Busch Gardens Tampa Bay (BGT Discussion Thread)

[sonoma15]

What is this all about????

 

 

No idea, haven't heard about this anywhere else... Also I don't think they would suddenly close it like that, but who knows..

[Themonerd]

That sucks. Tidal Wave is so awesome on a hot day.

[coasterbill]

Assuming it's credible and assuming they're not just talking about routine maintenance that was scheduled for about this time anyway let me just say that those rides suck and I don't care at all. As far as those huge splash boat rides go if they got rid of every single one of them tomorrow (besides Pompeii and not counting the Mack water coasters) I wouldn't give a single sh*t.

 

This park has two other very good water rides (especially Stanley Falls which I love). No loss.

[djcoastermark]

I never quite got that water ride. I know in its past it was part of a river boat ride similar to a certain hippo boat ride at Disney. It seems when they put in the falls ride part, they just kind of gave up on the whole themed adventure idea. I understand the premise, the river village and all, but it just falls (lol) kinda flat.

[sonoma15]

Apparently it's supposed to reopen October 10th now, don't get why they would close it now with the summer coming up though. Hoping this refurbishment makes this ride make a lot more sense and make it better, also I think they should add some water effects in the beginning with the village(Don't know if they already had them and just turned them off because it looks like they could've)

[BintamiM]

I always wanted that ride to be torn down. It was pointless and boring. I can see a better and newer water ride make better use of that space.

Now, BGT seems to be getting rid of a lot of rides; sandstorm, rhino rally, gwazi and now tidal wave. Albeit the rides sucked and one was replaced by an awesome drop tower , still leaves some areas of the park... empty and weird. I'm hoping that after cobra's curse they start filling in those unused areas with great attractions. Hate seeing gwazi standing there like nothing and rhino rally walled off.

[rcrider4]

A BGT spokesperson said it was closing permanently. I'm not really surprised though. Even on busy days, when CRR and SFF had over an hour wait, TW would be sitting there at 5, or its really busy, maybe 10 minute wait. It's just a really boring ride and most people just went and stood on the bridge and then left. Plus its splash is one of the weaker ones out there. It barely reaches the bridge at all.

[Coasterguy21]

Apparently it's supposed to reopen October 10th now, don't get why they would close it now with the summer coming up though. Hoping this refurbishment makes this ride make a lot more sense and make it better, also I think they should add some water effects in the beginning with the village(Don't know if they already had them and just turned them off because it looks like they could've)

 

The ride has been removed from the parks website.

 

The October 10th thing only appeared on the mobile app and I think that was from last years annual.

[cfc]

I was expecting more from the splash boat ride while floating to the lift hill, but was disappointed. Not a big loss (Williamsburg's Pompeii is much better).

[cwgator]

It's also been removed from the park map:

[Mr Stratosphere]

Interesting because two years ago Adventuredome closed their version of the ride, Rim Runner. Same Arrow splash down ride system.

[Thunder_Run]

Well, damn. I was looking forward to riding the Tidal Wave while planning multiple times to come out to this park. May not have been very exciting looking from the various shots and videos I have seen of it, but it definitely was one of the most unique and beautiful looking, at least in my opinion. Almost seemed like it was a shoot-the-chute that was originally planned with a log flume/hydro flume layout...

 

Hopefully a substantial addition will be made in its place, or a stellar modern replacement, if only so the lines for Congo Rapids and Stanley Falls won't be longer in the Florida summer heat. If not...

 

Maybe they're figuring the boats would be better chopped up and recycled as additional park benches? Don't just stop with spreading Gwazi's ashes... er, timber around the park.

[Philrad71]

Assuming it's credible and assuming they're not just talking about routine maintenance that was scheduled for about this time anyway let me just say that those rides suck and I don't care at all. As far as those huge splash boat rides go if they got rid of every single one of them tomorrow (besides Pompeii and not counting the Mack water coasters) I wouldn't give a single sh*t.

 

This park has two other very good water rides (especially Stanley Falls which I love). No loss.

 

This.

 

Never really understood why so many parks installed these Shoot the Chute rides. Most are one trick ponies where the drop isn't that big and there is no theming to it at all...this one is a perfect example. If they themed it like Pompeii that would be one thing, but it sounds like they are tearing it down, which is great. Let's see something better put in it's place.

 

Although....we have been on one and enjoyed it and that was Tidal Force at Hershey. Only because the drop is massive, the splash is enormous, and they have those cargo nets that just about drown you with the splash-back water. It is easily one of the most ridiculously soaking water rides out there - perfect for a hot day when the waterslide lines are too long.

That splash certainly gets people's attention that are walking by!

You can't even see the boat or riders there is so much water....ridiculous!

[Hilltopper39]

I still wish more water parks would install these splash boat rides, I hate these rides in the amusement park setting but would love it in waterpark where I'm already in a bathing suit ready to get wet.

 

Don't think I ever rode the Tidal Wave at BGT but the tunnel always looked cool from the haunt que during halloweekends.

[historyfreak92]

i guess gwazi is gone now!

[Philrad71]

^^ I would NEVER have ridden Tidal Force if we wouldn't have been in the water park area and able to ride in bathing suits. I think that they do require shirts and some type of footwear, but we all had flip-flops or sandals on anyway so it's not like we trashed our walking shoes.

[YoshiFan]

I also won't ride these water rides that get you soaked unless I am going to the water park as well. Dorney has it setup well, both White Water Landing and Thunder Canyon are next to Wildwater Kingdom and you can wear a bathing suit and footwear is not required (although you would want to with the metal walkways at the end of both rides).

[Philrad71]

^ Agree...I LOVED Thunder Canyon at Dorney, but not sure if I would have loved it as much if I would have been wearing sneakers and street clothes.

 

There is pretty much no way that you will not get soaked on it and the jolting that you take from slamming into rocks is so freaking fun, yet terrifying because you wonder if you're going to get bounced right out of the raft.

 

Probably one of the best raft rides out there, IMO....very underrated and sort of hidden between the water park and dry side.

 

Anywho, back to talking about BGT...

[Nrthwnd]

^^ I would NEVER have ridden Tidal Force if we wouldn't have been in the water park area and able to ride in bathing suits. I think that they do require shirts and some type of footwear, but we all had flip-flops or sandals on anyway so it's not like we trashed our walking shoes.

 

But considering they design everything nowadays, they could design (with 'special design and forms') a boat that could work with say, a water park.

 

So, why not design the boats so they accommodate flip flops, swimming suits, and such? Some of the water usually ends up in the boat,

depending on the splash and fallback, etc. And it can drain with ease. Or not.

[coasterbill]

Thunder Canyon at Dorney is a sick joke. There are approximately 137 waterfalls and approximately 136 of them are in rapid succession over the entire trough so you're guaranteed to get pummeled. You might as well just jump in a lake with all of your clothes on. It's actually even wetter than White Water Landing which is soaking to the bone but at least you don't feel like you're going to drown like on Thunder Canyon.

 

No, to hell with that. If you need me you can find me over at Thunder Mountain which is the only water ride in the park that doesn't try to drown you.

 

Oh and Tidal Force... holy crap. That thing makes every other splash boat ride look dry by comparison. What kind of sick, sick person thought that was a good idea?

[Nrthwnd]

^ Somebody younger than us? (I jest, I joke, not quite.)

 

 

(Don't know your age, srry.)

 

My latest pummeling was on Valhalla at Blackpool, one of The Most

Drenching Freezing FIRE Breathing Flume Rides in exsitence!

 

I changed into a tank top, cheap plastic shoes, and no-belt shorts. Got

everything soaked, bagged it all, and took care of the clothing later on.

Easy. Washrooms were only a few feet from the attraction. Still bought

and wore the cheap no-win poncho they sell. It was all part of Valhalla's....charm.

My first view of the Valhalla beastie. TPR 2006 UK Tour.

Edited April 12, 2016 by Nrthwnd

[RAWKIN_coaster38]

Not gonna lie, over the entire summer I think we went to Tidal Wave twice with our campers, whereas we went to the rapids ride at least once a week.

 

I didn't think Tidal Wave was all that bad, though. I at least felt they tried to make it cool at the beginning. Was a bit long and still lacking, and we didn't get that wet either, but why close it now? It's still a water ride in a park that gets HOT over the summer, and they decide to close it just before the summer starts. Something must have gone wrong that made it more worth it to close than fix. I'd be curious to find out.

[DILinator]

BTW, I don't think I've seen it mentioned, but sometime in the past week the Satellite images on Google Maps were updated, and now show the Cobra's Curse construction. It's from before it was completed, but at least now I have a concrete idea of the footprint of the ride, which I've been trying to figure out for a while! I definitely didn't realize it encroached on Montu so much prior to now! Can't wait to get back to BGT someday and ride it!

[jedimaster1227]

i guess gwazi is gone now!

 

It isn't. The structure is all still there as is most of the track. The wood they have stripped from it is still less than 1% of the total lumber that makes up the coasters and their supports. Gwazi isn't gone yet.

Edited April 12, 2016 by jedimaster1227

[rcrider4]

BTW, I don't think I've seen it mentioned, but sometime in the past week the Satellite images on Google Maps were updated, and now show the Cobra's Curse construction. It's from before it was completed, but at least now I have a concrete idea of the footprint of the ride, which I've been trying to figure out for a while! I definitely didn't realize it encroached on Montu so much prior to now! Can't wait to get back to BGT someday and ride it!

 

Here's an aerial shot of the completed ride layout if that helps more