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Busch Gardens Tampa Bay (BGT Discussion Thread)

p. 375: Phoenix Rising family inverted coaster announced for 2024!

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Finally!

 

I remember talking to the GCI team on the '07 Midwest Trip during ERT on Kentucky Rumbler. I asked if Gwazi was going to get Millennium Flyers. They said they were talking to the park about options to update the ride, including adding MF trains.

 

After four years of waiting... it's finally happening!

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Busch Gardens Tampa Bay has sent us a press release announcing the debut of new Millenium Flyer trains on Gwazi.

 

In 1999, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay unleashed Gwazi, the Southeast’s largest and fastest double wooden roller coaster featuring 1.25 million feet of twisting lumber. On Saturday, Jan. 22, Gwazi will reopen to fans outfitted with new Millennium Flyer trains designed by Great Coasters International, Inc., the coaster’s original manufacturer.

 

The new trains provide the smoothest way to ride a wooden coaster and are highly regarded for their spacious, cushioned seats and individual row design that resembles wooden roller coasters trains from the early 1900s. The open sides of the new cars will provide unobstructed views of the 7,000-plus combined feet of Gwazi’s two twisted tracks.

 

SPECIAL OFFERS FOR THRILL SEEKERS:

 

•To celebrate Gwazi’s reopening, any guest who rides Gwazi on Saturday, Jan. 22 will receive a coupon valid for a 30 percent food and beverage discount at any culinary location, including all restaurants and snack carts

 

And this is just the beginning, as Busch Gardens is keeping the fast-paced thrills coming all year long. Experience a new breed of speed with Cheetah Hunt, a one-of-a-kind multiple launch coaster opening spring 2011.

 

With a 2011 Fun Card, you can pay for a day and come back all year to challenge all of the world-class coasters at Busch Gardens. It’s the best value for again-and-again access to all of the amazing animal encounters, world-class thrill rides, exciting big-name entertainment and family adventure Busch Gardens has to offer.

 

Photos courtesy of Busch Gardens Tampa Bay.

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Edited by ernierocker
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The coaster deserves those trains, especially for how the ride banks. It didn't seem uncomfortably rough, but it did make me laugh hard on the brakes! I know that these new trains will make the coaster much better and now I really can't wait to get back to Tampa.

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Great news! I rode (one side) Gwazi in 2006, it wasn't horribly rough but it was by far the most rough GCI. The ride has a good layout, hopefully the Millennium Flyers can bring the ride up in terms of where it stands in rankings. I really hope I go to BGA this year, defiantly a huge year for the park!

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Yeah just getting these trains wont fix the damage the old trains have already done. Wildcat was barely any smoother, but it will not be getting rougher much more. Same with Gwazi. When i rode this back in 2002 it was not rough at all, but im sure it is now. Anyways they will have to do a LOT of retracking for these trains to run well.

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I did not like this coaster one bit, at least with the old trains! I got *really* bad sunburn the day before, but I needed both Gwazi credits so I had to endure the suffering! Sheikra and other rides didn't hurt, but I guess the vibrations and random jolts made me not like the ride. Millennium Flyer trains are super comfortable, so looks like Busch Gardens will have a great 2011! (Cheetah Hunt!)

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It's been hit or miss with the dispatch of the trains... WHEN they have both sides open, sometimes they DO dispatch them together, when other times they just don't seem to care... But I've noticed that even when they DO dispatch them together, (at least recently) Lion somehow get quite a bit ahead of Tiger... Lion will be at the bottom of the first drop by the time Tiger is just going over the peak... so the dueling winds up being minimal at best...

 

...so hopefully with the Millenium Flyer's in place, not only with they hopefully run them together more consistantly... but hoping that both Lion and Tiger can keep up with each other... Either way, I'm super excited... the Tiger trains look wonderful (wish they had the Gwazi logo on the front, or a Lion head/Tiger head to differenciate... but that is nit-picking...) Cannot wait to ride once this sucker re-opens...

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I hope these things work really well for the ride. It needs an improvement over the PTC's that's for sure. Kentucky Rumbler was fantastic with them, however Roar was not. Hopefully it's more like Rumbler!!!

 

I'll be out of town on the 22nd, but I'll for sure be there the week after.

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YES!!!

 

 

I was hoping the rumor about the Millenium Flyer trains was true. ZOMG I am SO excited! Yea I'm going to Busch Gardens on the 22nd to ride! I'm actually going this Saturday too. If I happen to catch them testing the trains I'll be sure to snap some pics!

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I noticed the trains have individual seatbelts. Do any other MF trains have this? The two rides with MF trains I have been on (Kentucky Rumbler and Thunderhead) only had one seatbelt per row.

 

Yes, Prowler at Worlds of Fun has individual seat belts for each rider. However, in all the time that Prowler has been open, when I've visited (about twice a week) they hardly ever stack the trains. The crew on this coaster knows how to be efficient and safe. They check the belts and bars at the same time. This coaster has gotten a bit faster as time has gone on - it takes barely 40 seconds (about 10 second's faster that from when it opened) from the time you leave the lift until you enter the magnetic reduction brakes, from there it's about 15 second's to the "stack" brake before the turn to the station. So when you factor in the time from station to top of lift, (it's about 48 seconds), so you're looking at 93 seconds to prevent a stack. Now the total ride time is a bit longer as you have to travel from the stack brake to the station (about 10 seconds), but it doesn't factor into preventing a stack. That's NOT a lot of time, but they do it, pretty consistantly. I hope this continues, but this coaster seems to be the exception at the park....

 

I know that one of the leads is not coming back next year on this ride, but I have my fingers crossed. Perhaps we should send them to train Gwazi's Crew?

 

I have not been to BGT since Montu was new, and am going this next winter and really looking forward to trying Gwazi and Cheetha Whatchacallit out. Oh, and SheiKra too! And any other rides I can whore around on like Air Grover and Cheetha Chase, of course, cause I'll do anything with a chain lift!

Edited by KCForce
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^Stacking on Prowler is so not fun. I tend to get auto-stapled on that ride more than on any other GCI, or even any other woodie. It's uncomfortable even when the ride is standing still. Glad to hear stacking is rare!

 

I'm excited that Gwazi is finally getting MFs! I've ridden several very smooth coasters with them, and only one notably rough coaster (Roar West). I haven't ridden Gwazi so there's really nothing else I can say, but I still hope it improves the experience! They certainly look good!

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