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Busch Gardens Tampa
Tampa, FL
SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment
Click to buy Busch Gardens Tampa tickets
---- THE LATEST BUZZ ----
(5/9/12) ParkRumors did a little digging in the Trademark database and discovered a new filing from SeaWorld Entertainment for the name (MORE...)
(4/26/12) I’m not entirely sold on this rumor just yet, but I’ve heard whispers claiming that Busch Gardens may be in talks with Rocky Mountain Coasters about trying (MORE...)
(3/14/12) Screamscape sources tell us that the drop tower project will proceed at the Sandstorm location after all. Dealing with ground issues like this in Florida is something (MORE...)
(3/13/12) Some very interesting news has come in from a reader who visited Busch Gardens over the weekend. While waiting in line to ride Sandstorm they spied a series of small holes (MORE...)
Ride Rehabs - The following information is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate.
Current information can be found at their ride rehab page.
Stanley Falls – 5/7/12 through 5/24/12
Wild Surge – 5/7/12 through 5/16/12
 General Park News - (4/26/12) I’m not entirely sold on this rumor just yet, but I’ve heard whispers claiming that Busch Gardens may be in talks with Rocky Mountain Coasters about trying out some topper track on sections of Gwazi in the future. While the addition of the GCI Millennium Flyer trains did a wonders for Gwazi’s image and improved the ride experience for a short while, I’m told that the coaster has been returning to it’s more rough riding ways as of late. It can’t hurt to try it, as I experienced the wonders of Topper Track on a section of The Rattler at Six Flags Fiesta Texas last summer. It did make that section of the track noticeably smoother than the rest of the ride, but I guess the real question is how long will it last.
(3/2/12) Busch Gardens Tampa has announced that they will be adding their own version of Christmas Town to the park this winter, creating an all-new evening experience with shows, shopping and attractions every Friday, Saturday and Sunday night from Nov. 30 through to Dec. 23rd. And just like Christmas Town at the Williamsburg park, BGT is going to make this a separate-ticket event not included with your regular daytime park admission.
I can see how the Williamsburg park has been able to operate this as a hard-ticket event as they are the only park in the area open for the Christmas season. That said, I think the Tampa park is going to have a much more difficult time trying to hard sell this event to their guests. After all theme park guests in Central Florida take take in a ton of free Christmas holiday entertainment at the Disney, Universal, Legoland and even SeaWorld park. The only other hard-ticket event in the area has been Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party at the Magic Kingdom, which is who BGT is going to be locking in a head-to-head battle with. If it were me, I’d take the route their sister park in Williamsburg takes with Howl-O-Scream, and offer up the special Christmas event free instead.
(2/29/12) ParkRumors reports that Sandstorm’s new home will actually be in Morocco, across from the Gwazi Gliders.
(2/24/12) Busch Gardens Tampa would like to remind everyone that their Adventure Island Waterpark next door will open for the 2012 season starting March 10th. They are also offering a special discount “Weekday Pass” option, good for admission to the park on any weekday (Mon-Fri) from March 12 – Sept. 3.
(2/22/12) FloridaThrills has a lead on what BGT has in store for 2013 this week with the discovery of new permits filed with the city. While they don’t point out what is coming, they do show an intention to relocate the SandStorm ride to a new location in the park. (Thank god for that! Sandstorm is the best flat ride in the park…)
(1/10/12) SeaWorld and Busch Gardens in Florida are offering a Preschool Pass for Florida residents ages 5 and younger. The pass is valid for unlimited admission, with no blackout dates, through to December 31st, 2012. For details on how to get one visit the official Preschool Pass page.
(1/3/12) A quick update for you Android phone fans… Busch Gardens HAS launched the Android version of their official park app to the Android Market in late December. The app will use your GPS to guide you through the park, offer park details and tips to get the most out of your day, with route guides , show schedules and ride wait times. The app is also good for both the Tampa and Williamsburg locations.
(1/2/12) Busch Gardens Tampa has now opened a new Full-Service Bar inside the Desert Grill. Check out a few pictures of the new facility posted over at BGTNation.
(12/27/11) The construction walls around the new Animal Care Center building at the park have come down. While it wont open until late January, you can see the themed exterior in the latest update at BGTNation.
(12/19/11) Starting January 1st, your beverage options at the 10 SeaWorld Entertainment parks across the country will take a sudden shift, as a new 10-year sponsor deal with Coca-Cola Co. will kick into effect, removing Pepsi products from the park. Coke and SeaWorld do have a long history together, as Coke was the official drink sponsor for the SeaWorld parks (or Sea World parks as they were spelled back then, long before they were purchased and merged with the Busch parks).
Coke was dropped in favor of Pepsi back on Jan. 1st, 1988 by SeaWorld’s then owners, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich and the partnership was continued under the ownership of Anheuser-Busch. Pepsi was long rumored to have an edge over Coke under the Busch era because Pepsi was a major client of the Busch owned Metal Container Corporation who supplier Pepsi with a large percentage of their aluminum cans. So after a 24 year run… Coke will return at last.
(10/18/11) Busch Gardens Tampa has announced their entertainment lineup for the park’s first ever 12th Grade Grad Night event on Friday, April 27th (7pm to 2am). In addition to all the thrill rides, the park will also feature a concert by Cobra Starship and a performance by comedian Gabriel Iglesias (who was quite funny in the bits I’ve heard over the years).
(7/15/11) Picking up the slack from Disney’s end to Grad Night events, Busch Gardens Tampa will host their first ever Grad Night event in 2012 on April 27 and 28. According to Busch Gardens the event will officially kick off each night at 8pm and last until 2am, however schools are allowed to arrive at the park as early as 6pm.
2012 - Iceploration - (2/3/12) You can catch a 9-minute video of Iceploration as shot by our friends at BGTNation.
(2/2/12) Keith, our man on the streets of Florida, went down to Busch Gardens Tampa on Wednesday for the media preview performance of the new Iceploration show. I’ve posted his review below:
Iceploration is Busch Garden's brand new ice skating show that opens tomorrow. The show is not just an ice skating show, but also has live actors acting out and narrating the story line, acrobats, high-flying aerials, trampolines, simulated flying and swimming high above the stage, puppetry, live animals (mostly birds and dogs), special effects such as bubbles and snow, digital animation that interacts with what is happening on stage, and a completely original score. Award winning skaters and gymnasts are part of the cast of the show. There are simple moments in the show where two actors are interacting on a bedroom set similar to a play, there are moments where almost every actor is on stage doing something with action going on everywhere. In fact, there are so many sets, props, and large puppetry used in the show, some of the sets and props are hoisted high above the other sets on cables backstage! Parts of the show are reminiscent of Katonga, Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy, Cirqu de la Mer from SeaWorld, and even the Finding Nemo show from Animal Kingdom. A totally original show, but some little pieces that have a similar feel and style. The feature skaters were amazing doing very impressive maneuvers on a relatively small stage. The creative team that put this show together are top notch, and you have a unique opportunity to learn about them in the lobby where a pictorial is on display with small write-ups of interesting information about the team and how the show was created. The show is slated to be in place for two to three years depending on the guest feedback. It's a solid addition to the entertainment line-up that Busch Gardens offers. In fact, every show that I visited today was at capacity even though the lines were short at the rides. Tony Orlando was in concert, and there was a special dancing show in the Desert Grill. The next time you visit Busch Gardens, you will definitely want to check Iceploration out!
(1/18/12) BGT will put on exclusive showtimes to Passholders to see the new Iceploration show all next month according to a report at BGTNation. Follow the link for details.
(9/9/11) Busch Gardens Tampa has announced Iceploration as the name of their new Ice show that will open on Feb. 2nd in the Moroccan Palace theater. The new show will feature a cast of 20, full of ice skaters, aerial performances, puppets and live animal stars. According to Park President Jim Dean. “This show reintroduces the ice show to our most loyal fans while bringing together the things Busch Gardens stage productions do best: world-class entertainment with top-notch skaters, amazing costumes, original music, larger-than-life puppets and even animal stars.” Here’s the official description of the show below:
The 30-minute show opens with Austin, a digital-savvy preteen, explaining how technology has made his generation more connected to the world than ever before. But his grandfather – and old-world explorer – argues that the boy is more disconnected than he realizes, and takes him on an adventure around the globe. Through their travels they visit the African Serengeti, Great Barrier Reef, the Arctic and the Amazon rainforest.
The adventure unfolds as they arrive in the African Serengeti. Here, larger-than-life puppets and spectacular set design bring elephants and other awe-inspiring animals to life at a watering hole. Solo and chorus skating performances accompanied by acrobatics tell an anecdote of an agile cheetah stalking graceful gazelles and meerkats.
Austin and Grandpa then dive into the Great Barrier Reef to explore the harmony of life on the ocean floor. An amazing black light transition and never-before-seen helium-filled puppets immerse the audience in the wonders of the sea, filled with parrotfish and lionfish, sea urchins, turtles and a moray eel.
In the Arctic, majestic skaters become striking snow flurries as a winter storm threatens the travelers. Austin and Grandpa witness even more beauty as they encounter the Aurora Borealis phenomenon, represented with theatrical lighting and projections. Then, they share the stage with amazing live animal stars, including a Siberian lynx and a sled of Siberian huskies as they continue to traverse the tundra.
Austin and Grandpa wrap up their adventure around the globe immersed in the lush, tropical Amazon Rainforest. Squirrel monkeys, sun conures and colorful macaws fill the air as playful frogs and a graceful dragonfly skate into the grand finale: a new signature song called “Meet the World.”
The park has also announced that Christmas on Ice will also perform in the theater from November 21st to January 1st.
(3/28/11) I’m told that the closing date for Cirque Dreams is September 3rd.
(3/25/11) Screamscape sources tell us that the current Cirque Dreams show which just opened in December is expected to close it’s run as early as September. It will likely be replaced in 2012 by a brand new Ice Show being developed under the codename, “Adventure Planet” that is supposed to feature a lot of themeing as well as a storyline.
2012/2013 - Rhino Rally Expansion - Rumor - (12/12/11) We’ve heard these rumors before, but the latest word sent in from the spy network claims that the proposed ‘expansion’ to Rhino Rally may begin as early as January 2012. Obviously, since the loss of the attractions finale, they are looking to not only expand the attraction in length, but also come up with some kind of new exciting highlight moment. According to our source, one proposal on the table would see your vehicle actually get hijacked for part of the revamped attraction.
(6/24/11) The latest word from insiders is that the planning is still in progress to expand Rhino Rally. There may be some conflicts between what the Operations side wants to do with the attraction VS what the Animal Care staff want to see happen with the animal habitats, but those kinds of issues are usually normal. The expansion will obviously not be ready by this August, but as previously rumored, the park is also looking into switching out the current Land Rover fleet for some new vehicles as well, and are currently said to be looking at least four different bids.
(6/17/11) According to a report over at Orlando Parks News, a Rhino Ralley driver was heard apologizing to guests about the new “short” version of the attraction, which gave up it’s water portion to Cheetah Hunt. However, they continued by saying that “a new section” to the ride could be open as early as August.
While I had heard myself long ago that plans to expand Rhino Rally were in the works ever since the inception of Cheetah Hunt, it does take a bit of time to build some new roads and access into other animal areas, as well as the possible construction of new habitats built to accommodate the LandRovers, so will it be August or sometime next year?
2013 - Drop Tower / Desert Dive - Planning - (5/9/12) ParkRumors did a little digging in the Trademark database and discovered a new filing from SeaWorld Entertainment for the name “Desert Dive” for a new ride. They have also purchased the DesertDive.com URL as well. I’m agree with what they’re thinking… that this is the new intended name for the 2013 drop tower ride.
Still… sounds a bit goofy to me. Desert Dive would be a great name for a Egyptian themed flume ride, wouldn’t it? Just seems to be lacking as a drop tower name.
(3/14/12) Screamscape sources tell us that the drop tower project will proceed at the Sandstorm location after all. Dealing with ground issues like this in Florida is something BGT is well used to dealing with, as I’m told there were similar problems that had to be dealt with during the construction of Cheetah Hunt as well.
(3/13/12) Some very interesting news has come in from a reader who visited Busch Gardens over the weekend. While waiting in line to ride Sandstorm they spied a series of small holes (“each about the size of a small dessert plate”) that had been drilled in the ground all around the Sandstorm ride as well as a few holes outside of the ride’s retaining wall between it and the arcade. Digging a little deeper, I’m told they were taking core samples to test the stability of the ground under this area, and the initial results were not quite what they had hoped for. This could cause the proposed Drop Tower ride to be relocated to a new site in the park, or could delay the project by several months (late 2013, early 2014?) are extra site work would be required to stabilize the site to hold the drop tower ride.
(3/6/12) According to a report at Park Rumors, new plans filed by Busch Gardens Tampa show off a new drop tower style ride in place of the Sand Storm ride. If you look at the close-up of the diagram of the ride itself what appears at first to be a square ride pod is really an octagon, which each side holding 4 riders, for a total of 32 per cycle.
If this layout holds true, this is a different layout frolm the circular carousel used by Moser on last year’s Mach Tower at the Willamsburg park, which held 30 riders. The layout also doesn’t look like anything I’ve seen before from Intamin, S&S, Huss, Zamperla, Fabbri or even ABC. So we may be looking at an entirely new animal here.
(1/30/12) Legend from CoasterCrew was visiting BGT over the weekend and managed to grab a photo of survey work in progress at the Sandstorm ride. Looks like the rumors about it being replaced with something new may be coming true. Lets just hope they decide to give Sandstorm a new home somewhere else… maybe by Montu or Kumba, because Sandstorm is really the only good flat ride in the entire park.
(12/12/11) The latest word on the rumored drop tower ride proposed for the Sandstorm location claims that the ride may not be planned to open until late 2012 at the earliest, so it sounds like this may be intended more as a 2013 attraction.
(9/21/11) Possibly backing up the rumor of a drop tower coming to the Tampa park, a reader reports that during the grand opening of Cheetah Hunt, they had a moment to speak with “the rides designer (forget his name)”, which I’m guessing may have been Mark Rose. In any case, when they asked him about what was coming next to the park he simply said to watch for what the other parks were getting to figure out what was coming next. Though with the problems the park had putting in Mach Tower in Williamsburg, I’m kind of surprised they would be ready to drop one into Tampa before they’ve had a good bit of time to give the first one a good shakedown. Anyway… this is all still just a rumor at this point, so stay tuned!
(9/19/11) I’m not sure how serious this rumor is, but someone is claiming that the park’s Sand Storm flat ride could be replaced by a new 200 foot drop tower ride, possibly very similar to the Mach Tower ride that just opened in Williamsburg last month. Anyone know more?
2013/2014 - New Show - Rumor - (12/12/11) Word has it that the park is working on ideas and proposals for a new animal based show that could open in a couple of years. No word on just what venue it may go into, but I’m guessing this would likely be for 2013 / 2014.
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