Philrad's Floridian Adventure!

[SharkTums]

That rusty Kumba picture makes me sad. It is important to remember that Kumba is nearly SEVENTEEN years old. Add in the harsh Florida climate, and slightly less care by maintenance and you can get a REALLY bad ride on that coaster. It's killed me before, then I'll go back six months later and it's glass smooth.

 

Kind of a bummer, but it does seem like it's getting much more temperamental in its old age.

[Philrad71]

^ I would definitely give it some credit for age and track conditions - I kept re-riding it to try and find the least roughest seat!

 

If anyone is going in the near future, I would definitely recommend the front over the back. We rode it in the front twice, second seat, middle and back and it was definitely not as rough in the front. I agree that it would be nice to see it given some love & attention as there are some really awesome elements to the ride!

 

Now Gwazi on the other hand...after getting a rough ride in the front, I did not even dare attempt a ride in the back!

[Koolkid]

See, everyone complains about Gwazi, but last year I rode both sides 2 or 3 times and whilst yes it was bumpy, it wasn't rough or painful in the slightest. In fact those rides were some of my funnest roller coaster experiences

[Philrad71]

^I'm just curious to ask how old you are?

 

Reason I ask is because some of us (not all, mind you) old(er) farts are just not as tolerant of the bumpy coasters as the younger generation. While 38 does not sound old by any means, you do start to notice as you get older that some of the coasters that didn't bother you when you were younger now just make you want to grab for a bottle of Aleve as soon as you hit the coaster exit (we usually bring them with us)!

 

I do not have any known back problems, but I have had some pretty brutal rides on SOB, Hurler, Wildbeast and many, many others...including Gwazi. While I don't mind a little bit of the side to side movement and jostling on a woodie (you have to expect this), I don't like being whip-sawed, jack-hammered, or have my shoulders slammed on curves.

 

A lot of times before I visit a theme park, I will check out the Mitch Hawker rankings just to see where certain woodies place so I kinda know what to expect before I ride. Of course, I also read the trip reports on here and I value other enthusiast's opinions as well. My only problem is that even if a coaster is ranked low, as soon as I get to the park, I want to ride it to judge for myself to see if it really is as crappy as everyone says! And then about 99% of the time, I have to agree with why a coaster ranks in the lower half of a poll or it seems that a lot of enthusiasts complain about a ride - it simply isn't that good!

 

I certainly commend and admire you for being able to have fun, enjoyable rides on Gwazi...I just wish I could have had the same experience. While it was definitely not the roughest coaster I have ever been on, I simply didn't find it to be much fun - much like a lot of other enthusiast's on this site.

 

Let's just say:

 

Too much "Ouuuuchhh!" and not enough "Yayyyyy!"

[larrygator]

Reason I ask is because some of us (not all, mind you) old(er) farts are just not as tolerant of the bumpy coasters as the younger generation. While 38 does not sound old by any means, you do start to notice as you get older that some of the coasters that didn't bother you when you were younger now just make you want to grab for a bottle of Aleve as soon as you hit the coaster exit

 

QFT - I always said I wouldn't let this happen to me, but the day 5 years ago that I limped off of the Coney Island Cyclone with a Charlie Horse and a deep thigh bruise I knew the rough coasters would win out over my body in the end.

[ebl]

Wait till you guys turn 50!

 

Both sides of Gwazi were closed during my one and only visit...maybe that was a good thing? Kumba was open, but I was too busy doing other things to get to it---and then when I headed over there, it was closed due to problems and never reopened.

 

Nice TR for all of the parks. I hope to get back to Florida soon.

 

Eric

[Philrad71]

^^Larry, I will definitely remember that when I make it out to Coney Island. I have always wanted to ride the Cyclone and have heard that it can be quite brutal. I will definitely remember to have extra Aleve on hand for that one!

 

^ Eric, I fully understand. My father is 63 and my partner is 66 (yep, I know that sounds weird) and we go to theme parks together and all love coasters, but some of them we end up getting off saying "just tell me how that would be classified as fun?" The three of us can pretty much agree on which one's we would (or wouldn't do) again. Gwazi was one we all decided "one and done."

[Philrad71]

Busch Gardens - Part III

 

Just so everyone knows, this report is all about the animals! Coaster and ride pics may be scattered here and there throughout the remainder of my Busch Gardens update, but it will mostly be dedicated to all of the cool animals in the park.

 

This was our first experience at Jungala. Last time we visited, Michael was still in coaster training and was very proud to have ridden Python (which was replaced by Jungala, I believe). This visit, he did every coaster in the park including front seat of Montu, Kumba & Sheikra!

 

Jungala was awesome! We could have stayed and watched the orangutans and tigers all day. It really was amazing to watch them up close...their behavior, habits and antics. I bet that between the two day visits, we totalled about two hours watching just the tigers and orangutans!

 

Of course, the other animal exhibits and safari's are wonderful too! I really would love to be able to shell out the money next time for the upcharge attractions including the behind-the-scenes coaster tour and the close-up animal safari.

First up - the Komodo Dragon!

Flamingos! Florida wouldn't be the same without them - plastic or otherwise.

Tigers are the big draw here at BGA and they didn't disappoint. Even the topiary tiger was awesome!

Breathtakingly cool!

This one was not impressed that he couldn't go over the bridge to play with the other tigers!

He had an eye on this pretty lil' white tiger on the other side.

"Tourists - they're greeeeaaat!"

"What's that you say? Roll over? Well, I never...."

"Well okay...as long as you're still gonna give me that five pound rump roast for a snack!"

" Aha...I've got you now, my pretty!"

Getting ready to make his move...

Hmmm...I wonder why this kitty looks so sated? "Can someone play us some Engelbert Humperdink , please?"

This person got the full view in the pop-up - lucky!

Now we'll switch gears and go from the sexually-charged tigers to the orangutans!

Now wait a gosh darn minute...what the heck are they feeding these animals here at BGA?

I think these two were hoping for a little more privacy behind the big tree stump!

This one was as curious to watch humans as the humans were to watch her!

One of my favorite pics from the trip.

They had what looked like Pteranodon Flyers, but they were letting adults ride. Really, they looked more like a small zip-line.

But the orangutan's laughed and played and said, "who needs restraints and seat belts....not us!"

The Wild Surge drop tower ride thingie was closed. You can barely see it above the waterfall.

Beer AND Jungala...it doesn't get much better than this, folks!

 

More pictures coming soon - thanks for reading!

[sam06pr]

^I'm just curious to ask how old you are?

 

Reason I ask is because some of us (not all, mind you) old(er) farts are just not as tolerant of the bumpy coasters as the younger generation. While 38 does not sound old by any means, you do start to notice as you get older that some of the coasters that didn't bother you when you were younger now just make you want to grab for a bottle of Aleve as soon as you hit the coaster exit (we usually bring them with us)!

 

I do not have any known back problems, but I have had some pretty brutal rides on SOB, Hurler, Wildbeast and many, many others...including Gwazi. While I don't mind a little bit of the side to side movement and jostling on a woodie (you have to expect this), I don't like being whip-sawed, jack-hammered, or have my shoulders slammed on curves.

 

A lot of times before I visit a theme park, I will check out the Mitch Hawker rankings just to see where certain woodies place so I kinda know what to expect before I ride. Of course, I also read the trip reports on here and I value other enthusiast's opinions as well. My only problem is that even if a coaster is ranked low, as soon as I get to the park, I want to ride it to judge for myself to see if it really is as crappy as everyone says! And then about 99% of the time, I have to agree with why a coaster ranks in the lower half of a poll or it seems that a lot of enthusiasts complain about a ride - it simply isn't that good!

 

I certainly commend and admire you for being able to have fun, enjoyable rides on Gwazi...I just wish I could have had the same experience. While it was definitely not the roughest coaster I have ever been on, I simply didn't find it to be much fun - much like a lot of other enthusiast's on this site.

 

Let's just say:

 

Too much "Ouuuuchhh!" and not enough "Yayyyyy!"

 

Well One side is a bit smoother than the other....anyhow, I am 21 and I find Gwazi to be one of the roughest coaster I have been on. 3rd Place after Texas Giant and the Grizzly for me. I think BG is sprucing up a lot Gawzi. SO perhaps in a few months it would not be as rough.

BTW love the Jungala pictures

[Philrad71]

^ Thank you for the comments!

 

I agree that it would be nice if Gwazi was smoother - I do love racing/dueling coasters as they definitely add another element of fun! While it definitely was not the roughest coaster I have ever been on, it was not something we were itching to re-ride.

 

We rode the bluish/green side on the right because the other side was closed, but cannot remember if it was the lion or tiger?

[Pufferfish]

^That would be Tiger.

 

I don't really understand why so many people think Gwazi is really rough. When I was there in 07, it was running pretty smooth compared to most wooden coasters. Anyways, I've been loving this TR. It's been getting me a little extra hyped for my trip back to Orlando in May. Thanks for all the great pictures!

[Philrad71]

Busch Gardens - Part:4

 

Here I am again with another mish-mash of photos from BGA. It has been a little while since I posted my last update, so hopefully I won't be re-posting any of the same pics!

 

I am really glad that we had the chance to come over to Tampa on our trip. BGA is one of my favorite parks and the fact that the crowds were minimal made it even more enjoyable. We just about got through everything we wanted to see and do in our 1.5 day visit. Of course, another run on Montu would have been nice, but we were all too exhausted to walk over to it by the end of our second day.

Woot! Let's take the train and see if it takes us...

Oh yeah, baby...gimme some of that hot tunnel!

This tunnel wasn't as deep, dank and dark as some of the others I have been in...but I see the light! I, I, I see the light at the end of the tunnel! Hallelujah, praise the Lord, deliver us from the evil tunnels of hell to the land of righteousness!

If the land of righteousness includes giraffes and dive coasters, we truly have entered God's land! Hallelujah!

Oh man.....heaven also has the best B&M invert? I am never leaving this place!

Yikes! Creature from hell! It must be Satan's spawn! Deliver us from evil, train driver guy....pronto!

Yayyy...zonkeys! We have returned from the Land of Evil and survived!

Yarrrr! Let's go see what Cap'n Hook has in store for us in Timbuktu. Rumor has it his fellow pirates raided a ship for...

...a booty of beer and snacks for the Oasis! And who says pirates are all bad??

 

Note: if you look at Michael's Oktoberfest shirt, you will see at the bottom right it says '08? It originally said '09 when we bought it, but the first time we washed it, the iron-on sticker revealed the '08 underneath! Oh, those crafty Germans! But don't worry...we still love you and your beer and your Oktoberfest and your kick ass theme parks!

I thought about doing the Phoenix, but after digesting my Amber Bock figured that we better skip it for now.

We decided to head for Rhino Rally instead. I believe this was our longest wait of our visit at about twenty minutes.

But, where are the rhino's rallying?

Hey deer! Can you tell us where the rhino's are rallying? That'd be great, thanks!

Hey zonkey's! Can you tell us where the rhino's are rallying today? That'd be great, thanks!

THIS is the rally? One f&%king rhino? EPIC FAIIIIIL!

Screw it then...let's just ram our floating jeep into the side of a waterfall mountain and just end it!

Wait...it was all a trick and we're really not going to die in the name of a one-rhino rally?

Now that we have survived our ghastly brush with death I guess we better go do something safer.

These evil looking winged creatures loved playing daredevil while waiting for diners to drop food on the ground.

They would wait on the the splashdown wall on Sheikra...

...and then fly away only seconds before...

...it got Fabio-ized!

 

More pics coming soon!

[the ghost]

That was an amazing update. I laughed out loud at the one ******* rhino picture... so funny.

[Der Der Dongt]

Hi!

I just came across your Florida TR an really enjoyed it since I will be visiting Orlando for the first time may 17 till may 24.

Now I have a question. We will do Disney on fr the 21st because the park will be open till 11. This will be our only day at disney because it's simply way too expensive. We would like to do the following rides while at the park and would be thankful for anyones opinion on if this is doable.

Testtrack

Mission space

Expedition Everest

Primeval Whirl

Tower of Terror

Rock#n Rollercoaster

Big Thunder Mountain

Space Mountain

[Philrad71]

^ Will you have a park hopper pass? It would be a tough test to hit all of those rides in one day at the Disney resorts as they are scattered throughout different parks. I suppose if all you wanted to do was ride those rides it could be done, but it would entail a lot of walking and a lot of monorail and bus transportation!

[Der Der Dongt]

Yes, we will use a park hopper pass and yes, we just want to hit those rides because to me they seem to be the most interesting ones. I am usually not really into non coaster rides except for drop towers.

What do you think would be the best ride to start with and the best order throughout the day?

[WildStangAlex]

First of all you can't go to EPCOT without riding Soarin, so head there first and get a fastpass. After that, Ride Testtrack in the single riders line, then head to Mission space. Then go ride your fastpass Soarin. From EPCOT head to Animal Kingdom to get a fastpass for Primeval Whirl. Then Wait in line for Everest, as the line is fairly interesting. After ride primeval Whirl. Following AK, I'd go to Magic Kingdom to do your BTM and SM, in no particular order. End the day with Rockin Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror many times each.

[larrygator]

First of all you can't go to EPCOT without riding Soarin.

 

I wish I had skipped it.

[Philrad71]

^^ Or make sure that you end the day at either Epcot or Disney so you can see the fireworks!

 

Either way, I guess that you should be able to hit just those rides in one day if the parks aren't too busy. It will be a lot of travel time and walking, but I think it can be done.

[WildStangAlex]

My favorite fireworks are certainly Illuminations at EPCOT, however, Fantasmic is awesome too!

[Philrad71]

Universal Orlando & IOA

 

Here is the latest installment of our Floridian adventure. This was a bonus add-on as we originally had planned on going to the Everglades and then down to the Keys. But then we figured it might be easier to just stay around the Orlando area the last couple of days before our flight back home. I was surprised when I suggested Universal and IOA that my Dad and Michael were all for it!

 

I will provide comments on both parks, but unfortunately I do not have many pics to share of Universal Studios. I forgot my camera in the car and didn't think of it till we were already through the gates. I did manage to snap some pics of HRRR from IOA the following day though...

 

My thoughts on Universal (that you may or may not agree with):

 

* HRRR was not as good as I was expecting. A few good gimmicks with the lift and first "non-loop", a couple pops of air and that's about it. Some of the transitions seemed a bit rough, so it will be most interesting to see how this coaster ages. I liked the idea of the moving platform, but by the time I figured out how to pick my song, we were already going up the lift! I wanted Beastie Boys and got some generic rock tune instead. While I was willing to go back and give it a 2nd chance, neither my Dad or Michael were interested in re-rides. My Dad absolutely hated it as he got slammed pretty hard during a couple of the transitions.

 

* The Simpsons ride is by far the best attraction at the park. We are all huge Simpsons fans, so I was concerned about disappointment, but not even close! I know the ride get's mixed reviews on here, but my review is one of frickin' joy & glee! Some say they would have rather they stuck with BTTF and while that was a great ride, I just think The Simpsons ride was just so over-the-top awesome that it's in a class all by itself.

 

* MIB was a nice shoot 'em up dark ride which we all enjoyed. Nothing spectacular, but one of the better one's we have ridden.

 

* Revenge of the Mummy was not at all what I was expecting. We really enjoyed it although if I had to suggest one improvement, it would be to add lot's more scarab beetles. I need more scarab beetles!

 

* Jaws was a fun ride that was not open when we visited back in my teen years. It was cool and luckily only a ten minute wait.

 

* The Terminator attraction seemed a bit mehhh - one viewing was enough.

 

* Earthquake or whatever it was (or will be) called was closed for rehab.

 

* ET was not nearly as cool as I remember, although the Speak-N-Spell in the queue line brought back memories!

 

We were basically done with the park in about five hours. Crowds were light, so the only real line was twenty minutes for the Simpsons. HRRR was practically a walk-on.

 

Overall, I really liked the park, but it would be even better if they linked both parks together with one entrance so you could just pay one price and do both on the same day. It does not seem like an all day park unless it was extremely crowded and the lines for the rides were atrociously long.

 

My thoughts on IOA (that you may or may not agree with):

 

* One of the best themed parks I have ever visited - just WOW!

 

* Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls, Jurassic Park, and the Bilge Rat Barges are the best themed water rides I have ever been on - hands up. Interesting concept is that they actually utilize ALL of the water effects and waterfalls. Chances are good that you WILL get soaked - we definitely did!

 

* Harry Potter Land looked great, although not being a huge follower/fanboy I wasn't overly excited about it. Theming looks top-notch though!

 

* Dueling Dragons was a lot of fun, but did not seem to compare with Montu.

 

* Incredible Hulk was great, but there is one loop transition that just smashed me into the restraint (4th loop maybe?)

 

* I was amazed at the floaty air time I got on Dr. Doom's Freefall. Much more than other towers I have ridden that were much taller!

 

* Spiderman was almost as good as the Simpsons - we all loved it!

 

* Comic book lane (or whatever it's called) is a very unique idea - definitely brings out the kid in you!

 

* Same can be said for Dr. Seuss Landing - excellent theming! Wow!

 

This park has the potential for being very, very huge. Yeah, I know it could never top Disney in terms of familiarity and popularity, but I really think if they keep adding top notch attractions and rides the way they have been, it will easily rank near the top of the theme park world (if it isn't already).

 

I definitely want to go back to this park!!!!

Yay for bonus parks!

The BK Whopper Bar in Miami sells beer - this one does not. Booooooo!!

Some of the few shots I got of Universal - the big ball of world.

HRRR - okay, I guess. This park needed a coaster though so it's not a horrible idea. It just didn't do much for us though.

Well, I do love adventure...so sure, let's go check it out!

If you happen to like theming and some pretty decent rides, I suppose there is a chance you might dig this park.

While throngs of people were headed for Hulk and Spidey, we went the opposite way to Seuss Landing.

The Cat in the Hat was a walk-on. Ride op's were very friendly and were kidding us about three grown men riding together! Would riding this be considered whorish even though it's not a coaster?

HRRR in the distance. For a 90 degree lift and for overall ride experience comparison, Fahrenheit kicks this coaster's ass!

Talk about blast-from-the-past childhood memories!

Another perfect example of theming done right!

I can't believe we didn't ride this being that we were in such a whorish mood!

OMG Grinch...GRINCH!!!!!!

Dad with Cat in the Hat! There was hardly anybody in this section of the park so the characters were practically begging for attention and pictures!

Coolest kiddie area EVER!

Time for some Lost Continent. At first I was thinking that used to be what they called Busch Gardens Tampa. Then I remembered it was the Dark Continent. Dark or Lost....you know it's gonna rock!

I should have used this picture for my entry in the Gary Sinise pasta contest - ohhh, the possibilities! But how could I turn down Steel Eel? Even if I didn't win...it still has Steel Eel in it, so that automatically makes it a winner in my book! I really am not a poor sport, I swear!

The Poseidon Adventure queue got a bit ugly when we confronted a Brazilian line jumper. We explained that line jumping was not allowed in the park. She pointed to her friends and said she wanted to join them. We said, "We're sorry, but you are not cutting in front of us - why not have them come back to you instead?" We've done the same thing with adults, teens, Hispanic's, African American's, Caucasion's, so there is no profiling - we definitely don't play that. We refuse to let people just walk in front of us in line as it is a huuuuge pet peeve of ours at theme parks and one we won't tolerate. We never have done it and we don't expect other people to do it either. It's a case of not following park policy and is just plain disrespectful in our opinion. Most people know the rules and guidelines when they visit a theme park and they should abide by them. I always laugh when Michael and my Dad step up and cut off a line jumper because they don't give two craps who it might be - the look on people's faces when they realized they just got reprimanded by two senior citizens is always a classic! Always remember to respect your elders or you just might end up getting served!

 

On a side note, my all time favorite picture on this site was someone posting a pic of a who's who list of "allowable" line jumpers. - that was epic! I tried searching for it on here, but could not locate it. My request would be that if anyone finds this picture to please add it into the "Favorite Pics" topic! I always think of that when we have to diss a line jumper! Hehe!

You've all probably seen this pic & the construction updates a million times now, so I'll skip the rest of the Potter pix and spare you all the suffering.

I was soooo nervous when I didn't see the coaster operating when we first walked back. I thought they might have closed it to complete HP World.

Yay, it's dueling! Er, I mean: Yay it's challenging!

I'm sure there are a lot of geeks like me on here that appreciate some duel transfer track hotness! When we got in line, they were only running one train per side. They added the second pair as we were next to get on.

Put your hands together for Ice #2!

Woot! Bring it, bring it! ICE, ICE BABY!

The crowd cheered as Fire & Ice successfully mated with their tracks.

Back 'er in nice and slowwwww.

After a couple dry runs, we were allowed to board for our duel. Er, I mean challenge....damn!

 

Part 2 coming soon! Thanks for digesting!

[tiger01]

Nice TR. It's nice to have a change from WWOHP pics.

[alpengeist04]

I agree, nicely done on the TR and lack of Harry pictures. I guess I'm just tired of construction pics at this point.

 

Oh and thanks for the DD pics too, It's always nice to see the old coaster. Though, it's always going to be Dueling Dragons to me.

[Philrad71]

^ & ^^ Thanks, guys!

 

I agree...there have been lot's of nice WWOHP pics that have been put up since my visit, so I figured it would be a bit redundant to post more in this report.

 

On Dueling Dragons, I agree that it will always be DD to me - I even bought the magnet to prove it!

[BeemerBoy]

Love the report! Oh, and...

 

On a side note, my all time favorite picture on this site was someone posting a pic of a who's who list of "allowable" line jumpers. - that was epic! I tried searching for it on here, but could not locate it. My request would be that if anyone finds this picture to please add it into the "Favorite Pics" topic! I always think of that when we have to diss a line jumper! Hehe!

Ask, and you shall receive.