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Busch Gardens Tampa: General Discussion

Danny said:
It's been rumoured for such a long time now that Rhino Rally was going to face the chop, but I think that's been unavoidable since they demolished the highlight of the ride for Cheetah Hunt. It's a sad moment as for me, the ride was the signature attraction of the park when it was up to full standards.
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Yep, the whole point of Rhino Rally, other than the animals, was the water "surprise" ending, when that had gone it left it a bit more pointless.
 
Don't know if there is anything in it but this has been posted on Screamscape:
Screamscape said:
I've been informed that my guess yesterday about what is coming to Busch Gardens Tampa in 2016 is only half right. It will be a coaster... and it will be a coaster from Mack Rides... however it will not be launched... and it will not be the same style ride as SWC's Manta.
So what kind of coaster will it be? I'm not sure... I just know it wont be a launched coaster, and since the park already has Sand Serpent, it wont be a Mack Mouse either. While this leaves a few choices, the other popular rumor going around was for a Spinning Coaster, which I can really appreciate
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They are due a new coaster and do need something to replace Gwazi. Sounds like it won't be a Mack Mega which is a shame but I suppose that post doesn't completely rule out some sort of Mack with a lift hill a la Alipina Blitz.

:)
 
An update from Pixels at the Park regarding the 2016 coaster/attraction:
Pixels at the Park said:
Since the initial permit was filed in September 2014, there has been much speculation about the new attraction opening in the Egypt section of Busch Gardens Tampa next year. While the park has not officially announced what the new attraction will be, it appears that work is about to start on Project 2016.

Bill from “Pixels” made a visit to Busch Gardens Tampa today to check out the location of the project as seen in the publicly available documents filed with Southwest Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) earlier this year. While there isn’t much to see yet, a lone marker as shown in the image above is in place near the railroad tracks.

The first part of the project will likely include moving the Serengeti Railway line in the area to the north to accommodate the new attraction. The current guest grade crossing will also move as the paths in the area are reconfigured.

A search of the City of Tampa Construction Services Division’s website turned up a February permit filed for “site work” and listed as “Busch Gardens BGT 2016 Train”.While there is no official timeline for the closure and work on the rail lines at this point, it seems likely to start soon. We are awaiting a response to a request for official comment from the park.

Based on the plans filed with SFWMD, it also appears the former Egypt railway station (and current smoking area) will be demolished. Smaller structures, including the “Ranger Station” and tents from the former safari loading area will also be removed. The former Tut’s Tomb building is set to be expanded, and several large trenches are also shown on the plans.
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See the link above for photos, it won't let me copy them here. Can't say I'm expecting anything terribly exciting.

:)
 
I have heard most likly to be a Mack spinning coaster with indoor and outdoor sections. Makes sense if it's a family coaster as last years addition was aimed at the thrill end of the market and they removed the wooden coaster that had a lower height restriction than their other big coasters.
 
Busch Gardens have confirmed the temporary closure of the Serengeti Railway on Twitter in order to accommodate construction on their 2016 project.
 
They've now posted the railway will reopen in early Summer, giving an idea on the timescale they'll have it closed for whilst they build this new attraction. Hmm....
 
So with Williamsburg's miserable display with Tempesto, Busch obviously needed to redeem themselves. They appear to have bought something from Mack for Tampa...

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It's likely to be a Mack family spinning coaster, with the large coaster project seemingly picked up by SeaWorld (who to be fair, do need such a ride at the moment).
 
New ride announcement is set for may 28th and it is almost certain to be a Mack Spinning Coaster as one of the new clues from the park is 'a new spin on family thrills'.
 
Busch have trademarked the name "Cobra's Curse", most likely for the new coaster. But seeing as Falcon's Fury was trademarked as Desert Dive,who knows..,
 
An article has been posted on TBO.com regarding the recent trend of converting old wooden coasters into hybrids. It includes this interesting section on BGT:
TBO.com said:
Busch Gardens Tampa is considering the future of the wooden roller coaster Gwazi that it closed down in February due to dwindling ridership.

“We are still looking into what makes sense to replace Gwazi, which includes do we retrofit it with steel tracks,” said park spokesman Travis Claytor. “Gwazi is still standing. We haven’t made the decision on what to do with it. We have no time frame on when that decision will be made. We have a few other things we are working on, including that brand new attraction opening next year.”

Busch Gardens is expected to announce this week a new attraction planned to open next year in the park’s Egypt area.
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So Busch have not ruled out getting RMC in to work on Gwazi. With Gwazi being somewhat newer than other woodies they have worked on, having a decent height and length, I'd imagine they could produce something pretty special. And as these additions are cheaper than a brand new coaster it would certainly be a good and sensisble investment for the park.

Of course we are probably quite a while off it happening. Probably 2018 or 2019 at the earliest.

:)
 
As much as I'm not the craziest RMC conversion nut, I'd be over the moon if they got to work on Gwazi to get it reopened.
 
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Tweeted by the travel editor of the Miami Herald, so presumably legit. Are the cars just some concept art mistake...? Everything else about it looks Mack except for the weird Breakdance-style cars!
 
What on earth is going on with those cars!? It's like standard wild mouse cars that spin. I suppose we will find out for sure tomorrow!

:)
 
It certainly seems to be the next generation E-Motion/Spinner combo!

The announcement has just taken place and we now know the ride is officially named Cobra's Curse. It will feature a 70ft vertical elevator lift much like Matterhorn Blitz are Europa. The ride vehicles carry 8 passengers (2 cars of 4) and will remain locked forward facing for the first part of the ride, then much like EuroMir, will be rotated via motor 180 Degrees to face backwards for a section of the course before heading up a 2nd lift hill and unlocking for a free spinning finale.

I must admit it looks really rather bizarre, but once again proves Mack are pushing the boat out in terms of moving their rides on to the next level! I guess we will just have to see how this one turns out, it does sound interesting.
 
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