busch gardens tampa – Page 2 – Orlando Attraction Tickets blog

February 12, 2015February 11, 2015

Got Time On Your Hands? Watch Some Meerkats At Busch Gardens Tampa

Hey Thrill Seekers,

Move over penguins, there’s a new adorable family in town (er, online).

AnimalVision™ – the online portal where viewers can explore the world of wildlife 24/7 through animal habitats at SeaWorld and Busch Gardens – just got even cuter with the addition of Busch Gardens Tampa’s new AnimalVision Meerkat Cam. Viewers can see these amazing animals by visiting AnimalVision.com.

Together, the SeaWorld and Busch Gardens parks care for one of the largest zoological collections of animals in North America: more than 86,000 animals. Viewers can watch penguins swim at show-off speeds, be charmed by the antics of meerkats or get some perspective on some of the most ancient animals of the sea, sea turtles.

NEW! Meerkat Cam

Meerkats are social butterflies and groups of families can be found living together as little southern Africa subdivisions. Lookouts watch for predators while others scout for food and take care of the young. These little guys burn a lot of calories, so they aren’t fussy eaters – bugs, reptiles, birds and fruit are all on the menu.

Penguin Cam

The penguins in our parks have always known how to charm a crowd. Whether they’re racing through the water at show-off speeds or waddling around their Antarctic habitat, the AnimalVision Penguin Cam will show you why these flightless comics are such fan favorites.

Sea Turtle Cam

It’s not often that you get a chance to make a connection with an animal whose ancestors were swimming the World’s oceans more than 200 million years ago. Every time you tune into the AnimalVision Sea Turtle Cam, you’re doing just that. Today, almost all sea turtles are threatened or endangered, but you can enjoy watching them for a while and then learn what we can all do to help conserve this ancient species.

With the exciting interactive options on AnimalVision.com, users can switch between cameras to check out the habitats from every angle, snap pics of favorite moments and share them with friends and family, download games, pick up fun facts about the animals and learn about the parks’ worldwide conservation efforts and how they can join and make a difference.

Smiles included…

Jamie

January 23, 2015

Is There Something In The Water Over At Busch Gardens Tampa

Hey Thrill Seekers,

Back in December last year Busch Gardens Tampa announced the successful birth of an endangered lowland Gorilla. Now there must be something in the water over at Busch Gardens, Tampa because today their happy and excited to announce the pregnancy of 27-year-old gorilla, Mary. Mary is expected to give birth in March 2015.

Mary’s pregnancy will be the park’s third successful birth after Pele, Mary’s daughter gave birth to a male just under a month ago.

See a video ultrasound of pregnant gorilla Mary by clicking here or on Busch Gardens’ YouTube Channel.

This pregnancy is part of Busch Gardens’ participation in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ (AZA) Species Survival Plan (SSP). The mission of the SSP is to cooperatively manage specific, and typically threatened or endangered, species populations within AZA-accredited facilities. Busch Gardens’ participation helps create genetically diverse, self-sustaining populations to guarantee the long-term future of these animals.

Busch Gardens is owned by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, one of the world’s foremost zoological organizations and a worldwide leader in animal welfare, training, husbandry and veterinary care. The company cares for one of the largest animal collections in North America and has helped lead advances in the care of species in zoological facilities and in the conservation of wild populations

Smiles included…

Jamie

December 23, 2014December 24, 2014

Busch Gardens Tampa To Close Wooden Roller Coaster Gwazi

Hey thrill seekers,

Chiropractors will be devastated to hear that today Busch Gardens have confirmed that their marmite Roller Coaster Gwazi will be closing in early 2015.

Known for its jaw rattling ride Gwazi was a great throwback to a coaster now not in vogue and leaves Florida with only two wooden roller coasters to boast of.

Busch Gardens haven’t confirmed an exact date for the closure but speculation is very firmly pointing to quarter 1.

Travis Claytor PR Manager at Busch Gardens said;

We will send out an announcement and make sure that everybody knows so that those who want to come ride it one more time can do that,

When asked about why the ride was being closed Claytor stated;

When we looked at this, we took into consideration things like ride penetration — the number of people wanting to actually go on the ride, We looked at guest feedback and comments along with operational costs.

Busch Gardens are currently basking in the light of a very successful launch of their drop ride Falcons Fury and at present are ready to reveal what will replace Gwazi.

I’m in a very small minority at Orlando Attraction Tickets who will miss this old coaster, I loved every bone shaking minute and I’ll be sad to see it go. However knowing Busch Gardens they’ll have something awesome hidden up their sleeves.

Smiles included…

Jamie

December 23, 2014

6 Florida Theme Park Photo’s That Sum Up 2014

Hey Thrill Seekers,

It has been a great year for us here at Orlando Attraction Tickets I’m sure Gavin will be writing something more formal about it shortly but for today I thought I’d display the major theme park developed in 2014.

Diagon Alley at Universal Studios

Fire Breathing Dragon at Diagon Alley

Hogwarts Express at Universal Orlando

Falcons Fury at Busch Gardens

Tom Daley Ride Falcons Fury

Ihu’s Breakaway Falls

Smiles included…

Jamie

December 1, 2014November 29, 2014

Kelly V’s Falcon’s Fury…

Hi Thrill Seekers,

Anyone who follows our facebook page would probably know that last week I was lucky enough to be part of a familiarisation trip hosted by the awesome guys and girls at SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment. I was quite the envy of the office because I would have the first opportunity to see and ride Busch Gardens latest thrill ride, Falcons Fury.

Now our office is full of adrenaline junkies the crazier the better and we have a reputation as a company of doing every ride! We’ve never ever had someone visit Florida and bottle out of a ride. So I was told several times before I left not to let the team down on the 335 ft monster… I promised them I wouldn’t let them down!

I’ll let you know more about my trip via other blog posts but today’s post is ME V’s Falcons Fury!

So the day had come to take on Busch Gardens, Tampa. Busch Gardens Tampa is a Safari themed park which is home to some of the most mind blowing rides in Florida and of course some beautiful animals.

I awoke feeling extremely nervous, as this was the day I was going to be dropping face first at a 90 degree angle from 335 feet high, yep face down so you can see the ground hurtling towards you! I had told everyone at work that this was no big deal and I would be fine, deep down I was petrified. I remember the words spoken to me before I left Orlando Attraction Tickets office “Don’t let us down Kelly”…

The time came to get on the road, your Busch Gardens ticket purchased from www.orlandoattractiontickets.co.uk comes with free transportation to Busch Gardens and the journey takes approx. 45 mins. When we’re about 5 minutes away from the park we all spot it! Yep I’m not even in the park and I can already see Falcon’s Fury peaking over the horizon.I imagined it to be high as I had seen pictures but actually seeing it for real I can honestly say I took a big gulp.

We were very lucky to be shown around the park by a Busch Gardens tour guide, the great thing about being shown around by the tour guide was the large amount of information they are able to share with us, the downside for me was I didn’t know when I’d come face to face with my nemesis…

I didn’t need to wait long though as our guide decided there was only one way to welcome us and that was to head straight to Falcon’s Fury. Although it can be seen throughout the whole park when I realised we were heading straight towards it, it suddenly seemed a lot taller than I’d imagined, standing under it brought a whole new level of fear.

I kept telling myself I’d be fine, its only 335 feet high, it only hangs you at a 90 degree angle and it only drops you at a randomly determined! Eeekkkk! Very quickly my hands became very sweaty and my legs which had been fine up until then turned straight to jelly…I took a deep breath and walked on to the entry platform and faced my seat.

GULP! “Don’t let us down Kelly” echoed in my head and suddenly the fear took over, whilst everyone else got into their seats all I kept doing was looking up in sheer horror at how high Falcon’s Fury actually is. Everyone was now in their seats and were waiting for me to take mine… but by now I was in sheer terror mode. I’m not ashamed to tell you all I shed a tear.

I couldn’t do it… Yep.. I totally bottled it and had to turn on my heels and exit the ride! Everyone on the trip understood my predicament and in my defence I wasn’t the only one to run away however I’m soooo disappointed with myself that I couldn’t get on it. You would have thought bottling Falcon’s Fury was the end of it but it wasn’t I then had to tell everyone at work that I’d decided not to ride it, our run of never dodging a coaster or attraction was over!

The guys at the office were really understanding… and by that I mean they haven’t let me forget it and my new nickname around the office is “Bottler”! I think actually getting on Falcon’s Fury would have been less traumatic.

You win this round Falcon’s Fury… but in the words of Arnie “I’ll be back…”

Smiles included…

Kelly

November 3, 2014

Kelly’s Off To Orlando… She’s Pretty Excited

Hey Thrill Seekers,

So it is actually happening……It wasn’t a dream. I am extremely lucky to have been selected to go on an educational trip to Orlando in just 2 weeks time. I’m counting down the sleeps until the day (like a kid at Christmas).

This is my first visit to Orlando and I’m pretty sure it will be the first of many once I get the Florida bug.

This particular familiarisation trip is hosted by SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment giving me the opportunity to visit all of the amazing SeaWorld Parks in 4, Jam packed, fun-filled days.

Today I received my itinerary which explained in detail which parks I will be visiting each day and the amazing experiences they have to offer. To say this got me a little more excited would be an understatement – get me on the plane now!

For our first day – We’re off to visit SeaWorld Orlando, the World’s favourite marine park with jaw dropping shows and even more jaw dropping rides, including Manta the face down roller coaster which I’m hoping to ride if I’m brave enough and lets not forget Kraken which will leave my head in a spin after going upside down 7 times.

For the second day – Its off to a water park I go. Aquatica to be specific. I am ridiculously excited to visit this park as I love water rides and I get to ride their brand new attraction, the terrifying free-falling water slide (hold on to your bikini’s ladies), Ihu’s Breakaway Falls which features 4 different slides each boasting the steepest and tallest 360 degree spirals in Orlando.

For the third day – Its off to paradise itself, Discovery Cove. Where I will be able to do one of my life long dreams and swim with a Dolphin. I won’t believe that this is not a dream until I am there being pulled along the water by these beautiful creatures. I have been told that Discovery Cove is an unforgettable and peaceful place which will surely be needed before day 4.

For the fourth day – Its off the Tampa I go, to the safari themed park, Busch Gardens….. Eeeekkkk (I might skip breakfast on this day as it may later re-appear). This will be the day I get to ride the new tallest free standing drop tower in North America, the very scary, Falcon’s Fury. I am not a fan of heights but I am not one to go all that way and not ride it (I will just keep my eyes closed). If I survive this I have been told there are many more coasters and rides to experience as well as all the close up encounters with the parks animals.

My countdown to take off has started and I will be sure to post another blog on my return to let you all know if I survived Falcon’s Fury…

Smiles included…

Kelly

September 22, 2014

Falcon’s Fury By Numbers

Hey Thrill Seekers,

Falcon’s Fury has now been open for a few weeks now and peoples reviews have been extremely positive. Check out this cool little infographic about Falcons Fury.

Have you ridden Falcon’s Fury yet, what did you think?

Smiles included…

Jamie

August 4, 2014August 4, 2014

5 Reasons Why I love Busch Gardens Tampa

Hey Thrill Seekers,

I’m often asked which is my favourite theme park in Florida. Most expect me to say Disney’s Magic Kingdom or Universal’s Islands of Adventure but its neither of these. Don’t get me wrong I truly love both of those parks, actually I can go a step further and say I love all the Florida theme parks but I do have a favourite.

My favourite park in Florida is Busch Gardens Tampa and today I thought I’d explain why its my number 1.

Serengeti Safari

Your chance to get close and sometimes personal with some of the most beautiful and majestic animals you’d expect to see on the plains of Africa from Zebras, Eland, Ostriches to Rhinos and the stars of the show, the very friendly Giraffes.

I’ve been lucky enough to do this twice and feeding the Giraffes was the absolute highlight of my visits and for Coaster fans thats really saying something.

SheiKra

You’re not on this ride for a long time, you’re on it for a good time! Oh and it delivers in a BIG way.

SheiKra was North America’s very first dive coaster and it continues to be immensely popular. Standing at 200 feet tall and reaching a drop speed of up to 70mph with a 90 degree drop. SheiKra has been constantly voted one of the best rides in the World! I think the little delay before the big drop might have something to do with…

Prepare yourself to Shriek!!!

Iceploration

I’m not really one to sit and watch a show, for me it eats in to my Coaster riding time. So when I first sat down to watch Iceploration I had already decided I wasn’t going to like it…

I was wrong though, the story portrayed could be considered a little cheesy for British audiences but what you cannot take away from the extravaganza is the level of skill shown by the skaters. I honestly couldn’t take my eyes off it.

People

Everybody hates queuing and although I may have been extremely lucky I’ve never really had to queue that much at Busch Gardens. The theme park has so much to do that people tend to spread out across the park.

The other side to people are the actual people who work at the park, the guys and girls that guide you around the Serengeti Safari for example are warm, friendly and keen to share their experiences. I also found this to be the same for the majority of staff working at Busch Gardens, a smile goes a long way. 🙂

All the other rides

Busch Gardens is a thrill seekers dream! SheiKra, Montu, Cheetah Hunt, Gwazi and Kumba all represents more thrill’s per park than any other in Florida…

…..Oh and of course….

Falcons Fury

The 335 foot tall face first drop ride due to open this year has had people talking since its announcement.

So there you go, thats why my favourite theme park in Florida is Busch Gardens.

Smiles included…

Jamie

iceplotation

July 22, 2014July 22, 2014

Will Falcons Fury At Busch Gardens Be Launching Soon

Hey Thrill Seekers,

I need this ride open soon!!! Granted I’m not the bravest of thrill riders but Busch Gardens Falcons Fury has me intrigued. The 335ft face first drop ride is set to be one of Florida’s most terrifying rides and I can’t wait. Which is why I was so gutted when Busch Gardens had to announce that the opening was to be delayed due to manufacturing issues.

With Busch Gardens being very vague about a launch date we were beginning to wonder if it would ever get of the ground… and then return to the ground very quickly and then start all over again… you get my point.

Well today I was reading up on Busch Gardens Halloween Night cleverly called Howl-o-Scream and look what I noticed…

Now Howl-o-Scream opens on the 26th September and I think its pretty safe to assume that Falcons Fury would not officially open just for this niche night.

It looks like at the very latest this hugely anticipated ride will open in September and I for one cannot wait!

Smiles included…

Jamie

April 19, 2014

Aaaaagh Opening Date For Falcon’s Fury At Busch Gardens Maybe Delayed

Hey Thrill Seekers,

With Universal opening up the second stage of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley this year its going to take an amazing ride to even pinch a millimeter of space on most news sites.

Step forward Busch Gardens and their drop ride, Falcon’s Fury… for those unfamiliar who might scoff at a mere drop ride, let me just explain, this drop ride is a face first 300 foot plus drop ride!

Busch Gardens was well on course to beat Universal to the punch and open Falcon’s Fury to the public in May, however reports coming in yesterday seem to suggest that this may not be the case.

Busch Gardens tweeted this;

So it looks like due to construction delays one of the most anticipated rides of 2014 is making us wait a little longer!!!

Smiles included…

Jamie