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Busch Gardens Tampa Bay (BGT Discussion Thread)

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

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So I was doing a little bit of searching in the Tampa permit database and I found 2 surprising facts:

 

1) Sandstorm was to be relocated somewhere else in the park (but that permit got cancelled).

 

2) The City of Tampa signed off on the ride on MAY 6. It seems like the only explanation for the ride still be closed is that (when testing stopped) a major part of the ride broke. I'm sure there are parts that have never been used on a ride before so I would think that whatever broke had to be manufactured from scratch back over seas.

 

Sandstorm was originally planned to be re-located to a plot near the entrance of Gwazi Park by the special events pavilions. I'd imagine the park's greater plans for that section of the park were enough reason to cancel those plans and to send the ride to Sesame Place.

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Im considering flying down to tampa for a weekend of howl o scream in october, any tips/recommendations/things to avoid?

Anybody wanna help me out?

If you can...I would do it on a thursday night. do the meal thing before and it also, as of last year, gets you express for the houses for like 2 hours!

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We went to BGT early this morning for park open! Rode nearly everything by 11am... Queues were nearly nonexistent, sans Cheetah Hunt (about 35 minutes after we rode with NO LINE!) We traversed the park clockwise after Cheetah Hunt and Montu... then hit Gwazi, ShieKra, Stanley Falls, Kumba and Scorpion... by that time we hung around Pantopia with a couple of beers and a BACON PRETZEL FURY (AMAZING!) while Falcon's Fury made a bunch of test drops and slow ground to top to ground ride resets... We had gotten a tip from the beer cart that the ride "MIGHT" soft open to guests by 3pm... We hung around for about an hour... watching the test runs (hoping it just might open early... it didn't)... by 1:30p we were tired and left... So at this very moment, if all went according to plan, the ride may have opened to park guests a 1/2 hr ago!! Overall a GREAT morning/early afternoon at the park!

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Well I can confirm that they soft opened it to the public today (or I guess technically yesterday now) at 3:10. I was on the second run

 

The ride is absolutely amazing. The first ride in a long time to really get my adrenaline going.

Edited by rcrider4
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It is definitely a freefall. The braking doesn't really happen until the seats start to swing out. As for the sensation it gives, it's unlike anything else I have ever ridden. It's kind of hard to explain, but I guess you could kinda say it is like a typical negative G feeling, but going backwards instead of up. A really weird but fun feeling.

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I've heard some people say how the 3rd (Drop tower @ KI & KD), and the SFMM/GAdv versions are nowhere near as forceful a drop as the 1st and 2nd gen towers.

Not sure about the giant drop (KI and KD) but I have also heard that the 1st and 2nd gen (which are the only ones I've tried) are more forceful/better free-fall sensation than the new ones.

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Funny how the old school rides like The Edge (SFGAm) and FreeFall (SFMM) and others like it really did/do provide a much better free fall experience....obviously it was a true free fall experience, and I think that all of that clattering sound really added to the fear factor.

 

I've tried keeping up on, then reading back through, this thread - but why do the seats need to start returning to the "home" position" that early? I see that 130' of the tower is brakes, too! Sorry if this has been discussed, or is an insanely easy explanation, but why don't they stay in the face-down position until, say, 20 feet up - then rotate back to load/unload position?

 

What I'm wondering is why the rotation back to the sitting position seems to be PART of the drop? If anything, it seems like it would be easier to rotate without the ride is motion, right? Or maybe I'm wrong. Clearly, either way, I'm confused!

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^I initially thought they would stay facing down all the way (including the braking). Sure, the brakes would have to be a bit less powerful and start a little earlier than usual due to the riders' position, but there are plenty of lying coasters that pull some Gs with people sitting like that. Probably they thought it would be more comfortable if the seats returned to a normal position before the real brakes kick in, that's why they use those "pre-brakes": so that a small force generated by them is enough to pull the seats out. I can't say how it rides as haven't been on it but probably you will only get "true" free-fall sensation before any brakes start.

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I haven't ridden Falcon's Fury yet, but I've been on pretty much every other Intamin Free Fall on Earth and I believe that the 1st and 2nd generations are much more powerful than the newer drop towers.

 

Yeah, I've always been a big fan of the 1st and second generation towers, the newer ones with the giant rings don't feel nearly as intense. I'm no engineer but I feel like it has to do with the inertia involved with getting such a large ride vehicle in motion, the smaller vehicles just feel like they drop quicker and it's a more intense feeling.

 

I've never been on Blue Fall but from the size of it with the 2nd generation cars I guessing it's pretty much the best drop tower in the world. Acrophobia is another favorite of mine, it's kinda of a smaller version of the new style with the giant ring but it feel similar to the 2nd generations, and the tilt factor is insane.

 

Also, the smaller trailer mounted versions from ARM are surprisingly awesome, those things always catch me off guard.

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The final Howl-O-Scream house (or in this case, experience) has been announced for the 2014 season!

 

http://seaworldparks.com/howloscream-tampa/attractions/haunted-houses/zombie-containment-unit/

 

Three years after the undead invasion, there has been a containment failure in Z.C.U.15. Zombies have escaped in search of flesh, and you’re the next target. Armed with only a Z.E.D. (Zombie Eradication Device), it’s up to you to hold off an undead mob in this interactive zombie hunting experience.

image.thumb.jpg.decc83616e793b28535a12a8ef03f9ca.jpg

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So a laser tag haunt? I like it! I wonder if this thing will be an upcharge or not.

 

For whatever it's worth I've always loved Howl-O-screams, it's not the same level of quality as Horror Nights but it seems like I always have more fun at Howl-O-Screams for some reason. Maybe it's the night rides on Kumba.

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So a laser tag haunt? I like it! I wonder if this thing will be an upcharge or not.

 

For whatever it's worth I've always loved Howl-O-screams, it's not the same level of quality as Horror Nights but it seems like I always have more fun at Howl-O-Screams for some reason. Maybe it's the night rides on Kumba.

 

It is included with Howl-O-Scream admission and no reservation required. Translation, prepare to wait in a long and slow potentially.

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They offer a lot of early admission options that have "skip the line passes" included for pretty reasonable prices. The Fright Feast buffet meal before the event starts was pretty good and gives you front of the line access to all of the houses for a few hours when the event opens for like $25 or so, pretty good deal.

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^The Feast is absoultely a must to me. Get in about an hour before everyone else - really makes the evening do-able.

 

I also agree that Howl-O-Scream is just a blast. Universal does an amazing event - but I end up having more fun when I go to Busch.

 

Going out this weekend to ride Falcon's Fury. Cannot wait, but am kind of scared.

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I haven't ridden Falcon's Fury yet, but I've been on pretty much every other Intamin Free Fall on Earth and I believe that the 1st and 2nd generations are much more powerful than the newer drop towers.

 

Agreed! I miss Freefall @ SFMM to be honest.

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