Busch Gardens Tampa - what to do first??

[MomToPirate&Princess]

We are heading to Busch Gardens next week.
I've looked at the website and they have several big coasters. For anyone who goes often, what are the must do first rides/attractions at this park. Which rides/attractions maintain the longest lines and which should you wait until later to hit. We will likely be there from park open until park close or near that anyway.
Thanks.

 

[wdw4rfam]

We go every year for a day in the middle of our Disney trip. The cheetah hunt is new, so head there first. We went spring break, and the difference in lines were crazy from morning to afternoon. The sheikra (SP?) is another that the lines can get crazy for. Kumba never has a line, so no hurry there. Montu, not usually bad either, but it's close to cheetah hunt, so we just do them at the same time. We LOVE Busch gardens.

 

[shellie may]

i live really close to busch gardens (can get there in 15\20min using back roads) and used to go all the time in middle school and high school not so much anymore because we all get pretty bored real quick there now. ive never experienced super long lines except when something is brand new. i think most of the cheetah hunt hoopla has calmed down but i would still head there first. sheikra i dont think has too long of lines anymore i went opening weekend for that along time ago waited 2hrs for a ride that is pretty ho hum but now the lines are really manageable. I use a go at your own pace at busch gardens dont rush and stay hydrated because ive witnessed a lot of people get sick rushing from coaster to coaster and not stopping to take breaks. Hope that helps! Have a great time!

 

[anierodzik]

We are in Florida now. We were there Friday, then again today (Monday). It was our first visit, and we loved it. We budgeted for and purchased the Quick Queue pass, which allowed us to experience the whole park at a nice pace.

Most of the crowd headed to Cheetah Hunt in the morning. It was a great ride! At times we saw wait times of 60 minutes there.

 

[DOOM1001]

Cheetah Hunt will clearly have the longest lines,the thing about Busch Gardens that's different from the Orlando parks is that unless you go on a weekend day or a peak time like summer or spring break you could almost continuously ride great coasters like Sheikra over and over with little to no wait.Like I said Cheetah Hunt will have the longest lines,for example I went the summer Cheetah Hunt opened and it had a 60-90 minute wait most of the day,the rest of the coasters were like a 5-20 minute wait,then I went on a weekday in January or February and the Cheetah Hunt lines were still the longest at like 25-30 minutes but the rest of the coasters were basically a walk on most of the day.It's a great park to ride coasters,especially on less busy days.There's also some great shows,like the new Iceploration show,two very good kids areas and animal attractions.

My favorite coasters:

1.Montu
2.Sheikra
3.Cheetah Hunt
4.Gwazi
5.Sand Serpent Wild mouse
6.Kumba
7.Scorpion

 

[anorman]

I'm very glad OP that you asked this question. I am going to Busch Gardens this August and there doesn't seem to be much information out there as to how to approach avoiding the lines at this park. Thanks!

 

[MomToPirate&Princess]

Thanks for your responses. We have been to BG Williamsburg several tiimes and love that you get Coasters, Kids Rides, Animals and Shows all in the same park.

From your tips, I'm thinking we will hit Cheetah Hunt first and Montu while we're in the area then either Skyride or Train to the area with Sheikra. After that just cycle through each section and do everything we want to do in that area before moving on to the next area.

Some said weekends are much busier than weekdays. What about holidays? We were going to go Memorial Day, but could just as easily go on Tuesday after.

 

[stepdisney]

Glad OP asked this questions. We have Platinum passes and visit BG Williamsburg and Water Country USA often. We were thinking of adding a trip to BG Tampa during our August trip. We added Sea World last year and loved it.

 

[Yoshi]

I would ride Scorpion early too, it often runs 1 train and only seats 20 riders per train which causes a long, slow moving line on some days.

 

[wilma-bride]

I would do Cheetah Hunt (and Montu because it is down that way) first, then head over to Sheikra.

 

[anorman]

I don't see anyone mentioning it here, so I thought I would hijack for a sec and ask about Rhino Rally. How quickly do lines back up here? A couple of years ago we were at BG and couldn't do this one because the line was crazy long! That was mid afternoon though. I have heard it is a good attraction. Any advice?

 

[MomToPirate&Princess]

Is Rhino Rally similar to the Safari at AK? If so, how does it compare and should we make that a priority along with Cheetah Hunt and Sheikra?

 

[anorman]

Is Rhino Rally similar to the Safari at AK? If so, how does it compare and should we make that a priority along with Cheetah Hunt and Sheikra?

I think it is along the same lines as the Safari, but I have heard it is better. Someone who has done both may have a better idea though.

 

[RabFlmom]

I think it is along the same lines as the Safari, but I have heard it is better. Someone who has done both may have a better idea though.

I think equal to the safari at AK, but in a different way. The animals are closer to the trail so you can get some really good pics. I love everything about AK as much as I love BG, though They are both my favorite parks in Florida. I no longer ride the coasters so I enjoy all the other aspects of the parks.

One thing about waiting in line for Rhino Rally.......listen for the CM to yell for parties of 1, 2 or 3 if you are a small group. They will pull you from back in the line to fill up each truck.

Memorial Day weekend is a busy time for BG but even holidays don't seem as crowded as Disney and the crowds seem friendlier than sometimes at Disney.


June 9th starts Summer Nights in the park which we love and they are adding fireworks every night this year! If they are like the ones for holidays they are pretty good.....all in the sky type fireworks.

To the OP .....if you don't get the All day meal plan this weekend....take a break and have a late lunch in the Colony House main restaurant on the top floor-sit down....full menu but .has chicken and fish family meals...good food . Might have to wait for a table but never too long to get out on the patio or to get a table by the huge windows to watch the giraffes etc. while you eat.
If you do get the plan be sure and have some of the BBQ back by Sheikra. Very very good. My family teases me about eating my way through BG and
SW.....They are the 2 places I can out eat my husband.

 

[anorman]

I think equal to the safari at AK, but in a different way. The animals are closer to the trail so you can get some really good pics. I love everything about AK as much as I love BG, though They are both my favorite parks in Florida.

Thanks. I absolutely love AK too and I am looking forward to doing BG again. Our upcoming trip is a Disney-free-zone for the first time. I will definitely try to get to Rhino Rally a little earlier in the day than last time.