Busch Gardens Tampa FULL TOUR & REVIEW

combining world-class thrill rides with up-close animal experiences into a Wild theme park Busch Gardens Tampa has been entertaining guests for 64 years but can it still hold its own against its big competitors and is it still worth a trip hi I'm a Frugal Brit and for this video I'll be taking you on a full overview tour and review of Busch Gardens Tampa covering the good and the not so good to help you help you decide whether it's worth a trip Busch Gardens Tampa the original Busch Gardens began as a brewery evolving over the years into a 335 acre african-themed Zoological theme park today specializing in exotic animal exhibits roller coasters and thrill rides all spread amongst 11 themed lands shall be touring through as part of this video you'll find Bush Gardens eight miles Northeast of downtown Tampa roughly an hour from Orlando once you've arrived at the general parking there's a tram to take you over to the park entrance which drops you off near the Park's famous lion topiary once through the Park's turnstiles you'll find yourself inside the parks Morocco land containing eye-catching architecture from Morocco's Rich history and tradition Morocco is home to the Park's main headliner attraction which is the crocodile themed iron guazi North America's tallest fastest and steepest hybrid coaster that opened in 2022 which dominates the skyline guests enter its reptile themed queue over wooden bridges that take you over to the revamped loading station the trains depart taking a left turn beneath the queue line before entering a 206 foot lift Hill asquazi crests the hill the train slows down before descending its 91 degree drop reaching top speeds of 76 miles per hour gwasi then climbs another Hill towards a 540 degree barrel roll downward drop under the Coaster's lift Hill with several more overbank turns off axis Hills drops ending with a sharp left turn slamming into the final brake run a favorite of roller coaster enthusiasts worldwide and deservedly so which I recommend as being the first cue that you enter at rope drop next to angwasi is Morocco's only other ride which is guasi gliders a small hand ladder flat ride for the Park's youngest Thrill Seekers at the center of Morocco is the Exotic looking Zagora Cafe quick service restaurant with a not so exotic menu of burgers and chicken tenders with shaded seating outside on its patio if we head over to the Easter Morocco come to a small coastal enclosure where the Park's alligators dwell on the opposite side of the Avenue is the Moroccan Palace Theater which hosts live shows and entertainment including the award-winning turn it up ice skating show next we're going to head West for a short stop at the bird Gardens land the Park's oldest section tucked away in the corner of the park this area is effectively a free flight Aviary that shows over 500 tropical birds from around the globe including its impressive Flamingo Lagoon home to the Park's brightly colored flamingos you'll also find the Walkabout way Outpost which allows guests to hand feed Kangaroos and wallabies we are going to get to more thrill rides but first we'll take another short stop at the Sesame Street Safari of fun the former land of the Dragons section of the park this land contains the Park's most kid-friendly attractions all re-themed to Sesame Street kids can fly through the desert with Grover climb in Elmo's tree house or splashing Burton Ernie's Watering Hole next we'll head north for Stanleyville which opened way back in 1973 themed after an old African Port we'll start with the land's oldest attraction which is the Stanley Falls Flume a modestly themed log flume ride unfortunately closed on my most recent visit guests wired through the Stanleyville jungle with its large overhanging trees as with most flume rides of this kind features a few small drops saving its most intense fall for the end of the ride at the bottom of The Ville is the SheiKra steel coaster which bristly broke records for longest tallest and fastest dive coaster one of my absolute favorites once the floors are tracked and the front gate opened the train leaves the station towards its 200 foot lift turning right into a holding brake where it hangs for four agonizing seconds then descends the 90 degree drop reaching speeds of 70 miles per hour taking Riders to another 90 degree drop into an underground tunnel before an overbank turn into a Splashdown that sprays two 60-foot lines of water over unlocking guests steps away from sheikra's Splash Zone is the popular Zambia Smokehouse specializing in barbecue cuisine with Its Ribs chicken and brisket options or for combinations of all three you can go for the Zambia platter this is the restaurant that gets the most recommendations although a couple of issues which I'll get into in the review section of the video last but not least for Stanleyville is the Tiger Steel launch roller coaster which opened in 2019 built on the former tanjan yika tidal wave water ride and aims to mimic the agility of a tiger Tiger's catapults guests out of the station up into a partial twist the train falls back through the station where it accelerates backwards into another twist train Falls forward again through the station at 62 miles per hour towards its heartline role a couple non-inverting loops before returning to the station above Stanley Village John Gala a Four Acre land which transports guests into an exotic jungle setting aimed mainly for kids one of the Park's more tropical areas with its elaborate Landscaping thriving with dense towering trees and Lush foliage it features a three-story playground of rope Bridges fountains and waterfalls for the kids to cool off and the wild surge kids Tower ride above a waterfall jungle is not just for the kids though it also features two impressive animal exhibits which are the Tiger Trail and the orangutan Outpost both featuring ceiling to floor Windows overlooking their wonderfully crafted habitats in jongala you'll also find a Chick-fil-A restaurant which for the benefit of my fellow Brits is a popular fast food chain that specializes in incredibly tasty chicken sandwiches we're now going to head all the way to the top of the park for the Congo land themed to the tropical jungles of the Congo only three attractions these days which includes the ubanga Banger bumper cars which is across from the Congo Serengeti Express Station which we'll tour properly later in the video two main attractions are accessed via one of the Congo Bridges with great views of the next attraction of this tour which is the Congo River Rapids ride that opened back in 1982 guests climb aboard the yellow raft for an expedition that sends them swirling down a racing River at the mercy of Rapids with a few African theming elements of native Wildlife scattered along the riverbank if you manage to stay dry up to this point you'll struggle to avoid a drenching once through the caves waterfall towards the end of the ride over to the east of our map we have the cumber steel roller coaster to the right of Congo River Rapids which sets several records when it opened back in 1993 the ride begins with a right hand 90-degree turnout of the station which then enters a 143 foot tall chain lift Hill Climb shortly after its peak the ride Roars down the drop at 60 miles per hour until 114 foot tall vertical Loop that wraps around the lift Hill there's seven inversions in total a dive Loop a zero g roll a cobra roll and two interlocking corkscrews including the iconic Helix which you get view of near the entrance of the ride the real Frankenstein of a roller coaster that still ranks high amongst roller coaster enthusiasts over towards the center of the park we have the pantopia land formerly known as Timbuk2 themed after the Moors and bazaars of Africa that opened in 1980 but re-themed with its dramatic orange purple and blue pantopia colors at the top of the land is the heroin the rescue Tales animal presentation which shares the story of various rescued animals and the importance of conservation to the right of pantopia theater is the family-friendly sand serpent wild mouse coaster that climbs five stories with a series of 180 degree turns that run parallel to each other more intense than you might think something that is far less intense is the kids bushfires plane ride the Grand Caravan Carousel and the carnival games over towards the west of pantopia for Refreshments you'll find the popular Twisted Tail pretzels at the land Center where guests can indulge in a variety of savory and sweet pretzel combinations fresh from the oven which you can pair with a selection of draft beer and wine in the Southeast corner of the park is the Scorpion steel roller coaster the Park's oldest roller coaster still in operation which opened back in 1980 as the train exits the station it ascends a 60-foot lift Hill once at the top it descends into a bank drop at up to 40 miles per hour making it one of the slower coasters at Busch Gardens so maybe a good introductory coaster following the drop the coaster enters its signature 40-foot vertical Loop followed by a series of helixes finishing back at the loading station parallel to the Serengeti Railway track next door to the Scorpion coaster is the dragon fire grill food court inside you'll find a pizza chicken burger and Asian Wok stations whatever your selection you can enjoy your meal inside the dragon fire Theater which hosts regular Musical shows such as the keys to happiness live piano performances last but definitely not least for pantopia is the Falcons Fury freestanding Drop Tower located in the center of the land once Riders are seated they raised 330 feet in the air with plenty of time to enjoy the Park's landscape from all sides at its peak guests are tilted forward and held for a randomized amount of time before the gondola is released throwing guests into a five-second free fall at 60 miles per hour unfortunately this ride has been closed for over a year now apparently due to supply chain issues but they are looking to reopen it fairly soon so that brings us to the Exotic Nairobi Land one of the Park's oldest areas and provides guests with a range of animal encounters near the pantopia entrance you'll have great views of the Asian elephants roaming freely in their carefully crafted habitat you can also get up close with daily interactions at the elephant interaction husbandry wall or by booking an elephant inside a tour a 30-minute upgraded experience for thirty dollars opposite the elephants is the Animal Care Center which is where the parks injured and sick animals go to be treated which guests can see in the observation area a short walk from the Animal Care Center is the all-new record-breaking Serengeti flyer pendulum swing ride the tallest and fastest of its kind it features two dueling arms that saw progressively with each swing increasing in intensity and by the third and fourth swing the ride levitates guests out of their seats as their legs dangle whilst they saw 135 feet above the Park's beautiful Serengeti plane at speeds of up to 68 miles per hour if we head towards the main Hub of Nairobi we'll come across the Serengeti Outpost which is where guests can book onto the Serengeti Safari an upgrade experience that costs forty dollars once purchased you'll be given a time slot to head over to the safari Vehicles guests are led by an expert guide on a 30-minute off-road open air tour through the park 65 acres Serengeti plane we can observe animals including zebras ostriches rhinos and several Antelope species and towards the end of the tour you'll Park up near the giraffes where the experts will provide an opportunity to hand feed and take pictures we still have a few more exhibits to cover towards the bottom of Nairobi over in the animal connections guests can get up close and personal with flamingos ring-tailed lemurs and other animals and further down guests can view the adorable and playful African penguins swim in their chilled pool enclosure at the bottom of Nairobi is the Mayon Bay reserve a stunning three acre wildlife habitat with his entrance opposite the Moroccan Palace Theater from the time you first enter you'll be transported to a misty corner of Africa full of lush tropical plant life and water features which you're free to observe at your own pace here you can come face to face with chimpanzees and gorillas learn about their behavior and challenges in the wild and the enclosures are designed so that you can get as close as possible without disrupting the animals so that concludes the Nairobi tour next we'll head east of the train track for the edge of Africa land which is partly themed as an abandoned African fishing Village taken over by wild animals this is sort of the walking Safari of the park where guests can wander through beautiful leafy habitats filled with native African animals you can see Lions gazing in the sun hyenas and hippos bathing in their pool amongst tropical fish at the very bottom of the land there's the remains of an old crumbling African town with an impressive ancient archway entrance from the Morocco land which takes you to the cheetah exhibit the edge of Africa also provides some of the best views of the Serengeti plain containing giraffes zebras and more African Wildlife within the main Hub of the land is the Serengeti Overlook which provides wider views of the plane inside you'll find the Oasis Pizza Quick Service Restaurant the giraffe bar and the pass member Lounge opposite the Serengeti Overlook is the land's only ride which is the Cheetah Hunt steel launch roller coaster a celebration of the fastest land animal often ranked as one of the best roller coasters in the world World guests enter a collapsed Temple entrance before heading over to the Loading station previously occupied by the old Busch Gardens monorail guests bore the yellow cheetah print trains and the ride begins with a 30 miles per hour launch into a left turn and a gradual dip before approaching the main launch which accelerates Riders to top speeds of 60 miles per hour along the cheetah run exhibit before climbing a 100-foot figure eight element Riders weed through a series of helixes before dropping 130 feet into a trench then proceed over a direction-changing airtime Hill crossing over the Skyride before completing its heartline role through the edge of Africa and the Serengeti plain a rock fixture tunnel which leads into the ride's final launch earlier in the video I recommended jumping in the iron guaz EQ at rope drop Cheetah Hunt has a lower capacity and generates long weights from the late morning so strongly recommend making this either the first or second queue that you jump in before we take a lap on the Serengeti Express we'll make sure that we subscribed to the channel so we don't miss out on Future Park videos then we're going to finish off the Park tour on the Southeast corner of the park for the Egypt land underneath the Serengeti plain containing two attractions this land is modestly themed to an ancient Egyptian marketplace with a giant Temple entrance and columns adorned with hieroglyphics and Egyptian art the first ride when traveling from the edge of Africa is the Cobra curse steel spinning roller coaster which first opened in 2016. Riders begin the ride in King venomous Temple and are transported to the elevator lift upon reaching the top of the roller Coaster's 70-foot tall lift the train turns left and Banks outward taking Riders closer to the 80-foot tall statue of King venomous from there the train descends the 70-foot drop reaching maximum speeds of 40 miles per hour following several Bank turns cars rotate backwards before descending through a minor Helix with more spinning motions and a series of overback turns and changes in acceleration under the Serengeti express track before entering the final break run for the final coaster of our tour we'll head under the land's imposing pylon entrance headed for the Montu inverted roller coaster which first opened in 1996 named after the Egyptian god of war guest cue inside the ruins of a temple containing Egyptian murals on the walls before arriving at the station to board the trains leave the station with a small dip and turning towards the 150 foot tall lit Hill once at the top Riders twist down a left-handed drop and into a 104 foot tall vertical Loop reaching speeds of 60 miles per hour following this the track passes through a tunnel and zooms into a 90-foot tall Loop almost colliding with the pylon entrance Riders continue through a zero g roll followed by several inversions loops and dives through the trenches before reaching its final brake run to round off our Busch Gardens tour we'll head back into the Nairobi land for the Serengeti Express this is one of three stations within the park you'll also find one in Stanleyville and the Congo land this is a calming railroad ride that takes visitors on a winding tour around the top half of the park a fantastic way to unwind and take in the sights as you pass through the beauty of the park through its tropical plant life and underground tunnels with great views of attractions such as Cheetah Hunt Montu and Congo River Rapids but the Highlight is definitely the tour through the Serengeti plain with some of the best views of the zebras giraffes rhinos and other free roaming Wildlife little tip here sitting on the left side will give you the best views for those that prefer to use most of their park hours on roller coasters then riding the Serengeti Express at the end of the day might be the best way to include animals in your visit in reviewing the park we'll start with an issue which is out of the Park's control which is its location many guests especially viewers of this channel I suspect will be considering a trip to Busch Gardens as part of their Orlando vacation and Busch Gardens is not as close to Disney World and Universal as you'd want it to be Sea World does offer a shuttle bus from Orlando though which I'll link to in the description when traveling by car you'll likely be driving down the I-4 at rush hour to get there before the park opens which is advisable where the travel time ranges between an hour and an hour and a half not ideal there is an incredible theme park at the end of your journey though that's worth the wait and will occupy you for the whole day as it's a huge theme park I love its history and appreciate how its layout feels a lot less contrived compared to the universal and Disney theme parks gorgeous Landscaping with great emphasis on the preservation of nature with the right balance between thrill rides and animal exhibits although probably fair to say that the theming overall is nowhere near as impressive as the park that Disney created to copy Bush Gardens although some will argue that it has a better collection of it's overall that can keep people occupied for longer so as mentioned the Serengeti Express was one of my favorite attractions which I'm kind of embarrassed to admit the views were extra special just before Sunset and the narration was very entertaining I ended up doing two continuous laps to finish my second day at the park I think I actually enjoyed this more than the Serengeti Safari upgrade that costs forty dollars some of the views of the animals were better on the train but may have just got lucky I do think though that the Safari upgrade is slightly overpriced especially given that the park used to have the three Rhino rally Safari ride in terms of the other attractions it has to be said that Busch Gardens has an insanely good lineup of thrill rides so many different varieties of roller coasters but if coasters are not your thing then there's limited options away from the animal exhibits little confession here I haven't actually ridden on the Serengeti flyer yet as I visited shortly before it opened so thank you to Harry from theme park freaks for letting me use their footage for those traveling from Disney World the wait times around the park will be a sight for sore eyes partly due to the park having so many high capacity coasters although it is a bit frustrating that during off-peak times the weight for coaster trains to dispatch can be painfully slow almost seems intentional to incentivize the purchase of their Quick Queue service on quiet days that clearly shouldn't need it but probably just being overly cynical here overall the wait times situation is excellent compared to most theme parks of this caliber I would say the most valid criticism of Bush Gardens is its ride maintenance and reliability issues with closures very common and not always published online as mentioned Falcon's Fury has been closed for over a year and the Cobra's curse never seems to be open without constant issues in terms of value a ticket to Busch Gardens is variable but usually around 99 which is 65 dollars cheaper than a day to get to Magic Kingdom for example for a large family that's quite the saving but there are a few hidden charges worth mentioning parking is 30 which is really not fun even worse than Disney and Universal's outrageous charges points lost there for most of the major attractions you'll need to drop your things off at self-service lockers which unfortunately do cost money even for the small ones unlike Disney and Universal Parks more points lost to its big competitors here so it'll cost you two dollars per ride or you can pay these prices for unlimited use on all attractions I recommend packing as light as possible and bringing a bum bag fanny pack for balance though at least you don't have to pay crazy amounts to skip queues at Busch Gardens moving on to the food I have to say for a park themed around exotic Adventure it's a shame that you don't have more interesting food available you're not in danger of confusing this Morocco with epcots the Zambia Smokehouse gets the most recommendations in the park however the queues are insane for this counter service restaurant eating during off-peak times they desperately need another good quality restaurant to manage queues better my Zambia platter was tasty and a good portion size but not exactly piping hot after a long queue to pay at the register the all-day dying deal costs 50 or 40 if you pay in advance with your ticket here's the terms on the restaurants you can use it with I didn't get it but I probably would have saved money if I had a couple things to note with this though the applicable restaurants don't open until 11 which reduces the time that you can use it obviously also I did find it strange that they included a Chick-fil-A given that they don't open on Sundays the second busiest theme park day of the week so that's pretty much everything I wanted to cover [Music] because I need to give some balance to the first part of the video which is always a bit of a promo for whatever Park I'm doing but I do absolutely love Busch Gardens I'll always have a soft spot for it it's crazy how many amazing rides they've added over the past few decades love to hear what you guys think did you have a similar experience are you planning a visit anytime soon are there any other Parks you'd like me to review or revisit thanks for watching if you haven't already don't forget to subscribe 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Channel: The Frugal Brit - Orlando

Views: 124,236

Keywords: busch gardens, busch gardens tampa, busch gardens rides, busch gardens coasters, roller coasters, busch gardens tampa coasters, busch gardens roller coasters, busch gardens tampa roller coasters, tampa, orlando, busch gardens review, iron gwazi, montu, cobra's curse, myombe reserve, sheikra, kumba, falcoln's fury, cheetah hunt

Id: iEWezZaTeeY

Length: 20min 37sec (1237 seconds)

Published: Sun Mar 26 2023