Busch Gardens general touring plan

[katie111]

Heading to Busch Gardens next Thursday from Orlando with our 3 kids. We want ride all the big coasters as well as the water rides. We know it's going to be crowded for vacation week and plan to get there before the park opens. Any suggestions for a touring plan? Should we head to the back of the park to Kumba, maybe hitting Sheikra on our way there, and work our way forward? Thinking a lot of people might head right to Cheetah Hunt & Cobra's Curse from the front. If we only have time for maybe 3 coasters due to lines, which ones would you say we should focus on?

Also, any suggestions on where to eat? We've been to Busch Gardens once before but kids were little so we focused on the kiddie areas. Thanks!

 

[janicept]

Grab a map while you're waiting at the gate to check when the rides open. I only go at slow times but rides in the back like Shiekra and Kumba tend to not open until an hour after park open. I've never seen a touring plan but would go to Cobra Curse and Cheetah Run first. To me Cobra's Curse is more like a kid's ride but it's new so it will have super long lines later in the day. I love Falcon's Fury which is the tower ride - it loads slow and likely has long lines later in the day. If you are tight on time maybe ride Falcon's Fury instead of Shiekra since they both have those similar drops. Kumba and Mantu are older coasters so maybe just pick one of those to ride. Since I go at off times I can usually ride about three times in a row before I get off since no one is there. I've never ridden any water rides or the kids rides. I've ridden the Skyride but would not spend the time waiting in line if the lines are long.

If I could only ride three coasters it would be Cheetah Run, Falcon's Fury, and either Montu or Kumba.

Honestly I've never eaten at Busch Gardens but if the smokehouse is anything like the one at SeaWorld I would check it out.

The Serengeti Safari tour is really neat. You get to feed giraffes and touch them on their necks. When I went it was only me and two other people but during your time it would likely be really packed.

The Iceploration show is cute but I wouldn't take time away from coasters unless you really need a break.

 

[Penguinempress]

You might need to watch out for staggered openings. When I was there last (April 2016), some of the rides at the back of the park (like Sheikra and Congo River Rapids) opened 30 or 45 minutes after park opening. I started with Cheetah Hunt (Cobra's Curse wasn't open when I was there last year) then took the skyride over to Sheikra and arrived shortly after it opened (allowing me to ride several times in a row with no line). But that was a year ago so hopefully someone else will have some more current info for you. If you had to focus on only a few coasters, Sheikra, Cheetah Hunt and Montu would be my picks (especially Sheikra - so much fun!)

 

[katie111]

Great info.....thanks so much!!!