Busch Gardens Tampa Bay (BGT Discussion Thread)

[chargersmichael]

We were the first ones on Cheetah Hunt for the day in the front row...however...we sat in the train for about 5 minutes until the train was full in the station! They only had 3 trains running total with just one of the two stations opened. When we got back to the station...the 2nd train didn't even leave yet! The park opened at 10:00 and I didn't get off Cheetah Hunt until 10:17!!! That's ridiculous!

 

Wait a minute...you were the first ones on Cheetah Hunt (which is a complex multi-launch coaster)....at 10:00, you waited 17 minutes to board, ride and unload...and you are bitching about it?

 

Well, I just used this one in the Dollywood forum and hadn't deleted it from my desktop....I suppose that I might as well get one more use out of it.

 

All I was saying was that operations were really slow. Doing the math...they only dispatched 3 trains in that amount of time. A little over 5 minutes to load and unload riders seems slow to me.

 

Maybe that is fine for some people but I've never witnessed that kind of operations before ever at Busch Gardens.

 

Sorry if it seemed I was whining about it...but I just thought operations of the ride would be a lot faster comparing it to numerous other times I've been to Busch Gardens.

[Philrad71]

^ No problem...

 

Actually, I recall slow loading times on it when we were there last year during mid-day. Not painfully slow, but slower than any of the other coasters in the park.

 

Although I never really noticed that it was the ride-op's as much as delays with sending out the trains. Not sure if this was due to mechanical issues, timing or something else.

 

One reason why we never head for Maverick at CP first thing in the morning anymore during early entry - it seems like it always has it's issues in the morning. We have trekked over there at least three times in the morning and all three times, the ride broke down and we ended up waiting 30+ minutes to ride. I think that's why they don't open TTD for ERT as those launch coasters would simply prefer to sleep in!

[chargersmichael]

^So true!

 

I was at CP last summer and of the 3 days we spent there...only 1 morning Maverick was opened on time with no issues! (Might also be because Millennium Force wasn't ready in the morning that day too haha).

 

On another note, the sign for Cobra's Curse is now up! The area is really coming together! They were testing the elevator lift a lot on my visit.

[eddytheviper]

So Busch Gardens have uploaded the first full POV of Cobra's Curse on their Facebook page here.

 

It is looking AWESOME

[viking86]

That looks like fun! I like that the cars goes backwards up the lift, as it gives some really awesome views of Montu! Looking forward to see the whole area once all theming and scenery is done.

[RyanTPM]

That looks pretty great, i really like the forward facing and backward facing features, really adds something different as well as spinning. Doesn't look too slow as well from the POV, nice pacing!

[drummermattk]

For anyone who likes the youtube videos lol

 

Edited May 12, 2016 by robbalvey

[mjollner]

Looks cool! I especially like the outward-banked curve at the beginning, and that first turn in free-spin looks like the best part of the ride.

 

First part coaster-wise looks ok. Nothing too crazy. Backwards is pretty short and simple but I'm sure it will feel great as going backwards is such a kick in itself. The best part about the backwards bit is that it adds 20 seconds to the ride between the MCBR and the second lift hill.

 

Looks like a great family-ride and a cool addition to a great lineup. Intense for the kids, fun for the adults, and the one-of-a-kind factor is sure to make the coaster geeks happy to ride.

[thrillrider]

Looks like shiekra had to do a evacuation today.

http://www.fox13news.com/news/local-news/140423931-story

[coasterbill]

Those lucky riders... they were spared the "B&M rattle".

 

We'll be there tomorrow tempting fate I guess. If we die just know that we died doing what we love.

 

... we're brave

[DoinItForTheFame]

Those lucky riders... they were spared the "B&M rattle".

 

Yas!!

 

We'll be there tomorrow tempting fate I guess. If we die just know that we died doing what we love.

 

Let's just hope SheiKra is open for you tomorrow!!

 

#DontDie

[RAWKIN_coaster38]

A park spokesman told FOX 13 that 64 people were stuck on the ride for about an hour.

Dang I didn't know Sheikra could hold that many riders! It must be the highest-capacity coaster in the world!

 

I saw this on the news and laughed to myself when they said which coaster it was. When we did a behind the scenes last year with the Sheikra staff, they talked about how they do routine practices with their employees for lift-hill evacuation and building an evacuation floor as quickly as possible. If I recall, even at the fastest it still takes over an hour to build. So 2 hours seems like a fairly normal evacuation time for this ride.

[DoinItForTheFame]

A park spokesman told FOX 13 that 64 people were stuck on the ride for about an hour.

Dang I didn't know Sheikra could hold that many riders! It must be the highest-capacity coaster in the world!

 

5 trains, with 24 passengers per train. If 3 of the trains were out on the course. One on the lift hill, one just before the holding brake, and one on the final brake run (Assuming there were two in the station) Just in the 3 trains on the course would be 72 passengers. So having 64 people stuck on the ride is not nearly that impossible.

[RAWKIN_coaster38]

A park spokesman told FOX 13 that 64 people were stuck on the ride for about an hour.

Dang I didn't know Sheikra could hold that many riders! It must be the highest-capacity coaster in the world!

 

5 trains, with 24 passengers per train. If 3 of the trains were out on the course. One on the lift hill, one just before the holding brake, and one on the final brake run (Assuming there were two in the station) Just in the 3 trains on the course would be 72 passengers. So having 64 people stuck on the ride is not nearly that impossible.

I knew someone was gonna say multiple trains, but the picture and description was of the lift hill, so I assumed they probably meant 24 and mistyped it.

 

EDIT: You're right

Coaster was stopped in two places -- one just before the 90 degree drop and the other on the climb to the top.

Bay News 9

Edited May 13, 2016 by RAWKIN_coaster38

[DoinItForTheFame]

I knew someone was gonna say multiple trains, but the picture and description was of the lift hill, so I assumed they probably meant 24 and mistyped it.

 

If you watch the video it shows the train on the lift, and towards the end of the video they show a second train sitting at the top of the coaster, right before the holding brake. Knowing how SheiKra runs there would most likely be a train on the first block of the final brake run that would also require evacing.

[DBJ]

That looks better than I thought! Very cool combination of elements.

[TyRush]

Seems like the second half is certainly the more intense part! Will be a great addition for sure

[SFOG1991]

I'm just imagining how awesome this ride would be if it were fully enclosed. Such a good theme for that. Anyways, looks pretty awesome! I already know when I go to Orlando to ride Mako I am going to want to make a side trip for this and Falcon's Fury (which suffered a delayed opening when I last visited and hoped to ride it).

[cfc]

Cobra's Curse looks like a great addition to the park--fun for kids, just enough thrills for adults. The layout is pretty cool.

Edited May 13, 2016 by cfc

[DoinItForTheFame]

Cobra's Curse looks amazing!!! I feel like this is one of those coasters that the POV's just don't do the coaster justice! I think it's going to be much better of a ride than most people expect.

[jedimaster1227]

Cobra's Curse really looks like a fun addition for Busch Gardens... It definitely feels like it will be a family friendly spinner, but I'm thinking that with the right passenger mix, you could possibly get some pretty insane twists in before the final brake run. The ride isn't far from opening, so I'll continue to wait patiently until this reason for a return to the park opens...

 

That and the current rumor that the Crown Colony Restaurant could reopen with the opening of Cobra's Curse.

[SFOG1991]

That and the current rumor that the Crown Colony Restaurant could reopen with the opening of Cobra's Curse.

I really hope this happens. I ate there a few years ago and it was a wonderful experience. Definitely a stand out theme park meal experience.

[Themonerd]

In other news...

www.fox13news.com/news/local-news/140423931-story

[RyanTPM]

^Posted a page back

[boldikus]

Can the site admins make it so that anytime someone posts SENSATIONAL "NEWS" ABOUT A LIFT HILL EVACUATION, they get like a permanent poop emoji next to their username or something? Please make it stop.