Busch Gardens Tampa Bay (BGT Discussion Thread)

This past weekend was the grand opening of Busch Gardens Tampa Bay's new family themed area: Sesame Street Safari of Fun! This new area is a re-theme of the park's previous family area, the Land of the Dragons. I decided to check out the new expansion on Sunday morning.

I thought it was very nice. The land doubled in size with the addition of a children's roller coaster: Air Grover. A great addition that the park has needed: a good kiddie coaster. The train is highly themed with your pilot Grover in the front and his co-pilot, a camel in the back. Other new additions to the area include a Burt & Ernie's water play area, Dine With Elmo and Friends (a character breakfast served in an open air seating restaurant), 123 - Smile With Me (A character photo meet and great/photo area) and Telly's Jungle Jam, a sound playground. Also there are 2 new shops featuring, you guessed it! - everything you could ever want Sesame related.

The rest of the land featured re-theming of the old Land of the Dragon rides and attractions to a Sesame theme. These include "Count's Zambezi Rally" a car ride and "Big Bird's Wirly Birdie", a kiddie ferris wheel. "Rosita's Djembe Fly-Away", a kiddie swing ride, which is new to this area. But I'm 99% sure this is the old kiddie swing ride that use to be at the entrance to Congo from TImbuktu for many years. Just now freshened up with a new theme. Other returning favorites include "Elmo's Safari-Go Round", a kiddie carousel, "Zoe-Patra and the Hippos of the Nile" a kiddie flume, "Snuffy's Elephant Romp", a flying Dumbo type ride and finally all the old play structures are still here just re-themed.

My biggest surprise of the day was checking out the Sesame Street Film Festival 4D Movie: Lights! Camera! Imagination! in the Timbuktu Theater. I actually thought this was a pretty good 3D movie. The picture was very sharp and the effects were great. I was never a big fan of the park's previous 3D movies: The Haunted Lighthouse or recently, Pirates 4D. They both always seemed kind of blurry.

My overall thought of the new area is that it is a good addition. The kids area now has an African theme which keeps with the rest of the park. And Sesame Street is a name brand that has lasted for generations. All the kids and families I saw that swarmed all over the place, all had big smiles. Alright enough talk onto the photos, enjoy!

Ads decorated throughout the park the new addition.

Sesame Street Safari of Fun is finally open!

More banners.

The entrance to the new land.

One of the new shops.

The theming on the building was very cute.

1 of 2 restrooms in the area.

The re-themed snack shop.

Elmo's Treehouse.

One of the 2 water areas, Oscar's Swamp Stomp.

The Count's themed car ride.

Count's Zambezi Rally

Big Bird's Wirly Birdie

Big Bird's Wirly Birdie

Rosita's Djembe Fly-Away

Rosita's Djembe Fly-Away

Telly's Jungle Jam

Telly's Jungle Jam

An old favorite from childhood returns.

A large sand box.

Elmo's Safari-Go Round

I thought the animals on Elmo's Safari-Go Round were very cute.

Snuffy's Elephant Romp

Snuffy's Elephant Romp

Snuffy's Elephant Romp

Zoe-Patra and the Hippos of the Nile

Zoe-Patra and the Hippos of the Nile

A Sunny Day Theater.

123-Smile With Me Character photo attraction and Air Grover on-ride photo shop.

Air Grover kiddie coaster

Air Grover kiddie coaster

Air Grover kiddie coaster

Air Grover kiddie coaster

Air Grover kiddie coaster

Air Grover kiddie coaster over the desert.

Air Grover kiddie coaster

Grover's camel co-pilot.

Another new shop.

Burt and Ernie's Watering Hole, a new water play area.

This area will be packed a lot during the typical Florida heat.

More of Burt and Ernie's new water play area

Dine With Elmo and Friends

I like the theming on the buildings.

Outside the 4D theater in Timbuktu, now showing the Sesame Street Film Festival.

Some of the films featured during the fest.

Lights! Camera! Imagination 4D movie was very pleasant surprise.

I end this report with maybe a hint of next year's attraction, we shall see. Thanks for reading!

For frequent visitors with their kids I think this area is a slap in the face for them. I dunno, I think some they were expecting more. As for new visitors or for people who do not come often, this area is a delightful area for their kids. I think BGT could of added a few more new kiddie rides to offset some negative feedback. I think the area looks nice and looks pretty cool.

Looks very nice. Im glad that it doesn't look really "cartoony" as that wouldn't really fit in with Busch Gardens. Even though I out grew Sesame Street a long time ago, I actually really want to check it out during my visit this summer. I still need to think of a way to convince my parents to let me get the Air Grover credit.

For frequent visitors with their kids I think this area is a slap in the face for them. I dunno, I think some they were expecting more. As for new visitors or for people who do not come often, this area is a delightful area for their kids. I think BGT could of added a few more new kiddie rides to offset some negative feedback. I think the area looks nice and looks pretty cool.

I think you're being a bit harsh in your first sentence. To me, it looks like a very nice redress of the old Land of the Dragons--and it seems much larger than the Forest of Fun in Williamsburg.

The 4D flick is a good one (we have it at BGW, too).

Looks cute. Very interesting that they still had that really old kiddie chair swings sitting around.

I get that the Kiddie Coaster (with a good height restriction!!!) is themed to a desert, but that kind of seems like an easy way out of theming or landscaping and it looks kind of bad.

Doh! Air Grover has a 56 inch height restriction w/o a kid. Looks like I might not be able to get the credit unless I stop growing from now until June.

EDIT: Correction, I need to start shrinking.

^ROFL

Judging from these pictures, Busch Gardens has done a very good job with this, and it looks like a lot of children this summer are also going to bee very happy. (But not the coaster whores with that height restriction)

For frequent visitors with their kids I think this area is a slap in the face for them. I dunno, I think some they were expecting more. As for new visitors or for people who do not come often, this area is a delightful area for their kids. I think BGT could of added a few more new kiddie rides to offset some negative feedback. I think the area looks nice and looks pretty cool.

 

I think you're being a bit harsh in your first sentence. To me, it looks like a very nice redress of the old Land of the Dragons--and it seems much larger than the Forest of Fun in Williamsburg.

 

The 4D flick is a good one (we have it at BGW, too).

lol. Well I had some people come over to me telling me how they were kind of upset. They were expecting more new rides for their kids. Not just a re-theme of the area and another water play area.

I was able to ride Air Grover today, and I really do think it is an awesome coaster for kids, and I actually enjoy the 4D movie, despite it being target to young audience, I thought it was good.

For frequent visitors with their kids I think this area is a slap in the face for them. I dunno, I think some they were expecting more. As for new visitors or for people who do not come often, this area is a delightful area for their kids. I think BGT could of added a few more new kiddie rides to offset some negative feedback. I think the area looks nice and looks pretty cool.

I kind of agree - I think along with the new coaster they could of added at least 1 new ride. But I think the new area is fine. If anything I can see the parents noticing the re-theme more than the kids. All the kids I saw seemed pretty happy. And remember, Jungala was only added a couple of years ago, which was an entirely new family area.

 

The 4D flick is a good one (we have it at BGW, too).

I thought Bert and Ernie underwater scene with the bubbles was quite effective.

Looks cute. Very interesting that they still had that really old kiddie chair swings sitting around.

 

I get that the Kiddie Coaster (with a good height restriction!!!) is themed to a desert, but that kind of seems like an easy way out of theming or landscaping and it looks kind of bad.

Agreed. The desert area looks ok, the part I don't like is the plain wooden fence surrounds the back of the coaster, kind of boring.

For frequent visitors with their kids I think this area is a slap in the face for them. I dunno, I think some they were expecting more. As for new visitors or for people who do not come often, this area is a delightful area for their kids. I think BGT could of added a few more new kiddie rides to offset some negative feedback. I think the area looks nice and looks pretty cool.

 

I kind of agree - I think along with the new coaster they could of added at least 1 new ride. But I think the new area is fine. If anything I can see the parents noticing the re-theme more than the kids. All the kids I saw seemed pretty happy. And remember, Jungala was only added a couple of years ago, which was an entirely new family area.

Yeah I also do think kids really enjoy it. But Jungala is not really for them, except the play areas. You have to be 48' for Jungle Flyers and I have noticed most people are left unimpressed by that. Plus it breaks down all the time. I dunno, I just feel BGT always shoots halfway and they reach a comfort level and that is where they do NOT stay cause eventually they will lower the standards in certain attractions.

http://www.screamscape.com/html/busch_gardens_tampa.htm

An anonymous source sent in this small cell phone picture showing off what appears to be gold B&M track sitting in a field somewhere at BGT. Looks like those Intamin rumors were wrong after all…

^Poo to that, what would it take to get some Intamin in the Busch (not likely, I know)?

That Giraffe's tongue is almost as long as Gene Simmons.

Intamin... B&M... honestly doesn't matter to me really... I'm just really excited about a possible new rollercoaster overall at BGT... Hope its not an April Fools Joke (keeps fingers crossed...)

^Good point, it is April 1.

B & M Hypers are everywhere now in the US, I was hoping for something different like the rumoured Intamin launch coaster.

http://www.screamscape.com/html/busch_gardens_tampa.htm

 

An anonymous source sent in this small cell phone picture showing off what appears to be gold B&M track sitting in a field somewhere at BGT. Looks like those Intamin rumors were wrong after all…

Sorry to ruin anyone's fun, but that's just a poorly done photoshop.

a.) The colors are horribly edited, it just screams "Photoshop!"

b.) Wasn't taken with a cell phone, exif data says Canon Powershot.

c.) Photo was taken September 28th, 2008.

d.) This is the original photo:

http://www.johnnyupsidedown.com/manta/sw150a.jpg

http://www.screamscape.com/html/busch_gardens_tampa.htm

 

An anonymous source sent in this small cell phone picture showing off what appears to be gold B&M track sitting in a field somewhere at BGT. Looks like those Intamin rumors were wrong after all…

 

Sorry to ruin anyone's fun, but that's just a poorly done photoshop.

 

a.) The colors are horribly edited, it just screams "Photoshop!"

b.) Wasn't taken with a cell phone, exif data says Canon Powershot.

c.) Photo was taken September 28th, 2008.

d.) This is the original photo:

http://www.johnnyupsidedown.com/manta/sw150a.jpg

Lol, gotcha...I bet that joke is going to make BGT fans cry themselves to sleep tonight.

fake picture but...

^Good point, it is April 1.

 

B & M Hypers are everywhere now in the US, I was hoping for something different like the rumoured Intamin launch coaster.

how can you say that when there are only 6 in the us? And those 6 are virtually on the east coast...

Yeah, I called April Fools just shortly after my excitement wore down... Not cool... I just might cry myself to sleep as mentioned above... damn you April Fools...

...And the Intamin rumors live for another day.

Looks like a nice addition to me. I wish SeaWorld Orlando would do something with Shamus Happy Harbor like this, their kids area seems like one of the worst in Orlando to me.

^ Really? I like Happy Harbor.

What's wrong with it? (You have been since they expanded it a year or two ago, right?)

Yeha i've been since they expanded it, and its a good kids section I just don't think it's as good as Camp Jurassic or Seuss Landing or some of the other areas in O-town. I don't know the whole climbing nets area just seem to take up so much space for so little of an attraction. Id love to see a more interactive playground at Seaworld with some unique attractions and animal exhibits like Jungala. Maybe its the recognizability of the Sesame Street Characters that makes the Safari of fun look like such a nice addition to me.

April Fools you hurt my feelings