Busch Gardens Tampa president talks about $200 million in improvements

Let's see if he stays longer than six months. If he's for real, he has a *lot* of work to do to get that park back where it needs to be, and a parent company that has no interest in doing it.

This bit is not too encouraging:

I think when you look at our positioning, we are a value alternative to some of those other players that are in Central Florida

Like, "Our combination of up-close animal attractions and world-class thrill rides, a short ride from the beach, is unique in the world" would be the way I'd try to sell myself. But sure, be the K-Mart of theme parks instead.

I don't totally disagree with the statement. Busch Gardens (and SeaWorld) should be a less expensive alternative to Disney and Universal. The issue is that right now they really aren't. Food and parking are actually more expensive than BGT, and a one day ticket at gate price is in the triple digits.

Right now they are offering the worst mid-2000s legacy Six Flags experience at 2026 Orlando prices. They should be offering a Dollywood/Hershey/Cedar Point experience at those price points.

I have noticed a slight improvement in operations over the last 2 months. More rides running multiple trains and I saw Cheetah Hunt running 4 trains and using both stations more in the May and July (closed most of June) then in past years. Sheikra is also running 2 trains almost all the time. It's bad that having 2 trains running on one of the park's most popular coasters is considered an improvement but it's better than before when sometimes even with an 1+ hour line it would be running 1 train.

Iron Gwazi is now offering a credit in the gift shop or a sky ride trip for the locker fee with a receipt. The problem with that is, pass holders get the sky ride for free and the sky ride closes at 5 pm even on days the park is open another 4 or 5 hours after that. The gift shop credit sounds great but from those who have tried to use it, it's not so easy as half the employees don't know what to do with it and you may not be able to stack it with other discounts like AP discounts. Not to mention that for the price they charge for admission, the sky ride shouldn't be an upcharge in the first place. Same with mandatory $4 lockers for Iron Gwazi unless you have a non rider with you to give your phone and/or keys to.

On the other hand, there are still the setbacks. Another restaurant was closed recently for health violations. There has been no operating water ride in the park since early April. No one could have anticipated the cave on the rapids collapsing like that but having only 1 planned operating water ride to begin with wasn't great. Falcon's Fury "reopened" last month after being closed all of 2026 and has not been reliable at all. I visited 4 times in July and have yet to see it running once.

I've never been on Skyride, ever. I've probably been there a half-dozen times since moving here, especially when I worked at corporate.

YoshiFan:

Another restaurant was closed recently for health violations

Or as I prefer to think of it, the "elbow deep in cole slaw experience"

I’ve never understood treating sky towers and sky rides as extra-charge attractions at SeaWorld/Busch Gardens parks. That in itself is an immediate negative for guest experience when no other park does that.

The sky ride at BGT is probably an upcharge because of low capacity and high demand.

I have no idea why the tower ride at Sea World is an upcharge.

I rode sky ride the last time I was in Florida, way back in 2001. It was not an upcharge back then.

It's no different from any other sky ride.

It was free for decades, this is just nickel and dime BS. The only thing different about it is that it's a great, non-intrusive view for a lot of the animal habitats.

Jeff:

It's no different from any other sky ride.

Well, it goes over African animals, which is somewhat different from seeing the roof of Cedar Downs. YMMV as to whether that merits an upcharge.

You mean the animals you can see from the ground with admission?

Yes, but from above and probably farther away.

When since maybe the 1980s have skyrides been in high demand?

Well, every time I visit a park that has a skyride, the line is sometimes somewhat long. But only like fifteen or twenty minutes. Maybe it depends on the day.