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Busch Gardens Tampa Bay (BGT Discussion Thread)

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Sorry to hear it went so poorly :( I was super anxious about the rain, glad I managed to get all I needed in by 5 and scram, (along your lines I had no real want to stay longer, even for IG since it was moving at snails pace and just didn't wanna deal). I too am quite disappointed in my day at BGT, not the rides but the actual park left a lot to be desired. Deff worst park experience I've had in the last 2 seasons, much as I wanna blame SeaWorld BGW was far better in every aspect so maybe something about this one. Oh yeah the food...besides much of it being closed while we know what to expect at a park...but even I was a little taken aback at $23 I think it was for what was mass catered quality burger and some waffle fries.

Was glad to have gotten 4 rides on IG 3 in the back (which was insane, esp as it warmed up) between that, it not being close, and my experience, won't lie I probably won't go back here unless they open up a big new ride. With so many RMC's now, while IG was great superb I can get a fix elsewhere. KD is also much closer to me, and BGW I do feel had a better atmosphere and overall a far stronger lineup. 

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I've now been a few times over the last couple years.  Park layout is bad, and especially bad for non-regulars.  I can agree with much of the recent comments.  BGT always seemed like a top tier park to me, but my visits have ranged from not so great up to decent.  IG helps the park for sure.

Still love riding the train through the Serengeti and seeing the animals. 

 

 

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36 minutes ago, tndank said:

I've now been a few times over the last couple years.  Park layout is bad, and especially bad for non-regulars.  I can agree with much of the recent comments.  BGT always seemed like a top tier park to me, but my visits have ranged from not so great up to decent.  IG helps the park for sure.

Still love riding the train through the Serengeti and seeing the animals. 

 

 

just curious but what about the park layout do you think is bad? I mean it's pretty big and spread out, but I don't particularly find it to be bad, but it's really not that different than any other theme park out there. A crossover between Stanleyville and the plaza by Falcon's fury would be nice, but it's not that far of a walk really.

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The area around Kumba and the log flume to Flacons Fury annoyed me for awhile. The area around Sheikra threw me off, too. 

But also, Falcons Fury seems like the centerish of the park but there is really no direct path. 

Just seemed to take me longer to familiarize myself here than most parks.  

Maybe it's partly the size. All good after a couple visits.

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I feel like we kinda got screwed up on the layout by taking the train (which was fantastic BTW) from near Cheetah Hunt to Kumba. If we just walked, the park does form a complete circle. But it does suck being stuck past Sheikra near the kids area just trying to find air conditoned dining (after walking past the line out the door at Zambia Smokehouse), then finding out the Garden Gate Cafe doesn't serve food. So you try heading to Dragon Fire Grill which might as well be in another area code because you have to go all the way around the park to get to it even though as the crow flies its not that far, then by the time you get around the bird enclosure you're ready to pass out and say f*ck it and just wait in the Smokehouse line. 

There are a few smaller areas that are confusing as well, such as the aforementioned Sheikra area as well as trying to get into Pantopia from the Tigris area and figuring out which dead end looking path is the correct one. And I didn't even know until after that there is a path from Cheetah Hunt that connects up near Dragon Fire so I totally missed the Hippos.

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We went to BGT last Tuesday and had a nice time, but the details were pretty in line with what others mentioned before. We’ve lived in Orlando for a decade and have just learned to appropriately adjust our expectations the moment we set sail on I-4 West. 
 

What’s kind of sad is that I grew up going to BGW as a kid in the late nineties. My parents are in their 60s and I’ve dragged them to most of the major parks over the years. They haven’t been to BGW since 2001 but they still claim that is their favorite park. The place had (and still does have to a certain extent) a magical quality about it; especially for a young enthusiast. Then there’s Tampa. 
 

I actually give a slight edge to the Tampa coaster collection but for such a high profile park, I can’t tell you the last time I’ve been to the place where there weren’t at least 4 rides on the closed board plus more that are unavailable indefinitely.  
 

I had bought QQ earlier in the week because I had hoped to marathon Scorpion and The Flume. The latter has basically been closed all year. I asked Guest Relations if I could get a couple of one time skip the lines for next time but got a lecture about their closed attractions page on their website. To their credit, it’s up to date, but it changes last minute so I advise anyone thinking about QQ to wait until the day prior to purchase. Falcons Fury, Scorpion, and Flume we’re not listed to be closed a week prior to my visit. I quickly let it go but it was irritating. 
 

Whereas most parks have a “prime” season where everything is essentially opened, staffed and running decently well, I can’t tell you the last time or ever that I saw BGT run on all cylinders. There might be more coaster trains on the tracks and a shorter closed rides list during busier of the year, but there is always a sense of disorganization that is obvious to the average park goer and their TripAdvisor reviews are a testament to that. Still love the hell out of the park, it’s just an unfortunate situation. 

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To be honest, I feel like buying QQ was a waste of money. Especially with IG only getting 1 ride (which of course I never got the chance to use). It would be different if IG was unlimited. Otherwise, I skipped ~30 minute lines for Cheetah Hunt and Cobra's Curse early on but when I returned in the afternoon they were total walk ons. Montu was running half empty. The only other time I skipped any kind of line with QQ was Kumba with its one train ops. Even Scorpion, Sand Serpent, and Tigris were 5 minute waits or less midday. I just wish I could've had QQ for that shitshow at the Smokehouse lol.

I have to admit I was shocked at how dead the park was. I thought maybe I was having crowd withdrawal after Universal and Disney but on one of my Montu rides I could see that they had maybe 4 rows of cars beyond the tram station. Unlike Cedar Fair they didn't jack the price up on QQ last minute or take them off sale on site, so next time I will definitely wait and see how the crowds look.

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Yeah sounds like you fell into the quick queue / flash pass etc. trap. I've made that mistake thinking there's NO WAY it wouldn't be crowded but alas I was wrong. Memorial Day Saturday at Six Flags New England, absolutely dead. Now I always wait, just in case the weather gets bad and clears everyone out, etc. If you're early enough at the parks they really aren't at risk of selling out. Stinks you only get 1 ride on Iron Gwazi.

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So I'm thinking about doing something kind of insane but here's the back story...

For the past 3 or 4 years, my wife had been asking when we were going to go back to Florida since we hadn't been since 2012. My answer was always "When Iron Gwazi opens, we will go to Florida." True to my word, within a month and change of the ride opening, down to Florida we went. Even when we walked into Islands of Adventure last Monday, I looked at VelociCoaster and said "this is the secondary reason for this trip!" then proceeded to fall in love with the damn thing. Finally, on Sunday we made our way to Tampa to finally ride the coaster that was the main reason for this trip (and the main reason for putting it off for 3 years). Naturally, after 6 days in the hot sun Sunday would be the first super humid day of our trip and after getting one somewhat disappointing ride in the morning (and pledging to return in the afternoon instead of immediately using the one-time IG skip the line pass that I paid an extra $30 for) I spent the whole middle of the day feeling ready to pass out. One thing led to another, I ended up not returning to the front of the park until 6:00 and as soon as I made my way into the IG station, the storms blew up and ended the day far too early.

SO....

On Sunday June 5th my plan is to fly to Tampa early in the AM (on points), Uber to the park, spend the day (AAA has a good deal on admission + dining pass which is cheaper than just admission on the BGT website), stay at the Hampton Inn across the street that I stared at through the pouring rain last week, then Uber to the airport Monday morning and fly home (also on points). With points taking care of the flights, I would only need to pay for Uber, the park ticket, and one night at the hotel which, all told, should be in the $300 range.

My one and (probably only) question regards Quick Queue. This past Sunday 5/1 QQ felt like a total waste of money. If you could get unlimited IG, it would be one thing. But the park was pretty dead, the rides in the back were walk ons all day save for Kumba which inexplicably ran one train. The front of the park had small lines in the AM, but was deserted after 5PM. This potential trip will be exactly 5 weeks later, also on a Sunday. How much busier (if at all) would the park be in early June compared to early May (assuming similar weather)? With my own experience in mind, I'm definitely leaning towards not buying one, but does the park get significantly busier in the next few weeks? I haven't booked any of this yet, but would like to do so soon.

I know no one here will find it weird that someone would make a special trip just to reride one coaster (more rides on Kumba, Montu, and Cheetah Hunt are also pluses, plus hopefully Falcon's Fury will reopen by then) but I feel kind of insane for considering this. I obsessed over getting back to Great Adventure after getting shutout on Jersey Devil opening day last year, and did the 8-hour round trip two days later to go back and ride it. This feels similar, only it's more expensive and 1200 miles further.

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2 hours ago, Zand said:

With my own experience in mind, I'm definitely leaning towards not buying one, but does the park get significantly busier in the next few weeks? I haven't booked any of this yet, but would like to do so soon.

What's the advantage to booking QQ prior to your trip? They sell it at the park. I would look at the lines and decide from there. Nothing like blowing $80+ for nothing. Even on a Sunday if you go to the park early when it opens you can knock a lot of stuff out. Cheetah hunt maybe not so much.

If you're afraid it's going to sell out I wouldn't let that hinder you... it's 99.9% a non issue for a Sunday that isn't even in the heart of summer. Just my opinion though after visiting busy parks and even busy days, but every park I've ever been to even on those days you can knock out a lot of stuff early if you get to the parks at open. Just depends if you want to have a "strategy" or not, or just want to take things as they come with QQ and not worry about anything.

I can't tell you what that strategy is because Iron Gwazi is new, but I wouldn't even make the consideration of buying QQ ahead of time. At the very least check in on the forums or social media weekend prior to the weekend you'll be there for any info online about crowds. You'll have a better idea once June rolls around how you should plan your game plan once there are more "knowns" and get an idea of traffic patterns at the park.

Just my opinion though. If IG was unlimited I would most likely say take it, if you wanted to ride it many many many times even if it was a quiet day, but since it's not, just wait and see.

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9 hours ago, anonymouscactus said:

What's the advantage to booking QQ prior to your trip? They sell it at the park. I would look at the lines and decide from there. Nothing like blowing $80+ for nothing. Even on a Sunday if you go to the park early when it opens you can knock a lot of stuff out. Cheetah hunt maybe not so much.

I keep forgetting that this isn't a CF park lol...I almost got burned at Cedar Point AND Kings Island last Memorial Day weekend because they sold out days in advance. Preordered one of my CP days so at least I had that one.

So yeah, I absolutely will wait and see how the park looks that day but continue leaning towards not buying one. I can't really use the Sunday before as a guide because it's Memorial Day Weekend but I'll keep an eye on the next 3 Sundays.

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Falcon's Fury will be down for my visit this weekend and that's a major bummer. 

My expectations for this visit are so low, I'm just hoping what's not listed on the closed list Friday is actually open. 

The pretzels at BGW were actually the biggest surprise of the trip and seemed to be close to the 'omfg amazing' level that people raved about at BGT, any pretzel reviews lately? Last year the spot by FF was just fine, but also better than anything else being served in the park. 

Has anyone been to the rooftop safari restaurant yet or is it even open?

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Giraffe bar is now open.  

Everything else was running last weekend outside of Falcons.  Pres said Falcon started having problems after some storms about a week ago.  Been trying to get it back up quickly but I guess they need another week or so.  Park is still not running 100% with several food stalls still closed.  Pretzel place next to Falcon was open and smelled great.

 

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11 hours ago, tndank said:

Giraffe bar is now open.  

Everything else was running last weekend outside of Falcons.  Pres said Falcon started having problems after some storms about a week ago.  Been trying to get it back up quickly but I guess they need another week or so.  Park is still not running 100% with several food stalls still closed.  Pretzel place next to Falcon was open and smelled great.

 

When I was there Giraffe Bar was open but the new restaurant in the same building still said "coming soon". Not sure if that's what he was referring to. The only food in there was the pizza place.

I still can't believe BGT only has 3 air conditioned restaurants that aren't Chick-fil-a. F*cking SFNE has 3 air conditioned restaurants and is like 1/3rd the size and hits 90 degrees about 250 less times per year.

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Thank you Lahey @tndank, yes was wondering about the 'coming soon' restaurant above Giraffe bar, since it's been coming for the past 12+ months. What gives BGT. It's astounding this park doesn't have a full service sit down restaurant (and the Garden Gate is the perfect space already built).

 

Oh @Zandthat Garden Gate Cafe did have food in it last year when I visited!

 

....3 varieties of foot long hot dogs. In a place called Garden Gate Cafe ..😒🤣😒🤣

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20 minutes ago, SharkTums said:

The pretzels have been a let down lately...so go in with low expectations and hopefully they are back to making them fresh and delicious! 

They were good not great last year, so continuing the low expectations theme haha.

BGW's by Mach Tower were amazing and buttery! 

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When I had my pretzel at BGT I had to keep looking down at the paper with the logos on it to remind myself I was actually at a Busch Gardens. They were decent, but I set my expectations way too high after BGW lol.

Garden Gate not having food was pretty lame. Even worse was looking for an alternative to Zambia Smokehouse, then coming across a food place near the Log Flume which had a menu of...Chicken Fingers. That's it, that's all. Same chain as Williamsburg. Sure.

0501221501.thumb.jpg.422d2ac4de2c3e6b4bfddd783b5cb7a9.jpg

Sure was hungry for convenience but BGT was more hungry to have me stand in a hot as balls 40 minute line instead.

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So we were at the park 6/6 & 6/7 for the ACE Spring Con. Probably not fair for me to give a lot of opinion on operations since we had most everything at some point on ert and had just been there over Christmas so not like we were trying to get on everything in one day. It was busy enough on Sat that with no evening ert we left about 5 since we had to drive on into Orlando. The only thing I am aware of that was down both days was Falcon's Fury (and for you Lorikeet aficionados the interactive part of the exhibit was down due to caution over the avian flu that has been spreading in the wild). IG was insanely fun and exactly as expected and our meal in the big, and wonderfully air conditioned tent, near IG was pretty good. Lots of the food festival stuff was pretty good too, but I tend to enjoy that sort of thing.

The bigger news is for anyone that might stay at the Hampton Inn right across the street. As has been discussed the area around the park "ain't the greatest of neighborhoods", but I thought Hampton Inn, known entity, fairly secure. And several of the other attendees were there as well. Most of you are probably familiar with the typical free hotel breakfast you get there. Came down to eat, nothing special UNTIL about 5 women came storming in all at once through the lobby and were grabbing food left and right. Immediately the ladies that ran the breakfast area started screaming at them that the police were being called and 3 of the women bolted for the door, the fourth grabbed a few things but got out quick, but the fifth casually kept eating and claimed she was being harassed even though she was clearly stealing food. Turns out the 5 "ladies" were local prostitutes that are sent in by their pimp on a regular basis to steal food. Not exactly high priced call girls either since the brazen one that stayed had some open sores on her neck and she preceded to eat right out of the pan of eggs over and over which of course then had to be dumped. In the end she took about 5 plates of food out to said pimp, yes I saw him, and caused a ton of wasted food since she touched about everything. Thing is if she had quietly come in an just gotten a plate of food I'm not sure most of of us would have noticed. 

Anyway if you like a show with breakfast apparently this is a regular thing, if not you might want to avoid. Since it was during an event I've dubbed it the "Thoosies and floosies variety hour"  😉

 

AND this was the day after a strange meatball incident at the Tampa airport involving a man dropping a whole crap ton of meatballs from a carryout container all over the jet way as we exited the plane which happened right in front of a man exiting with his service dog. Needless to say said dog was completely incredulous that his owner expected him to bypass free meatballs that were all over the floor and available for the taking. Use your imagination for the chaos that ensued.

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Over or under 10 days before Gwazi gets closed for the current wasp situation at the top of the lift?

 

Has anyone that's been on it recently and months ago comment on if this is a newer issue? Every ride people panicked at the top with all the wasps. One ride a few got pull down the drop with us 🤣 but not cool.

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