Busch Gardens & Tampa Questions

[bangzoom6877]

We are starting to plan our July 2012 WDW trip. I have plenty of knowledge to plan the WDW parks, but we have not ventured off-site yet. We drive down from Brooklyn, NY, so I would like to go to Tampa first for a couple of days, before heading to WDW. I have some questions about Busch Gardens, and as a complete newbie to Tampa in general. I would appreciate any advice anyone can give me, even if it is something I forgot to ask! It will be me, DH, and our sons who will be 5 and 7 when we go.

1. How far in advance is it OK to buy Busch Gardens tickets?
2. They have vacation packages for summer 2011, buy 2 nights get 1 night free, and includes a length of stay ticket; is this something they typically do every year? (They have done this every year for Sesame Place, owned by the same company as BG)
3. Except for DH, we are not thrill seekers...and DH doesn't really care if he goes on a roller coaster.
4. Are there a lot of things to do for a 5-year-old and a 7-year-old?
5. Do any hotels provide transportation to Busch Gardens, or should we just drive there?
6. Is there a website that provides touring tips for Busch Gardens?
7. How is the food at BG? Anything you would recommend, or would recommend to stay away from?
8. Is there a particular area of Tampa to avoid staying in? I see Westshore, New Tampa, USF...when I search for hotels in Tampa.
9. Any specific hotel you would recommend? Or any hotel you had a bad experience in?

If I am missing something, please feel free to chime in! I thought it would be nice to go somewhere new, and to be so close to WDW that we can get there nice and early on the day we check in! Thanks in advance for any advice!

 

[TifffanyD]

We are starting to plan our July 2012 WDW trip. I have plenty of knowledge to plan the WDW parks, but we have not ventured off-site yet. We drive down from Brooklyn, NY, so I would like to go to Tampa first for a couple of days, before heading to WDW. I have some questions about Busch Gardens, and as a complete newbie to Tampa in general. I would appreciate any advice anyone can give me, even if it is something I forgot to ask! It will be me, DH, and our sons who will be 5 and 7 when we go.

1. How far in advance is it OK to buy Busch Gardens tickets?
2. They have vacation packages for summer 2011, buy 2 nights get 1 night free, and includes a length of stay ticket; is this something they typically do every year? (They have done this every year for Sesame Place, owned by the same company as BG)
3. Except for DH, we are not thrill seekers...and DH doesn't really care if he goes on a roller coaster.
4. Are there a lot of things to do for a 5-year-old and a 7-year-old?
5. Do any hotels provide transportation to Busch Gardens, or should we just drive there?
6. Is there a website that provides touring tips for Busch Gardens?
7. How is the food at BG? Anything you would recommend, or would recommend to stay away from?
8. Is there a particular area of Tampa to avoid staying in? I see Westshore, New Tampa, USF...when I search for hotels in Tampa.
9. Any specific hotel you would recommend? Or any hotel you had a bad experience in?

If I am missing something, please feel free to chime in! I thought it would be nice to go somewhere new, and to be so close to WDW that we can get there nice and early on the day we check in! Thanks in advance for any advice!

1. I would just wait to buy them before your trip. You can print out a thing online to scan.

4. YES! There are tons of other rides, animal habitats, shows, and 2 awesome kids areas. One is sesame street themed and is basically just for kids but the other is in Jungala and has habitats and a ride for adults too.

7. Food is ok. Edible but not as good as Disney. As pricey as Disney tho. We usually do all day dining if we are staying the whole day - since this includes drinks (soda and bottled water) too.

8. USF is right across from Busch so this would be close.

 

[rizzobob]

We are starting to plan our July 2012 WDW trip. I have plenty of knowledge to plan the WDW parks, but we have not ventured off-site yet. We drive down from Brooklyn, NY, so I would like to go to Tampa first for a couple of days, before heading to WDW. I have some questions about Busch Gardens, and as a complete newbie to Tampa in general. I would appreciate any advice anyone can give me, even if it is something I forgot to ask! It will be me, DH, and our sons who will be 5 and 7 when we go.

1. How far in advance is it OK to buy Busch Gardens tickets?
2. They have vacation packages for summer 2011, buy 2 nights get 1 night free, and includes a length of stay ticket; is this something they typically do every year? (They have done this every year for Sesame Place, owned by the same company as BG)
3. Except for DH, we are not thrill seekers...and DH doesn't really care if he goes on a roller coaster.
4. Are there a lot of things to do for a 5-year-old and a 7-year-old?
5. Do any hotels provide transportation to Busch Gardens, or should we just drive there?
6. Is there a website that provides touring tips for Busch Gardens?
7. How is the food at BG? Anything you would recommend, or would recommend to stay away from?
8. Is there a particular area of Tampa to avoid staying in? I see Westshore, New Tampa, USF...when I search for hotels in Tampa.
9. Any specific hotel you would recommend? Or any hotel you had a bad experience in?

If I am missing something, please feel free to chime in! I thought it would be nice to go somewhere new, and to be so close to WDW that we can get there nice and early on the day we check in! Thanks in advance for any advice!

Hi Bonnie,
I live in South Florida, but lived in Tampa for a year. I don't know as much as TiffanyD, I am sure, but I can tell you what I do when I go to BG. You can buy tickets ahead of time or at the gate. If you buy online, you can print an e-ticket. There are some hotels in Tampa that are BG preferred hotels and have packages that include tickets. I am sure you can access these hotels through the BG website. I do not know if the rates are comparable though. These hotels do provide transportation, but I would ask the individual hotels because they will each have their own "schedule" and may not go to and from enough to suit your family's needs. As far as the area, USF is the closest area. Another area that is close (maybe 10 minutes driving) is New Tampa or Tampa Palms. The main street there is Bruce B. Downs. It is very congested but has a lot of restaurants and a movie theater as well as several hotels right off the interstate (I-75).

If you have any other questions, I would be happy to help, just PM me.

Hope I helped,
Michele

 

[bangzoom6877]

1. I would just wait to buy them before your trip. You can print out a thing online to scan.

4. YES! There are tons of other rides, animal habitats, shows, and 2 awesome kids areas. One is sesame street themed and is basically just for kids but the other is in Jungala and has habitats and a ride for adults too.

7. Food is ok. Edible but not as good as Disney. As pricey as Disney tho. We usually do all day dining if we are staying the whole day - since this includes drinks (soda and bottled water) too.

8. USF is right across from Busch so this would be close.

I saw the All Day Dining, and thought that might be good for us. I like that it includes bottled water. Could you just get a water and no food if you want? That way, we wouldn't have to bring water into the park with us. Thanks for your answers to my questions! Sounds like fun for us and the kids!

Hi Bonnie,
I live in South Florida, but lived in Tampa for a year. I don't know as much as TiffanyD, I am sure, but I can tell you what I do when I go to BG. You can buy tickets ahead of time or at the gate. If you buy online, you can print an e-ticket. There are some hotels in Tampa that are BG preferred hotels and have packages that include tickets. I am sure you can access these hotels through the BG website. I do not know if the rates are comparable though. These hotels do provide transportation, but I would ask the individual hotels because they will each have their own "schedule" and may not go to and from enough to suit your family's needs. As far as the area, USF is the closest area. Another area that is close (maybe 10 minutes driving) is New Tampa or Tampa Palms. The main street there is Bruce B. Downs. It is very congested but has a lot of restaurants and a movie theater as well as several hotels right off the interstate (I-75).

If you have any other questions, I would be happy to help, just PM me.

Hope I helped,
Michele

Thank you so much for this info! I also looked at Trip Advisor for reviews of hotels. The Holiday Inn Express in New Tampa is rated the #2 hotel in Tampa on their site, and it is one of the hotels with a package that includes BG tickets. It is also within our price range and includes breakfast. How far is the drive to Disney World from New Tampa?

 

[TifffanyD]

I saw the All Day Dining, and thought that might be good for us. I like that it includes bottled water. Could you just get a water and no food if you want? That way, we wouldn't have to bring water into the park with us. Thanks for your answers to my questions! Sounds like fun for us and the kids!

Yes you can just go and grab a bottled water, or fruit or another side, but you can only do it at the restaurants where all day dining is good. Also... if there is a line you still have to wait. It's a great deal tho if you are there for a long time... cause I can spend $10 easily on just water and then if I want strawberries or something that is another $4 each time!

Oh lately they've been doing a thing where if you buy all day dining you can get other snacks (ice cream, popcorn, funnel cakes) and beer half price at other locations. My husband likes this for the beers!

Sorry I don't know anything about hotels or transportation as we are local so we just drive outselves! I think I saw on their website that if you buy a ticket you can get free all day dining - not sure when it is through (we have passes)

Oh as far as distance to WDW... I would guess it is about 70-80 minutes. We are east of Tampa and get to Disney World in about an hour... and it takes us about 20 minutes to get to Busch.

 

[momto2js]

We really like BG's but it is not in a resort area and the surounding the park is a bit rough around the edges. I'm guessing safe but not pretty KWIM?? There is an Embassy Suites just down the road that is the nicest hotel that I have seen near the park. We usually just drive over for the day so I've not stayed.

The Food is OK we usually eat lunch in the park and then dinner outside somewhere on the way home. I would see if you can find a ticket that includes admission to Adventure Island too. It will be hot and the water park is a good way to cool off!!

 

[rizzobob]

Thank you so much for this info! I also looked at Trip Advisor for reviews of hotels. The Holiday Inn Express in New Tampa is rated the #2 hotel in Tampa on their site, and it is one of the hotels with a package that includes BG tickets. It is also within our price range and includes breakfast. How far is the drive to Disney World from New Tampa?

Sure! I have actually stayed at that hotel (last week). It is nice and clean and the staff is very helpful. It is just off I-75. There is also it's sister hotel just on the other side of the interstate, the Wingate by Wyndham (sp?). They are very comparable but I think the Wingate might be a little cheaper. I also got a cheaper rate at the HI Express by calling them directly. I know they have transportation but I always drive. I don't like to be stuck.

 

[bangzoom6877]

Yes you can just go and grab a bottled water, or fruit or another side, but you can only do it at the restaurants where all day dining is good. Also... if there is a line you still have to wait. It's a great deal tho if you are there for a long time... cause I can spend $10 easily on just water and then if I want strawberries or something that is another $4 each time!

Oh lately they've been doing a thing where if you buy all day dining you can get other snacks (ice cream, popcorn, funnel cakes) and beer half price at other locations. My husband likes this for the beers!

Sorry I don't know anything about hotels or transportation as we are local so we just drive outselves! I think I saw on their website that if you buy a ticket you can get free all day dining - not sure when it is through (we have passes)

Oh as far as distance to WDW... I would guess it is about 70-80 minutes. We are east of Tampa and get to Disney World in about an hour... and it takes us about 20 minutes to get to Busch.

My hubby would also like this for the beers! And I can always drive back to the hotel, no problem. Having unlimited water and fruit throughout the day seems to make this worth it. But, we would probably have dinner outside the park at a regular restaurant.

We really like BG's but it is not in a resort area and the surounding the park is a bit rough around the edges. I'm guessing safe but not pretty KWIM?? There is an Embassy Suites just down the road that is the nicest hotel that I have seen near the park. We usually just drive over for the day so I've not stayed.

The Food is OK we usually eat lunch in the park and then dinner outside somewhere on the way home. I would see if you can find a ticket that includes admission to Adventure Island too. It will be hot and the water park is a good way to cool off!!

I think the current package deal includes a length of stay ticket to both BG and Adventure Island. Do you need to be a good swimmer for Adventure Island? DS6 is swimming now, but DS4 is still afraid to learn (DS6 was the same way 2 years ago). DH and I are not such great swimmers either. So we tend not to go to water parks...I do enjoy a good lazy river though, and DH will take DS6 on certain water slides (like a couple of the ones at Sesame Place).

Sure! I have actually stayed at that hotel (last week). It is nice and clean and the staff is very helpful. It is just off I-75. There is also it's sister hotel just on the other side of the interstate, the Wingate by Wyndham (sp?). They are very comparable but I think the Wingate might be a little cheaper. I also got a cheaper rate at the HI Express by calling them directly. I know they have transportation but I always drive. I don't like to be stuck.

As long as we have a clean, safe hotel, we are fine. I will check out the Wingate, and see if it is part of the current package deal.

Does anyone know if BG typically offers packages that include the hotel and ticket? And, do they typically give you a night free when you purchase 2 nights? That is the current deal for this summer, and I am wondering if I can expect something similar next year.