Busch Gardens Tampa ?????'s

[KickTheSky]

Glad to here you had a great time at Busch Gardens. Also good to hear that you got to enjoy more than the rides. The rides at Busch Gardens are only a small part of what that park is about. I tell that to my roller coaster enthusiast friends and I feel sorry for them when they only power ride the coasters because they are missing out on so much that the park has to offer.

I find it interesting that they would be rehabbing Scorpion and Python at the same time. I had reports that they were painting Python white. Is that what you saw or did they start putting a yellow coat of paint on over it?

You didnt miss much with Rhino Rally. Slowest line ever for any ride anywhere. That one hour stated wait time would have really been about 3 hours.

One last question. Did they duel Gwazi or were they just letting the trains out when ever they got full?

 

[eeyore0062]

Python was still yellow when we were there. We didn't get really close to it, though. As for the Scorpian, it wasn't on the list of rides that were closed when we entered the parks, but when we were in that area around 10:45, it wasn't running. We never got back there to check it out again.

As for Gwazi... some of the trains did duel, but mostly they were just letting them go when they were full. We rode it 1st thing in the morning, and rode the front seat on both. It is a great "woodie"!

 

[Dancind]

I hope some of the Busch Gardens experts are still reading this thread. I just booked the Serengeti Tour for Sat., May 31. I figured my DD would love it, and that was before I read that she might get to pet/feed a giraffe! I'm thinking of cancelling our reservation the next week for the Sunrise Safari & AKL Concierge which will cost about $580 since we are doing this. While on the phone, I asked about the Adventure Tour and that sounds tempting too. For $70 per person, we get the Serengeti Safari, lunch at Crown Colony, and FOTL for Rhino Rally and other rides for 4-5 hours. Sounds like a neat thing to do for a summer weekend at BG. What do you guys think? Diana

 

[KickTheSky]

I have done the Safari tour twice now, most recently a month ago. While the giraffe feeding is the highlight of the trip, there are many other animals that you may get the opportunity to feed including zebras, I think they were gazzelles, and some sort of vulture. I do not know if they guarantee a giraffe feeding, but both times I went we had giraffes. The first time there were three of them and the last time there was only one. It is really cool to be able to pet the giraffes. I have several pics of my wife and I hugging the giraffes from those safaris. Note that the tour will be cancelled and refunded if it is raining heavily. The truck does have a cover that can be put up but they cannot put it up near the giraffes or they might get their neck caught in it. Another note, they do provide lockers to put your stuff in while on the trip. Last note, I beleive children have to be at least five years of age to go on the Serengetti Safari.

EDIT: Getting FOTL access for Rhino Rally may be the only way you will get to ride Rhino Rally. Lines on slow days are in excess of 90 minutes when the rest of the park is walk ons. This ride has the WORST capacity I have ever seen for ANY park attraction. 70 bucks for the giraffes and 2 or 3 hours saved waiting in line for Rhino Rally is a great deal!

 

[Dancind]

Thanks for your input, KickTheSky. I've upgraded our tour to the Guided Adventure Tour, and we're looking forward to it! I was distracted by the Animal Adventure Tour, which sounds fabulous, but decided it was too pricey. The Guided tour seems like a nice combination of animals and coasters. Diana

 

[robvia]

The way you get on RR is to be there when the gate opens at 9am, and just run for it.

 

[KickTheSky]

Actually running for the ride when the park opens rarely works unless you are one of the VERY first people there which means you have to be at the front of the lines when they open the park for the day. I did the run back once and I would say there were maybe 30 people in front of me in line. Because they are just firing up the vehicles for the ride in the morning, the loading is EVEN SLOWER than the rest of the day. So with only 30 people in front of me it was still a 45 minute wait.

Busch Gardens is a great park but they really need to learn some lessons on ride capacity because when it comes to that they are one of the worst parks I have ever been to.(I have been to about 25 other parks)

 

[rangebob]

They don't even know how to start testing Gwazzi before the park opens for the day.

 

[eeyore0062]

They don't even know how to start testing Gwazzi before the park opens for the day.

We were there 2 weeks ago, and the Gwazi was up and running when the park opened. We were one of the 1st on it... and it had been tested previously... so maybe they are getting better!

 

[Cindy B]

the last time our family went to Busch Gardens we had a 1/2 Rhino Rally ride.. no Gwazi, one train for Montu... (resulting in a 30 minute wait).. Gwazi wasn't even being tested until after the park opening.


My DD who is taller, but not tall enought for some coasters, didn't have much to do besides some flat rides... which she could ride elsewhere.

I think we caught BG on an off day... we got disgusted and left at 1 pm.

 

[Jailen's Gma]

My question is: Is it worth the hour to hour and half drive? From what I've been reading, I'm not sure. My son is really into roller coasters and I love animals. Can someone tell me it's worth it.

 

[eeyore0062]

We thought that it was well worth the drive. We like both the animals and the rollercoasters, and were not disappointed in the least. I wouldn't count on riding Rhino Rally, though... what everyone else said about the wait is true... very slow, and to us didn't look worth the wait. Everything else was great though! Make sure to check out the full service restaurant too! It took us no more than one hour to drive from Howard Johnson's on 192 east to the park... we left about 7:30 am, and got to the parking lot around 8:30 am.

Enjoy!!!

 

[suei]

Could you tell me how to book the Serengeti Safari ? Are there different time slots available, and if so, when?
It sounds great, especially feeding the giraffes!
Thanks for your help.

 

[KickTheSky]

There are two places you can buy tickets for these attractions in the park. They are both gift shops, however, I do not know the names of them off hand. One of them is right when you get in the park. Tickets cannot be purchased in advance, they must be purchased the day you are at the park and are at a first come first serve basis so buy them early in the day or you may lose out. I believe they run one tour an hour and you can choose an available time when you purchase your tickets. They recommend that you show up 15 minutes prior to your tour starting time. Reminder, children under 5 are not permitted on the ride.

Once again, I cannot stress how much this tour is worth the money you pay for it. It is a great way to get close to animals and interact with them.

 

[suei]

Thanks for your help, KickTheSky. We will definitely be trying to book this-can't wait to feed a giraffe! Will get there early too.
Does anyone know where the Ticket Booths for this are?

 

[WebmasterBarry]

Originally posted by suei
Thanks for your help, KickTheSky. We will definitely be trying to book this-can't wait to feed a giraffe! Will get there early too.
Does anyone know where the Ticket Booths for this are?

I believe you can get Sergentti Safari tickets at the gift shop by the skyride entrance near the Crown Colony House.

 

[KickTheSky]

This link will tell you everything you need to know...

http://www.4adventure.com/buschgardens/fla/sp_serengeti_safari.aspx

It looks like you can make phone reservations like a day in advance... it also lists the name of the two gift shops where tix can be purchased.

 

[suei]

Barry and KickTheSky-many thanks to you both for your help. Am really looking forward to it-only 3 months to go!