freestylenut

I got the "bring a friend for free" flyer in the mail & took advantage for my uncle visiting from NYC...we plan to visit this Saturday...maybe I can get him to buy me dinner now! Something not totally clear on the flyer or the site, it IS one ticket per household...my mom wanted two (thinking my mom & dad's seperate Gold passes would garner one each) but no dice. Just a friendly 'heads up'.

Living in Tampa, home park Busch Gardens...having worked there as a team {popcorn technician..lol), as well as during Howl-O-Scream the last few years, there is little "thrill" left whenever I visit...if it wasn't for my kids always wanting to go there, I'd probably cancel my Annual Pass. it happens.

Not for nothing, but I frequent several music, movie & horror sites & I have NEVER seen a group of picky, over-dissecting group of forum members then the ones on TPR...a shame because as a Floridian around several theme parks (I also work at Howl-O-Scream seasonally just for kicks), I like to frequent these boards to see the latest & greatest...stuff like this is a BIG time turnoff...I often wonder why I bother posting at all! I'm expecting some "don't let the door hit you on the way out" comments...it seems that is the general attitude around these boards. I didn't realize I had to use grad-school thesis paper written verbage to post about flippin' THEME PARKS on the FLY no less!

It is common sense that you should clean up your writing when defending your alma mater. Wow...you must be some special breed of JERK! There's nothing wrong with what I wrote, I simply offered opinion to the OP on the area since I flippin' LIVE here & attended said school. Strike out at the pick-up bar last night?...take it out on someone else pal!

WTF?!? Is that some kind of RAG on what I wrote? Didn't realize I was getting GRADED on proper grammar & spelling teach!

I live in Tampa & also attended USF for 2 years (got a A.A. degree at Hillsborough Community College & finished up at USF)...if you are STAYING on campus, I can safely say you can WALK to Busch Gardens...it'll be a LONG walk, but it IS indeed walking distance. Others have said not to base your decision based on the proximity of the U to the park...I'm SURE that is NOT what you are doing as your education should of course, come first. The negative talk about USF is because they are ALWAYS in the news locally (duh!)...state cuts, job losses, not accepting new students due to shortage of teachers, blah, blah...last I checked that's happening ALL OVER! I honestly have NO complaints on my education there.

^I guess my point was there are booby grabbing, booty pinching ma$$h0les EVERYWHERE...yes, even at DisneyLand...I'm sure there's another thread specializing in bad theme park experiences & how a "guest" made a scene, fought, etc. Some of you (not YOU personally) go as far as wanting to have this guys ballz cut off?!?! Geez, a little steep on a mere b00by grab! We all would react differently...putting myself in her shoes & MY wife was groped on the tower of terror...my wife would promptly tell me about it & being the New Yorker that I am, I'd promptly get myself kicked out of the park for kicking that guy's a$$ right there on the ride! This lady seems she's making national news to get some kind of handout from disney...maybe 15-minutes of fame! I go back to EXITING the TOT, the rows are exited from top to bottom ONE row at a time...he was RIGHT in front of her...if she really wanted him "caught" she could've told the ride op just prior to his row exiting...not wait to purchase the on-ride pic to try to identify this guy!...back me up previous TOT riders? Am I right?

Say what?? Why does Robb need to come "clean up"? No one is cursing or offending? We ARE still talking about a mere b00b grab here right? Any of you ever go to a dance club? Given the "high morals" lot here, clubbing is probably "the devil"...simply walking up to the bar at a crowded club can get your booty pinched (among other things)...some things need to simply be written off! I'll still stick by my thoughts that this lady is making a mountain out of a mole hill (no pun intended). As for the "rapist"...the guy HAD to be a local..possibly an annual passholder, simply because he MUST'VE known the EXACT time the lights would go out to time the "b00bie grab" perfectly! No 1st time rider from out of town would've thought of doing something like that at the spur of the moment.

THANK YOU! Geez...people are acting like the guy RAPED her for corn's sake!

Seriously, I LAUGHED really hard upon reading the article. some of you REALLY need to lighten up! She looks kinda-sorta cute in that pic..not that I'd cop a feel when the lights would go dark..after all, when you exit the ride, don't you come out in rows? If anything she should have grabbed hold of the guy & told the ride op right then & there on the way out. let's see if due to this incident, this means the ride won't go completely dark anymore (that would stink)

I'm sure I'm gonna HEAR it from people on this site, but I HAVE snuck on my child on a ride he was too short on....he's a big SPIDER-MAN fan & was about an inch too short to ride the 3D ride at Islands of Adventure (40" minimum)...so I simply stuffed his sneakers with his socks at the heel (he only walked on it for a few minutes)...so he was almost tip-toed...got on & rode just fine...and he LOVED it! of course, it doesn't go upside down like the Hulk...I'd never dream of doing THAT! Open to flaming now!

Hi all, I plan to visit Seaworld Orlando on the 19th...I wanted to go earlier, but this December has been INSANE on my schedule (I'm only an hour away in Tampa)....I anticipate higher then usual crowds only 6 days before Christmas (ugh!) where is the ice skate show located anyway??? it looks indoors.

I'd say my worst to date was just this September when I was at World Disney World for 3 days...my sandwich day was at Disney Hollywood Studios and it was indeed my worst theme park day on record... After a magical, fun-filled (& exhausting) day at Magic Kingdom the day before, we visit Disney Hollywood on a Sunday...I think my 5-year old was still exhausted from the previous day's "fun" because she not only had 1, but TWO massive temper tantrums! She hadn't had a tantrum in almost 2 years...and we thought she was over that phase, but I reckon not. She had one in the morning & one in the evening...so as to prevent us from actually getting in a good mood. On top of that it rained on & off all day (when it DID rain, it was heavy). Despite getting there at gate opening, the show schedules were made so that is IMPOSSIBLE to see ALL the shows in one day (kudos Disney, MAKE us buy those multi-day passes), further on top of that, besides a few exceptions, most attractions at Disney Hollywood (formerly Disney MGM) need a MAJOR rehab...Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular, Star Tours, & ESPECIALLY the Great Movie Ride are indeed showing their age (the latter not even working correctly most of the time)...the shows they DID add were a PAIN for me to sit through (High School Musical 3 and American Idol?!?! Kill me now, please!)...to add insult to injury the final American Idol showing we went to ran too long & we were late to Fantasmic...standing room only by the time we got there...it was humid already, but try having a 5-year old on your shoulders & a 8 year old held up in your arms for a good chunk of the show! It capped off a stressful, humid, rainy and even MORE exhausting day!....The mood the whole day was just "pissy" & somber...not quite what you have in mind when visiting a Disney park. Animal Kingdom the next day more then made up for it! I hadn't visited Disney MGM/Hollywood Studios in well over 10 years...but I can honestly say I don't care to visit Disney Hollywood for another 20 unless its totally FREE!

Thanks for posting...I was planning on going this year but some things came up that made money a little tight...so had to sacrifice my yearly visit to HHN...breaks the heart but sacrifices had to be made...always nice to see these pics, makes me feel like I was there!

Sorry to call you out, but your post is ALL wrong. Dreamworks was purchased & is being distributed by PARAMOUNT..not Disney! (it'd be weird to have both Pixar AND Dreamworks Animation films distributed by Disney wouldn't it?) And Catwoman is not even a Marvel character...its DC, screwed up by Warner Bros. I think it was smart of Disney to buy Marvel...I don't like the "team up" personally, but from a business standpoint, its win-win, mainly for Disney! As for Universal, I think they are royally SCREWED! Being that the Universal Orlando Resort is the MAIN competitor for walt Disney World, there is NO doubt in my mind Disney will either withdraw the license or charge them an exhorbant fee which will force Universal to re-theme Marvel Super Hero Island!... Universal Disney

Wow!...SEVEN Houses this year...I think that's the most they've had since they're inception...Kudos to Busch Gardens.... I was tempted to work there this year (I did it in 2006 & 2007)..its SO much fun & so ADDICTING to SCARE people...I tell ya...but figured I wanted to ENJOY the Halloween season this year...what with the Spooky Empire show in Orlando, HHN, HOS, Zoo Boo at Lowry Park Zoo & tons of other things I can't think of right now, its a no-brainer. Plus Halloween night is a "work" day & i got little kids I need to take trick-or-treating... This looks like it'll be a blast. Definitely going. BTW, where is that 'Dance Club' going to be located? I LOVE the fact that its 21+...keep those idi0t immature kids OUT! HOS is cool for us locals..especially early in the season (Sept, early Oct), cause usually its empty!!! Looking forward to this!

I'm doing a last minute stay in Orlando this weekend & am trying to decide what to hit tonight after I check in...debating on either doing Seaworld's Reflections or Universal's Cinesphere show...I know Reflections has MUCH more fireworks, but I'm a sucker for movies & loved the Cinesphere show..but that was close to 2 years ago...just curious if anyone can confirm if much has changed with the show since then or if its the "same ol, same 'ol". Thanks for your input. And if this isn't the right forum, forgive.

Wow...this is a really nice thread...I plan on taking a day off this summer so I can take my kids to USF/IOA... I usually take charge by killing the rides early & we'll do the Curious George area/Jurassic Park kids area midday when about 70% of the goodies that usually take a while are done....I usually limit them to 1 toy each (less then $15 if at all possible...times are tough). But this time maybe I'll let THEM decide....yikes...it'll be an adjustment...if it was up to my 4-year old daughter, she'd do the Horror Make-Up show ALL day (weird, I know...I think she's gonna be a horror nut like her old man)!

Not to sound like an "expert" as I'm going by memory here..but I have vivid memories of HHN (as in the 3rd & 4th year of its inception) being less crowded & a genuinely "spooky" atmosphere.... sorry, but part of the atmosphere of walking around a Halloween event at a theme park is that dark, "all alone" feeling. Something that can STILL be felt at HOS on off peak nights/early October & early during Lowry Park Zoo's Zoo Boo event (highly recommended if you've never been)...even on an off-peak night at HHN, your walking from section to section with MARAUDS of people &, other then cool sets, the scare zones lose their charm in such HUGE crowds. Still, HHN gets props on sets for their houses!!! I still have fond memories of Dead Silence from a few years back! Truly felt like I walked onto the set of the movie!

Dang, you guys have LOTS of patience...I honestly can NEVER see myself waiting over 2 hours for ANY RIDE! I do believe my longest wait was exactly 2 hours about 6 years ago for a haunted house at HHN in Orlando (can't remember the house anymore)...it was the last house we had to tackle & it pretty much sucked up the rest of our night (missed a show or two that year)...needless to say, the next year we were instant fans of the Express Pass!

As an AP holder for USF, Fear Factor is always an "automatic pass up" everytime I visit said park. In fact, the one time I DID sit & watch the show we didn't even finish it (booooorrriiiiing). Needless to say, as a fan of the classic Universal monsters, I'd be ALL OVER this show!

I was reading a thread that brought me in "Worst Amusment Park Experinces" or something along those lines...I was about to respond when I notice: I know Robb is the "king" of this site, but wasn't that kind of d!ck!ish??? Closing a thread for a couple of misspells? I come in here on average maybe once a week, being that I'm in Central Florida & frequent theme parks around my way regularly, but doing stuff like this isn't winning anyone over. Especially newbies who may be new to the site. And Robb, it would be appreciated if instead of locking THIS thread & maybe suspending my account (wouldn't put it past you given the ABOVE), maybe a PM is in order instead. EDIT: Oh, and for the record, I found this: If anyone can go back & read the post...let me know if it can't be READ!

Awesome pics, & thanks for sharing....now for some "newbie" questions... is this show open to the public? Or do you need to be involved with a theme park or haunt? How much was the entrance?

Not sure why you think something like a small cup of beer samples would stop an annual pass member to cancel their pass...I think MOST passholders are teenagers & families who like Busch for the rides & athe atmopshere...the beer (at least to me) was just a BONUS. In fact, I was just at BGA yesterday & got possibly my last beer sample...a nice cold Bud Light...I got a 2nd sample & poored on the floor..for my homies.

Whoa..I went TWICE in October & I reckon Tiger Terror wasn't up yet. That is SWEET! Had no idea they had a coaster! Yes, its great to hit Lowry Park Zoo during their holiday events as one price usually includes everything as opposed to paying a pretty penny during the day. If your ever in the area for Howl-O-Scream, be sure & visit Zoo Boo...a pretty good Halloween event they've been doing yearly featuring some above average haunted houses IMO.