Busch Gardens Tampa Bay (BGT Discussion Thread)

[robbalvey]

And just as an extra, I've been a cheetah fanboy for practically my entire life, and I'm unbelievably stoked to see the new exhibit. Seeing a cheetah running full speed will definitely be a VERY cool experience.

I totally agree! And I want to make sure that isn't overlooked. Just like when Busch put in Manta, I really like that they are making an effort for there to be "something" else to do in the area so if you have to baby swap or you just have members of your party that don't want to ride, there is something for them to do, and that something is at least cool and unique, not just a gift shop or a food location to hang out at by the exit.

 

--Robb

[BigDipper 80]

From Facebook:

 

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay: For all you Fans who are asking about Cheetah Hunt's restraint system, the new ride will incorporate over-the-shoulder restraints similar to those found on many other IntaRide coasters such as Maverick and Kingda Ka. Thanks for asking!

 

Hmm... so it will have OTSRs after all (not that I particularly care either way, as this coaster still looks very awesome )...

[SharkTums]

^Hopefully they once again are getting confused amongst themselves and it will actually have the newer style restraints as found on I305, Tornado, or Insane.

[robbalvey]

I did just confirm with the park (which may be the reason why the posted to Facebook) and the ride will have the "Intamin Over the Shoulder Restraints."

 

I told the park that the moment I post this there is going to be a discussion of biblical proportions so I did ask them if they knew for certain if they are the harder plastic kind or the softer straps.

 

For those of you who may not know the difference, the harder plastic ones look like this:

 

 

And the softer shoulder restraints look like this:

 

 

For me personally, it doesn't make a difference one way or the other. Some people complained about the harder restraints (then again people will complain if you give them $100) but on i305, I saw no difference between the restraints.

 

I'll post as soon as I hear something from the park.

 

--Robb "TPR has a very good relationship wtih BGT so I'm sure we'll hear something one way or the other!" Alvey

[Electerik]

Fudge. And I was so excited, too. The estimated chances of my enjoying this ride just went from 95% to about 5%.

 

Yes, the restraints are that important to me. Not in some abstract principal way, but literally in the sense of whether I actually find the ride enjoyable or painful.

 

/Maverick sucks. Not trolling. How I feel about it.

//That's really all I have to say. Enjoy your new coaster.

[beatle11]

Damn, the ride looks sweet. TPR trip to Florida in 2012? I definitely think they need to do something about the name though.

[mightbeawannabe]

Cheetah Hunt should be the code name and actually name it Cheetaka. Sounds cooler...

[robbalvey]

Fudge. And I was so excited, too. The estimated chances of my enjoying this ride just went from 95% to about 5%.

 

Yes, the restraints are that important to me. Not in some abstract principal way, but literally in the sense of whether I actually find the ride enjoyable or painful.

 

/Maverick sucks. Not trolling. How I feel about it.

//That's really all I have to say. Enjoy your new coaster.

I really wish I could comprehend this, and I don't mean that in a disrespectful way. I just don't think I've ever seen anything in the amusement industry where some people are so black or white on it.

 

I'm sure just as much as you it's hard for you to comprehend my "I don't see a difference" comment, I just don't understand how these retraints are THAT BAD to anyone.

 

I mean, especially compared to some REALLY BAD restraints I've seen in the past - Any Vekoma SLC, the original Premiere OTSR's, a Pinfari looper, etc.

 

I honestly think I've been on nearly every single Intamin coaster that has these restraints - Maverick, Kingda Ka, iSpeed, Storm Runner, Fahrenheit, Kanonen, Speed Monster, Furius Baco, Rita, Desert Race, Zaturn, Stealth, Skycar, etc, and just never had a problem with them.

 

I just wish I could understand what it is that makes people hate them SO MUCH when I feel there are far, FAR worse restraints on rides out there.

 

--Robb "I feel that some people will just hate a ride period, unless it has lap bars..." Alvey

[TheSchwitek]

My question is, where is the actual Ride Logo? I can't find it on anything yet. It does lead me to believe the name was a last minute decision. I suppose we will never know...

[robbalvey]

My question is, where is the actual Ride Logo? I can't find it on anything yet. It does lead me to believe the name was a last minute decision. I suppose we will never know...

My gut feeling is that the decision to go with Cheetah Hunt was more of a last minute decision, but was on the "pre-approved" list of name choices.

 

Not sure why this was the case, but when I received the information in my inbox yesterday, the .doc file I got from the park was labeled "CheeTaka and Reef Announcement Advisory_Reminder.doc" but again, that could have just been a working title.

 

In fact, GOOGLE has many responses referencing that same doc.

 

So the park either pulled a fast one and changed the name because they didn't want people to think they had gotten the "Scoop" or it was something that was decided upon recently and they don't have the title treatment art done, or finally, it's been the name all along and for whatever reason there was no release on the title treatment artwork.

 

I figure one of those three scenarios has to be the case. But you're right...we may never know!

 

--Robb

Edited October 13, 2010 by robbalvey

[BarryH]

This ride looks so cool and it'll be my 500th credit!

 

I'm not too pleased with the name, but I wasn't too pleased with SheiKra at first. It sounded like some drunk guy blurted it out. Then the name grew on me.

 

Then again, a coaster by any other name would be just as kick a$$!

[Electerik]

I'm sure just as much as you it's hard for you to comprehend my "I don't see a difference" comment, I just don't understand how these retraints are THAT BAD to anyone. I mean, especially compared to some REALLY BAD restraints I've seen in the past - Any Vekoma SLC, the original Premiere OTSR's, a Pinfari looper, etc.

 

I assume it's just my body type. I don't particularly like any of the restraints you mentioned above. But the hard Intamin OTSR hurt me worse than any of those. (To be fair, it's probably more the restraint/seat combination. They force me into a weird position.)

 

I do of course realize that I am, personally, a very small demographic. And I have not ridden anything with the new soft Intamin OTSR, so I guess I'll hope for those and hope for the best. (I assume the seats will still try to neuter me, though.)

 

You'll have to pardon my negativity. It wouldn't be so bad if I hadn't been led to believe that the ride would have "lapbars" and gotten all excited about it. And I sort of bought into it because of the whole 48" thing. Should have known better.

 

There are some rides with OTSR that I still like (Arrow suspended coasters, most B&Ms). But, yeah, I'll plead guilty to strongly preferring lapbars.

 

/Will it still have cheetahs, or will it turn out to be house cats?

[alpengeist04]

Actually, that 48" height is not yet set in stone. There is a chance it may be adjusted once testing starts.

[downunder]

Loos like fun, having visited Busch Tampa for the first time just last week (Kumba and Montu - unbelievable), this appears to be a very solid addition.

 

I have to admit my first impression of a name like "Cheetah Hunt" is that an endangered animal is being hunted and then after some thought I would start thinking that maybe the Cheetah's are doing the hunting. I personally prefer Cheetaka but it's all academic as long as the coaster is good, call it Rhino Poachers or Baby Seal Slaughter or whatever, just make the coaster good.

[jjune4991]

Will it still have cheetahs, or will it turn out to be house cats?

 

What kind of question is that?

[robbalvey]

Will it still have cheetahs, or will it turn out to be house cats?

 

What kind of question is that?

A joke. I got Erik's sense of humor!

[Ratmead]

Listen to that original 6+ minute video, every time they mention Cheetah Hunt, you can tell the audio has been cut. You never actually see anyone say it. Just screams of last minute change. Disappointed about the lap bar thing, how could they mess that up? Oh well, hopefully we get some vertical construction now.

[robbalvey]

I just want to take a moment out to send some kudos to BGT's PR and Marketing team for the sheer amount of patience they have for dealing with some of the responses they've been getting on their Facebook page.

 

I know I give some of our members crap for being rude or obnoxious, and yes, some people have gotten banned from TPR because they just don't seem to be able to express an opinion professionally, but man, if you read some of the responses that have been posted to their Facebook page, I don't know how they don't explode with frustration towards these people.

 

They have a LOT more patience than I do!

 

I fully understand that some people will have an opinion, and not always a positive opinion. That's fine. But post it in a way that someone will actually take you seriously.

 

Enough said.

 

--Robb

[Ratmead]

While I feel sort of bad for Busch for taking so much heat for the name, it is a really really bad name. It is another case of some suits in an office somewhere so out of touch with reality.

 

I asked this before and didn't get a response, did anyone hear of a price tag yet?

 

Ugh, this quote from Tampabay.com "We think the name is self-explanatory, so we're not changing our mind," said Jim Dean, park general manager. He should have said, "so we're not changing our mind's again today." I heard somewhere today that when the GM was talking to some people he accidentally called it Cheetaka, true story, lol.

Edited October 13, 2010 by Ratmead

[SharkTums]

I asked this before and didn't get a response, did anyone hear of a price tag yet?

 

More than what was paid for Big Dipper?

[The_Mad_Hatter]

/\/\/\Since we're on the topic of facebook: Like. Completely agree with you. I hope over critical fans aren't ruining it for Busch Gardens, who put so much effort into their new amazing looking attraction.

Edited October 13, 2010 by The_Mad_Hatter

[saginawhxc]

They could name this thing Big Pussy Cat Coaster for all I care. It still looks pretty awesome.

[Band-Aid]

I don't understand why everyone hates the name so much, Cheetah Hunt isn't too bad

[TheSchwitek]

I have also been following all the heat they have been getting on their facebook page. It's just part of this whole new "age of facebook" and other social media. Every new attraction that has been announced this year in the US has been done on facebook and has also suffered from tons of negative comments from amusement park enthusiasts and the general public alike. Its all part of this whole learning curve that goes with the new ways of social media. Parks are using facebook, and other sites to spread information and buzz about their new products (as every business is), and in the process, putting themselves in open territory for criticism. When an unknowing fan of a park goes to one of these facebook pages and sees nothing but tons of negative comments about a product, we can all bet that this will rub off on a good percent of viewers, and we will see many people jump on the same bandwagon. Whether your announcing a seeker of the wind, a coaster that dives like a dare devil, a hunt of the cheetahs, or making a giant even bigger in Texas, people are gonna have things to complain about. Now, because of social media, we have a much bigger arena to publicly see this occur. Parks will learn how to use these means of publicity to their greatest advantage in the upcoming years, but for now, facebook is still "new" for many established marketing teams at parks, and it will take a few years for them to figure things out. Patience my young padawans.

 

Michael (I remember when Batman the Ride was announced and no one complained about a thing) Schwitek

[robbalvey]

While I feel sort of bad for Busch for taking so much heat for the name, it is a really really bad name.

No it's not really really bad. Not at all. It may not be as creative as names we've seen out of Busch in the past, but saying it's really really bad is not accurate. "Drop Tower" is a really really bad name. "Flight Deck" is a really really bad name. Cheetah Hunt is not really really bad, it's just not what we were expecting and a bit disappointing. But it's not really really bad. Get real.