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p. 375: Phoenix Rising family inverted coaster announced for 2024!

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Those angry idiots even made the local ABC news there.

 

Video footage on the site: http://www.abcactionnews.com/dpp/news/region_tampa/cheetah-hunt-delay-angers-park-guests-at-busch-gardens

 

TAMPA - A chorus of boos reined down at Busch Gardens Friday morning after park goers learned that Cheetah Hunt wasn't ready to ride yet.

 

Cheetah Hunt, which aims to give riders the experience of a cheetah on the hunt, was set to open this morning, but a calibration issue caused a delay of several hours.

 

"This is not uncommon with a new ride. There's a lot of computer equipment that keep the riders safe," said Media Relations Manager Jill Revelle. "Until we can get those calibrated for 5 trains, the ride will be down."

 

Revelle did offer a glimmer of hope for park guests, saying that they "do not know exactly when, but we do anticipate it to open today."

 

Busch Gardens said Cheetah Hunt was up and running without problems by 3pm.

 

As a Floridian and coaster enthusiast, I'm fairly embarrassed by this behavior .

 

On a happier note, I finally ordered all my tickets (year pass + quick queue unlimited) and am going next Sunday for the passholder ERT! I haven't been to the park in over three years, so I'm pretty excited to see all the recent changes and experience Cheetah Hunt (wish they offered that with the quick queue , but at least I have the morning ERT).

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Those angry idiots even made the local ABC news there.

 

Video footage on the site: http://www.abcactionnews.com/dpp/news/region_tampa/cheetah-hunt-delay-angers-park-guests-at-busch-gardens

 

As a Floridian and coaster enthusiast, I'm fairly embarrassed by this behavior .

I don't blame you. If anyone saw a TPR member acting obnoxious today, please discretely let me know who it was so I can ban them. Thank you!

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^There were a lot of idiots, but no TPR members from what I could tell. I did see a Club TPR shirt floating around though!

 

I added some photos I took today, though nothing special

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Here was how the line was set up prior to the ride opening.

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Lots of awesome views of the ride from the Skyride!

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This part was pretty cool, especially with a gondola going underneath you!

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Twisty!!!

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Wow that was just terrible. Some of those idiots were really going to the extremes today, especially that Antonio tool who kept going on and on. I wanted to find him and burn his AP for him. We don't need trash like that.

 

I stuck it out and waited in the sun 4.5 hours because I wanted to be one of the first to ride. I held up WAY better than I expected. A nice girl held my spot in line so I could go back to my car to get my bag/money. I thanked her buy buying her a bottle of water, which she appreciated. I made small talk with people around me (I was maybe 4 or 5 people from the very front up at the entrance to Cheetah Hunt. We all passed the time just chatting, joking around and stuff. yeah we'd boo when they'd make announcements about the coaster not being open, but it wasn't a borderline riot or anything. Quite the opposite. Those of us who stuck around the whole time were very patient and orderly, which really surprised me. We did started chanting "LET US IN!" to the drum beat of the drummer street performers who came out a couple times. The drummers were cracking up and encouraging us to keep going.

 

They passed out free bottled water to us not once, but TWICE! Very much appreciated. I started hollering I wanted a free cheetah, which drew quite a few laughs (I ended up buying a little plush one later).

 

When they started sending the test trains around, every time one went by, everyone started cheering... especially the first one. We went NUTS!

 

Finally at 2:00, we were ready to go and they led us through the queue and it was like one big party. Everyone was cheering, chanting "CHEETAH! CHEETAH!" and slapping hands as we passed each other. It was great!

 

And the coaster itself? LOVED IT! I was on the 2nd or 3rd train out in the front row. That 2nd launch really packs a punch and the figure 8 feels a lot faster than it looks. Got some good airtime on a couple hills too. I was hollering and hooting the whole ride and waving to people on the Skyride (and they were waving back). It was just awesome. It was worth waiting 4.5 hours in the sun to be one of the first general public rides. And I'm just crazy enough I'd do it all over again (maybe).

 

Oh and when I was going to get in line for the Skyride, who do I run into, but park president Jim Dean! I stopped him to tell him how much I loved the coaster and he asked if I was one of the first riders, which I told him I was. He apologized for the long delay and I told him it was ok because it was totally worth the wait. I even got him to pose with Wonderpup for a photo!

 

Now.... PICTURES!!!

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I think I want this shirt.

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Plushies!!

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Nice shirt

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Wheeee!!

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To quote Robb: "88 MILES AN HOUR!"

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Kitties!!

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I didn't see the one on the left had its tongue out until I looked at the pics on my laptop and I CRACKED UP!

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Taken from the Skyride.

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Twisty!!

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ShiekRa from the Skyride

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Kumba from the Skyride

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WOO-HOO!!!

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Wonderpup with park president, Jim Dean!

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We all passed the time just chatting, joking around and stuff. yeah we'd boo when they'd make announcements about the coaster not being open, but it wasn't a borderline riot or anything. Quite the opposite. Those of us who stuck around the whole time were very patient and orderly, which really surprised me.

 

While it's good that you were able to entertain yourself per se, you should consider what it's like on the other side of the fence for a second. This is an extremely high stress situation for the park personnel and vendor. Booing and making a scene does not help matters much for the sleep-deprived people busting their ass to get the ride working. While I don't work on coasters, I have years of experience of fixing complex communications networks under extreme pressure and frequently little sleep. I can guarantee you that the people working to get the ride open were not taking the antics as jokes. My guess is their thought process went something like this, "Fuck these people. I'm just going to leave and get a job at Wal-Mart."

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Just got home from riding after work. Waited about 2 hours, the coaster was down for about 30 minutes, but it was opening day, so it didn't get me down. Once it was back up running, the ride team did a great job, they had the cars launching like clockwork. I LOVE this ride. It is a perfect ride for the whole family. Super smooth as glass, love the trenches and the use of the old Rhino Rally water canyon area, which was my favorite. Cheetah Hunt proves that a ride doesn't have to be the biggest or fastest to be a great attraction. This really does give BGT a well rounded coaster collection for every type of guest.

 

After I rode, the park was long closed and the private event was going on. I checked out the Cheetah Run exhibit, this was really gorgeous. Loved the interactive displays and computers that looked like books in the exhibits. That whole area is really well themed, and looks fantastic at night.

 

2 Big thumbs up for Cheetah Hunt and Run!

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Just got back form the contest event. I was able to ride Cheetah Hunt three times! I do have to say, the ride is amazing. I don't see how people complained about the speed at the top of the tower, it was actually a pretty good part of the ride it's self and was still going though pretty fast. On our second ride, we actually experienced a roll back on the third launch. Every time, the ride was hauling ass though the canyon runs. Our third ride....whoa....It's actually like the MCBR didn't brake us at all. The surf curves at that speed...just amazing. Night rides are awesome, however, there's literally no lights at all after we get over the skyride and the MCBR. (Aside from where the third launch is). It just makes it even more awesome.

 

I'd venture to say it's my favorite ride in the park. It's a VERY FUN ride, and while at times not 100% thrilling. It's still amazing.

 

One bad thing about the event, which just had me a little sad, is that the "ERT" Included lines of 90 minutes at time. Granted, it slumped down to 25 minutes around 11:00pm, however the ride was shut down for 10 minutes due to someone puking. Time to bring out the pressure hose.

 

tl;dr. The ride was amazing, it was actually quite fast. Airtime machine, launches were VERY forceful and effective. The tower element is actually a cool element. This is actually a top 10 coaster for me, (maybe 10). But, I've only ridden around 50 coasters. And, It turns out the name didn't effect the speed of the ride at all! 9/10

 

 

EDIT: I want to add that the launches sound like a cheetah roaring or whatever. xD

Edited by Inukaza
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We all passed the time just chatting, joking around and stuff. yeah we'd boo when they'd make announcements about the coaster not being open, but it wasn't a borderline riot or anything. Quite the opposite. Those of us who stuck around the whole time were very patient and orderly, which really surprised me.

 

I was there, the entire day was a boarder-line riot. Do you think the booing and jeering really made the whole situation better? I don't think you understand how not only annoying but incredibly disrespectful that is. You are a guest in the park, you are a "guest in their house". Do you ever go over to someones house for dinner and boo and yell "let us eat!" at their children when the food isn't ready on time? No. Then why would booing and yelling "LET US IN" at the attendants be appropriate?

 

This is really embarrassing to hear that someone from this forum was one of the people causing a scene. You don't know how much those people went through to get the ride running, keep the guests informed, AND do it all with a smile, all while not being able to do a single thing more. I heard the announcements, they were "just as excited to have you ride the attraction and you were excited to ride the attraction, but currently technical difficulties are preventing this" and this was followed by booing. That's just sad.

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^ I agree. That is just not acceptable behaviour. I don't care what someone's excuse is.

 

yeah we'd boo when they'd make announcements about the coaster not being open, but it wasn't a borderline riot or anything. Quite the opposite. Those of us who stuck around the whole time were very patient and orderly, which really surprised me. We did started chanting "LET US IN!" to the drum beat of the drummer street performers who came out a couple times.

 

It's honestly disappointing to hear that a fellow TPR member would be booing the park and chanting to be let in. Do you really think this helped get the ride open any sooner? I can see you're trying to pass it off as having fun, but really it's incredibly rude and disrespectful to the park regardless when they are working extremely hard under surely stressful conditions.

Jake - I couldn't agree more. We flew out to Dubai and didn't get on Formula Rossa with five days of trying and did we boo anyone, chant, or complain? No way. We still managed to have an awesome time despite the disappointing circumstance. So cry me an effing river that Cheetah Hunt was delayed for a couple of hours.

 

Seriously, "booing" at a park when they are diligently trying to do something for their guests under some of the most stressful conditions, no matter what the situation, is completely unacceptable.

 

--Robb "And trust me on this, I've been on the other side of that rope..." Alvey

Edited by robbalvey
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Went to the event last night for Cheetah Hunt. Awesome stuff. Waited 50 minutes, 25 minutes, and 20 minutes. Also had a walk on for Gwazi and 5 minutes for Montu. Cheetah Hut was amazing. Great addition and great coaster. Not as intense as the Montu and Kumba, but does give great airtime and has some good lat G's at the final turn into the brake. I would give it an 8/10. Montu still is my favorite, but I would ride Cheetah Hunt over and over again. Oh, and it my girlfriend's favorite coaster, which is also a plus.

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^ That's still insanely cheap compare to what Six Flags charges for a gold or platinum Flash Pass.

Oh absolutely. I've done the unlimited at BGT, and while it doesn't include as many rides as the SF ones typically do, it's still a very good deal. Both are worth the money in my opinion. I'm wondering at what point Cheetah Hunt will be added to the Quick Queue. It obviously won't be any time soon, my guess would be after Halloween when the crowds go down.

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^ If you can afford it get the Quick Queue if it's park season. The one I got at Great Adventure was 70 bucks and I felt like I was stealing.

 

I saw " Tyree" I think run the Cheetah Run for the first time and it was awesome. Only Seaworld's Shamu shows ever really got me goose pimply until seeing that thing stretch out and run. I was surprised just how cool it was. Of course when they catch it they want to eat it and the keepers say it's fine to let them chew on it some . I will make a point to see it multiple times when at the park and would encourage you guys to check it out. Keep in mind it is Florida and sometimes it is to hot to run for a wad of feathers, don't boo, she's just a kitty.

 

Cheetah Hunt is a nice addition to the park and very fun. All of the reviews are accurate and I would only repeat what others have said. A lot of smaller kids got to ride one hell of a roller coaster today and it was good to see that.

 

Saw Jim Dean and was able to congratulate him on the ride, he was wearing a big smile and seems to be a top notch pro. Jim Wible, the guy who designed the tower and I talked about the mock up in Hungary and about choosing Intamin. Saw Sandor and he always looks like a kid in a candy store. Mostly a very cool day and the waiting for the ride was not very hard as there were folks to chat with and water and mistings. There were a lot of people who did good work today and just a few who seemed set on ruining the thing. I think Busch Gardens is very close to being perfect but they do have some bad apples in the mix. Lets just say not all of the blatant open rudeness came from guests today.

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Quick Que is pretty cheap, even unlimited is cheaper than a regular flash pass at Great Adventure!

 

Why are people so whiny and ungrateful nowadays (look what happened when Amazon sold Lady Gaga's new album for $.99, and it was sownloading perfectly. waaaah.)? The ride was going to be down, be crowded, whatever. It's new and its Memorial Day weekend. I would have killed to be there, waiting for the ride to open. It looks great.

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I remember dealing with similar behavior working on Maverick at CP a few years ago...its unpleasant at best.

 

Kudos to Busch Gardens and the Ride Crew for doing everything they did, and somehow I really need to figure out how to get to Florida soon...

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I got to Busch Gardens yesterday around 6am. There were already 3 other cars there and everyone was kinda just standing around. About 30 minutes later a few more cars pulled up and we all stood there and talked about theme parks and Haunt events for about 2 hours. Not sure if anybody there is on TPR though.

 

When we got up to Cheetah Hunt and they announce their technical difficulties my group decided to go ride some other rides and com back later. We rode Gwazi with the new trains and it was much much better. It was very smooth and I was able to get of without the feeling that i was going to have to have a spinal readjustment. So the new trains on Gwazi was definitely a good move for Busch Gardens.

 

Around 11:30 we walked back by Cheetah Hunt and saw there was a line started by the entrance that led up the stairs to the Crown Colony building. We decided to get in the line. We sat down on the steps of the building and waited. I am happy to say that neither a chant or boo of any sort came out of my mouth. I waited patiently and enjoyed the music of the drummers. They actually started handing out free water. I was pleasantly surprised and even thanked them for it on their facebook page. At about 2 they opened the ride.

 

I really enjoyed the ride a lot. It might not have been as intense as some other coasters I've been on, but it sure was a hell of a lot of fun. The launches took me by surprise (especially the second and third one). It is very twisty and it's cool when you hop over the skride when there is a gondola right under you. Going through Rhino Rally's old water portion was really fun and felt fast due to being in such an enclosed area. The ride itself felt a lot faster than it looks so i don't think there will be any complaints about the speed once people get to ride it.

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Ok I want to clarify something for people going off about the "booing" thing. That was actually something I personally did not do. People around me did, so I just said "we", but in hindsight I should have just said "people around me". Ok? Does that clear that up now? Yeah I was frustrated and disappointed the coaster wasn't going yet, but the sun/heat was zapping my energy. I probably couldn't "boo" if I wanted to. I was near the very front of the line and everyone was VERY civil where I was. Maybe it was different further back. We even cheered when they brought out the yellow barricades as we took it as a good sign the ride would be ready soon.

 

When all was said and done, the long wait was TOTALLY worth it and like I said in my other post, if I had to do it all over again, I probably would.

 

I can't wait to go back next weekend for the morning ERT for passholders they're doing every weekend in June before the park opens. I HATE getting up early, but I'll do it for Cheetah Hunt. I think this might be my new fave coaster in the park.

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I got to go ride it this morning and I found it to be really fun. Extreme family coaster is the proper classification for it as it is not super intense, but it totally delivers a really good ride. If you plan on going to ride it this summer make sure you get to the park before opening as it take very little time to fill up that 2 hour wait queue building.

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Good morning!

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Lots of people already here before the park opens.

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Ohhhh! New entrance!

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Like I said, make sure you get there early!

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This area fills up with people very fast.

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The old monorail building has been updated.

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Cheetah Hunt is really a fun coaster!

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Rules of the ride.

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A kitty made of wood.

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There is now a big cat inside the old monorail station.

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In case if you wanted to know.

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Must be opening weekend.

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Heading out to launch.

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They load two trains at once, this would be for the back train.

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Another kitty.

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Made of buttons.

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You can get up pretty close to the 2nd launch.

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Up the tower it goes!

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This really is the Cheetah Chase part of the ride.

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The drop off the tower is pretty fun.

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You can get some pretty cool shots from the Skyway. Mine do not have many trains though.

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Airtime hill!

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The famed, "Under the Skyway" shot.

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A few more random shots.

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To 60mph!

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And I leave you with some kitty cats!

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