Busch Gardens Tampa Bay (BGT Discussion Thread)

Glad to hear/see a human or two have ridden Gwazi... I was hoping for a "soft re-opening" (and am still keeping my eye on the blogs with fingers crossed) as I have the next couple of days off from work, and would run there in a heartbeat if it opened early...

Hey bro, RollermanDan said they are soft opening the ride today. I really wish I could make it down there but the 2 hour drive is a gamble for soft opening.

According to some press reports on Twitter, Gwazi is a lot smoother than it was before! They also say that Gwazi Tiger is open to guests right now. http://twitter.com/#!/BehindThrills/status/28129371176833024

Check out this picture of the new train up close! http://twitpic.com/3rr1o3

Glad to hear/see a human or two have ridden Gwazi... I was hoping for a "soft re-opening" (and am still keeping my eye on the blogs with fingers crossed) as I have the next couple of days off from work, and would run there in a heartbeat if it opened early...

 

Hey bro, RollermanDan said they are soft opening the ride today. I really wish I could make it down there but the 2 hour drive is a gamble for soft opening.

MAN... thanks for the information... I wish I would have known an hour ago... I've already consumed several beers... and its an hour away for me (not far, sober... but buzzed... eh...)... Perhaps tomorrow if the coaster is still open to the public... this is nothing but great news... I can't wait...

^Beautiful day today. I'm just sayin. Hit the coffee and get out there man. People are riding. Tiger side was ridden without headache, regret or spinemelting by a Thrillnetwork member. I will be there Saturday but today is just epic weather wise.

Walkabout Way is definitely a great, albeit, small addition to the park. The food wasn't too expensive to get for them and that some of the smaller ones can crawl out of the pens and roam around free is awesome as well.

Totally sweet. How many parks combine world-class roller coasters with live animal encounters as well as BGT? Man, I miss that place a lot.

If any TPR members can get some photos of Gwazi in action, it would make for a great front page update!

I found this on Youtube...

^So did Mr. Starr two pages back.

Can't wait to hear more how this coaster does.

^John and I have a major update from today's media event, including our own rides on the revamped Gwazi. Photos and video to come soon!

That will work too!

Just got back from Media Day for Gwazi's new trains. In a word: awesome! The coaster is much improved both in smoothness and re-rideability. (Is that a word?)

Adam and I got to ride front and back seat on Tiger (Blue) and back seat on Lion (yellow). We agreed that Tiger was a bit smoother than Lion, but they were both great. No more jack hammering around turns or lower back compression on the drops. And the trains themselves are truly beautiful with the dark wood running boards and the open sides. All in all a major win for BGT!

We also managed to take a lot of pics of Cheetah Hunt (or as I like to call it TCFKAC....The Coaster Formerly Known as Cheetaka) and got some interesting shots. Also, we counted about 4 open construction gates which enabled us to get pics of.....big piles of dirt! And track too!

Enjoy the pics and video. Not much coaster footage as they don't allow on ride cameras and Gwazi is pretty much hidden from the main paths at BGT.

[coastertube]http://www.themeparkreview.com/coastertube/play.php?vid=Gwazi_Media_Day_kp6q[/coastertube]

Bob Dean from GCI and Mark Rose from BGT

Both trains in the station using the 360 View app on my iPhone

The whole layout again using the iPhone app

Keep scrolling.... MORE PHOTOS!

As John mentioned above, we were given the opportunity to give Gwazi's new Millennium Flyers a try before the general public was able to do so (officially). The ride did soft open for a period of time following the event, but it only ran one side at a time while the final decals were applied on the trains.

The trains reminded me when I enjoyed Gwazi so much at a younger age (it was my first wooden rollercoaster)... While the trains certainly make the ride more smooth, it hasn't taken the edge off of the coaster. It still feels like a wooden rollercoaster, but with these trains, it feels more like the GCIs we've come to enjoy. The trains navigate the track more naturally, and shimmy much less than the PTCs did when attempting to find the right angle for each shift in the twisting track.

Overall, the fact that Busch Gardens Tampa has revitalized a twelve year old coaster, re-tracking much of it in the process, is a true testament to the park's commitment to their quality attractions. It is easy to admit that Gwazi may have become more rough over the years, but with the Millennium Flyers onboard, the ride almost entirely as if it had opened only yesterday, which means they must be doing something right!

This banner, as well as several other advertisements keep guests aware of Gwazi's transformation into its own "new breed of speed."

It's still the Gwazi we've come to know and love.

To start the media event, Vice President of Design & Engineering, Mark Rose gave us background on this project and its twelve year genesis for Busch Gardens Tampa. Watch John's video to get a better idea of what he had to say!

The stories were extremely interesting to hear, especially when it came to the decision to bring Millennium Flyers to Gwazi's tracks.

It was a fascinating start to our session!

Nothing besides the trains and some of the track has been changed, so everything feels more than familiar.

Not for us!

Here you are, beautiful!

And you! You sir, are spectacular!

Mark Rose posed for a photo with Bob Dean, a representative for Great Coasters International, Inc.

Get ready for lots of glamour shots...

It's real! It's really real!

So long, yet so open! No more PTC boxes!

You get some love too sir.

My, how many days we've dreamed of this happening!

Brake shot for you geeks out there!

A look at the new stylized front on Gwazi Tiger!

Never gunna get tired of seeing this!

Side view front.

Side view back.

Media ERT is always a plus!

I don't think I'll ever be this lucky again with Gwazi...

The non-decaled train was doing some test runs as we left the event.

The decals definitely help!

Train #4 sitting in the brakes.

Eat it up.

Take it in.

We didn't forget about you, #2!

The backside of Gwazi.

Time for a few panoramas...

The water dummies wait for their next job.

Notice the new wood?

Old next to new.

New next to old.

Closer examination.

Opening this Saturday!

Gwazi is Adam approved!

While there, we stopped by Cheetah Hunt to see where progress had gotten since my last visit.

Wow, those trains are beautiful! I love the artwork on the front, and I agree, the dark wooden running boards just make it look polished and complete.

I've never ridden Gwazi, although from the sounds of it, I may have done my spine a favor. Glad to hear the ride experience is improved and looking forward to more reports!

John, thanks for your expertise in my story for the SP Times on the Gwazi revamp. Here's a link to our review. You are quoted.

http://www.tampabay.com/things-to-do/blog/102/first-look-we-rode-revamped-gwazi-busch-gardens/

Thanks for sharing this report. Those are some sexy looking trains.

Dang those new trains are looking sexy as hell! They kept the look of the old trains and took it up a notch by getting Millennium Flyers. Yet another reason why BGT is my favorite park ever. Good job BGT! Can't wait to ride these puppies!

The trains look great with the decals on! How well do the trains line up with the existing loading gates? They look like they line up decently from the pictures.

I absolutely love the trains and really look forward to riding Gwazi in a couple of weeks.

Thanks guys for the media day report. ...And thanks BGT for getting these much needed Millennium Flyers.

These are gorgeous. I notice the lapbars are a little different from other millenium fliers, they've got a little curve to 'em. Can't wait to try these out, hopefully in the fall.

I love the look of these trains all around. I think they are some of the best looking trains around! I might have to try and sneak down there sometime in the not too distent future to give them a spin.

It's been a long time coming. but they finally got it done. Combine the new trains with the re-tracking and we should see this coaster jump way up the woodie charts this year.

Those are some abnormally long millennium flyers!

Those new trains look beautiful!!!! Makes me want to take a trip down there to ride all the rides since I haven't been since 2004

Those are some mighty fine looking trains there. I love the fronts how they are themed and have the decals on them.

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