Busch GardensTampa

We will be going to Busch Gardens Tampa in a couple weeks. Never been there and would like to know about the coasters. We will be there on 12-30-03 and New Years Eve.

Busch Garden Tampa has six roller coasters: Montu, Kumba, Gwazi (two), Python, and Scorpion.

Montu is a B&M inverted roller coaster with seven inversions and a 150' lifthill. Montu dives in and out of trenches.

Kumba was the first B&M sitdown coaster, but still packs a nice punch. Kumba introduced the diving loop and zero gravity camelback plus interlocking corkscrews.

Gwazi is dueling wooden coaster. The two sides no longer duel, however. It is a fun ride, but a little rough.

Python is an old Arrow corkscrew coaster. Rough and boring, but something to add to your track record.

Scorpion is a Schwarzkopf single looper with some helices. Overall a fun ride.

The two sides don't duel anymore? Doesn't that somewhat defeat the purpose of a dueling coaster?

The B&Ms will both have longer lines that the other coasters, but I doubt it will be very crowded because of the time you are going.

Scorpion might also have a long line if they only run one train.

People complained about the loading times so they stopped dueling. Kumba's and Montu's lines always move quick, and usually do not get very long, except for front.

That dueling certainly was killing the load times....;)

No, their insanely stupid method of loading the trains and checking restraints slows loading times. Then they stick possibly the worst crew they can find on the ride. It's operationally the worst coaster in Florida.

If you ask your ride-op nicely if they could please duel Gwazi for you, they will usually do it. Last time I was there (in late Septmeber for the Hallow-Scream preview), they dueled them for us three times. It's worth a try.

LOL, Jeff....I thought *I* had already harped on that issue enough.....:)

Operationally speaking, Gwazi is the worst coaster in the world....they apparently don't even *count* running time when they send empty trains, meaning wheels and such don't suffer wear-and-tear unless there's riders!

I honestly don't think BGW should get a "Splinter" from GG, or any other wooden coaster for that matter, until they send some people to *intern* with a park like HW/IB that KNOWS how to operate and maintain wooden coasters. BGT gets almost NO *mileage* from Gwazi, PR-wise, because of the horrendous way they run the poor thing....the major effort from last Winter is already showing signs of deterioration.

BGT....good park ride-wise, staffing needs a lot of work, operations nightmare....

Really? The only operations problem I had with BGT was the issues with Gwazi. I don't think it's the worst operated coaster in the world, but it's up there. I've never had a huge problem with it because the park has been empty every time I've been there, but if you're going around the end of the year you might have trouble. I'd suggest riding Gwazi first, because that's where the lines will be (*not*, as CobraRoller said, on the B&M rides). What other operations problems have you seen at BGT? I've been hearing a lot of complaints lately, but nothing specific enough. Are these newer problems?

If you ask them to duel, they might (they did when I was there last) but if the park is busy, I wouldn't count on it. Personally, I don't think it takes that much away from the ride; Gwazi still rocks.

Enjoy your visit!

-Nate

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Jeff said:
No, their insanely stupid method of loading the trains and checking restraints slows loading times. Then they stick possibly the worst crew they can find on the ride. It's operationally the worst coaster in Florida.

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He's right. They've got the dumbest method of loading I've ever seen. You sit down and buckle your seat belt. Don't you dare pull your lap bar down! They make sure the belts are buckled, then they let you pull the lap bar down.

And if you have a camera even attatched to a bag on your belt, it's a goner. Busch Gardens Tampa is very strict on the no cameras on board policy. They'll stop you at the beginning of the queue and tell you to put it in a locker.

At least I got to ride Gwazi when it dueled. It's fairly rough, though.

Montu's a let down. It's really overbraked. The midcourse rivals Goliath at Six Flags Magic Mountain. It's also a rather forceless ride with the elements too spaced apart.

But Kumba rocks. It's easily the best coaster in the park and one of the best in the state. Kumba is all about the back row.

Nate, single-training on the Beemers has become routine policy, bordering on fanaticism...throughput at the park, for the five coasters (six if they *ever* run BOTH sides of Gwazi), is about equal to any two coasters at CP, provided you're not including Gemimi, and one of them is WildCat....

Kumba IS that good, esp. in the back row...

Montu, even with the midcourse *set on stun*, is still a really really good ride....

I'll be there soon, and I'll have a great time...but I look at BGT and see *loads* of potential....the decision to remove on of the park's FEW flats when installing the Maus from BGW, to me at least, reeks of "more of the same"....

operations....nightmare....;)

CobraRoller said:

. . . I doubt it will be very crowded because of the time you are going. . .

New Years Eve is pretty busy at BGT as well as the other Florida parks. They have a NYE celebration and it is one of the few nights (outside of Halloween) that they are open past dark, 9am-1am.

The coasters will only disappoint if you expect them to. Gwazi actually has the longest lines, as the previously discussed loading procedure is just plain painful.

The B&Ms have always run 2+ trains on my visits, but I have not been since October so they may have changed their policy

Make sure to hit Scorpion, it is a great little coaster that is well worth the 7-10 minute wait.

All the BGT coaster crews were moving really slowly. They were running with one train on almost every coaster too. The lines were pretty long. They should train their crews better. Its not because there was one coaster on that the lines were slow, it was because the crews sucked.

How bad will the lines be this week? I am leaving PA for Tampa today [it's 5 AM lol] and I wanted to know in advance. Thanks.

Well, it is holiday time so there is a possibility it will crowded. Its probably better that it is crowded so multiple trains run.

Lots to say about BGT... I'll save it for the TR.

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haux said:

Montu's a let down. It's really overbraked. The midcourse rivals Goliath at Six Flags Magic Mountain. It's also a rather forceless ride with the elements too spaced apart.

But Kumba rocks. It's easily the best coaster in the park and one of the best in the state. Kumba is all about the back row.

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Montu is forceless?!? that batwing is intense, and always gives me a real bad head rush. Gwazi is an awesome ride, not too rough, but lets you know that it is a wooden coaster that means business. best ride in the park and state: Gwazi by far, or hulk.

I enjoyed BGT when I went there, but came away thinking it was nothing more (or less) than a side-trip from Orlando. Contrast that with BGW, which I feel is more of a destination unto itself, even with fewer coasters.

Agreed Greg....I always feel *welcome* at BGW....like a guest or something...;)

I thought Gwazi had extremely slow loading time. I was there in late October. Only Gwazi Lion was running with one train operation. The park was not very busy. Montu and Kumba were walk ons. I thought Montu was the best ride there. The Cobra turn and batwings were really nice. I thought Raptor at CP had higher Gs though. Montu was a longer ride if I remember. Kumba was nice and smooth looper with Helix ending. Not counting inverted, Kumba was the best steel looper I have been on.

Two older rides, Python and Scorpion, were ok. Python is extremely short ride. Scorpion was a better ride.

One suggestion: use Skyride from Montu area to Kumba area. It is quite far apart.