Hello! :D
So in our last update we finished up an utterly magical visit to Central Florida, featuing WDW, Busch Gardens, Sea World, and both Fun Spots!
Everything was perfect, except for one little thing...
I STILL DIDN'T HAVE MY KUMBA CREDIT.
:C
My plan was to drive back to Busch Gardens Tampa right before heading back to New York, but Kumba was taking longer than expected to re-open from its annual maintenance.
What is a coaster enthusiast to do?
Fortunately this coaster enthusiast had a few tricks up his sleep! Not a day goes by that I don't thank my lucky stars for having a career that allows me to just pop down to Tampa to snag a finicky credit!
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So here we are! Back at Busch just 3 weeks later!
(I know a lot of the WDW updates weren't exactly "thrilling," but Busch Gardens is here to start a new trend!) |
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I didn't notice this amazing Cobra's Curse model in the main gift shop on our last visit!
(for you Cobra's Curse fans, this is the only CC-related picture I have in this update. If you wanna get up-close-and-personal with Busch's one-of-a-kind Mack spinner, check out our original Busch Gardens Tampa update here!:
http://thrillography.blogspot.com/2016/10/busch-gardens-tampa-thrillographys.html
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These giant sulky river lizards are patiently awaiting their next meal of line jumpers delicious food that is definitely not people. |
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| FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS |
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| THE NATURAL ORDER OF THE WORLD HAS BEEN RESTORED! |
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| I really enjoyed Kumba, especially its clever layout and good pacing. I actually expected it to be more forceful (since it's, like, the textbook classic B&M), but I thought it was only moderately forceful. I love all of the tunnels and under-midway-swooping. |
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The Squad!
The Madores, Luko, his husband Josh, their kids, and my long time friend from the Nashville area, Brandon (the tall one). |
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When Kumba opened, people losing their cell phones on coasters wasn't a thing. Cell phones alone were barely even a thing. However, due to cell phones flying out of peoples' pockets (which turn into projectiles, which lead to lawsuits in America), a lot of Kumba's once-photogenic midway visuals are now obscured by nets. You can't even get the signature double corkscrew shot without having a lens that's small enough to fit through the netting. :{
#thisiswhywecanthavenicethingsamerica |
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| My heart feels so light now that I have my Kumba credit! Let's visit Pantopia to celebrate. |
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| We caught a show in progress before lunch. |
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| Hello Mr. 700th credit! |
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| "Hello Alex good to see you again. How'd that hurricane treat you? It knocked over some of my patio furniture; I don't know how I'll recover." |
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| I hope you're ready for a SLEW of SheiKra photos later. |
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But first a little more KUMBA!
(I would do anything for a nice keychain with sign on it. Hint-hint to any of you crafty people out there. Thrillography has coin if you have wares.) |
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| I did Kumba in the front and in the back. Visuals are great in the front, but it's got a nice snap to it in the back. Love the little pop of air right before the cobra roll! Especially on the left side of the train. |
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| The B&M traditional looper definitely peaked early (I'd say it is to the looping coaster what Nemesis is to the inverted coaster). Busch Gardens really took this ride all the way; most subsequent sitdown/floorless coasters don't have the same degree of design integrity. |
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| Alright, Kumba. I love you, but I'm off to take pictures of a roller coaster that isn't so frustrating to photograph. Toodles! |
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| But first NECESSARY STANLEY FALLS SHOT! |
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| Hello, favorite Busch Gardens coaster! |
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*SQUAWK*
(Sheikra is a bird. Birds squawk, right? I don't know) |
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| Didn't notice this last time: SheiKra has its own game! And you'll notice the little trains are still the old design! |
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| "Ladies and gentlemen we have begun our initial descent into Busch Gardens Tampa. Please ensure all of your carry-on items are properly stowed and fasten your seatbelt." |
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| "Please ensure that seat backs and tray tables are in an upright and locked position, and all aisle armrests are lowered." |
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| "It is our pleasure to welcome you to Busch Gardens Tampa, where the local time is approximately 3:26pm. Please remain seated until we've taxied to the gate. We know you have a choice in raptor-based air travel and we thank you for choosing SheiKra." |
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| Man this terminal looks rough. If the walls were any more damaged I'd think we were in LaGuardia. |
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| Ok but seriously, SheiKra is everything. |
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| I live for that last row. The airtime on the dives is so on point. And the way the seats are elevated I think adds to the sensation. |
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| I would say that SheiKra is in contention with Fury325 as my favorite B&M. Janfusun Fancyworld's G5 Diving Machine was my #1 Beemer for a few months until Fury stole the title, but my love for Dive Machines is now all the greater now that I've ridden what is often regarded as the best of the breed. |
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| It certainly wins the award for "Most Photogenic Coaster at Busch Gardens." |
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| Josh and the kids are about to get sprayed by SheiKra! I hope someone brought a towel. |
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| Busch Gardens sure has some amazing wildlife. Take a gander at this weird-looking cat. |
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| Here's the manhole cover exhibit. |
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| Here's some weird bird or something. |
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| Look! A puppy! |
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| "I this is my first meal in like 7 minutes the living conditions here are unbearable." |
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| Jeremy's happy to provide for the puppy a delicious salad. |
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"I would also like to order a salad" said the tree python.
"I'll take mine with extra mice. Also, hold the lettuce. And all other veggies. Dressing on the side." |
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| "I would like a large order of curly flies and a small Diet Coke" said metallic large-mouth eyeball creature. |
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| "Do you have any vegan crickets?" asked the poisonous-looking tree booger. |
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| Man these animals sure have some strange dietary restrictions. I guess that's just the world we live in now. |
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| Cheetah Hunt simply feasts on the fears of its riders. |
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| In case you were wondering, the Sky Ride was closed this visit (hence the lack of Cheetah Hunt from-the-air shots). Glad I got to ride it last time! |
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| This is the only Montu shot I got this trip, so you better enjoy it. :P |
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| Bye Busch Gardens! So glad I could come back around for round 2! |
As much as I adore WDW, it feels great to have an update full of roller coasters again! :}
Tune in next time for another exceedingly coaster-laden trip report from Six Flags Magic Mountain!
See you there! :}
(oh, and it's still Halloween over there in this update, so if you're still missing October's spookiness, get your fill with us at Magic Mountain's Fright Fest just in time for Thanksgiving! :} )
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