Busch Gardens Tampa Bay (BGT Discussion Thread)

Montu! About to be Banshee's little brother!

 

We BOOKED IT to Cheetah Hunt! We had a bit of a delay needing a fluffy, fluffy bunny filled with medicine and goo for the bag (I heard they had cubbies like Cedar Fair does but they didn't) but were still on one of the first five trains of the day

 

After two rides on Cheetah Hunt (one in the middle, one in the front) we went to ride Montu, which was also MY 75TH CREDIT!!!!! Easily my new favorite B&M invert! It's like my old favorite (Afterburn at Carowinds) but on a much larger scale and with better theming. The whole Egypt area is great but it feels tiny. I feel like a well-themed S&S Screamin' Swing would work well there or if they can fit it, a Polar X-Plorer styled Zierer with the VD element in a pyramid (I saw NO pyramids the whole time I was in the area, they should really add them!) but it's a great area of the park. And then we backtracked and rode Cheetah Hunt again, this time in the back. Because we could.

 

Griffon, on the other hand, feels like "Cedar Fair called, they want their B&M back."

 

Next came Kumba! My first B&M sitdown and while it was a great ride, it felt like one of those infamous "tropical B&Ms" that plauge the RCT3 forums. Layout was just okay, pretty much nothing overwhelmingly unique, minimal tropical theming, the like. Glad I rode it, though.

 

We WANTED to ride Scorpion, but it went down. We then ate at Zagora Cafe for lunch. The park food was just meh, but it's a nice pavilion.

 

. Kumba was just as good up front as it was when I rode it earlier. I feel like Kumba's your typical "vanilla" coaster. It's the absolute plain in terms of them.

 

I understand everyone has their opinions, and expectations of parks, but I disagree with a few of your statements.

 

Banshee is Montu's little sister. (Not about size, but about age.)

 

While they do insist that you use a fluffy, fluffy bunny filled with medicine and goo, they do have cubbie bins for hats and glasses.

 

Montu was originally planned to be an indoor coaster built inside a pyramid before B&M was contracted for the final design.

 

Actually, Busch Gardens called and want's their B&M back.

 

Please refrain from dissing Kumba, that is all I am going to say.

 

You should have got the All Day Dining Deal. NEVER EAT AT ZAGORA!! The food throughout the park is amazing! You should have tried this:

Alfredo with meatballs, mac n cheese, and fruit punch! Had this twice in one day!

 

"He dissed Kumba again."

 

Kumba is far from vanilla! It is certainly lightyears away from, ugh, can't say it. "Plain". ** clutches chest **

 

Diving through the Congo jungle is not enough theme on Kumba?

 

Kumba is a perfect example of what YOU ACTUALLY DO when you design, build, and maintain a roller coaster. Other parks need to take notes from Kumba. 20 years old, and still rides like it did in 1993. Like a dream!

 

Okay, I am done...

 

** Walks away mumbling to self **

I'll address the Kumba thing here in a bit, but for all of your statements:

1. Agewise, definitely, I just feel like Montu felt like a smaller version of what Banshee will be.

2. I ended up figuring that out later in the day. Didn't get one for Scorpion or Sand Serpent. I just thought the Cheetah Hunt ones were for small objects like GateKeeper's.

3. Montu was going to go in a pyramid? That's cool! I'm glad they built what they built, but that would have been cool too!

4. I meant that Griffon seemed more Cedar Fair style and SheiKra seemed more Busch Gardens, and in the end, I like the Busch Gardens style more than the Cedar Fair style. Both are awesome, though.

5. That was probably a mistake eating at Zagora. We didn't get the deal since we were planning to eat just one meal at the park. The Italian sub I got at Zagora wasn't anything to write home about.

6. Addressing Kumba later!

I know my taste in coasters is a bit different than that of most enthusiasts (certain rides like GateKeeper and Intimidator and now Cheetah Hunt being on my top 10 really illustrate this well

 

I know this is off topic but I'll come out of the Gatekeeper closet right now... I had low expectations for that ride and it's now in my top 10. I've been on over 200 coasters which isn't a lot compared to a lot of people, but it's enough where gatekeeper wouldn't normally be in your top 10. I thought it was really cool and have no idea why wingriders get such a bad reputation.

I've ridden both GateKeeper and Wild Eagle and I loved both of them. I think people who prefer forces don't like them because they are relatively forceless (though I got the heck stapled out of me in the back left of Wild Eagle) and the stapling issue bothers some. It's worthy of a top 10 spot for me, at least, though. Beautiful ride to look at and to be on. And the lights on the trains are sweet.

^^Totally agree about Kumba. Still one of the best B&M coasters out there.

 

^^^^I also agree on Cheetah Hunt. I think its a fun ride and there is something about it. Really though all the coasters at BGT are fun. Can't wait to go back and ride Falcon's Fury.

Addressing Kumba in a bit. I'd never ride Falcon's Fury (I'm scared of heights) but Cheetah Hunt has to be one of the most unique coasters on earth.

I thought it was a nice report. Also, I don't think Busch Gardens is what drives business to that part of the Tampa area. Don't forget it's a college town. I agree the area needs to be taken more care of, but that entire area of city is pretty ghetto. University Mall, that is all.

Thanks! I think some of it is because of the park, some of it is because of the school. The town where my current college is has a good university and a mall and it's full of restaurants, both chain and local, and has a decent mall nearby. I don't know why that area of town is like it is, though. There was a big light-up sign outside a strip mall my dad and I visited that said "SHOPLIFTING EQUALS ARREST," somebody had tried to steal a neighborhood watch sign and failed leaving it dangling on the post by one nail, and there was the sign in Red Lobster I mentioned in the report, so there is obviously some crime there and people threw their litter out the window and there was a really dirty treelawn I saw near the KFC, but I'm not sure why it's not become a really hospitable tourist/business area. It's got a good college and a really nice destination theme park that probably sucks in a good portion of the Orlando crowds, it's a headscratcher why it's not the booming business district that, say Carowinds or Kings Island are located. I understand some areas can get like that if there was a lot of business that left, but there's currently booming business there, I'd like to learn more about it.

ABOUT KUMBA:

I was NOT saying Kumba was a bad coaster. It isn't by any means. I shouldn't have said "vanilla," I should have said "standard." It's a standard for most coasters, a good one to gauge others against. It has some minimal theming that's there, a pretty straightforward layout, some interaction with pathways and structures but not too much. It felt a bit more themed than Cedar Fair and a bit less themed than a Herschend ride. I don't think it's a bad ride at all. It's just how I think a roller coaster is without all the bells and whistles.

Thanks! I think some of it is because of the park, some of it is because of the school. The town where my current college is has a good university and a mall and it's full of restaurants, both chain and local, and has a decent mall nearby. I don't know why that area of town is like it is, though. There was a big light-up sign outside a strip mall my dad and I visited that said "SHOPLIFTING EQUALS ARREST," somebody had tried to steal a neighborhood watch sign and failed leaving it dangling on the post by one nail, and there was the sign in Red Lobster I mentioned in the report, so there is obviously some crime there and people threw their litter out the window and there was a really dirty treelawn I saw near the KFC, but I'm not sure why it's not become a really hospitable tourist/business area. It's got a good college and a really nice destination theme park that probably sucks in a good portion of the Orlando crowds, it's a headscratcher why it's not the booming business district that, say Carowinds or Kings Island are located. I understand some areas can get like that if there was a lot of business that left, but there's currently booming business there, I'd like to learn more about it.

Well, I think the reason why the area isn't as booming and well-kept is because Busch Gardens/USF is only on the far end of a developed area. Behind University Mall/USF are more under-developed areas, I personally feel the entire area is just a facade to help tourist and families of college students feel more comfortable in the area. I figure the hospitality issue is because Busch Gardens isn't normally more than a "one-day" attraction. While there are a few other attractions in the area like MOSI, that area of Tampa isn't carrying a resort-like atmosphere. Like I was stating, the hotels around that areas normally cater to families of USF students. (You may have notices signs on hotels offering deals to those families). I see a lot more people visiting Busch Gardens as a side-trip from Orlando than visiting just for BG/AI. This is just my opinion after living in the area after five years before moving to Orlando, and working for the Company.

ABOUT KUMBA:

I was NOT saying Kumba was a bad coaster. It isn't by any means. I shouldn't have said "vanilla," I should have said "standard." It's a standard for most coasters, a good one to gauge others against. It has some minimal theming that's there, a pretty straightforward layout, some interaction with pathways and structures but not too much. It felt a bit more themed than Cedar Fair and a bit less themed than a Herschend ride. I don't think it's a bad ride at all. It's just how I think a roller coaster is without all the bells and whistles.

I think you should think about it in a different light. From reading your report, it seems your idea of themeing is "Go big, or it isn't there." The ride is stuck into the middle of the Congo, and there isn't much to theme too. If a parking lot coaster can have minimal themeing, this ride has more than enough.

I was NOT saying Kumba was a bad coaster. It isn't by any means. I shouldn't have said "vanilla," I should have said "standard." It's a standard for most coasters, a good one to gauge others against. It has some minimal theming that's there, a pretty straightforward layout, some interaction with pathways and structures but not too much. It felt a bit more themed than Cedar Fair and a bit less themed than a Herschend ride. I don't think it's a bad ride at all. It's just how I think a roller coaster is without all the bells and whistles.

I'm not sure what you mean by straightforward layout. I haven't seen to many Kumba clones around.

I was NOT saying Kumba was a bad coaster. It isn't by any means. I shouldn't have said "vanilla," I should have said "standard." It's a standard for most coasters, a good one to gauge others against. It has some minimal theming that's there, a pretty straightforward layout, some interaction with pathways and structures but not too much. It felt a bit more themed than Cedar Fair and a bit less themed than a Herschend ride. I don't think it's a bad ride at all. It's just how I think a roller coaster is without all the bells and whistles.

 

I'm not sure what you mean by straightforward layout. I haven't seen to many Kumba clones around.

Well, when you think about it, its not to much different from Kraken or the Medusa clones. Standard B&M swooping turn drop, loop, dive loop, 0 g roll into a cobra roll, exit cobra roll into break run. Drop off MCBR into interlocking corkscrews. Of course, if you continue to think about it, Kumba was the attraction that made that layout the standard B&M sit down layout. And, imo, it does it far better then the others. There's plenty of elements that make the ride stand out in my mind. The terrain/path interaction. The overall environment. Least we forget that tunneled helix for a closer.

Least we forget that tunneled helix for a closer.

This! Great finish to a great coaster!

Kumba is a perfect example of what YOU ACTUALLY DO when you design, build, and maintain a roller coaster. Other parks need to take notes from Kumba. 20 years old, and still rides like it did in 1993. Like a dream!

Couldn't agree more, Kumba has to be one of the best roller coasters I've ever been on. During my two day visit at BGT earlier this year, I rode Kumba countless number of times. It didn't even strike me that it was 20 years old till my second day at the park just for how fast paced and smooth the ride was.

In regards to the comments about the "boxes that feature a securing device" at BGT... it must be something new but want to give the park props for it. At Cheetah Hunt (only coaster I rode that day so it may be at others) they now have complimentary "boxes with a securing devices" at the station platform in addition to the usual cubby holes. They are really small - but perfect size for locking up a phone/wallet/something small. It is great since I hate putting my phone away before getting in a long line but don't like leaving it in the cubby hole. Small win by BGT!

Nice trip report. It looks like you stayed at the Holiday Inn & Express Suites from you parking lot picture. We always stay there as we like the suites. Why did you eat at IHOP? They have a nice hot breakfast at the hotel for free.

We were just at Busch Gardens last month. My daughter and I rode Cheetah Hunt the first thing the 2 days we went. It was a walk-on half the time and we never waited more than a couple trains. Second day we rode it 6 times in 30 minutes. It is my favorite coaster at the park.

We haven't ridden Kumba in quite a few years. That ride just messes with my head and no one else ever wants to ride it.

Jim

KUMBA is the best coaster in the park, in the state...and for me, one of the top 5 in the country.

Cheetah Hunt is my favorite ride in the park, its not to thrilling but the twisty layout makes it a great ride, as well as how smooth the ride it self is.

KUMBA IS OUTSTANDING!!! Name at sitdown looper that's better. That's all I have to say.

Two things I would like to point out that make Kumba that much more awesome.

1. the ground section between the zero g and cobra roll

Kumba is one of the most photogenic coasters! As proven in this photo that I took in 2012. (This is the full size of my avatar.)

2. at the end of the video. NO LINE! Kumba is a capacity whore!

Kumba is my favorite at BGT! I think the Zero-G Roll is one of its best parts, too. In reality though, I think the speed at which it goes through the ride is what makes it so great.

On the topic of best BGT coasters: I haven't ridden Cheetah Hunt, but I think I would take Sheikra over Montu. If Montu was running without trims/MCBR slowdown, it would definitely be close!

^^Can I also add that it's one of the best sounding roller coasters too?

I took this back in March and yes it was shot with a crappy Android, but it still gives you an idea. The sound it makes when it goes though the Cobra Roll.....

^"I am Kumba! Hear me roar!"

Kumba is my favorite at BGT! I think the Zero-G Roll is one of its best parts, too. In reality though, I think the speed at which it goes through the ride is what makes it so great.

 

On the topic of best BGT coasters: I haven't ridden Cheetah Hunt, but I think I would take Sheikra over Montu. If Montu was running without trims/MCBR slowdown, it would definitely be close!

Sometimes the trims don't grab. When they do, that just means you are going faster than you should be. That is how I look at it.

I kind of like the MCBR slowing the train down. The end of the ride is great as it lulls you in to a sense of "we're winding down, heading back to the station." Then BOOM! Corkscrew finale into the brake run!

Either way, whatever they do with those coasters is working. They are as smooth as the day they opened.

Montu especially. There is not a bump, shudder, or "oops" moment anywhere on that coaster.

^Kumba and Montu both have 4 trains (one is always in refurb - and it seems they usually only run 2 at a time) so I'm sure that helps keep the trains in the best condition.

^Kumba and Montu both have 4 trains (one is always in refurb - and it seems they usually only run 2 at a time) so I'm sure that helps keep the trains in the best condition.

They do run 3. Kumba very rarely. Montu will run 3 before Kumba.

The number of trains they run depend on the daily attendance projections.

Once again, other parks need to take notes!

^Kumba and Montu both have 4 trains (one is always in refurb - and it seems they usually only run 2 at a time) so I'm sure that helps keep the trains in the best condition.

I've always loved that about BGT. Have a vehicle a rehab and still run at full capacity.

^^Can I also add that it's one of the best sounding roller coasters too?

I took this back in March and yes it was shot with a crappy Android, but it still gives you an idea. The sound it makes when it goes though the Cobra Roll.....

I've never ridden kumba (sadly) but I have been on rides like Dragon Khan that have a really awesome roar, Great Bear also sounds pretty cool and I think every single B&M should sound like that. I'm a bit sad that lately their rides have been coming out pretty quiet. Maybe they have been filling more of them with sand or maybe they get louder with age. Anyway, it should be illegal to silence the roar of B&M.

I've ridden a few B&M sitdowns(Wildfire, Incredible Hulk, and Kumba of course) and when I rode Kumba I felt it was just meh compared to the other ones I've been on. I honestly have never been wowed by any B&M sitdowns.

I think they're pretty good. Better than most B&M's. Nothing incredible, but pretty good for me.

The first section of the tower has been put into place!

I posted a question recently about the fate of Rhino Rally and now that post is gone. Was there something in my post that warranted removal from this thread? If there was what was it so I don't make the same mistakes in the future?

I've ridden a few B&M sitdowns(Wildfire, Incredible Hulk, and Kumba of course) and when I rode Kumba I felt it was just meh compared to the other ones I've been on. I honestly have never been wowed by any B&M sitdowns.

Your username is Kumba2013 but you thought Kumba was "meh"?!?!