TR: BGT 5.28-29.2005

[CoasterFanatic]

For the first time since landing Saturday afternoon, I have had a chance to kind of get my thoughts together and post a short TR.

 

We arrived in Tampa at about a quarter till 3pm, and grabbed a bite to eat before heading to my fathers house in Brandon, FL. At about 5:30, we hopped in the truck and headed over to Busch Gardens. It is only about a 15 minute drive, but the new parking layout cost me about an extra 15 minutes.

 

Since my last visit, Busch has finished their parking lot underpass and now all the cars entering the parking lots come in through the same entrance. Since we both have Platinum Passes we grabbed out premium spots not to far from the front entrance.

 

Just like I was anticipating, the crowds were starting to leave for the day. We entered the park and headed straight back to ShieKra.

 

ShieKra is a lot more impressive in person than any of the pictures I have seen, and the splashdown area is one of the coolest crowd interactions that I have ever seen on a coaster. As the train enters the splashdown, it sends a mountain of water flying above it.

 

After about a 45 minute wait, we were getting a ride on the newest B&M creation. Since I have never been on Oblivion, the difference in track size really impressed me. The lift in angled at a good 45 degrees and grouped with the tilt of the seats, you are laying flat on your back up the lift.

 

At the top of the lift the view is great! You slowly turn 180 degrees before the brake grabs you as you stare down the 90 degree first drop. The first drop pulls some really good forces at the base and the Immelman (?) is a completely unique inversion, especially on the outside of the row.

 

After another drop and high banked turn, you make the second vertical descent. The second vertical drop is much better than the first in my opinon, but this might be a little objective because I was riding on the outside of the third and final row. From the back row, the second drop has a nice little yank to it.

 

After the second vertical drop, there is a pretty uneventful turn before dropping into the splashdown area. You don't really get wet on the splashdown, but we did get a little bit of water in the last row.

 

In all, ShieKra is a very fun coaster that should appeal to a very large sample of the general public. The only people that I can think of that won't be to crazy about it are the people who fear heights. For them, the coaster will be very intimidating.

 

Another note that should be made about ShieKra is the amount of sway that occurs on the first drop. Catrina pointed it out to me later Sunday and if you stand at the entrance to the gift shop (by the log jammer entrance) you will have no problem noticing it. At the peak of the first drop it has to be a good 18 inches or more.

 

After ShieKra, we headed back and got a quick ride on Kumba. I have rode a lot of the new B&Ms since the last time I rode Kumba, and may I say that I forgot just what a real B&M felt like. The pacing and overall agressiveness of Kumba destroys anything that the company has offered in the last couple years.

 

Time was running low for the day so we got a quick ride on Scorpion before heading home for the night.

 

After a trip to the beach and some quiet time at home on Sunday, we headed back to the park Sunday for a couple rides.

 

First stop was the FestHaus for some excellent ribs and some items to appease the sweet-tooth.

 

With full stomachs, thrill rides were off the agenda for a while. We grabed a ride on the carousel before hopping in line for the SkyRide in Stanleyville. After a short wait we hopped in our Gondola and made the trek to the other side of the park.

 

We exited the SkyRide and walked over to Montu, sice we didn't get it in the previous night. Montu like Kumba was a great reminder of what a B&M should feel like and further convinced me of this:

 

"Any B&M with a two vertical inversions is alright in my book."

 

After our ride on Montu, we headed to the "Gwazi Plaza" where a fireworks display was set to finish the night. A lot of people were still in the park, and they got a chance to see a great display.

 

The 20 minute display was better than I expected and contained a lot more "Bang" than any of the Disney shows. I found it to be on par with the 4th of July displays found in most major cities. It was a terrific display.

 

Our 2 shorts evenings at Busch are now over and it is time to move to the next day and the next park ...

 

Epcot TR coming soon!