Just got back from the Maldives again.....heaven will try to get round to r/r/c
Just got back from the Maldives again.....heaven will try to get round to r/r/c
Member since:21.07.2005
Reviews:214
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Following on from my SeaWorld review the next stop for us was Busch Gardens which is located in Tampa Bay.
Busch Gardens, Tampa Bay is a family adventure park offering an array of attractions based on the African Continent. With thrilling rides, zoos, live shows and numerous shops.
~~~Location~~~ Busch Gardens is located one hour from Orlando via Interstate 4 West and just 30 minutes east of Tampa International Airport. Busch Gardens is located on the corner of Busch Boulevard and 40th Street.
We were staying in the Lake Buena Vista area so we had to obtain the Busch Gardens Shuttle Express which operates daily round trip transportation from Orlando to Busch Gardens which is an approximate journey of about an hour. The transport is complimentary if you are in possession of a 5-park Orlando Flex ticket which I purchased for £115 from Keith Prowse Attraction Tickets. If you do not have the flex ticket you can still use the transport but there is a $10 fee per person per round trip.
Places should be reserved as it is a very popular service. The toll free number for reservations is 1-800 2211339 and advise them of the route that you would like to be on and the number of seats you wish to reserve.
Route 1 Departs from Universal Orlando from the bus park at 8.30am. and then follows on to pick up at 8.45am from Mercado Shopping Village from the Circle of the main entrance.
Route 2 Departs
from SeaWorld bus park at 9am and then follows on at 9.15am to collect from Old Town Shopping Village apart from Saturdays from in front of Old Town Ferris wheel.
Route 3 Departs at 9.15am from SeaWorld from the coach park and follows onto Orlando Premium Outlets to collect passengers from the Tour bus drop off centre.
Route 4 Departs from Amerihost Resort Maingate at 9.30am from the rear parking lot and follows on to collect passengers from La QuintaInn Lakeside from the front covered bus stop.
We arrived 30 minutes prior to the bus leaving to ensure that we were there in plenty of time and to get our seats. It is recommended to arrive at least 15 minutes before departure time.
~~~Park Hours~~~ Busch Gardens is open from 10am until 6pm operating 365 days a year, however hours are extended during selected weekends, summer and holiday periods, we visited during the American Spring Break so there were later opening hours so it was open until 8pm.
~~~Admission~~~ As I mentioned earlier we had purchased the 5 park Orlando flex tickets for £115 this basically gave us unlimited access to Universal Studios, Universal Studios Islands of Adventure, Wet-nWild, SeaWorld and Busch Gardens for 14 days which was a great price compared to the days admission price.
Adult admission was $57.95 plus tax Children aged 3-9 were $47.95 plus tax and children under 3 were admitted free of charge.
~~~Parking~~~ Plenty of car parking spaces are available to cars at a cost of $7, motorcycles for $7 and trucks and campers at $11.
~~~Accessing the Park~~~ As you arrive at the park and have taken advantage of the Bush Gardens Express you are required to provide your address in order to gain a return bus ticket from Busch Gardens back to Orlando it is imperative that you remember this if you want to return on the coach back. Entrance to the park is pretty simple, show your ticket and sign your name and hey presto enter the park.
~~~Rides~~~ If you like rollercoaster's then Busch Gardens is the place it has plenty of them located all over.
Kumba has a 135 foot drop where you plunge from 110 feet into a diving loop before spiralling 360 degrees this gets your stomach really churning.
Montu is one of the tallest and longers rollercoaster's in the World and is a combination of loops, drops, twists and turns a fantastic fun filled rollercoaster.
Gwazi was the first ride that we went on and was fantastic, two wooden tracks intertwined into one of the largest and fastest double wooden roller coaster. The ride is pretty bumping but much more fun than a traditional rollercoaster.
Python was by far the worst ride that I went on and after a 30 minute queue I felt it was a complete waste of time. The ride is similar to the Corkscrew that is in Alton Towers and is very bumpy and painful, the cars are very deep but very short so you are not comfortable sat in the ride anyway.
Rhino Rally is the wild jeep tour that takes you on an off road adventure, which takes you past real life safari animals and across broken bridges an unpredictable ride that is well worth the wait.
Congo River Rapids take your seat onboard a 12 person raft and ride and spin through waterfalls and drops a great ride.
Cheetah Chase is a 5 storey roller coaster but is not too fast but still gives you a great roller coaster experience.
Scorpion is definitely a ride with a sting in their tale as you face a terrifying 60 foot drop and loops that are travelled at terrifying speeds.
Stanley Falls is a traditional log flume which takes you through a great water tide with a 40 foot drop to ensure that
Pictures of Busch Gardens, Tampa
Sheikra...shakes your boots
you get soaked.Sheikra is one of the best rides that I experienced as it faces two vertical drops as well as loops and twists to provide a thrilling ride and you really have a stomach churning moment as the ride pauses at the top of the first vertical drop before throwing you into the remaining roller coaster ride. Sheikra is the first rollercoaster to incorporate a simultaneous loop and roll all packed into this 3 minute ride.
Tanganyika Tidal Wave is another surprise with a jungle journey suddenly taking a surprising drop!!
~~~Animal Attractions~~~ The Serengeti Plain features lots of exotic African Animals which can be viewed on the Serengeti Express Railway or Sky ride. Featuring Elephants, White Rhino, Zebras, Lions, Tigers, Giraffes and many many more. All animals are free in the 65 acre environment where they can graze on African plants and shrubs.
Myombe Reserve is a forest where gorillas and chimpanzees can be viewed in their natural habitat. Walk among waterfalls, mist and got and get up close with these fascinating creatures.
Bird Gardens are fantastic there are over 500 birds at Busch Gardens and you can even purchase some nectar and have the birds feed from your hands at Lory Landing.
Clydesdale Hamlets are also at Busch Gardens and you can also catch a glimpse of the famous Budweiser donkey!!
~~~Other Attractions~~~ Busch Gardens has absolutely everything in this park and more, including free beer!! In the hospitality house receive a complimentary Anheuser Busch beer provided you are over the age of 21 years, but make sure you don't overuse this facility!
Serengeti Railway is a relaxing ride which takes you on a round trip around the wild area of the Serengeti Planes.
~~~Entertainment~~~ The shows at Busch Gardens are extremely popular and if you have time make sure you see them as there are so many and fill up quickly so ensure you arrive 15-30 minutes prior to travel.
Katonga is a musical journey with dance and tales from the Jungle and takes place in the Moroccan Palace Theatre from 11am 12.30pm, 2pm,4pm and 5.30pm and lasts for approximately 40 minutes.
Moroccan Roll takes place in the Marrakech Theatre and lasts for 25 minutes beginning at 1.45pm, 3.45pm, 5.45pm and 7.30pm and is a rock and roll stage show with a Moroccan flavour.
American Beat entertains you with hits from the 50's from an amazing cast of singers. Lasting approximately 25 minutes at the Desert Grill Restaurant.
Pirates 4-D was new for this year and is a fantastic comedy adventure with lots of surprises along the way.
Dumphrey's special day is ideal for the children and is held in the Dragon's Tale Theater lasting for just 15 minutes.
Budweiser Beer School is where you can learn how Budweiser is brewed and taste verified Anheuser Busch beers. You must be at least 21 years of age to participate in the classes beginning at 12.45pm, lasting for 40 minutes.
Wild Wings of Africa is an amazing show with some fantastic birds from all over the world lasting 25 minutes.
We visited the park for a day and as we had the shuttle express from Seaworld we actually arrived at Busch Gardens for when it opened at 10am and our bus was due to return at 5pm so we did not have much time to see ALL of the attractions so I recommend that you spend at least two days at Busch Gardens to see all of the shows and make full use of the amazing rides that are there.
Most disappointing part to our visit to Busch Gardens was that there was no control over queue jumpers, people would save places in queues for large groups and would even jump onto a ride in front of you and the staff would not say anything to them, this in my opinion is appalling that people can get away with doing this. Sheikra broke down three times whilst we were in the queue but being a regular visitor to Alton Towers and queuing for the Oblivion I was used to hearing the message being played that the ride was temporarily out of service, we ended up queuing for an hour for this three minute ride but it was excellent and really scary!!
You are not permitted to take food and drink into Busch Gardens but there are plenty of places that you can get foods to eat.
~~~Dining~~~ We did not dine in Busch Gardens but passed a good few:-
Zagora Cafe Hospitality House Pizza Zambia Smoke house Sheikra Sweets Vivi Restaurant Sahara Snacks The Oasis Snacks Desert Grill Restaurant Kenya Kanteen Crown Colony House Restaurant Sultans Sweets
I wish I could write more but unfortunatley with only one visit we did not get to see half as much as we wanted to so my big tip would be to schedule in 2 days minimum and do the shows on one day and the rides on another as Busch Gardens is vast.
Hope you enjoyed the review!!
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Sheikra opened the week after we went to Busch Gardens - wish I could have gone on it!! I loved this place - almost deserted when we went no ques- that meant i rode several rides severeal times in a row which was a bad idea aftergoing to the budweiser thing and drinking lots of free samples and also my hubbys as he was driving!!
torr 28.05.2006 13:14
Good thorough review. Definitely not my kind of place, though, and the queue-jumping would have done terrible things to my blood pressure. Duncan
gayna1979 26.05.2006 21:56
Great review, I would love to go to Busch Gardens, but my other half hates rollercoasters and I still haven't managed to get him to Alton Towers, so not really much chance of us going. Gayna x
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