BGA July 4-5 Shiekra gets stuck at top of lift. LONG

Well this was my friend and I's annual roller coaster trip of the year. This year because of some circumstances it was kind of lame compared to the last two trips but, winded up being one of the best. My family and I were staying with my grandparents in sarasota while he and his family were staying in Clearwater.

We got their already having bought our season passes online we went straight through and went and got our little card that we get every year. My friend came up to us and said he rode Gwazi twice and that it was one of his favorite wooden coasters. I thought he was crazy after my rides in the past being relatively rough and what seemed to me uneventful.

So the first thing we did was go to Gwazi and the line was just inside the queue house but only Tiger was open so it didnt seem to bad. Unfortunatly they have the slowest ride ops working Gwazi or what seems to be the slowest ops ever. We waited for the front, while my dad and sister waited for the third row. After 15 minutes or so it was our turn to get on the people who paid 75 bucks extra a person got their own train which was only about 6 people which was ridiculous.

Finally we get on the train and were off. Going up the lift my friend and I play with the restraints and kept laughing about how crappy they were. They defiantly could use a bit of a tightening. So being a 4 year straight Gwazi hater, I had low expectations for it but it was great. There were a bunch of airtime hills, the awsome out of control feeling, and the rickety feeling without pain was great and it defiantly felt like some retracking was done. All the Gwazi haters out there I would defiantly come back and give this thing a second chance. 9/10

Next was off to Sheikra now floorless. Pre trip this thing was my #5 but, of course that changed. Before getting on my friend and I being teenage boys our attention was immediatly caught when a sign said You Must Have: Shirt Shoes, and No Loose Articles. So we asked the one of the ride ops if we had to wear pants on this ride and he laughed and said he wasnt sure but he wouldnt suggest it. So on the ride we sit in the front along with everyone and their mothers, leaving the back rows relatively empty on every train. First thing I notice was how wide the track is. I know B&M has a pretty wide track but this like shocked me how wide the track is. The first drop is so awsome. Hanging only by your restraints is awsome and the drop of course was as intense as always. Next a funny picture and into the Immelmann and on to the second 90 degree drop where we caught our breath is defiantly the best drop on any coaster. Flying into the mist and out the tunnel thing is just plain amazing. The rest of the ride is fast and the block brake before the station was not as intense as the rest of the ride but not boring at all. 10/10. Without my a doubt Sheikra is my new number 1.

After riding Sheikra tons of times over its exsistence in my opinion is ride front as far out from the center as possible. To add to the experience take your hands off the restraints and ride, the 90 degree drops are just wicked. If riding in the second or third row look straight up without looking and dropping in my opinion is just as suprising as in the front. Also if the line looks long dont worry they push people out of Sheikra like mad, like all the B&Ms there. Our longest wait was to the entrance with out all the center zigzags took about 15 minutes.

Next was on to Kumba which was my prior number 2 but went up to 3 because of Sheikra. The ride is intense very fun, has the typical B&M layout but it has a special place in my heart becuase it was the first coaster to jumpstart my love of coasters. 8/10 It just couldnt deliver after Sheikra.

We rode Scorpion next where my friend's parents and my grandparents went off to do other things leaving us to buy a one use locker for 50 cents. 6/10 The ride seemed lacking after riding Shockwave at SFOT.

Then Cheetah Chase, suprisingly I have never ridden this after making a trip every year for 4 years straight. It was actually a little scary going through those zigzags at the top of those things. 5/10 because I am not a fan of mouse coasters but gave it an extra point because I was actually a bit scared on it.

On our way too Montu we ran into my friends parents who were talking to the one of the workers who said that SFOT was being flooded out which wouldnt suprise me. Then my sister ended up going off with them to go see the new pirate show.

We got to Montu and there were just mobs of people standing around infront of ride but nobody was going in. We got another locker and got in line for a two train wait, not bad compared to the amount of people aimlessly standing around the entrance. 8/10 just because I like the trenches and the inside out Boomerang/Cobraroll thing. Another ride was due in but my grandpa said he would ride Sheikra and we were meeting him in Stanleyville at 2 and it was 1:45.

Instead of walking we thought we would be smart and ride the skyrail ride. They moved the stop over by Kumba to in between the Stanleyville and Congo sections of the park. The new area where Python used to be is under major renovation and I think Congo River Rapids is being worked on too becuase on the skyrail thing we saw what looked like a drained river, but there was a path over to that little area with a large wall not letting anyone peak in like they did with Sheikra. I know they were renovating Congo like they did Stanleyville the last few years.

So we got to Stanleyville at 2:15 because another group of VIPs paid there ways infront of us. Standing in line we say a snake loose and got a picture of it but the line moves relativley fast but not fast enough.

In line for Shiekra we get into the train in the second queue and buckle up. My grandpa was defiantly nervous as can be even though he rode is last year. My only regret of the whole vacation was not getting in line for Shiekra one or two minutes earlier because the train ahead of us got stuck at the top of the lift and we got taken of the train and back on to the bridges. Then the person on our third row goes OMG the train is stuck up there and the whole queue is of course looking up and the lady who got onto the train with us starts panicing going "my daughter is on that train" We start talking to the ride op and she told us that if they didnt have them down in 5 or so minutes they would have to go get them down on the tram and it was posible to get stuck on the hanging part of the first drop. My grandpa left the queue not wanting to ride. After the ops sent out about 20 trains we got on but didnt get stuck, too bad.

The only other events worth telling about was in line for bumper cars where we heard a guy call Sheikra Sure-E-Kra and that gave us a laugh and some guy lost his keys on the Pharoh's Fury ride.

Ride Count

Shiekra 6

Gwazi 1

Kumba 2

Montu1

Scorpion 1

Cheetah Chase 1

They had Grand Funk Railroad playing their for July 4th and had fireworks which closed down Gwazi at 9. Hoped you enjoyed reading my trip to BGA.