- Joined
- Jul 13, 2005
Thursday 16th August Busch Gardens
Back in November, when I first booked this trip, both Gary and Daniel were adamant that we had to include Busch Gardens in our plans. It had been one of our favourite days from our previous trip in October and we were all keen to visit again. It made sense, from a logistical point of view, to make that visit during our stay in Bradenton. Unsurprisingly, I was first up and decided to shower while Gary and Daniel slept since it takes me the longest to get ready. Gary and Daniel were soon up. Gary was able to make himself a cup of tea so he was happy, and he and Daniel were soon tucking into a healthy breakfast of tea (Gary), chocolate milk (Daniel), cherry turnover (Gary) and croissant (Daniel).
I wont subject you to the semi-naked photo of Gary drinking his tea so you can have this one of Daniel eating his brekkie instead. Dont worry, hes not sitting in a highchair but at a glass table with a yellow placemat
Breakfast of champions
We left on schedule, aiming to get to Tampa by 9.30. On the I-75 just north of Bradenton, we saw no less than 6 State Troopers who had all pulled people over. It is obviously a notorious area for speeding. We had a minor panic in Downtown Tampa, when we thought we had been directed (by the SatNav) onto a cashless toll road. It turned out the signs were for an express road, which we werent on, so the panic was for nothing. Interesting, though, as I had been under the impression that only Miami-Dade county had cashless tolls.
We also saw a roundabout, something which I didnt think existed in Florida.
A roundabout (or is it a rotary)?
About five minutes from Busch Gardens, we got stuck in traffic, meaning we were late arriving. We paid the $14 parking fee and caught the tram to the park entrance, arriving just before 10. I wasnt happy as the park had opened at 9.30 so we were already behind the curve. We immediately noticed that Busch Gardens was much busier than it ever had been before when wed visited. We headed straight to Cheetah Hunt, which already had a 45-minute wait. Knowing this would likely be the shortest wait all day now, we joined the line. Unfortunately, after 20 minutes of waiting, there was an announcement that the ride was experiencing technical difficulties (the exact same thing had happened to us in October). We waited another 10 minutes but, when it was obvious that we werent going anywhere, we decided to cut and run as we were still a way back in the line. We decided to head to Montu. Back in October, Daniel had still been just shy of the 54-inch height requirement for many of the coasters at Busch Gardens. Now, 10 months later, he easily met the requirements and was very keen to ride them all. We all thoroughly enjoyed Montu and, although we were keen to ride again, time was ticking on.
We crossed the park, cutting through the covered area by Zagora Café. I hadnt noticed that the floor was wet and I managed to sustain a Crocs-related injury (there is usually one on nearly every holiday). Somehow, I slipped and managed to bend my big toe back and badly graze the other toes and side of my foot. I still have no idea exactly how I managed it but it didnt half hurt. Gary joked about how my Crocs are so old now, with such little grip, that theyre actually slicks!
After a short rest and a plaster (sorry, band-aid), I was fine to carry on. As we headed on over to Sheikra, we passed Gwazi and Gary suggested we ride. I didnt want to as the last time Id been on it (in 2009), it was so rickety and shaky that I came off aching all over. Gary and Daniel had ridden it back in October though and insisted it wasnt that bad now. We agreed that we might come back later.
Sheikra, we discovered, was also experiencing technical difficulties. This was the one ride Daniel was keen to try so we bought a large diet coke and sat nearby, waiting to see if there was any sign of it being up and running soon. Although there were several cars going round the track empty, people were still being turned away at the entrance. We decided to head on round to Kumba, another first for Daniel. He absolutely loved this rollercoaster and rode twice more, although one ride was enough for me so I waited outside and tried (unsuccessfully) to take some pictures of Gary and Daniel on the ride. There was still no sign that Sheikra was up and running (couldnt hear any screaming) so, as it was almost lunchtime, we wandered down to the Timbuktu area and bought a combo meal from Sahara Snacks. The combo consisted of a corn dog, chicken tenders and fries wand was plenty for the three of us to share. We also got a bottle of water and a diet coke. Gary and Daniel went to find a table in the shade, while I stayed in the line. Since there was no wait for the carousel, Daniel had to have a turn on that while they waited.
An odd combination
The food was pretty good. None of us had ever tried a corndog before and, although it wasnt what I had expected, it was very tasty. All of the food was freshly cooked and hot, which was a change from the last time wed eaten here.
We also noticed the bumper cars, which none of us remembered being there last time we came. I wonder if theyre new?
Love the name!
After lunch, we decided to see if Sheikra was finally running. We took a walk down, via Jungala, where we saw the beautiful white tigers.
Thats not a real tiger Daniel
Here, puss puss
Sheikra was running and showing a 30-minute wait (although, in reality, it was nearer 45). This was the first time wed ever had to wait to ride Sheikra and it wasnt a pleasant wait either. It was really hot, the majority of the queuing area was outside and there were several people around us who either didnt understand about personal space or were unfamiliar with a little thing called deodorant. Finally, we were on the ride, though, and Daniel absolutely loved it. There was a young lad at the front who was having absolute hysterics, screaming the whole way through the ride. It was funny but, at the same time, slightly ruined the experience for everyone else. We would have loved to ride again but, with the wait still showing 30 minutes, and given how hot it was, we decided to move on. In the nearby shop, we bought a bottle of Sprite as we fancied a change from Diet Coke and water. While I was waiting to pay, a man stormed up to the cashier, ranting about how the locker had stolen all his money. The woman behind the counter tried to placate him and calm him down, then asked him again what the problem was. He said he had put 2 quarters in the locker as instructed but it wouldnt lock. Apparently, he had then put another 50 cents in, then another and claimed he had lost $3. The woman looked at him straight in the eye and said Ill refund your money but could I suggest you try a different locker, sir?
When we left the shop, we could see huge black clouds rolling in and it looked as though we might be in for some rain. We caught the train from the station in Stanleyville and made our way down to Cheetah Hunt but the wait was 75 minutes and, just as we got there, we overheard another couple being told that there was lightning in the area and all the rides would be closing until it had passed.
Choo choo
Cheetah Hunt
Armed with that knowledge, an executive decision was made we needed ice cream.
Kids sundae with hot fudge and sprinkles
We each had one and (oh, the irony) shared a large diet coke. Total came to $16.01. I didnt have a penny so the cashier kindly let me off (just the penny, not the sixteen dollars).
After our ice-cream break, we felt suitably refreshed and walked through the Myombe Reserve to see the gorillas. One of the gorillas was leaning back against a rock and another was sitting close by but almost deliberately not looking at the other one, almost as if theyd had a row.
Spot the difference
Spot the difference 2
Spot the odd one out
Pretty waterfall
Im not talking to you until you apologise
We took a few photos, then decided to see if the rides had reopened. Cheetah Hunt still had a long wait (60 minutes) but Montu was a walk-on. We rode once and were going to ride again but, unfortunately, the ride had closed again due to the threat of lightning.
Continued in the next post...
Back in November, when I first booked this trip, both Gary and Daniel were adamant that we had to include Busch Gardens in our plans. It had been one of our favourite days from our previous trip in October and we were all keen to visit again. It made sense, from a logistical point of view, to make that visit during our stay in Bradenton. Unsurprisingly, I was first up and decided to shower while Gary and Daniel slept since it takes me the longest to get ready. Gary and Daniel were soon up. Gary was able to make himself a cup of tea so he was happy, and he and Daniel were soon tucking into a healthy breakfast of tea (Gary), chocolate milk (Daniel), cherry turnover (Gary) and croissant (Daniel).
I wont subject you to the semi-naked photo of Gary drinking his tea so you can have this one of Daniel eating his brekkie instead. Dont worry, hes not sitting in a highchair but at a glass table with a yellow placemat
Breakfast of champions
We left on schedule, aiming to get to Tampa by 9.30. On the I-75 just north of Bradenton, we saw no less than 6 State Troopers who had all pulled people over. It is obviously a notorious area for speeding. We had a minor panic in Downtown Tampa, when we thought we had been directed (by the SatNav) onto a cashless toll road. It turned out the signs were for an express road, which we werent on, so the panic was for nothing. Interesting, though, as I had been under the impression that only Miami-Dade county had cashless tolls.
We also saw a roundabout, something which I didnt think existed in Florida.
A roundabout (or is it a rotary)?
About five minutes from Busch Gardens, we got stuck in traffic, meaning we were late arriving. We paid the $14 parking fee and caught the tram to the park entrance, arriving just before 10. I wasnt happy as the park had opened at 9.30 so we were already behind the curve. We immediately noticed that Busch Gardens was much busier than it ever had been before when wed visited. We headed straight to Cheetah Hunt, which already had a 45-minute wait. Knowing this would likely be the shortest wait all day now, we joined the line. Unfortunately, after 20 minutes of waiting, there was an announcement that the ride was experiencing technical difficulties (the exact same thing had happened to us in October). We waited another 10 minutes but, when it was obvious that we werent going anywhere, we decided to cut and run as we were still a way back in the line. We decided to head to Montu. Back in October, Daniel had still been just shy of the 54-inch height requirement for many of the coasters at Busch Gardens. Now, 10 months later, he easily met the requirements and was very keen to ride them all. We all thoroughly enjoyed Montu and, although we were keen to ride again, time was ticking on.
We crossed the park, cutting through the covered area by Zagora Café. I hadnt noticed that the floor was wet and I managed to sustain a Crocs-related injury (there is usually one on nearly every holiday). Somehow, I slipped and managed to bend my big toe back and badly graze the other toes and side of my foot. I still have no idea exactly how I managed it but it didnt half hurt. Gary joked about how my Crocs are so old now, with such little grip, that theyre actually slicks!
After a short rest and a plaster (sorry, band-aid), I was fine to carry on. As we headed on over to Sheikra, we passed Gwazi and Gary suggested we ride. I didnt want to as the last time Id been on it (in 2009), it was so rickety and shaky that I came off aching all over. Gary and Daniel had ridden it back in October though and insisted it wasnt that bad now. We agreed that we might come back later.
Sheikra, we discovered, was also experiencing technical difficulties. This was the one ride Daniel was keen to try so we bought a large diet coke and sat nearby, waiting to see if there was any sign of it being up and running soon. Although there were several cars going round the track empty, people were still being turned away at the entrance. We decided to head on round to Kumba, another first for Daniel. He absolutely loved this rollercoaster and rode twice more, although one ride was enough for me so I waited outside and tried (unsuccessfully) to take some pictures of Gary and Daniel on the ride. There was still no sign that Sheikra was up and running (couldnt hear any screaming) so, as it was almost lunchtime, we wandered down to the Timbuktu area and bought a combo meal from Sahara Snacks. The combo consisted of a corn dog, chicken tenders and fries wand was plenty for the three of us to share. We also got a bottle of water and a diet coke. Gary and Daniel went to find a table in the shade, while I stayed in the line. Since there was no wait for the carousel, Daniel had to have a turn on that while they waited.
An odd combination
The food was pretty good. None of us had ever tried a corndog before and, although it wasnt what I had expected, it was very tasty. All of the food was freshly cooked and hot, which was a change from the last time wed eaten here.
We also noticed the bumper cars, which none of us remembered being there last time we came. I wonder if theyre new?
Love the name!
After lunch, we decided to see if Sheikra was finally running. We took a walk down, via Jungala, where we saw the beautiful white tigers.
Thats not a real tiger Daniel
Here, puss puss
Sheikra was running and showing a 30-minute wait (although, in reality, it was nearer 45). This was the first time wed ever had to wait to ride Sheikra and it wasnt a pleasant wait either. It was really hot, the majority of the queuing area was outside and there were several people around us who either didnt understand about personal space or were unfamiliar with a little thing called deodorant. Finally, we were on the ride, though, and Daniel absolutely loved it. There was a young lad at the front who was having absolute hysterics, screaming the whole way through the ride. It was funny but, at the same time, slightly ruined the experience for everyone else. We would have loved to ride again but, with the wait still showing 30 minutes, and given how hot it was, we decided to move on. In the nearby shop, we bought a bottle of Sprite as we fancied a change from Diet Coke and water. While I was waiting to pay, a man stormed up to the cashier, ranting about how the locker had stolen all his money. The woman behind the counter tried to placate him and calm him down, then asked him again what the problem was. He said he had put 2 quarters in the locker as instructed but it wouldnt lock. Apparently, he had then put another 50 cents in, then another and claimed he had lost $3. The woman looked at him straight in the eye and said Ill refund your money but could I suggest you try a different locker, sir?
When we left the shop, we could see huge black clouds rolling in and it looked as though we might be in for some rain. We caught the train from the station in Stanleyville and made our way down to Cheetah Hunt but the wait was 75 minutes and, just as we got there, we overheard another couple being told that there was lightning in the area and all the rides would be closing until it had passed.
Choo choo
Cheetah Hunt
Armed with that knowledge, an executive decision was made we needed ice cream.
Kids sundae with hot fudge and sprinkles
We each had one and (oh, the irony) shared a large diet coke. Total came to $16.01. I didnt have a penny so the cashier kindly let me off (just the penny, not the sixteen dollars).
After our ice-cream break, we felt suitably refreshed and walked through the Myombe Reserve to see the gorillas. One of the gorillas was leaning back against a rock and another was sitting close by but almost deliberately not looking at the other one, almost as if theyd had a row.
Spot the difference
Spot the difference 2
Spot the odd one out
Pretty waterfall
Im not talking to you until you apologise
We took a few photos, then decided to see if the rides had reopened. Cheetah Hunt still had a long wait (60 minutes) but Montu was a walk-on. We rode once and were going to ride again but, unfortunately, the ride had closed again due to the threat of lightning.
Continued in the next post...
at the G Spot! I have a very simple mind :rotfl2 Your food pics are making me really hungry - I have to try a corndog next trip!! Never been to Chilis but those chicken crispers sound delish!
