Busch Gardens Tampa Bay (BGT Discussion Thread)

[jedimaster1227]

1) A Giga from B&M or Intamin

3) A better Woodie

 

Either of which would be especially successful if delivered by Intamin. I could totally settle for an Intamin woodie a la El Toro in Florida if we weren't fortunate enough to go the route of building something with Rocky Mountain Construction.

[tarheel1231]

Gerstlauer Gerstlauer Gertslauer

 

47 more chants and BGT will get a euro-fighter.

Here you go: Gerstlauer Gerstlauer Gertslauer Gerstlauer Gerstlauer Gertslauer Gertslauer Gerstlauer Gerstlauer Gertslauer

Gerstlauer Gerstlauer Gertslauer Gerstlauer Gerstlauer Gertslauer Gertslauer Gerstlauer Gerstlauer Gertslauer

Gerstlauer Gerstlauer Gertslauer Gerstlauer Gerstlauer Gertslauer Gertslauer Gerstlauer Gerstlauer Gertslauer

Gerstlauer Gerstlauer Gertslauer Gerstlauer Gerstlauer Gertslauer Gertslauer Gerstlauer Gerstlauer Gertslauer

Gerstlauer Gerstlauer Gertslauer Gerstlauer Gerstlauer Gertslauer Gertslauer

[DanM64]

Falcon's Fury looks amazing so far! I'll have to try and get to Tampa in the next couple years. If Gwazi is replaced, I feel that an Intamin or RMC woodie would be a better replacement than a giga. The park already has plenty of steel. Of course I'd have absolutely no problem if they decided to build an Intamin giga! Why does anyone still wish for B&M wing coasters? If you do, I think it's pretty obvious you've never ridden one before. Zzzzzz.....

[rcjp]

^Most of us are not wishing for a B&M wing coaster, I think.

[Mrlittle]

Why does anyone still wish for B&M wing coasters? If you do, I think it's pretty obvious you've never ridden one before. Zzzzzz.....

 

Exactly, besides BGT already has some of the best B&M coasters out there. Why ruin the collection with a wing coaster? Bring in a hyper from B&M or a Giga from Intamin to replace Gwazi. You tried a wooden coaster and it didn't work out. If they replaced Gwazi with a wooden coaster, half the GP would think it was still the same ride.

[coasterbill]

Why does anyone still wish for B&M wing coasters? If you do, I think it's pretty obvious you've never ridden one before.

 

I know they're not popular on this board but plenty of people love them. They usually have long lines despite their high capacity and they're generally well liked by the general public.

 

I know a lot of people will probably point out that those are the "GP" and not "Enthusiasts" but we have no way of knowing if that's always true. I know my girlfriend who has been on about 150 coasters now and has really taken a liking to this hobby and her #1 coaster is Gatekeeper. Her #2 coaster is Wild Eagle. She's ridden El Toro, Phoenix, I305, Skyrush, Maverick, Boulder Dash, Millennium Force and Bizarro at SFNE but those are her 2 favorite coasters. I don't understand it, but I really don't have to. Some people like Wingriders. I like them (though not as much as she does) and maybe some of that is because of her enthusiasm rubbing off on me a little bit but I think the coasters do what they're supposed to do really well. They simulate a feeling of flight, and while they're not very intense I think it's a cool concept and it makes for a fun ride. I'd love to see more Wingriders.

[rcjp]

^Is gatekeeper the only one that rattles closer to the back? It's the only one I've ever tried and I got some nasty vibrations if I sat on the outside seat after the third or fourth row. Apart from that, I agree wit what most people say: it's not intense but great for the GP, great capacity and (if we exclude those vibrations) very reridable. I's just that there are a lot more coaster types I would rather see getting built, unless B&M can come up with a furius baco like intense ride.

[coasterbill]

I honestly don't know, we only ride them in the front. We're weird like that.

[BenFreeze]

I know a lot of people will probably point out that those are the "GP" and not "Enthusiasts" but we have no way of knowing if that's always true. I know my girlfriend who has been on about 150 coasters now and has really taken a liking to this hobby and her #1 coaster is Gatekeeper. Her #2 coaster is Wild Eagle. She's ridden El Toro, Phoenix, I305, Skyrush, Maverick, Boulder Dash, Millennium Force and Bizarro at SFNE but those are her 2 favorite coasters. I don't understand it, but I really don't have to. Some people like Wingriders. I like them (though not as much as she does) and maybe some of that is because of her enthusiasm rubbing off on me a little bit but I think the coasters do what they're supposed to do really well. They simulate a feeling of flight, and while they're not very intense I think it's a cool concept and it makes for a fun ride. I'd love to see more Wingriders.

 

That's exactly how I feel. A coaster doesn't need to be intense to be a great ride. I usually prefer coasters that are more intense, but as long as a ride is fun, it's fine by me.

[cfc]

^I agree that "fun" is the main thing. For example, I enjoyed Wild Eagle at Dollywood, but didn't enjoy Gatekeeper at Cedar Point, even though I had high hopes for the latter. Wild Eagle "worked" for me, but Gatekeeper didn't. Now, if BGT built a well-themed Wing coaster along the lines of Wild Eagle, I might like it. But this is all just speculation. I'm not a fan of flying coasters in general, but I like Manta because SeaWorld went all out in theming it.

[CPSFMMCW]

^I agree that "fun" is the main thing. For example, I enjoyed Wild Eagle at Dollywood, but didn't enjoy Gatekeeper at Cedar Point, even though I had high hopes for the latter. Wild Eagle "worked" for me, but Gatekeeper didn't. Now, if BGT built a well-themed Wing coaster along the lines of Wild Eagle, I might like it. But this is all just speculation. I'm not a fan of flying coasters in general, but I like Manta because SeaWorld went all out in theming it.

I thought Wild Eagle was ok, however I do think that it has way too much hype. Leviathan or Skyrush should've won best new ride of 2012. But anyway, I would much rather preffer near miss elements as well as that drop under the lift. But thats just me, but I still like wing coasters, but would much prefer a flying coaster and wish that more parks had them!

[B&MBoy1982]

^Is gatekeeper the only one that rattles closer to the back? It's the only one I've ever tried and I got some nasty vibrations if I sat on the outside seat after the third or fourth row. Apart from that, I agree wit what most people say: it's not intense but great for the GP, great capacity and (if we exclude those vibrations) very reridable. I's just that there are a lot more coaster types I would rather see getting built, unless B&M can come up with a furius baco like intense ride.

 

 

Gatekeeper is the only wing coaster I have experienced that actually bounces in the back. X Flight and Wild Eagle are glass smooth, STILL.

 

I don't know what is with Cedar Point and their B&M's. B&M's should run like BGT's, SWO, or IOA's. All smooth, and all very well maintained.

 

BGT can DEFINITELY pull off any coaster design. Look what they did with Cheetah Hunt. It isn't really intense, but is one heck of an experience. I enjoy it much better than Maverick.

[rcjp]

^Raptor was running super smooth when I went there (and the MCBR wasn't braking the train in any way!) but yeah, it didn't really look like they care a lot about it: loose drive tyres, horrible looking chain (looked like they had just throw some grease at it) and the lift was filthy. Still managed to deliver a great ride, though and I praise the ride for that.

[triggernel]

Ring me up as another person that enjoyed X-Flight! It's definitely not in my top 10, but it blew Wild Eagle out of the water.

[Coastin Eric]

Hey everyone, we might be heading to Florida for our spring break, and I'm obviously looking in to paying a visit to BGT.

 

The dates in which we would be going would be March 10-14, which is the monday through the friday, and I'm assuming that the Monday-Thursday would be the least crowded. But I'd like to ask, how busy WILL it be? Will it be packed? Will I get re-rides? Hour waits? Two hour waits? Etc. Any advice would be super useful, so thank you!

[willthegolfer]

Hey everyone, we might be heading to Florida for our spring break, and I'm obviously looking in to paying a visit to BGT.

 

The dates in which we would be going would be March 10-14, which is the monday through the friday, and I'm assuming that the Monday-Thursday would be the least crowded. But I'd like to ask, how busy WILL it be? Will it be packed? Will I get re-rides? Hour waits? Two hour waits? Etc. Any advice would be super useful, so thank you!

Hello there, I have had two visits to Busch Gardens recently, one was during my spring break, early april, weekday, and the lines were excellent. I got three rides on Montu, Kumba, Sheikra, and Scorpion, plus two more on Gwazi in about 6 hours. That was before Cheetah hunt. The last time I went was last month, during the middle of Christmas break, and It was some of the longest lines I've ever experienced. We were lucky to get there early and rode all the major coasters with less than 10 minute waits, but after that, everything was an hour+, so we got barely any re-rides. Montu seems to be the most efficient coaster, so that's a plus. My advice is get there EARLY, I got walk-ons on Cheetah Hunt, montu and kumba just after the park opened. I think overall you should be fine. That seems like an earlier spring break than most, so I would expect 30 min waits or less, but it can be unpredictable at times. Have Fun!

[Coastin Eric]

Awesome! Thank you for the advice, and I cannot wait to (potentially) get to the park! We're still finalizing plans and I definitely want to add the new coasters to my collection.

[triggernel]

Keep in mind the park has a lot more to do than just coasters. Iceploration is a fantastic show, and i would argue it's "can't miss". Walkabout Way and the Aviary are both really cool animal encounters that allow you to get up close to feed and pet some exotic animals. Make sure you look at the feeding times through out the day, as they give you unique opportunities to see the animals brought to the front of the enclosures. And be sure to ride the train as it's the best way to see the animals on the Serengeti Safari.

 

If you arrive early and knock out all of the coasters in the early hours, you can spend the busiest part of the day doing the rest of the park before returning to the coasters for the last few hours.

[Coastin Eric]

Awesome! Thank you for the recommendations, I'm the only coaster guru in my family, so it sounds like a good park for the entire family to visit, and I can knock some coasters out of the way and then meet up with them for the rest of the park!

 

Thanks again guys, can't wait to get out there!

[B&MBoy1982]

Hey everyone, we might be heading to Florida for our spring break, and I'm obviously looking in to paying a visit to BGT.

 

The dates in which we would be going would be March 10-14, which is the monday through the friday, and I'm assuming that the Monday-Thursday would be the least crowded. But I'd like to ask, how busy WILL it be? Will it be packed? Will I get re-rides? Hour waits? Two hour waits? Etc. Any advice would be super useful, so thank you!

 

Look into the ALL DAY DINING DEAL. It is definitely worth the price.

 

Go to Cheetah Hunt first, then Montu. Being the first two things people see on the trams, that is where they go.

 

After your rides on CH and Montu, head up the to Congo. Get yourself MULTIPLE walk on or re-rides on KUMBA. Then head to SheiKra.

 

Be sure to grab a park map. The back side has show information. The shows in the Desert Grill are amazing. Get in the food line 30 minutes prior to the show or you will be standing in line for food and miss the show.

[_koppen]

The tower is supposed to be topped of before the week is out.

Can't wait to see how it will look!

 

Also very interested in the "sunset" paint job that the ride will be getting after that.

[Woodie Warrior]

I actually don't see BGT going for another wooden coaster after the disaster that was Gwazi. You could argue that RMCs and Intamins are all smooth, but most GCIs are smooth and Gwazi just didn't hold up under the harsh Florida climate. I don't think the park needs another B&M, but I could see perhaps a Chance Hyperlite or a Mack spinning coaster. And I wouldn't complain about an Intamin Megalite either

[SharkTums]

^I don't think you can exclusively blame the Florida Weather for Gwazi. Dania Beach Hurricane was great and smooth and had equally terrible Florida weather if not worse.

[Cyrbuzz]

I agree there are many factors related to Gwazi's failure. Maintenance and type of trains for the type of layout had to factor as well. The defunct Boardwalk and Baseball had a great wooden coaster called Hurricane and I don't recall ever having a really rough ride on it. It too was a Florida coaster facing the same climate as the other aforementioned coasters.

[jynx242]

I was there Wednesday (froze my butt off, but the park was EMPTY.)

 

My neice had never been, so we took her on all of the Coasters. I was the lucky one to take her on Gwazi. I just have to say, it just stinks that the ride has gotten so terrible. As I was having my spine readjusted, I was thinking that it really has a neat layout and could be fun, if it weren't so brutal.

 

Oh well.....

 

Cheetah hunt is still just tons of fun (except I lost my glasses somewhere on it,) and Kumba is still just freaking awesome.

 

David