Busch Gardens Questions...Please Help!

[rstanley]

I’m starting to plan our Busch Gardens Day (Sun Oct 11th) and I have quite a few questions…I would appreciate any comments you have to share!!

It will be me, DH, DS12 and DD7

1) I’m thinking of going on the safari tour…either the sunset safari or the cheaper one during the day…does anyone know what these are like? Is it worth the money?

Is there anything similar to this in the park (other than Rhino Rally) or can you only walk through the Serengeti area (or see it by train or the sky ride)?

2) My plan is to maybe move through the park from left to right? Does anyone have a better plan?

3) I’ve heard the Chimps are more active first thing in the morning…is it worth it to start at the Myombe reserve or should we head right to the roller coasters?

4) If you had to pick 2-3 roller coasters (Gwazi, Sheikra, Python, Kumba, Montu)…which are the best?

My son gets migraines if he does too many and I’m thinking this park has too many. He loves animals so that will be more important to him than the roller coasters.

5) My daughter is only 46” but will be able to do Cheetah Chase and Scorpion…should we do both or just Cheetah Chase?

6) Does the sky ride start at the park entrance or in the Congo area? When should we ride this?

7) How do the bird habitats (Aviary walk through and Loring Landing) compare to the Discovery Cove aviary and Flights of Wonder show at Animal Kingdom? If they are not as good I’d prefer to skip them since we are going to Discovery Cove and my husband wants to see the Flights of Wonder show.

8) Are the water rides worth it...Stanley Falls Flume, Tidal Wave and Congo River Rapids?

9) Has anyone seen the Pirates 4D show? I love the Disney shows and am wondering if this one is worth seeing?

10) What is the Living Dragons exhibit???

Thank you!!!!

 

[turning40withMickey]

Haven't been there yet, but we go August 8th
maybe I can answer some of you questions after our trip!

 

[inkkognito]

This might help with the roller coasters: http://bit.ly/veFyA

We go to Busch a lot but our main focus is the coasters. I think that other than Rhino Rally, it's just the Sky Ride, the train and walking to see the critters.

 

[Hayloburger]

We spent 2 days at Busch Gardens in May. We purchased one day tickets and recieved the 2nd day free....But, you can definately do the entire park in one day. We didn't do any of the big coasters, my dd8 does not like coasters. It's not crowded like Disney, the lines were always short....it just doesn't have the draw that Disney has. We ate at the Crown Colony House..we had a table by the window, which was relaxing.

The Critter Castaway Show is very similar to "Flights of Wonder" at AK...but it also has animals...cats, dogs, wallaby (or some kind of small kangaroo), porcupine, etc. Lots of birds. I think they had more birds than "Flights of Wonder". It's a great show and they bring out some of the birds afterwards and you can meet them and ask the trainers questions. The trainers stayed out a long time with the animals and were very patient with the kids asking questions. We went both days...I think it's better than AK....don't miss it. This was one of our favorite things in BG.

The Sky ride runs back and forth from the front of the park to Jungala. It runs both ways... You can't do a round trip without getting off and getting back in line..does that makes sense?

We did the Serengeti Safari that included feeding the giraffes and riding through the Serengeti Plain...I believe that it cost about $33 per person AND IT WAS WORTH EVERY PENNY. Feeding the giraffes was fabulous...the guides spend alot of time with the giraffes...you won't feel rushed. They also have a photographer on board...you can purchase individual prints or a cd of all your pics. My kids were the only kids onboard that day, so the photographer took about 50 pics of them with the giraffes...so, I, of course, had to buy the cd. The drive throught the rest of the Serengeti Plain was fine...just riding by the rhinos, zebras and antelopes....nothing exciting. Double check the ages of the Sunset Safari...I think there is a minimum age.

The train goes around the Serengeti Safari area....you can see more on the paid giraffe tour, but not that much more. You will probably get closer to the animals on the paid tour, but that's really a side "bonus"...the tour is really about feeding the giraffes.

We did the Lory Landing it was fun. The birds climb all over you ....a little cup of sugar water was $5 (I think). My kids loved it. If I am remembering correctly, the Garden Aviary was just some small birds and ducks in a pond...it wasn't a show or anything. The Bird Gardens area of the park is mostly a walk through....there's not much time to spend there...just walk through it on my way back to Jungala.

Congo River Rapids is very much like Kali River Rapids....except, of course, Disney has better theming! The ride is almost identical except for the scenery.

The Rhino Ralley is a must do...very similar to the Safari ride in AK, but with a twist at the end...I would definately do it.

The Living Dragons exhibit was a Komodo Dragon display....just like a zoo....maybe 3-5 big habitats that you look into that have the dragons...it's over by the Land of the Dragons (which is like a play area for smaller kids). You walk by, look at a dragon sitting on a tree and keep going....again, it wont' take much time out of your day!

I have always wanted to go to Busch Gardens and I'm glad that we tried it. We went to Busch Gardens with the the mind-set "don't expect Disney". It's a great park, it has some great animals and shows, and we experienced good service...nothing magical..but good. We weren't disappointed and we weren't blown away. I am glad that we tried something different....we would probably only go back to feed the giraffes. The giraffe experience really made the trip.

You can PM me with any questions.

 

[rstanley]

We spent 2 days at Busch Gardens in May. We purchased one day tickets and recieved the 2nd day free....But, you can definately do the entire park in one day. We didn't do any of the big coasters, my dd8 does not like coasters. It's not crowded like Disney, the lines were always short....it just doesn't have the draw that Disney has. We ate at the Crown Colony House..we had a table by the window, which was relaxing.

The Critter Castaway Show is very similar to "Flights of Wonder" at AK...but it also has animals...cats, dogs, wallaby (or some kind of small kangaroo), porcupine, etc. Lots of birds. I think they had more birds than "Flights of Wonder". It's a great show and they bring out some of the birds afterwards and you can meet them and ask the trainers questions. The trainers stayed out a long time with the animals and were very patient with the kids asking questions. We went both days...I think it's better than AK....don't miss it. This was one of our favorite things in BG.

The Sky ride runs back and forth from the front of the park to Jungala. It runs both ways... You can't do a round trip without getting off and getting back in line..does that makes sense?

We did the Serengeti Safari that included feeding the giraffes and riding through the Serengeti Plain...I believe that it cost about $33 per person AND IT WAS WORTH EVERY PENNY. Feeding the giraffes was fabulous...the guides spend alot of time with the giraffes...you won't feel rushed. They also have a photographer on board...you can purchase individual prints or a cd of all your pics. My kids were the only kids onboard that day, so the photographer took about 50 pics of them with the giraffes...so, I, of course, had to buy the cd. The drive throught the rest of the Serengeti Plain was fine...just riding by the rhinos, zebras and antelopes....nothing exciting. Double check the ages of the Sunset Safari...I think there is a minimum age.

The train goes around the Serengeti Safari area....you can see more on the paid giraffe tour, but not that much more. You will probably get closer to the animals on the paid tour, but that's really a side "bonus"...the tour is really about feeding the giraffes.

We did the Lory Landing it was fun. The birds climb all over you ....a little cup of sugar water was $5 (I think). My kids loved it. If I am remembering correctly, the Garden Aviary was just some small birds and ducks in a pond...it wasn't a show or anything. The Bird Gardens area of the park is mostly a walk through....there's not much time to spend there...just walk through it on my way back to Jungala.

Congo River Rapids is very much like Kali River Rapids....except, of course, Disney has better theming! The ride is almost identical except for the scenery.

The Rhino Ralley is a must do...very similar to the Safari ride in AK, but with a twist at the end...I would definately do it.

The Living Dragons exhibit was a Komodo Dragon display....just like a zoo....maybe 3-5 big habitats that you look into that have the dragons...it's over by the Land of the Dragons (which is like a play area for smaller kids). You walk by, look at a dragon sitting on a tree and keep going....again, it wont' take much time out of your day!

I have always wanted to go to Busch Gardens and I'm glad that we tried it. We went to Busch Gardens with the the mind-set "don't expect Disney". It's a great park, it has some great animals and shows, and we experienced good service...nothing magical..but good. We weren't disappointed and we weren't blown away. I am glad that we tried something different....we would probably only go back to feed the giraffes. The giraffe experience really made the trip.

You can PM me with any questions.

Thank you...I really appreciate your advice! Now the sky ride makes sense

 

[drenalin'junkie]

1.Worth the $$.Can be seen by a trail that has excellent access,skyride,train or the Crown Colony restuarant.

2.As with any park,prioritize your must do's and hit them first.L to R will give you Gwazi and Shiekra first,R to L will give you Montu and the Kumba.Water rides are central.There are shows and exhibits everywhere

3.see # 2

4.Montu,Sheikra,Gwazi,Kumba

5.both

6.To the right next to the Clydesdale paddock between the entrance and Montu across from Crown Colony

7.Bird shows and Lorikeet Landing are always big hit with kids who like animals,a nice change of pace too.

8.Water rides will net you wet clothes so be prepared.Let the weather
dictate if you go.

9.Pirates is cool,Katonga is better.Katonga is my fave live show in all the parks.

10.BG has exhibits of gators,lizards,monitors,reptiles and other critters tucked away all over

This thread should be a sticky,excellent info above