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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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I was just at the park this Thursday. Got a trip report of it coming soon once I sort through all of my photos. I got to see Falcon's Fury testing non-stop almost all day (no soft opening ), and it looked like it wasn't any slower than any other drop tower (i.e. KI's or KD's drop tower). The carriage is just larger, and gives the illusion that it's slower because of it. It looks to be a killer drop tower with lots of speed on the way down. That, and the thing was MUCH more massive than I originally thought it would be!

 

^I do think smaller cars do give more of a sudden jolt when they drop because of their lighter weight, but I don't think they're necessarily "slower." Drop a ping pong ball and a bowling ball simultaneously (in a controlled environment), and both should hit the ground at the same time.

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I went on Falcon's Fury today twice, it was Awesome!!! Fairly tame though, but that tilt effect is insane at that height. Was looking at the ride specs on the wall and the drop isnt quite 300 ft its listed as 281 ft(tower is 335) and top speed is 58 mph instead of 60(it feels a hell of alot faster than that though). Best view in Tampa at the top And compared to most freefalls, the actual freefall isnt very long, probably only has 100 ft of pure freefall and the rest is mainly a controlled descent. But overall its definitely my new fav ride at Busch Gardens.

Edited by jec8992
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^The Feast is absoultely a must to me. Get in about an hour before everyone else - really makes the evening do-able.

 

Agreed being able to go through the best house or two without the conga line procession allows the scare actors to focus on you and makes for a great time.

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I was just at the park this Thursday. Got a trip report of it coming soon once I sort through all of my photos. I got to see Falcon's Fury testing non-stop almost all day (no soft opening ), and it looked like it wasn't any slower than any other drop tower (i.e. KI's or KD's drop tower). The carriage is just larger, and gives the illusion that it's slower because of it. It looks to be a killer drop tower with lots of speed on the way down. That, and the thing was MUCH more massive than I originally thought it would be!

 

^I do think smaller cars do give more of a sudden jolt when they drop because of their lighter weight, but I don't think they're necessarily "slower." Drop a ping pong ball and a bowling ball simultaneously (in a controlled environment), and both should hit the ground at the same time.

My thoughts exactly... You described it very well. The sudden jolt on those smaller cars is probably the reason for the better airtime.

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Today I had the chance to experience Falcon's Fury during a soft opening at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay! Needless to say, this ride delivers all the Intamin "good feelies" you'd expect and more. The total ride experience is extremely quick paced and the 90-degrees-face-down element adds an extra thrill to make this the best drop tower I've ever ridden. Pantopia has really livened up the former Timbuktu area and the new food and beverage options really bring it up to the standard of the rest of the park's recently-updated realms.

 

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And we're back!

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Falcon's Fury looks great while testing...

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No water dummies means there's a chance I'll get to ride...

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LENS FLARE!!!

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The money shot.

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For you drop tower enthusiasts.

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And one more.

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Looks awesome from the ground!

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Me: "I'm gonna be one of the first guests to ride today!"

Everyone else: "Why does this guy keep taking wacky-thumbs-up photos?"

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For the Park Index...

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The true hallmark of progress!

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A very nice marquee!

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The hand-painted elements on the drop tower look fantastic!

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Up they go!

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Pure glimpses of fun in the making...

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Mission Accomplished!

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Park executives like Mark Rose, VP of Engineering took a moment to ride the ride.

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Lots of great expressions!

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Hold on tight!

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Many smiles here!

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So many photogenic views of this ride.

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I was practically speechless after my first ride.

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Time to go again!

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Here I am holding on for dear life...

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And holding...

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And falling...

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And landing.

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Such a winner!

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The rest of Pantopia is now complete.

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Here's the other reason I visited the park today...

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Getting warmer...

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These neat souvenir cups feature a ride vehicle look-alike that you can slide up and down the tower.

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This is why I was really here.

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The Bacon Pretzel Fury is a winner of a food option in the park.

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Remember Akbar from Akbar's Adventure Tours? He now owns this shop in Pantopia.

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So many things are new to Pantopia since my last visit.

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They've got Dippin' Dots!

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Dragon Fire has been added to the side of the Pantopia Grill.

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Looks great!

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Good 'ol Scorpion is still here!

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The new cover design on the carousel is finished.

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The games area has been revamped as well.

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I sense a unifying theme here...

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The Pantopia Theater hosts a new live-action show...

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Opening Night Critters!

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An old game stand has been converted into a kettle corn station.

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Several additional food and beverage items have been added to this side of Pantopia.

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All the ICEES! All the things!

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Added layers of detail...

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The Phoenix received a new paint job to blend in better with Pantopia.

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Akbar's shop!

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Must resist the urge to buy!

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Very nice!

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Falcon's Fury has been integrated into the design...

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There's a Spice & Tea Exchange in this shop now.

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Souvenir!

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And we close with a sneak peek at one of the new Howl-O-Scream houses coming to the event next month...

Edited by jedimaster1227
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Awesome report! I loved the video and Falcon's Fury just looks so insane. Best drop tower ever you say? That's what I like to hear!

 

How would you describe the breaks/"landing" part of the ride? Uncomfortable at all? Surprising? It seems pretty abrupt, especially with the seats swinging out.

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Sorry for getting a little off topic, but I've heard rumors that the Critter Castaways theater is being demolished for a new attraction. People I've talked to on Twitter say that it's connected to the removal of Gwazi and the 2015/2016 attraction.

 

Thoughts?

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Sorry for getting a little off topic, but I've heard rumors that the Critter Castaways theater is being demolished for a new attraction. People I've talked to on Twitter say that it's connected to the removal of Gwazi and the 2015/2016 attraction.

 

Thoughts?

 

I've also heard that rumor a few weeks ago. Sounds like Bird Gardens will be getting a complete redo along with this coaster!

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Report is great! Do you still get that gut wrenching stomach- drop feeling that is so common on other Intamin towers?

No, due to the fact that you are facing the ground, there is no opportunity for an ejector feeling. Instead, with the ride falling right at freefall speed, it feels like you are actually free falling like you are skydiving or something. That feeling is enhanced because the ride freefalls right about the same pace your body would anyway, so instead of it pushing you down the ride, you kind of float in your seat and forget you are strapped into anything at all until the brakes hit. Really a cool experience.

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This looks like it was designed in RollerCoaster Tycoon with the block limitations and roof shape.

Haha that's exactly what I thought when I saw the picture!

 

No, due to the fact that you are facing the ground, there is no opportunity for an ejector feeling. Instead, with the ride falling right at freefall speed, it feels like you are actually free falling like you are skydiving or something. That feeling is enhanced because the ride freefalls right about the same pace your body would anyway, so instead of it pushing you down the ride, you kind of float in your seat and forget you are strapped into anything at all until the brakes hit. Really a cool experience.

That's interesting. That means it's totally different than your usual drop tower. It makes me want to ride it even more.

 

About the skydive, I don't know if it would be comparable though. What impressed me most during my jump was the very strong wind and the long duration (40 sec.) of free-fall. I doubt you can have any of those on a 4 seconds drop, yet it still can be amazing, I do not say otherwise!

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^I haven't done any skydiving yet but I know that as you reach terminal velocity you no longer feel weightless because it's basically the air resistance that's holding you at a constant speed (stopping you from accelerating) and you only get that freefall sensation while you are falling with an acceleration of 9.8 m/s^2 or close, which drop towers do provide (at least for the first few seconds). As you jump from a plain already moving at great speed I have heard that you don't quite get the same feeling as you would if you jumped from a balloon, or a building. Still, that's something I REALLY want to try (badly).

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We rode Falcon's Fury twice today (1st time for each of us there)... it was INSANE! The tilt to the face down position felt like it was MORE than 90°... now I know that WASN'T the case, but it sure felt as such! The drop was amazing... it felt further than it appears... and the landing/braking very smooth as mentioned above! I was terrified every second of the ascent! Once the seats tilted, everybody on the ride started screaming, myself possibly the loudest! I cussed on the way down! LOVED IT! Operations of the attraction seemed very efficient, not only for a new attraction, but for ANY attraction! We watched testing for about 45 minutes prior to the soft open... Then our two rides totalled about 45 minutes... in that 90 minute time frame, we witnessed NO downtimes, hiccups or delays! So far so good BGT! One thing for certain, you can have NO LOOSE ITEMS ON YOUR PERSON! AT ALL! Put all items in the box provided for you (no lockers ((lock boxes )) available)! Looks like the wait was worth it! BGT's Falcon's Fury is an absolute winner!

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No, due to the fact that you are facing the ground, there is no opportunity for an ejector feeling. Instead, with the ride falling right at freefall speed, it feels like you are actually free falling like you are skydiving or something. That feeling is enhanced because the ride freefalls right about the same pace your body would anyway, so instead of it pushing you down the ride, you kind of float in your seat and forget you are strapped into anything at all until the brakes hit. Really a cool experience.

 

It's unusual that you don't get that feeling since Aftershock (A G.I.B. at Silverwood) has the stomach drop feeling and on it you're also facing downward on the drop.

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