to me.

 

When we rode it a few years ago I remember thinking the same thing. "Where do they even put the queue? It doesn't look that bad." It was THAT BAD. Luckily, the queue is actually really cool. I probably like it better than the ride.

 

Bill, great report as usual and I was laughing at the It's a Small World stuff as well as Stich.

 

Thanks!

 

when we do go to Disney, I always ride it a few times (fast pass or not). so yeah, I've waited in the line.

 

More power to you. Clearly I'm in the minority given the wait times.

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That makes sense to me. I know Capacity plays a role too but I never understood how it was all that awful. It's not Haunted Mansion, but it's still an Omnimover with a ton of ride vehicles (even if they're relatively small).

While a lot of people refer to Peter Pan as an Omnimover, it's really not, because the cars do make a full stop in the station and it's not a loop constantly moving at the same speed. For it to be a true Omnimover the entire chain of ride vehicles are continuously moving at the same speed, and if one stops, they all stop. That's how Mansion and Spaceship Earth work, for example. Haunted Mansion has 160 ride vehicles on it's track and any one time, which is an INSANE amount of capacity. I don't know how many Pan has, but if I had to guess, probably no more than 25-30. So it is much lower capacity which also doesn't help with the ridiculously long line.

 

I don't know, I think it'll be awhile before I ride that thing again. There are just so many other awesome rides at Magic Kingdom.

Exactly why I only end up riding it MAYBE once a year... And only usually when someone is in town and we don't have to wait in line for it.

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^Huh, I never knew that about Pan. I guess I just didn't pay enough attention. I don't even remember where it stopped.

===================================

 

After two awesome days at Disney, we decided to take a slower pace on the third day of our trip and head back to our home away from home.

 

In-case you've been living under a rock, we LOVE SeaWorld. I was thinking about this the other day and I think that aside from Great Adventure, it's actually possible that we visit SeaWorld Orlando more than any other park in an average year. Skipping SeaWorld during any Orlando trip isn't even a thought, and even if it was Brit would squash that bullsh*t idea in a heartbeat.

 

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Hello from SeaWorld!

 

As we often do with SeaWorld, we decided to take advantage of one of their behind the scenes tours. I highly recommend these to anyone visiting the park. They're not that expensive (some of them are as cheap as $15), and they're really cool experiences.

 

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Our tour for the day!

When we arrived at our tour group meeting spot we were quickly informed that the belugas weren't exactly being cooperative that morning and we were offered full refunds if we didn't want to take the tour anyway. That's a bummer, but it's nice to know that SeaWorld absolutely means what they say when they tell you that all of their training is done through positive reinforcement and that they'll never make an animal do anything it doesn't want to do.

 

We reluctantly decided to go ahead with the tour, hoping that the animals would cooperate but knowing that it would be awesome either way.

 

We started our tour by heading back into a backstage area of Wild Arctic. We were instructed to put all of our belongings in a locker for the safety of the animals and then made our way down a hallway and outdoors into a concrete area with a bench all the way around. We took our seats, not knowing what to expect.

 

A few minutes later a trainer came out with a bucket of fish and a seal bounced it's way through the door right behind her. They told us a little bit about their harbor seal program and their training methods and then invited everyone to come up for a photo which was a really cool experience.

 

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It was awesome being able to get that close, and the seal was just as cute as advertised

After saying goodbye to our seal friend, we were brought back inside and our guide went back to have a conversation with some trainers out of earshot. We were optimistic, and our optimism was about to pay off when we were brought out to the Beluga pool!

 

We weren't able to touch the belugas since they were sick of everyone's sh*t that day, but we did get to interact with them. By random chance, the beluga that we were going to interact with was recently sent to SeaWorld from Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut which (just a little inside baseball) Is where Brit and I are getting married in 2020. It turns out they actually have a great wedding setup with good food and very generous open bar options.

 

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Meet Naluark from Mystic Aquarium! They had "us" give a signal and "be trainers" for a few minutes which was really cool. I'm sure the fact that the trainer was standing right next to us making the same signals had nothing to do with the fact that the whales were cooperating. lol

Next, they brought out some bubbles and told us that some of their animals love bubbles and that it's a great enrichment tool but they had never actually tried it with the belugas. I didn't really believe them at first, but I did when I blew the first bubble and Naluark positively lost his sh*t.

 

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Naluark f*cking loves bubbles (though he didn't at first)

After everyone got to interact with Naluark, we made our way down to the walrus area for the final part of the tour. They have a gate set up so that the walrus can pop his head through the fence but that's as far as he can go. We were given the opportunity to grab a fish and feed the walrus which a lot of people balked at since

 

a) They had to touch dead fish

 

and

 

b) The walrus pretty much just slobbers everywhere

 

But life is short so we went for it and then proceeded to feed them the fish that everyone else opted out of feeding him. He looked hungry, he needed some fish. You're welcome.

 

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Don't worry Walrus, I've got your back

We spent a good bit of time with the walrus, as well as inside the walrus area where we got an exclusive look at two baby... walruses?... walrus'... walri? Whatever...

 

They weren't on display for the public yet and we were viewing through the glass, but it was really cool to see them and we spent a long time in there. Honestly, we could have watched them all day.

 

Sadly there are no pictures since we didn't have our phones on the tour and we were basically at the mercy of the park's official photographers but it was an awesome experience and just one more reason that I HIGHLY recommend these SeaWorld behind the scenes tours.

 

When the tour concluded we thanked our guide, grabbed everything out of the locker and made our way back into the park. After a not-so quick stop at the bathroom for some serious hand washing (sorry Walrus dude), we decided to switch things up a bit and go ride some coasters.

 

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Just when you thought this day couldn't get any better!

We had heard through the grapevine that Kraken VR was down so we made sure to go out of our way and ride it. Sure enough, the coaster gods were smiling upon us and we were treated to a 5 minute wait for the front row.

 

We really don't ride Kraken as much as we probably should. Between the short hours, awesome animal exhibits, great shows, the dumb VR and the fact that the other two coasters are objectively better we always want to but run out of time. As I pulled down the restraint I realized that I probably hadn't experienced a "normal" Kraken ride in years.

 

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Now that there's no VR, it's actually possible to wait for a train when taking a picture.

While I do prefer SeaWorld's other offerings, I'm a big Kraken fan. The second half of this ride is really unique for a floorless coaster and the familiar first half still seems a bit more forceful and exciting than it's counterparts. You can't go wrong with the ride's great setting near the lake either. Thumbs up for Kraken! Special thanks to the sh*tty VR for taking a big dump so that we could ride without waiting an hour.

 

Since we visit SeaWorld so often we definitely took a leisurely pace. SeaWorld in general is a very chill, laid back park which stands in stark contrast to the other Orlando parks which are just complete sensory overload and a race to get your bang for your buck. For whatever reason, we didn't hit that many shows and instead spent most of our time wandering around, checking out the animals and hitting rides while we were in the area.

 

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Sea Lions and coasters. Is this heaven?

 

Pacific Point is definitely my favorite animal area in the park. I'm admittedly biased though because... Sea Lions.

 

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I've always enjoyed the way Kraken frames the Pacific Point area

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Motherf*cker, stop looking at the coaster and start throwing me some fish... leg-havin' land b*tch

Pacific Point is sort of out of the way, tucked between Antarctica and the Clyde and Seamore theater but it's worth seeking out. It's a great place to hang out for a bit and learn about sea lions. You can also buy some fish and feed them, which I highly recommend.

 

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I didn't know there was an enthusiast convention here today...

 

After hanging out at Pacific Point for a bit, we made our way over to the new(ish) hotness, Mako. Per usual, Mako was a station wait but we opted to wait a few extra trains for the front row which is really the money seat on this coaster. The first half of this ride is on par with any B&M hyper, offering tons of strong airtime moments in a really cool setting. The end is far less forceful but it makes up for it by being unique. Those weird swooping turns at the end of the ride are admittedly weird, but also a lot of fun.

 

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Yay, swooping!

We looped back around for a back seat ride given the short wait. That was also a lot of fun and definately offers more airtime on the first drop but aside from that and maybe the finale this is a front seat ride for us. Still, there's no bad seat on Mako and we were treated to another great ride.

 

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You get a nice view of the lift from the station stairs

We didn't have much of a plan all day, so after Mako we figured we would go for the trifecta and hit Manta. Along the way we stopped in the shark encounter which is always a favorite due to the cool shark tunnel, minimum time commitment and air conditioning. We get sidetracked easily at SeaWorld, we can't help it.

 

Along the way, we passed on Antarctica as it was posting a sizeable wait (per usual) but Brit made the executive decision to take a quick detour and journey on to Turtle Trek.

 

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Turtles!

This attraction is probably the preachiest in the park and it's definitely not for everyone, but (as always) it hit us right in the feels. We love Turtle Trek, the only thing that might make it better is reversing the entrance and exit so that the big reveal of the turtle underwater viewing area is at the end. It seems simple enough to do, and I feel like they corrected that formula with Antarctica but I highly doubt they'll bother at this point. For the record, this is the only time I'll ever suggest that they make a ride MORE like Antarctica, Empire of the Penguin to make it better.

 

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The Manatees share a home with the Turtles at Turtle Trek

After a few pit stops, we continued along the loop over to Manta. As it was mid afternoon, the ride was a total walk on though we did opt to wait a few extra cycles for the front row. This is one of the only coasters where I really don't have a clear favorite between the front and back row. The back is extremely forceful and really whips through the elements, the front provides the superior view which is a big deal on a flying coaster. Since we can't pick a favorite, we decided to take advantage of the nonexistent line and ride in both seats. You don't have to twist my arm.

 

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I used to say that Manta was my favorite coaster in Orlando, now that I've ridden Everest it's certainly given me pause but either way it's an amazing ride that I've always felt was a bit underrated.

 

The theming on the second half really puts this ride over the top for me.

 

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It's also incredibly photogenic...

 

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Cheers to Manta!

 

After going back around for a second Manta ride, we continued our way around the loop and came upon the new Flamecraft Bar. Flamecraft Bar is built into the side of the Seafire grill building, but is actually really impressive. They have an absurd amount of beer on tap, and it's a great location to sit, drink and relax while taking in view of the rides and the lake. Most importantly it's just a great place to sit and bask in the fact that you're outside in a T shirt sitting in the sun and Florida and everyone back home is freezing their nuts off and shoveling snow.

 

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Shut up and take my money

 

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Either SeaWorld threw in a free animal encounter or Flamecraft bar is home to the most fearless squirrels on planet earth

As is usually the case at SeaWorld, the day was flying by. Between the fact that there's so much to see and do and the fact that they generally close early I don't know the last time I left the park not wondering where the day went. After hanging out at Flamecraft for a bit, it was already about 4:45 with a 6:00 close so we decided to make our way back for the 5:00 One Ocean show.

 

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Flying Shamu!

I don't see much point in reviewing One Ocean for the 10 millionth time in this thread, but I'll say that (as always) we loved the show. It's always a highlight for us at SeaWorld and it's probably the main reason that Brit lets me drag her to Orlando over and over and over.

 

By the time the show ended it was 5:30 and we weren't exactly sure where we were headed next. We have a friend who works at the park who had been in planning meetings all day. He'd been trying to meet up with us but it was sort of looking like it wouldn't happen so I was sort of pushing for Manta. We had sort of given up (trying and failing to meet up on our Florida trips was becoming a bit of a tradition), but as we made our way over I got a text that the meeting was over and we agreed to ride near Manta. This was looking good for me, but then Brit decided to drop the A Bomb.

 

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As in... Antarctica, Empire of the Penguin. lol

I actually almost felt bad. "Hey, nice to finally meet you guys... where are you headed?"

 

"Well um... <>, we were actually thinking of freezing our nuts off on a ride that'll probably break down while we're on it in the freezing cold, want to come along?"

 

He was a good sport though, and after chatting it up for a bit until a few minutes before close we all hopped in line. The ride was (somehow) a walk-on and I was pretty much in a state of shock when we were actually directed to a vehicle. I have better lucky with Lightning Rod and Top Thrill Dragster than Antarctica. This thing never works...

 

Maybe it's a case of nonexistent expectations but I like this ride. It's a waste of a great technology and the main room where it just dances around doing nothing is awkward, but it's not as bad as people say. The exhibit totally carries the ride, but I don't think that's really a bad thing I guess.

 

After watching the penguins for a bit we all made our way out and said our goodbyes. It was cool riding with someone who could point out some hidden details, and while it's not the best ride in the world it was cool to end our day by riding something that we're just flat out never able to ride.

 

As always, we had a blast at SeaWorld. I highly recommend this park to everyone. At this point it almost feels like one of our "home parks" even though it's over a thousand miles away, but there's so much to see and do and so many awesome animal encounters that it never gets old.

 

Up next: Busch Gardens!

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Great report!

 

It's refreshing seeing Manta's theming again after riding the naked Manta clone at Nagashima Spaland. The rock work, waterfalls, and pathway interactions really elevate an already awesome coaster.

 

I'll definitely check out the animal tours next time. Those are definitely reasonably priced. Were photos included in the tour rate or was that an add-on? I'd guess an add-on, but then again unlimited beer was included with Dine with Shamu.

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Oh man I want to go back to Sea World so bad. Great report as usual. Surprised this didn't end with an evening at Fun Spot and I'm a little disappointed about that.

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...Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut which (just a little inside baseball) Is where Brit and I are getting married in 2020. It turns out they actually have a great wedding setup with good food and very generous open bar options.

 

You had me at 'generous open bar'. I'll make sure to save the date. But the real reason I want to go is to hear boldikus DJ your wedding reception and spin all his favorite Billy Joel vinyl.

 

Thanks for sharing yet another fun TR update to this thread. Between your lunch with Shamu last time and now these other animal experiences in Discovery Cove I have to get back to Sea World. I have not been to BGT in over 20 years so looking foward to the next installment.

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As is the case with SeaWorld, I almost start to feel like I do so many Busch Gardens Tampa reports that I should just stop doing them since it might as well be another "home park" of ours. I'm not letting you that off easy though, so here goes

 

If you remember back a few years to when I started writing this Florida report, mom flew down with us but spent the weekend with a friend in Tampa. Brit and I were doing our own thing in Orlando, but we talked her into going to Busch Gardens with us on our last day in paradise before we flew back to the frozen f*cking hellscape that we call home.

 

Because of the typical SEAS cost cutting, the park had a really short operating day. I feel like it was something absurd like 10am-5pm but I don't remember exactly. Still, since it was a Tuesday and since Sheikra was down for refurb we weren't all that concerned that we'd be able to get everything in.

 

Speaking of Sheikra, in a way I was a little bummed about that but in a way I wasn't. On one hand, mom LOVED Griffon and I really wanted her to get on Sheikra. On the other hand, the original rehab schedule called for Kumba to be down and we traded it for Sheikra so... f*ck Sheikra in the butthole. Priorities...

 

Speaking of priorities, the day started out according to plan. We stayed with our friends in Tampa that night and got up, bought mom's ticket and got to the gate right around opening. We were on our way to Cobra's Curse and Cheetah Hunt when mom mentioned in passing that she'd never seen a cheetah.

 

... wait, what? Coasters can wait.

 

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Good Morning from Busch Gardens!

I don't know how this is even possible, but apparently the park does a "Cheetah Walk" presentation every morning and we had somehow never seen it. We had seen them run plenty of times, but apparently once a day they just put a Cheetah on a leash and bring him out onto the midway (behind a little plastic fence). This allows you to get ridiculously close and it's just as awesome as it sounds.

 

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Oh my god I want one

It's amazing to think that an animal that can run over 60 miles per hour can be so incredibly docile, but apparently that's just the norm for cheetahs. They CAN run 60 miles per hour, but they'd much rather not do sh*t. According to the trainers they really act more like canines than felines, but they did get the feline laziness trait.

 

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They honestly didn't even need the leash

At the end of the presentation, we made our way over to Cheetah Hunt but saw a 70 minute wait posted. I walked into the queue just to verify that and yeah... wow. There wasn't much to think about, it might be the only time mom ever got to the park and they closed at 5 so we made a b-line to the Quick Queue building, got our wristbands and then walked right onto the Cheetah Hunt load platform.

 

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Let's do this

I've told you my thoughts on the Busch Gardens coasters like 8 times in this thread, so I'll keep them brief but I'll say that mom absolutely LOVED the thing. I sort of figured that would be the case, but it's always nice to experience rides with people who haven't ridden them before. Cheetah Hunt is awesome, and we decided we were definitely coming back to ride again later on.

 

Up next was Cobra's Curse which (as usual) I forgot to take a picture of but we all loved that too. It was posting a sizeable wait so the Quick Queue was already paying off big time, and for mom the Quick Queue would be worth it on this ride even if it was a walk-on since you bypass the snake exhibit and she f*cking HATES snakes.

 

I feel like one day I need to go to this park and ride Cobra's Curse like 10 times. We love it, and every time we go to Busch Gardens we talk about how great it is and then we fail to get back to it for the remainder of the day. Why are we the way that we are? Why?

 

The natural progression from Cobra's Curse is obviously Montu, and I was excited for this one knowing that mom was sure to be a huge fan. We took the back row, putting her in the good seat closest to the load side and (as always) the ride delivered a ridiculously intense and butter smooth buffet of awesomeness.

 

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Wheeeeee!

Mom loved it as much as we figured she would, but unlike the other rides we couldn't wait to ride this one again so we went right back around and took the back again, this time with me in the kill seat. That batwing... jesus

 

We debated riding the Sky Ride (well... I debated it), but we decided against it because we were headed to our most anticipated ride of the weekend, Falcon's Fury. On the way though, we of course had to stop at our favorite non-cheetah related animal exhibit in the park...

 

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We missed Christmas by like a month, but Brit still wanted a hippopotamus. Can you hook her up, Busch Gardens?

Mom rides drop towers, but they scare the hell out of her. Because of this, we figured we'd just say absolutely nothing about this ride's tilt feature, walk over to the ride and get on before she noticed and then just watch the fun at the top. Unfortunately when we got in line she asked if "this was the one that tilts" and then realized that over the course of her 4 days in Tampa, someone told her about Falcon's Fury when she said she was going to Busch Gardens. Bastards, people ruin all of our fun...

 

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Man, I have to have a talk with the no-fun-police in Tampa that spoiled the surprise...

Everyone loved the ride, but since she was prepared the ride didn't have the same "Oh sh*t" factor that it would have had otherwise. Still, she got off saying that it was one of the best drop rides she'd ever ridden and we're definitely inclined to agree.

 

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While the park doesn't have a ton of rides (aside from coasters), it makes up for that by having a ton of great animal exhibits throughout the park

 

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Uhhhhhh... what the f*ck? That can't be a good sign.

After checking out the exhibits a bit more (and probably riding Scorpion, I honestly don't remember), we made our way to the back of the park to the best coaster in Florida!

 

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This right here is the best inversion in the world on any coaster. Tell your friends.

 

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Soooo happy they changed the refurb schedule...

 

As always, we immediately made our way to the back row and (because we're nice like that) we directed mom to the far seat. As always, the ride was f*cking spectacular, though I got the feeling that she wasn't quite as into it as we were. Going in I knew that was a possibility as I've seen a lot of people refer to the ride as rough (though I don't get it at all), but there was nobody waiting so we switched seats (with me taking the end) and I rode again, blissfully not giving a f*ck what anybody else thought because that ride is complete and utter perfection.

 

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Why doesn't B&M make rides like this anymore?

 

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It's a state law that when visiting Busch Gardens, you have to take this picture. If this were Cedar Point they would put up a sign telling you this and warning you that failure to take the photo is a misdemeanor.

It was actually tempting to double back since without Sheikra, we "might as well" but Brit reminded us that the tiger exhibit was just ahead so we proceeded around the loop. Since we were back there anyway, we figured we could check out the tigers and then hit the smokehouse since it's undoubtedly the best food in the park.

 

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I normally don't bother waiting for the tiger pop up, but this guy was in an awesome location so we couldn't help ourselves...

It was almost painful eating at smokehouse near the splashdown pool without any Sheikra trains going by, but I was able to successfully drown my sorrows with some Reef Donkey from the Tampa Bay brewing company and some amazing food. While there, we noticed another brave squirrel, but unlike our squirrel friend at SeaWorld this guy was a huge dick and decided to take off running with your french fry bits after forcibly snatching them out of your hand. No fun...

 

We hung out for a bit, eating and drinking and enjoying the nice weather. It was in the mid 60's which was a little chilly for Florida, but we knew it was supposed to be in the single digits when we landed that night so we figured we'd enjoy it while we could.

 

When we finished eating, we made our way back from the way we came without too much of a plan. We only had about 2 hours left but (since the Sky Ride was closed), the only thing we needed to do that we hadn't done yet was ride the train around the Serengeti plain to see the animals. Stanley Falls was running, but since it was in the low to mid 60's nobody was riding. Though we came right up to it when we finished eating, I was unable to convince anyone to ride with me since it was a little chilly. You all know me, so I was secretly a little bummed but I decided to go with the group and move on, knowing we'd probably be back sooner rather than later and I'd be able to ride it then.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LOL, Wait, you didn't actually believe that sh*t did you? I don't need that kind of bullsh*t negativity in my life.

[fbvideonew]https://www.facebook.com/william.mahony.92/videos/10214102374347744/[/fbvideonew]

 

When I got off the ride, mom noted that it looked like fun (I TOLD YOU SO, LOL) and that I didn't get too soaked so she decided to give it a go. Brit had ridden Stanley Falls and knew what it was capable of so she was having none of it. Since the ride was a total walk-on and cycling empty logs I suggested that we ride separate if she didn't want to drown. She agreed, and we decided to ride in back to back logs since we wouldn't be holding anyone up anyway since there was absolutely no line.

 

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Mom coming down the drop, totally thrilled with her decision

 

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Mom at the bottom of the drop, totally not thrilled with her decision

 

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LOL, Mission accomplished

 

After exiting the ride, we decided to head over to the Stanleyville train station and take the train 2 stops so we could see the animals, but I had the idea to head over to Sky Ride real quick just to see if it was running. That turned out to be a good move because whatever issues it was having earlier had been corrected and it was sporting a brief, 5 minute wait.

 

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Now THAT's better!

 

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Fun with shadows...

 

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Look at Brit all happy because she's the only one not completely soaked...

When we exited the ride we had the thought to ride Cheetah Hunt since it was right there, but opted instead to ride the train since we hadn't done it yet, the park was closing soon and everyone wanted to see the animals. It was sort of convoluted since we were basically headed right back to where we came from, but it was worth it. Doing some quick math in my head, I realized that we should have about 10-15 minutes after the train dropped us off to get one last ride in, though depending on where everyone wanted to go we might have to hustle a bit.

 

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There were tons of animals on the right side of the tracks which is a rarity, but it made for some cool photos since it's a smaller area and they were all very close to the train

 

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The Giraffes are great

 

Everyone loved the train, and (as predicted) we had about 15 more minutes before closing. I suggested riding Kumba since it was right there and since it was awesome, but mom wanted to ride Cheetah Hunt again so (even though we were just there), we decided to walk across the park and take the chance.

 

It was hard walking through the hippo area without stopping, but Brit was on her best behavior and we made it with 2 minutes to spare.

 

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Last ride of the day!

Cheetah Hunt brought the awesome (per usual), and since we really had to fly up to the front of the park to ride it the ride was probably made even better by the sense of accomplishment that came along with actually pulling that off.

 

Overall it was a great day, and it was a lot of fun bringing mom to one of our favorite parks (and one that's nowhere near home so we never really thought we'd get the opportunity). Busch Gardens was an awesome way to end an awesome weekend!

 

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Later Gator!

 

Up next: Our first ever trip to the NorCal parks!

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^Yay NorCal parks!

 

Always great to see your guys' Seaworld TRs! The beluga experience is something I've always wanted to do. One of these days...

 

Also, whenever I visit this thread I'm constantly reminded of my failure to post what could be great TRs from my summer trips. Maybe I'll get to it later this year.

 

And a wedding at an aquarium? That sounds amazing! Didn't know they did that. I've always wanted to get married (or have a reception) at SFDK, even though any Six Flags wedding would be ghetto as f*ck. If my boyfriend and I reach that stage in our relationship, maybe we'd try for something at Cedar Point, since that's where we met.

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