Busch Gardens Tampa Bay (BGT Discussion Thread)

[dragonskeep]

Some of you should remember the point of this is to have fun.

[ConleyKE]

This diagram shows two loading platforms with 8 rows each but they are segmented off by fours so it looks like the ride will have 4-car trains. There's also a "blockbrake" marking on the section before Rhino Rally.

That's what was odd to me. Since when has a coaster car ever had four rows?

 

Do you mean four rows of seats in each car, or four cars that make up the train? If you mean four cars, I believe that's what Intamin has used for it's mega-lites thus far. So it has been done, but I do agree that it looks strange.

[dandaman]

Would that be awesome if they could somehow attach Piers to the trains and randomly have him singing "Bad Romance"?

 

FTFY.

[jedimaster1227]

This past Friday, Colin and I were fortunate enough to take part in Busch Garden Tampa Bay's Howl-O-Scream "Bleedup," an event made to get involved Twitter, Facebook and Media followers a free night at Howl-O-Scream, including front of the line passes for the houses (excluding Alone), free food, a special concert by Sylvie and myX and more. It was a truly fantastic event, and it was a great start to an incredible evening.

 

Now for the event rundown.

 

Houses:

 

myX: Revenge Rocks- The main house of the event, themed to match the main theme of the event itself, was definitely one of the best of the night. This house was previously used to house my favorite house of the previous year, 13. As was seen in my Scream Cam video last week, this house really does drag you into the middle of the concert venue. I don't want to spoil any of the surprises, but the entire second half of the house that wasn't shown in the video has some pretty great effects and scares.

 

Nightshade Toys: Son of Nightshade- Basically the same as last year, although in a new location, Nightshade was fun as always. It had a few really good scares (including one really wet one involving baby dolls).

 

DED'er: Extreme Rush- Aside from a new theme song that follows the same myX backtrack, the house from last year remained virtually the same. Definitely the humor house of the event, it was enjoyable and longer than some of the others, which was definitely a plus.

 

Trapped in the Walls: Ghostchasers- Inspired by the recent paranormal investigation that took place at the Crown Colony earlier this year, the returning Trapped in the Walls house has received an update to include the science behind the scare. The beginning of the house now features some "purification halls" that remind me of Body Wars. Some great scares, but again, the house was very similar to what it was last year.

 

Taste of Blood: A Different Vein- Another returning house; I didn't notice any differences between this and last year, but regardless, it had me jumping in fear a few times.

 

Death Row Vengeance: No Escape- Great as always, even though there wasn't anything really new about this returning house. The finale continues to amaze me, for its sheer scale and the unique way that it ties into the fundamental idea behind a prison escape.

 

Deconstruction: The Doctor is Out of Control- It seems like most of the changes made to this house were in the audio and the strobes. There was less of both this year, and more scareactors for sure. The house itself remained virtually unchanged, but the pacing and the acting were clearly adjusted from last year.

 

Alone- Due to the house being sold out for the night, we didn't get to experience it.

 

Scarezones:

 

Crazed Love- This was definitely a humorous zone of the four. Not much to it, the actors were extremely effective at getting their scares in.

 

Road Trip- Impressive in theme and in design, this concept could easily be adapted into a house, and seemed perfect for the Jungala area where it was located. Definitely a highlight of the night!

 

Spiders & Snakes- While not anything radically new, the costume and effect designs behind this scarezone were superior to some of those found at Halloween Horror Nights. This was the 2nd scariest zone of the year.

 

Light of Doom- Not really scary, but fun to walk through. Not much more to say than that.

 

Roaming hordes- While not as present as last year, some of the returning gags including the pop-up baby in the carriage and the rising wheelchair-bound guest. A group of clowns as well as the shovel-draggers walked the park as well.

 

[coastertube]http://www.themeparkreview.com/coastertube/play.php?vid=slyvie_xgfb[/coastertube]

The protesters seen in front of the myX Rocks house are also out and about at the park's entrance.

Somebody is a bit of a fan--at least I'm guessing.

At the opening reception of the Bleedup, there was a live performance of the Slyders, who are the park's dance crew.

The DJ kept Club X pumping!

And of course, there was food!

Next, we were treated to a live performance by myX including Sylvie herself.

A short raffle involving several signed guitars and a few spots for "Alone" was done. We didn't win.

While picking tickets, Sylvie got a little hungry.

"Do we have two more prizes for a certain Adam and Colin?"

Following the concert, we were able to grab a photo with Sylvie. It is just a shame that for some reason, both of our photos came out completely blurry. No Sylvie photos for us...

The Bleedup was a really fun and unique way to reach guests and media, and I hope the SeaWorld parks continue to hold these events in the future.

One thing Howl-O-Scream does right is the use of "roaming hordes," which include traveling scareactors around the park. Never the same scare twice!

This guy drags his shovel and swings it at your feet to try to throw you off guard.

The scarezones rely more heavily on the dark for their execution...

Colin loved the disco tunnel. It isn't as groovy as the Escalator Ride, but it is definitely amusing.

The glow signs (not glowing here thanks to the flash) help direct guests to the houses, which can sometimes be confusing.

Last year's DED house returned virtually unchanged, which is fine considering how amusing it was previously.

I've already pledged once before, no thank you.

Late night rides on Sheikra (or Shriekra) are always a plus!

She ran into Steve Jobs at the airport.

My favorite scarezone of the trip was in Jungala and was known simply as Road Trip.

She's just angry she isn't in my three-room king tent.

One of the talking skeletons... This one makes fart jokes.

I'm terrified!

Colin is confuzzled.

This year, Trapped in the Walls received a slight theme adjustment, making it slightly resemble a certain house at a certain other Halloween event at a certain other park.

The facade.

I sense a little irony here.

I'm sure their are discovering truths of a legendary nature here.

Think Body Wars queue meets climbing in between partially constructed walls.

We did Cheetah Chase because really, what's more scary than Cheetah Chase?

The entrance to Crazed Love.

I was shocked but had to decline.

 

Strappingly virile and all.

So Colin stepped in to accept the proposal instead...

Head lost his head...

She got groomed.

Not sure why these two just danced continuously, but they couldn't stop smiling.

"He's a cheater. You don't want him!"

 

This is actually what she said. I can't make this stuff up!

Death Row Vengeance is always a fun house, but I never remember about the surprise ending.

This one isn't based around a shady brook?

Colin rides the short bus.

Adam + Turtle = TPR Gold!

Time to boldly go!

Another extremely dark scare zone for good measure!

"Itsah Geepsy!"

Last year, this house was 13. It was completely overhauled for this year's event.

Being a member of a fraternity, this was eerily familiar.

It wouldn't be Howl-O-Scream without the Naughty Nurses from the "amazing" show, Fiends.

Edited October 3, 2010 by jedimaster1227

[Jay20016]

Yeah but unless the train has the ability to stop anywhere but the far mid course as shown on on of the diagrams, the slower element actually hinders capacity like Steve said. If 2 trains are dispatched at once (which appears to be the case) then that makes the time between the 2 launches even longer. Increased capacity via the course of the coaster can only really be accomplished with a large number of blocks with SHORT ride sections such as Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit.

 

I never said longer = higher capacity. My point was more that adding the tower isn't useless... and can have a positive effect on capacity and overall flow of the ride. From the plans linked before, it looks as if they're having two trains loading in the station at a time similar to Sheikra, there is also the pre-launch block right out of the station. Assuming the 2nd launch is like other LSMs it too is a block, as is the 3rd (haven't seen any of the blue prints for it yet so I have no idea if it is just the launch or a pre-launch brake + launch track)

 

You can only move as fast as the car in front of you allows. Without the tower element, you're looking at a small launch, banked turn, some other type of verylandlocked element that points the coaster in the right direction, then a second launch down the veld. Sure, it takes a matter of seconds, but how long is the section after that second launch? Even with it staying low to the ground and blazing through a sizable chunk of real estate, you're looking at something much longer in time. If that is the case, when do you launch the second train? As soon as Train #1 clears the 2nd launch? Wouldn't that require it to now wait at the second launch before proceeding, as it will surely complete the Station -> Second Launch section of course before the first train can complete Second Launch -> Mid course? If you have it wait longer on the pre-launch, are you then not hindering what you can do with a 3rd or 4th train pulling out of the station? How about a 5th or 6th waiting behind that? Looking at what the blue prints show there are 7 blocks in the station alone (if not more outside of the image boundaries in the form of a separate brake section) Adding the tower lets Train #1 do its thing, pass through the second launch and let Train #2 leave a bit earlier to do its turn on the tower and continue on seamlessly through to the mid course.

 

Ironically, none of this will matter though because guests will continue to screw up theoretical hourly capacities with their bags, flip-flops, refillable drinks, etc. and just in general slow loading procedures...

 

As for Rip, Ride, Rockit, you've said everything that I did in a different manner, only in reverse. My post was dealing with the problem of short blocks and their tendency to create a larger problem through cascading stops. I've ridden it 3 times now that we never once rolled through to the next element and hard stopped at each for a solid 5-10 seconds--- it isn't 1/2 as fun as it sounds. Though I guess I can't complain as it made the ride closer to a "real" coaster's length *instant rim shot*

 

There are give and takes with each style. That dual-load stations, shorter train lengths, etc. are being tried as means to 'solve' these problems shows just how much can change in the industry and that there isn't a singular "right" answer.

[jedimaster1227]

(Continued)

Deconstruction was crazy as always!

For the booze enthusiasts...

Colin loves Gwazi.

 

I mean, who doesn't?

There is something very scary about this photo...

 

Could it be a severe lack of Katonga? I think so!

These talking heads were burning down the house.

Slyvie fans and protesters alike approached the concert stage...

The concert stage, located across from the entrance to Gwazi was surrounded by crazed fans.

She rocked the house...

Can you guess who works here?

This looks familiar!

"I just got backdoored."

The clowns were one of this year's roaming hordes.

They were quite amusing!

These guys hide in the bushes and scare people.

 

60% of the time, it works every time.

It's time for a Road Trip!

Road Trip was definitely the most impressive scarezone of the year.

Another victim awaits his doom!

Lots of Lycans out and about in Jungala.

Cowardice at its finest.

Taste of Blood is kind of like the Food & Wine Festival of houses. It has a taste of various themes... Subways, vampires, cults, caves, statues... The whole shebang!

 

And that's what that's all about. Boom!

I see what they did here...

Blood Relations is a pop culture parody show, similar in nature to Bill & Ted's Excellent Halloween Adventure, except not that funny.

Colin is having a blood relation after seeing the show.

Didn't I just get married last week at Horror Nights? This isn't my bride.

Some people find this ideal. Crazed love.

More of the dark/light scarezone!

Nightshade Toys returned this year, albeit in a new location (the former monorail station has been gutted in preparation for the 2011 coaster addition). Its the same house you know and love, just moved over.

The facade is definitely impressive.

I smell detail!

Random Shop of Horrors photo.

Would you like to buy a finger?

This is such a good Christmas tree! I can't wait to see what they do for Hannukah!

She's myX.

Thanks again to Busch Gardens Tampa Bay for hosting us at this year's Howl-O-Scream Bleedup! Make sure to visit the park for this fantastic event!

[BridgeMan]

While the Crazed Love scarezone looks "interesting" to say the least, I dig the actors they had mixed into the crowd during the concert. Great report!

[The_Mad_Hatter]

!!!!!!!!

 

The first four seconds of the fourth clip seems to have been leaked.

 

click "Clip 2" and it shows the train entering a zero g roll. To the left, you can see a nice camelback hill.

 

 

http://buschgardens2011.com/

 

here's a photo showing the airtime hill and the entrance into the zero g roll:

 

 

The new clip seems to overlap with the first.

Edited October 4, 2010 by The_Mad_Hatter

[Skycoastin Steve]

Oops! Looks like their IT person made a mistake trying to update the site for tomorrow.

[jjune4991]

Oh wow. Well at least we've got one of the inversions. Yay!!!

[televisedconfession]

You know, even if this new coaster has OTSR on it like Maverick, I'm not too worried. This looks smooth enough and the transitions don't seem to jerk your head from side to side yet. I love the elongated layout and the dives into the trenches. This is really shaping up to be a winner!

[Ratmead]

That is gonna be a nice airtime hill after the third launch.

[Saldek]

The new preview clip is up (code: POWER) and is much longer than the previous ones at about 23 seconds in length!

 

So bust your bibs out cause you'll be drooling all over!

 

[live2tell75]

Based on the waterfalls on the right side, looks like the former water portion area of Rhino Rally.

[808Freq]

Man they were not joking when there were claiming agility. The twists through the trenches look super sweet!!!

[coasterfreak101]

What's up with all the (not launch) straight track? I wish I didn't sound like the greedy enthusiast, because I'm not trying to complain, but this last part was a bit of a letdown. I guess I built up expectations in my head (hopefully I'm not alone on that one) and they just weren't met. Oh well. Still looks like a fantastic ride!

[Saldek]

^The straight track after the barrel roll is a blockbrake.

[traincrossin]

And here all 4 clips released so far combined.

[Skycoastin Steve]

So one inversion it is! Such an odd layout.....

[PCW_Nut]

This looks like it will be a great addition to the park, but what do you guys think...Family-ish Coaster/Thrill Ride/Inbetween?

[Skycoastin Steve]

Blue section of track is the 4th video. As a reminder, orange was #1, yellow was #2, lime green was #3.

[808Freq]

Yeah, I'd say it looks family style all right, cept for the barrel roll. Though I'm sure my kid will be able to handle that.... *in the background - "SHUT UP I DONT CARE IF YOU'RE SCARED.. GET IN LINE!!!"*

[Coaster Mike]

To be honest I'm a little disappointed, I was hoping for some type of top hat element. At least there's one inversion though... it almost comes across as a "family" coaster now.

[BaMiTsPaT]

^At least it isn't as "family" as th13teen is with its ultra-intense marketing campaign! I think this will be a fantastic addition to the park, and may even become the best coaster there! Family ride or not it kicks tail!

[coasterbear30]

I have to agree with some on here that I am a bit disappointed in the layout so far. With the big 3 at BGT all being in my top 5 steel coasters I guess I was expecting more. I just don't find that speed and straight track sections are all that impressive. Coasters like Rita and the new one in Dubai have no interest to me because they are all about speed and don't really do much. I am glad that there is at least a zero g roll and that weird figure 8 thing in the air but I guess I just wanted/expected more. I will have to wait to ride it to see what I really think I guess.