Any Busch Gardens experts out there?

[GEM]

We are going to be at Busch Gardens for one day, Thursday, June 30th. There will be three of us - all thrill ride fans. (My mom is staying in the condo with the little one that day!)

Can anybody help us formulate a plan of attack? We don't care about doing or seeing everything - just sort of the "best of". We want to hit all the good coasters and any of the really cool animal rides. We can skip most of the other rides, shows, etc. and do them on another trip when we have more time.

What would you do, and in what order would you do it?

 

[Vamp]

Hi Ya

Personally, I would do Shreikra (the new vertical drop roller coaster first), then do Montu (inverted coaster), Gwazi (huge double tracked woodie), Kumba, and then Rhino Rally. There are several other "baby coasters" whose names escape me, but if there is a Q then skip.

Busch is a huge site and it's tiring to walk round. Do not miss the train journey as it takes you right across the fields where the animals run free and you never know what you may see, in my opinion Busch is better for animal encounters than AK.

Vikki

 

[popy]

Just get a map when you enter the park...
The cool rides and the big coasters will not be hard
to find, and they got some good ones.
The shows are not that good anyway.

 

[gwcollins71]

We went to Busch Gardens in early August a couple of years ago. None of the cool rides had long waits except the "safari ride." It involved riding a truck around and looking at animals like Kilamanjaro Safaris.

We went on all but the newest roller coaster as it wasn't there yet. The longest wait we had was 15 minutes. As far as things to do... there is an extra paid safari excursion where you get to feed some of the larger mammals. (@ $40 per person I think) Very fun! Hubby and I loved it. Also, you could go into a giant bird enclosure and feed them. This was included, you just had to pay for any food you wanted.

We enjoyed it and are looking forward to bringing our daughter to be back in about 5 years.

 

[Bill Lumbergh]

A good web site to look at about Busch Gardens Tampa is www.bgtguide.com

 

[kellymonaghan]

I was just at BGT and can report that SkeiKra is AWESOME. If you can handle a vertcial dive coaster that drops you straight fown (twice!) at a 90 degree angle, then by all means get there first thing and head for Stanleyville.

All the major coasters at BGT are first rate. I rank them (after SheiKra) this way: Montu. Kumba, Gwazi (twin wooden coasters).

Also not to be missed at BGT is Katonga, a terrific Broadway-quality stage show.

A complete guide to Busch Gardens Tampa is posted here.

 

[reddixie]

Shiekra is awesome! I would start out with that one. Then make your way through. I skip the water rides this time of year. They are very crowded. I like Disney's Kali River way better than the Congo one at BGT. The log ride is jerky and not very long. If you need to get wet to cool off stand on the bridge of Tidal Wave that will get you really wet. You should follow the signs to Kumba. I really don't like Python. It is very lame!!! After Kumba continue onto RL Stine's Haunted Lighthouse if you like Tough to be a Bug and HISTA you will like this. I actually like this is better than Disney's equivalent. Then you should continue onto Rhino Rally. I love this if you get the right guide. We then head on over to the Crown Colony for a late lunch early dinner. Terrific food. We then go to Montu. An awesome ride. We then come out and go see the gorillas and chimps. Afterwards we take in a late show of Kotanga. We then ride Gwazi. If we have enough time and the day has been slow we try to head back over to the bird aviary. Don't forget to stop and look. They have tigers on an island. Alligators, Elephants, Camels, etc. just where you can stop and see them. We have been many times and always manage to do all of this. If it's slow we even take in an extra show, scorpion, and the phoniex. My biggest complaint is that they close early. I love BGT. It is a beautiful place. Enjoy.

 

[minijeanie]

thanks for the tips..we are going one day only on june 20th..two teens who are coaster freaks..

mom is not...
so while they are having fun, is there somewhere I can go or do? I hate just sitting waiting for them...

any suggestions?

 

[CindysGusGus]

how are the rides for pooh sized people. Are they like Cedar Point where you have to be short and petite to ride or are they like Disney where you should fit into most? Thanks for any replies.

 

[reddixie]

Answering 2 ?'s so please read whole post.

If you are blessed such as myself with ample assests you should still be fine. I can ride all the coasters. Sheikra in the middle row. Montu and Kumba in the 3,4,or 5 row. There are 2 seats in these rows that are made for pooh people. All the other coasters are fine everywhere. I had no problem doing anything at BGT.

As for what to do when the boys are riding coasters. Well at Kumba there is the bumper cars. At Sheikra there is water rides. At Montu a cool exhibit on King Tut's Tomb. At Gwazi if you time it right you can watch a show called Morroccan Roll which you will love but 2 teen boys might not like near as much. There are animals all over. HTH.

 

[allisonwonderland]

I would skip the shows,,,,the ones that i saw just were not worth the time(sorry)...all th coasters are GREAT,,excpet for the python....too short and jerky.DO ride the sky ride,and the train and also ride the RHINO RALLY...it helps if u have a great guide(we did),,u get to see the animals VERY closely.and I second the recc on the "modified' seats if u are pooh size.I am and they were VERY comfortable..no more smashed "chests"(tee hee)....Its a great park.Not so much magic from the "cast memebers".....in fact we encountered some so rude it was funny.Popcorn man was nice.....anyway,,,have a great time!!!!asa side note,,they have really good prices on souveniers....and free beer(woo hooo)

 

[tampaman]

For the month of June, SheiKra doesn't open until 10 AM because 9-10AM is exclusive for passport holders. (good for me, bad for you) So, when you get in, hit Montu a couple of times without a line, including the front row...then go back toward SheiKra, get on Gwazi for a ride, ask them if they will duel for you (they used to do it if you asked, but I haven't asked in a while, so I'm not positive that they will still do it, but it never hurts to ask...it makes the ride 100% better). By then, SheiKra should be close to opening, so hit it. If the line is too long, wait until later in the afternoon when it slows down a bit. Everyone tries to hit it first, so it could jam up at the beginning. When it gets hot, hit the Tut's Tomb area if you are nearby...its air conditioned. Kumba is also a great ride and it doesn't usually have a long line. I like Kumba best in the front or back...skip the middle. Oh a tip on coasters, if they have a seperate line for the back row, skip it, and sit in the second to last row, its almost the same physics wise. Rhino Rally is decent, but don't wait too long for it or you will be disappointed. I've found if you wait 20 minutes or so, you like it. My cousin say the commercials and was so excited about it and then we had to wait in line for an hour and a half and he hated it...not worth that kind of wait. Oh - if you can, ride Kumba at night...its very nice. Good luck!