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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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No complaints about my visit on Wed Dec 8. Probably helps that no one else was there. Used the $10 QQ I purchased to skip a couple 10 min lines. Rest of the time everything was a walkon, even Cobra.  Cobra and Fury also ran pretty much all day without down time.

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So we went back to the park on the 23rd and I will say we had a better experience than we did last week in terms of operations moving faster. So as @thrillseeker4552stated, maybe they really do reserve better staff/have more oversight/make more of an effort on the busier days. However, had we not needed one more visit to secure our entry to whatever the VIP Iron Gwazi party turns out to be, we would not have visited again until Iron Gwazi opened based on our last visit...so consistency is definitely needed.

Kumba actually did have a grouper this time and they were doing a pretty decent job of keeping the station wait a maximum of two trains. Montu was kind of the same thing per usual, they let the station get absolutely mobbed before cutting off the regular line, so station waits were still 5-6 trains. Cheetah Hunt was still running two trains with one station, so the posted standby line was about 120-150 minutes all day. When we got there, the greeter suggested not even waiting for QQ because they filled the entire QQ line and they said we'd likely be waiting as long as the regular line...ok. We came back much later in the night and got on in about 20 minutes. The park was considerably more crowded and they seemed to do a bit of a better job managing it.

On a side note unrelated to the park, I'll shoot myself before I ever drive from Tampa to Orlando again the night before Christmas eve. So many people hogging the left lane on I-4 going 10-20mph under the speed limit, random cars passing furiously on the right to get around the idiots holding everyone up. 0/10 would not recommend.

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13 hours ago, xVicesAndVirtues said:

So we went back to the park on the 23rd and I will say we had a better experience than we did last week in terms of operations moving faster. So as @thrillseeker4552stated, maybe they really do reserve better staff/have more oversight/make more of an effort on the busier days. However, had we not needed one more visit to secure our entry to whatever the VIP Iron Gwazi party turns out to be, we would not have visited again until Iron Gwazi opened based on our last visit...so consistency is definitely needed.

Kumba actually did have a grouper this time and they were doing a pretty decent job of keeping the station wait a maximum of two trains. Montu was kind of the same thing per usual, they let the station get absolutely mobbed before cutting off the regular line, so station waits were still 5-6 trains. Cheetah Hunt was still running two trains with one station, so the posted standby line was about 120-150 minutes all day. When we got there, the greeter suggested not even waiting for QQ because they filled the entire QQ line and they said we'd likely be waiting as long as the regular line...ok. We came back much later in the night and got on in about 20 minutes. The park was considerably more crowded and they seemed to do a bit of a better job managing it.

On a side note unrelated to the park, I'll shoot myself before I ever drive from Tampa to Orlando again the night before Christmas eve. So many people hogging the left lane on I-4 going 10-20mph under the speed limit, random cars passing furiously on the right to get around the idiots holding everyone up. 0/10 would not recommend.

We were there on the 22nd and had very similar experience. I would say the QQ was worth it for us strictly due to the massive crowds and the fact that we live a 1000 miles away and can't go on a regular basis. Not sure I would have dealt with the crowds but we were already in Clearwater Beach with the rest of our family. FF and Sheikra went down for very short periods but were back up quick. Montu was down all day. Cheetah hunt def had the longest QQ wait with the one station, two train being a big factor as stated. 

The holiday food booths were pretty good quality wise but were a little too heavy on just desserts versus savory items so to speak. Fine for snacking but not enough to really replace a meal in my opinion. In fact one indication of how crowded it was and prices probably getting to people, etc. The Olive Garden across the street had a 15 minute wait at 9:45 pm 🙄

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I will be there on a Sunday, specifically May 1. Hope it won't be toooo crazy. The only time I went park was jammed and I had to buy a fast pass (most things were 60-90 minutes) though that was a Saturday and during a busier time, also that food and wine festival was happening. So I assumed it was just a bad time, hope it will be better and some of the above stories will be ironed out. It is indeed a wonderful park with an increasingly good lineup, would be a shame if it was somewhat sullied by bad ops/running. 

 

Anywho if anyone has an idea of what its generally like that time of year please let me know! 

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^You should be ok in May; typically we try to go on a weekday in general so it's hard to speak for the weekends. Late spring is pretty slow season in Florida since spring break is done but people aren't on summer trips yet. If you were to go just one day later, a Monday, you'd likely have the run of the entire park to yourself, Iron Gwazi (hopefully) included, with everything a walk-on.

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On 12/27/2021 at 2:37 AM, xVicesAndVirtues said:

^You should be ok in May; typically we try to go on a weekday in general so it's hard to speak for the weekends. Late spring is pretty slow season in Florida since spring break is done but people aren't on summer trips yet. If you were to go just one day later, a Monday, you'd likely have the run of the entire park to yourself, Iron Gwazi (hopefully) included, with everything a walk-on.

Thanks! This was my thinking, glad to hear it's not too off base. Oh I wish, I always do weekdays when possible esp not in peak season, sadly this time it was not in the cards.

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  • 3 weeks later...

How is BGT in regards to plus size people? Might make a stop there in Feb and the wife is concerned about making the walk of shame. For reference, she failed the test seat on Raptor and Millennium Force, but has ridden every other ride at CP except TTD (always closed). She's also fit on other Intamin's with no issue (ROS, Hagrids, Velocicoaster). 

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1 hour ago, tndank said:

The B&Ms have big boy seats.  If she's used those before, same here.  (OTS with 2 seatbelts)

Cheetah Chase and Cobras Curse can be a tight fit.  Think most rides have testers.

Looking at photos of them, she's had no issues with Cheetah Hunt style restraints (Maverick, Storm Runner). She's ridden Valravn and Apollo's Chariot, so I would think Sheikra and Kumba would be fine, Montu I think would be the only one she'll struggle with as she didnt fit comfortably on Raptor or Alpengeist. 

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Montu reopens the 18th or 19th. Sheikra is also closed the entire month of February.

Kumba’s belts are shorter than Montu and Sheikra.

Cheetah Hunt also has shorter belts than other rides with the same restraints like Kingda Ka. 

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Her main issue with Alpengeist and Raptor was the narrowness of the seats, cant remember if she got the belts in.  Although if Montu and Sheikra are both closed while were there we'd probably not bother going.

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Busch Gardens Tampa Bay has announced that Iron Gwazi will officially open on March 11th, 2022! 

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https://buschgardens.com/tampa/roller-coasters/iron-gwazi/

IRON GWAZI

THE BEAST AWAKENS MARCH 11

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NORTH AMERICA'S TALLEST, WORLD'S FASTEST & STEEPEST HYBRID COASTER

Just in time for spring break, Iron Gwazi, North America’s tallest and the fastest and steepest hybrid coaster in the world, will open on March 11. Iron Gwazi takes thrills to new heights, plunging riders from a 206 foot-tall peak into a 91-degree drop and reaching top speeds of 76 miles per hour. Riders on Iron Gwazi will experience a dozen airtime moments, including three inversions, as they sink their teeth into crocodile-inspired thrills.

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Welp, I know what I'm doing for Spring break which conveniently is the week of the 14-18. Also it's nice to see the passholder preview schedule announced this far in advance and it's pretty extensive. As frustrating as it's been waiting on this thing to open it's nice to have some opportunities to get on it before it opened to the public.

 

I wanted to go ahead and get my oldest a Busch Gardens/SeaWorld pass this year so we might just go ahead and grab one and hit a preview. Ice Breaker opens the 18th, so might be fun to knock out IG and IB on the 19th, seems doable. 

 

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I can't believe it's finally going to open. Like is this a dream?

 The bf and I made enough visits to go to the Passport to Thrills event. Definitely excited since it's a new coaster and apparently they're going to feed us a free snack. I wonder if it'll be busier at the event than say, just going to the park on a weekday any month that isn't summer or christmas season.

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Well, there goes all the "What will open before Iron Gwazi" jokes...it was fun while it lasted...

Glad it's finally opening, and I hope that this thing's rocky history is behind it... at this point, we for sure don't want any flying seatbacks on opening day!😜

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1 minute ago, swfan1988 said:

Well, there goes all the "What will open before Iron Gwazi" jokes...it was fun while it lasted...

Glad it's finally opening, and I hope that this thing's rocky history is behind it... at this point, we for sure don't want any flying seatbacks on opening day!😜

Now we can do "what will open before Tron"

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I'm still a little bitter about the Passport to Thrills thing. I've had my pass for like 4 years, didn't cancel during the pandemic when the parks clsoed, probably went to the Florida parks at least 12 times last year maybe more, went to HowlScreams at Seaworld, brought friends, spent a lot of money and all that, but since 3 of those visits weren't between September and December then I'm not eligible? Yeah, thanks. I mean I get it, it was a promotion to drive attendance at the end of the year and all but still. There's plenty of other preview days available so it's not that big of a deal, just kinda ticks me off a little (especially now knowing that it's on a weekend that I'm free and would probably go).

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PSA: Anyone planning a trip from any significant distance should check the refurb schedule. For the first few preview days, Montu will be closed and Sheikra will be closed through the beginning of March. If you don't live nearby and don't feel the need to be first, it's really not the ideal time to visit (especially that first week with both Montu and Sheikra down).

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38 minutes ago, coasterbill said:

PSA: Anyone planning a trip from any significant distance should check the refurb schedule. For the first few preview days, Montu will be closed and Sheikra will be closed through the beginning of March. If you don't live nearby and don't feel the need to be first, it's really not the ideal time to visit (especially that first week with both Montu and Sheikra down).

Yeah, theyre both closed when were in the area so we'll be skipping it this trip.

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23 hours ago, coasterbill said:

PSA: Anyone planning a trip from any significant distance should check the refurb schedule. For the first few preview days, Montu will be closed and Sheikra will be closed through the beginning of March. If you don't live nearby and don't feel the need to be first, it's really not the ideal time to visit (especially that first week with both Montu and Sheikra down).

Thanks for the "heads up" Bill. I was planning to go there for the Feb dates. With 2 of my favs closed, it's not worth it. You saved me a lot of disappointment and frustration. Now I'm sad...

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