Busch Gardens Tampa Bay (BGT Discussion Thread)

[B&MBoy1982]

Found this on Youtube!

 

[BeemerBoy]

I think it was the same year as when they had the panda bears on loan from China.

Snap. I don't ever remember this happening, but I'm glad to hear it did. That means BGT, if you're listening and it's not too late, this needs to happen....

 

Since they finally stepped out of Africa with the addition of Walkabout Way (aside from the Bengal tigers), I'd LOVE to see Gwazi replaced with a huge Asian themed area which incorporated pandas. There's not a single zoo in Florida where you can see pandas, so BGT would have a great marketing possibility there....and they just happen to be one of the few places that could deal with all the red tape involved in acquiring them from China. The facilities they could build would obviously be top notch, and a great benefit to panda research.

 

Just make the area BGT's answer to SWO's Antartica. Dark ride, immersive panda exhibit, bring over the Komodo dragons, throw in some King Cobra enclosures, maybe even a drop tower (finally?), add a great Asian-inspired restaurant, and then surround it with typical Asian architecture and Angkor Wat-type theming. Boom. Done.]

[Hilltopper39]

^That sounds like a great idea to me, not sure what a Panda themed dark ride would be like but after Antartica opens we might hav ea better idea of the possibilities. I've got a feeling they won't completely remove Gwazi unless they have a huge expansion like this planned.

 

I'll throw another Asian themed ride idea into the mix, I've always thought that Disney should remove the Jungle Cruise from Magic Kingdom and open an all new totally awesome Jungle Cruise ride in Animal Kingdom with a mixture of animatronic scenes and real animals. Why not attempt a similar ride at Busch Gardens? A boat ride of some sorts through Asian animal enclosures could be really cool and probably more cost effective as an animal encounter ride than Rhino Rally was.

 

Was Akbar's the same technology as Wild Arctic at Seaworld? I never had a chance to ride it either.

[chasbron]

I went to BGT yesterday and it was probably the best day at a theme park I've ever had. Got on Kumba and Montu 5 times each as well as everything else at least twice.

I talked to the ride op at Sandstorm. I asked about the two different rumours about Sandstorm. He said that Sandstorm and the kiddie rides in Timbuktu are being moved to BGW.

Then I asked about Gwazi... He said (I still am a little sceptical) that Gwazi is being moved to Busch Gardens Williamsburg as well.

I know it's possible to move wooden coasters but has anyone ever heard of a wooden coaster as big as Gwazi being moved? I'm just wondering what you guys think.

[BeemerBoy]

I talked to the ride op at Sandstorm. I asked about the two different rumours about Sandstorm. He said that Sandstorm and the kiddie rides in Timbuktu are being moved to BGW.

Then I asked about Gwazi... He said (I still am a little sceptical) that Gwazi is being moved to Busch Gardens Williamsburg as well.

I know it's possible to move wooden coasters but has anyone ever heard of a wooden coaster as big as Gwazi being moved?

 

I'm just wondering what you guys think.

BGT's employee drug screening needs to improve?

[chasbron]

BGT's employee drug screening needs to improve?

 

Sounds about right for this guy actually.

[ernierocker]

^You should of asked him about the entire city of Tampa. He probably would of said they were moving it to Williamsburg.

[Garet]

Nevermind Akbar's, who remembers Questor? Or for that matter, when the 4D theater was a dolphin show.

 

I think I have photos of that dolphin show from when I was 9 tucked in a draw somewhere from when my father had a business trip in Florida and took me, that and a lot of peoples heads trying to take photos of a Disney parade.

[Homer]

I'll throw another Asian themed ride idea into the mix, I've always thought that Disney should remove the Jungle Cruise from Magic Kingdom and open an all new totally awesome Jungle Cruise ride in Animal Kingdom with a mixture of animatronic scenes and real animals. Why not attempt a similar ride at Busch Gardens? A boat ride of some sorts through Asian animal enclosures could be really cool and probably more cost effective as an animal encounter ride than Rhino Rally was.

 

Was Akbar's the same technology as Wild Arctic at Seaworld? I never had a chance to ride it either.

Tidal Wave used to be a Jungle Cruise type ride a long time ago before Busch put in a drop.

 

While Akbar and Wild Arctic are both simulators (take this with a grain of salt), I have heard Akbar was built by a different manufacturer that went out of business and the ride became unreliable.

[netdvn]

I talked to the ride op at Sandstorm. I asked about the two different rumours about Sandstorm. He said that Sandstorm and the kiddie rides in Timbuktu are being moved to BGW.

 

BGW has a Sandstorm-style ride as well as a few of those kiddie rides already.

[jarmor]

Well...when I was there earlier this month I overheard a ride op on scorpion say the exact same thing about gwazi...

 

I find it hard to believe but apparently that is the rumor floating amongst ride ops at least...

[scbt]

I talked to the ride op at Sandstorm. I asked about the two different rumours about Sandstorm. He said that Sandstorm and the kiddie rides in Timbuktu are being moved to BGW.

Then I asked about Gwazi... He said (I still am a little sceptical) that Gwazi is being moved to Busch Gardens Williamsburg as well.

I know it's possible to move wooden coasters but has anyone ever heard of a wooden coaster as big as Gwazi being moved? I'm just wondering what you guys think.

 

So what you're saying is that the Dippin' Dots guy is now the ride op at sandstorm?

[chasbron]

I mean if you think about it, in a way, this rumour kinda makes sense. If you forget about the crazy costs of moving a wooden coaster for the moment, it doesn't really makes sense to scrap a massive ride that really isn't that old. And you happen to have a huge plot of land where Drachen Fire (RIP) used to be... that would give Busch a chance to try to rebuild the ride and replace the battered pieces + the new MF trains might = an incredible ride. And this would give BGT some room to expand and get creative with the giant plot of land that Gwazi is on right now. Plus you finally fill the old Drachen Fire site.

By the way, the ride op also said 240 foot drop tower. <-- another ride op also mentioned 240 feet.

Just my thoughts.

[BeemerBoy]

I mean if you think about it, in a way, this rumour kinda makes sense. If you forget about the crazy costs of moving a wooden coaster for the moment, it doesn't really makes sense to scrap a massive ride that really isn't that old.

Son of Beast.

 

 

Gwazi was a really good coaster in its first couple years. Now it's just time to move on. Building new > relocating old.

[netdvn]

By the way, the ride op also said 240 foot drop tower. <-- another ride op also mentioned 240 feet.

 

Mach Tower's 240 feet, so they probably got the stat from there.

[necoastergp]

These are some crazy rumors, but you never know.

[Cyrbuzz]

To me it doesn't make sense to move a troubled ride from one park to another, especially if the problems will continue at the new location. Look at how much retracking this ride has undergone and results haven't improved even with new trains. I still say the Rocky Mountain treatment would be the only way to save this coaster.

[11slataus]

I find it hard to believe that Gwazi will be moved, although the Virginia climate may be more forgiving on the track than Florida's weather. Plus, they only would really have to move one side. Not saying I believe it, but it is possible.

[DougMJr]

If there is any truth to this, it is that they are shipping the trains to BGW. Wasn't it posted a while back that one of the Gwazi trains was on pallets ready to go?

[jmicha]

Is there anywhere even that large and open/flat at BGW that Gwazi could even be placed without serious reworking of the structure to fit the landscape?

 

^Also, why would BGW need Gwazi's trains? I'm drawing a blank as to what they would use them for.

 

This all being said, let's pretend for a minute that they somehow did move Gwazi to BGW, I think it would be a great addition to that park. I loved BGW and thought a big wooden coaster would've been icing on the cake.

[DougMJr]

^They do not need the trains for anything right now. But I think it is more likely that they will move the trains up there and save them for a new wooden coaster than Gwazi moving.

 

So, if the trains get moved to BGW it somewhat validates the rumor that they will get a wooden coaster eventually.

[Hilltopper39]

Maybe someone here can verify this but I was kind of under the impression that when you relocate a wooden coaster the majority of the track gets completely redone anyways and basically all you move is the support structure bents. So if GCI were to completely re-do track with relatively new Flyer trains in a park with a temperate climate and seasonal operation this rumor is fairly feasible.

 

Also, thenatically I think we're seriously under estimating the potential for dueling racing coaster in a European themed park..... (Insert stereotype joke here)

[ernierocker]

^Your are correct in that most relocated wooden coasters use almost completely new structure.

 

However, I just don't see any reason for BGW to get a relocated Gwazi. I can, however, see them using the trains for a completely redesigned duel wooden coaster similar to this one:

 

[jedimaster1227]

I talked to the ride op at Sandstorm. I asked about the two different rumours about Sandstorm. He said that Sandstorm and the kiddie rides in Timbuktu are being moved to BGW.

Then I asked about Gwazi... He said (I still am a little sceptical) that Gwazi is being moved to Busch Gardens Williamsburg as well.

I know it's possible to move wooden coasters but has anyone ever heard of a wooden coaster as big as Gwazi being moved?

 

I'm just wondering what you guys think.

BGT's employee drug screening needs to improve?

 

[Hilltopper39]

^^ Yeah, I agree that a new coaster makes a lot or more sense in this situation but relocating a ride the company already owns isn't the craziest idea I've ever heard.

 

I guess if they were to build a new wooden coaster they might be able to reuse a majority of the existing controls, lift motors, and other hardware not associated with the structure.