IoA 2/20 & BGT 2/21 TR

[Metsman.]

So my trip started on Sunday afternoon at JFK airport. My mom and I were flying into Orlando, were going to spend a night and a day there, then a night and a day in Tampa then stay until Saturday in Sarasota with my grandparents.

Our Orlando hotel was a Best Western on International Drive, which really reminded me of the Vegas Strip. The next day, I would be going to Universal?s Islands of Adventure, my favorite park, and my second trip in as many years, while my mom would be going to Sea World, her favorite park.

I woke up at around 7:20 for a 9 AM park opening, took a shower and got dressed. My mom woke up shortly after and she got ready too. We packed up our luggage and put it in the trunk. By now, I was getting anxious and just wanted to head to the park. Universal wasn?t too far from our hotel, probably around a 10 minute drive. We pulled in the drop off zone, and I hopped out of the car, pumped up for a long day at my favorite park.

I rode the escalator into that thing that connects the two parking lots then got on a people mover to take me down that long walkway to CityWalk. I was rather anxious, so I lightly jogged on the people mover. The walkway ended at CityWalk, and I jogged over to IoA. I was expecting to wait a while for the park to open being that it was only like 8:40, but much to my surprise, the turnstiles were open and they were letting people in. The woman scanned my ticket and I was ready to go. I started to walk through Port of Entry trying to figure out how to start my day.

The Adventure Begins

I decided to start my day off with a ride on The Incredible Hulk. I strolled on through the queue and there were only a few people in the station. I grabbed a ride on this overrated coaster (ride reviews at the end) and rolled my eyes into the back of my head on the brake run hearing everyone yelling how ?0MG TEH HULK IS AW3S0M3ST C0AST3R EVAH!!!!?

After Hulk, I decided to ride my favorite coaster(s) in the park, Dueling Dragons. I made my way all the way back to the empty Lost Continent. I made the painfully long walk through the queue and chose Fire first. I looked around, and there was only ONE person in the station and he was on the train that was about to dispatch. Both sides were only running one train at this point. The train returned, and I got on the front row. I had the train all to myself! After the ride, I went through the re-ride door and chose Ice. Nobody was in the station again, but I was joined in the front row by a couple of other people. I got two more re-rides, one on each side, both in the front row. While in the station however, I heard someone saying that Ripsaw Falls was closed. NO!!!! My favorite ride at the park was down for rehab the entire week!!!

This is the part of the trip where my inner credit whore came out. On my way through Lost Continent, I saw that Flying Unicorn wouldn?t open until 10. Dang! So, I decided to go for another credit, this one in the form of Pteradon Flyers, the suspended swinging kiddie coaster whose low capacity and long lines have made the credit so elusive for enthusiasts. I ended up waiting a half hour for the ride, and it was a nice little coaster. I could see from the top that Ripsaw Falls was really undergoing a complete rehab. The track stuff was stripped, and the whole area was walled off. It was almost 10 by now, so I decided to make my way back towards Flying Unicorn to pick up the other credit at IoA that I had been missing. First, I saw that Jurassic Park River Adventure had no line, so I grabbed a ride. After JPRA, I finally got to Flying Unicorn and waited 5 minutes. Again, a nice little ride.

I walked back through Lost Continent and decided to grab some more DD rides. I scored 3 more on Fire, and only one on Ice. There were only a handful of people in the station. After my Dragon rides, I chose to head back to Marvel Super Hero Island and ride something, anything. On the way, I heard work being done on the Driving Machines, and I saw a sign saying ?Coming Summer 2006? I also spotted One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, and it looked like a really fun, cute ride. I saw it had an Express lane so I figured I would grab a pass and ride it later. I couldn?t find the Express Pass machine so I asked the Cat In The Hat hostess where I could find it. I had noticed that all the machines I had seen were covered up, so I thought that maybe they weren?t going to open them until later in the day. The woman told me ?They stopped doing that. You have to buy the Express Plus pass or stay at one of the resorts? No freakin way I thought!!! She can?t be serious! Well it turns out that she was quite serious. Universal Express passes were no longer free. I was infuriated when I realized that she was telling the truth. How could Universal DO this? Everybody loved it, it?s part of what made the park so incredible! Ugh!

I was pissed off and I proceeded as planned to go to Marvel land (extra info, my dad worked for Marvel for almost 20 years, and he colored Spiderman comics for a while. He also was the one who came up with the idea for War Machine). I saw that Hulk?s line was like a half hour, and the singles line was not open yet. I kept walking, bypassing Dr. Doom and walked straight into Spiderman?s single rider line. I was on in just a minute, and enjoyed the ride. I don?t remember the fireball effect working last time or a couple of the other things. I exited Spidey and decided that I was in the mood for some airtime, so I doubled back to Dr. Doom?s FearFall. I knew exactly where the singles line was (in the arcade) and went straight there. I was the only single in line, so I was on really quickly. Gotta love that air! I saw that the singles line was still empty on the way out, so I hopped back on and rode again. I didn?t know what to do at this point and considered eating, but figured that I should probably ride before eating. I rode Spidey twice, making good use of the singles line yet again. Then, I went over to Caf? 4 to eat. I had a slice of pizza and a big thing of pink lemonade.

I was trying to figure out what to do while eating, and I decided that I was going to do some rides in Suess Landing. I chose to do the Fish first. I waited a half hour and had an amazing ride. The fun factor is there, and that song is still stuck in my head. After what seemed at the time was the greatest ride ever, I went to Cat In The Hat. I had absolutely no clue what to expect, buf after around a half hour, I realized that it was just a dark ride that took you through the whole Cat In The Hat Book. It was a fun though.

I headed back to Marvel Island after my Suess rides, and found out that Hulk?s line was 40 minutes, and the singles line was still not open. I decided to ride Storm Force Accelatron. Basically, it?s a big tea cups ride. By the time I got off, Hulk?s line had gone down to 30 minutes so I just decided to brave it. I waited it out, and was on the verge of bashing my head through that corny theming from seeing that stupid video so many times.

I departed Marvel Island to go to Toon Lagoon. My favorite ride in the area, Ripsaw Falls was closed, and I didn?t feel like getting soaked on Bilge Rat Barges, so I didn?t know what to do. I spotted a place to eat called Blondie?s and it looked good so I chose to grab a bite there. I got this enormous sandwich called a dagwood there. Ham, turkey, roast beef, Swiss cheese, American cheese and mustard, mMm mMm.

To walk off my second meal, I decided to walk through Jurassic Park. I was going to ride JPRA again, but it was down, so I just passed right by it. Then, I wanted to get another ride on a Dragon, and the sign said the line was 35 minutes. Not bad I thought. I walked through the queue, and found the line all the way back to the first room of the castle. Hell no! There was not a chance in hell that I was going to wait on that line after I already had 8 rides on the Dragons today. I kept walking clockwise around the park and decided to ride the Fish again. I waited 30 minutes for the second time and had another great ride.

After the Fish, I called my mom to tell her that my day was starting to wind down. I never would have imagined being bored at Islands of Adventure, but with no express passes, no Ripsaw Falls, and no Hulk singles line, I was. She said she was at the Dolphin Show and was going to call me after it was done.

I went back into Marvel Island and saw Hulk?s line was only 15 minutes, so I got on line and scored another ride. I had really gotten bored, so I decided to leave the park, and check out CityWalk a bit while waiting for my mom to call. I went to NBA City and it sucked, but I didn?t feel like walking all the way around CityWalk, so I just sat down on NBA City's steps for a while. My mom called and said she was petting the dolphins and was going to be a while longer. (I couldn?t argue with her because she loves dolphins and has a had a lifelong dream of swimming with them. She was supposed to back in 1989, but, she was pregnant with me so they wouldn?t let her. Therefore, I can?t stop her from doing anything involving dolphins, ever), so I chose to go back into the park.

I made a left turn from Port of Entry into Marvel Island again. Hulk?s line was still 15 minutes, so I waited it out again. After another Hulk run, I decided I would do Spiderman one last time. I went through the singles line and got my fourth Spidey ride of the day. Right after I got out of Spiderman, my mom called and said she was heading out of the park, and was almost at her car. I figured I had time for one last ride, and chose Dr. Doom so I could finish my day with some airtime. I did just that, and departed the park.

The Adventure Lives On

My legs could barely carry me through CityWalk, but I made it to the people movers and found my way to the pick-up place where I collapsed into the front seat of our rental car after a long day.

Here are IoA ride reviews:

The Incredible Hulk Coaster
# of rides: 4
Rating: 8/10
+s:    Launch is fun
Nice hangtime in the zero-g roll
   Mist tunnel is cool
   Good pop of air coming off the MCBR

-s:   Feels too floaty
   The ride is dead after the first loop
   A bit of head banging in the corkscrews

Dueling Dragons: Fire
# of rides: 5
Rating: 8.5/10
+s:   Good airtime (for an invert at least) on the bunny hop
   The foot chopper gives a near death experience feeling
   The second immelmann is really intense
   Incredible theming

-s:   Hardly any variety of elements

Dueling Dragons: Ice
# of rides: 3
Rating: 8/10
+s:   The near-miss with the castle wall is awesome in the front row
   Pretty good hangtime in the zero-g
   Foot chopper is pretty good
   Good variety of elements
   Incredible themind

-s:   The ride is dead after the head to head loops

Pteranodon Flyers
# of rides: 1
Rating: 7/10
+s:   Gives a great birds eye view of Toon Lagoon and Jurassic Park
   The swinging motion is fun

-s:    Way too short

Jurassic Park River Adventure
# of rides: 1
Rating: 7/10
+s:   Great animatronics
   Good drop

-s:   Far too predictable
   You barely get wet

Flying Unicorn
# of rides: 1
Rating: 5/10
   What do you want me to say? It?s a kiddie coaster

The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man# of rides: 4
Rating: 9/10
+s:   Very good 3D
   Special effects are excellent
   Nice and long

-s:   Little re-rideability

Dr. Doom?s FearFall
# of rides: 3
Rating: 9/10
+s:   Incredible airtime at the top
   Good theming

-s:    Too short

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish
# of rides: 2
Rating: 9.5/10
+s:   Just an overall fun ride. I had a really good time while riding
   The things that shoot water at you are unpredictable
   You have the ability to control your fish up or down

-s:   The fish don?t respond immediately when you tell them to move

The Cat In The Hat
# of rides: 1
Rating: 8.5/10
+s:   Great animatronics
   Again, it?s just a fun ride
   Long

-s:   The car swings and spins too unpredictably


After we departed Universal, we got on I-4 to go directly to Tampa. My mom was telling me how packed Sea World was, and that the line for Kraken was insane. The drive from Orlando to Tampa was only about an hour and change. Our hotel, the Best Western All Suites, was just a few blocks away from Busch Gardens Tampa, and was right next door to the Yvingling (sp?) brewery. We settled into our suite, and my mom took a nap and I watched Seinfeld (best TV show ever BTW). At around 9 PM, we decided to go get something to eat and found a Panera nearby, so we grabbed some sandwiches and soup, took it back to our room to eat. We were both in bed a couple of hours later, and I was stoked for the next day at BGT.

I set the alarm on my cell phone for 7:45 AM, as the park was opening at 9:30. My mom and I showered, got dressed and packed up the car again. We departed the hotel at around 8:45, and began the very short drive to BGT. As we drove down that main street that BGT is on, I spotted SheiKra and my heart jumped. I had to whip out my iPod to play some music to get me pumped up at that moment. Some Lil Jon was perfect for that :lol: . So we pulled up to the parking gates and realized that they weren?t letting people into the lot yet. It was about 8:55 now, and I assumed they would start to let cars in at 9, and I was correct. We were among the first 10 cars to enter the lot, and they let us park in Lot B, the one on the same side of the street as the park, and were in the first row of cars. (It would be a day based on being first to things, but read on).

I got to the entrance gate around 9:05, and was the 3rd person at my turnstile, behind two kids who looked to be 9ish. I heard them and others talking about how they were going straight to SheiKra, so I started to make my plan for how I was going to get there before any of them. At 9:30, they began to let us in, and I was in full burner mode.

There weren?t that many people running with me, but somehow on the slippery ground, someone bumped into me and I went tumbling down onto the cement. The feeling of embarrassment took me over, but it was quickly replaced with pain. I looked at my left knee and there was a decently sized cut along with a mess of scrapes below it. Now, my right knee had started hurting the day before, and I had some significant chafing going on. I was not in good health at that moment, and I didn?t think that my injuries combined with that fact that I am out of shape would allow me to get to SheiKra quickly.  

I popped back up quickly like nothing had happened and realized that somehow, there was nobody in front of me! I considered sprinting again, but I thought better of it, so I broke into a jog. I was approaching Gwazi when I saw it. There was a sign just past Gwazi that read ?this area of the park will not open until 30 minutes after park opening? No! I had just taken a terrific spill to get to that area of the park and it was all for nothing!! Everyone else decided to go ask the lady at the sign questions, so I figured that I would just hop on board Gwazi. As I strolled through the queue, I saw that Tiger was closed. This further frustrated me because it was also closed last year. So, I just went and rode Lion. I looked around the station and realized that nobody else was there. I was the first one on Gwazi the whole day! I went into the front row, and was joined by a nice father and son from White Plains, NY in the second row. While buckling my seatbelt, I looked down at my knee which had started to bleed. I didn?t have a napkin or anything, so I wrapped my park map around my knee to contain the bleeding. It hurt like hell but I felt that I had to play through it. I had a good ride on Gwazi, and I have always liked the ride. I guess I can understand why most people hate it, but I don?t have a problem with it at all.

I got off of Gwazi at around 9:45 and decided to just wait at the sign for the rest of the park to open. The lady noticed I was bleeding and told me that I should go to first aid, which was really far away from where I currently was. I told her in a half joking manner ?I?ve come to far to turn back now,? and she gave me a ?wtf?? kind of look. I figured she was right so I called my mom who was just entering the park and asked her if she could stop at first aid, pick up some band-aids and Neosporin and meet me at SheiKra. I waited patiently until 10:00 struck. I was ready. This was it. I was going to get to SheiKra.

She moved the sign and I was out. Myself along with a mother and two kids, and two other kids who looked to be my age were the only ones who were running. Past the Hospitality house we went, past the aviary, past Land of the Dragons. My knee was killing me, but I couldn?t bring myself to stop. After a while, we weren?t racing anymore, but we were all in it together trying to find the way to the ride. We got to Stanleyville, and jumped down onto the SheiKra area. I turned around and saw that there was nobody behind us and told everyone that, but we all kept running anyway. It took us a minute to find the entrance to the ride, but once we did, we continued running. Through the queue, up the stairs and into the station. An empty train was pulling in. It was go time.

I have heard from many that the back row is the best on this ride, but I decided to ride the front for my first ride. I was the first to sit down on the ride for the whole day. THE FIRST ONE! AGAIN! I was really proud of myself for some reason, and I still haven?t stopped patting myself on the back. I went all the way to the left side of the front row, and was joined by my five other comrades. While they were checking the restraints, I looked down at my knee and saw the park map soaked with blood, and it stung like hell. The ops checked restraints, thumbs up, dispatch.

We headed up the ridiculously steep lift hill. It noticed how really cool being off of the track was, because I was sitting on the end seat. Our train reached the top of the lift, and began to make that wide right turn. We got straight with the drop, and kept moving forward. Some brakes began to slow us, and right when we were about to descend, everyone began screaming. But I knew better and was not surprised when the holding break kicked in. I may have not been surprised, but I was kind of scared. Looking straight down, 200 feet. I had waited for this moment since the day SheiKra was announced in November of 2004. Finally, the brake released and we fell. Straight down. 90.. err? 89 degrees. A truly incredible drop. The cameras flashed on our right, and the three rowed train began to go up into the massive inversion. As we came out of the immelmann, I got a nice pop of air. We descended a little bit, made a left hand turn and pulled into the MCBR. The brakes slowed us significantly, and we all knew what was coming. Coming off of the brakes, we dove 90 degrees again, straight into a tunnel. The mist in the tunnel was off, and would be for the entire day. Emerging from the tunnel, the train goes into a massive 180 turn to the right. Coming out of the turn, it appears that you are going to go right into the pool of water, especially when you are sitting where I was. You go straight through the area, and you can hear the water splashing up behind you. Following the splashdown, you go up onto a hill, getting a little bit of airtime and you glide into the brake run after an absolutely incredible ride.

There were only a few people in the station when we returned, so I moved to the back row. The back gives a much better ride because of the enormous amounts of air. The drops are INSANE in the back row. SO MUCH AIR!!! I was able to stay on the same train twice more for a total of four SheiKra rides in the morning.

After I left the station, I went down and looked at my picture. I soon noticed that not only could you buy a picture, but you could buy a DVD of your ride. Apparently, there are video cameras set up filming you at the top of the first drop, the bottom of the first drop, the bottom of the second drop, and on the brake run. The DVD you could buy was a compilation of the four shots. It?s a really good idea in theory, but charging $19 is a little too much.

As soon as I walked out, my mom was there with the first aid stuff I asked for. My knee had been stinging like crazy during my rides, and I was happy to finally get some relief. I wiped the gash with a disinfecting wipe, put a big band-aid and a little thing of Neosporin. My mom said that she really wanted to do Rhino Rally, a ride that we had done once a couple of years ago, and I told her that I would be happy to do it with her. I asked if she minded if I stopped a couple of places on the way, to which she responded that it would be fine.

We started walking and I felt that a couple of Kumba laps were necessary, so we walked into the Congo. Kumba?s station was pretty empty, and I was able to ride twice in a row. Let me say again, that Kumba owns Medusa and if beg to differ, I will fight you. On the way to Rhino Rally, we had to pass through Timbuktu, and I spotted Cheetah Chase, the wild mouse that used to reside at BGW. It was closed last year when I visited, so I needed the credit. I waited 5 minutes to board, and it was a fun little ride. Those sharp turns are awesome!  We were about to leave Timbuktu, but my mom had to go to the bathroom, so I told her that I was going to ride Scorpion. I walked through the empty queue and I train was boarding as I entered the station, so I was able to get on right away. I picked up that credit after enjoying the ride. It?s real nice that there are only lap bars for this looping coaster. I was on and off so quick that I ended up waiting for my mom. She didn?t believe me when I told her that I had gotten on and off so quickly :lol:

We walked through the Edge of Africa and ended up at Rhino Rally. The sign said 45 minutes, and we were both shocked. We walked into the queue and I realized why the line was so long; they were only using one station. My mom hates waiting in line, so she said forget it and we moved on. Strolling around Edge of Africa, we saw workers taking care of a little giraffe which we were informed was only four days old (cue the ?awws?) We were both starting to get hungry, and I suggested that we eat at the Zambia Smokehouse, that new place that opened under SheiKra?s carousel turn.

We went back and got on the sky-ride which was a walk-on at this point in the day. It took us to the Congo, and we made the short walk to the Zambia Smokehouse. I originally thought that this was a full service restaurant, but it turned out to be a regular place. We both got the half racks of ribs, and we took our food outside to eat. The building is very nice, and SheiKra?s turnaround uses it as a support. The food was excellent, and we were in a very nice setting although hearing trains roar overhead got sort of annoying. I finished up and decided to head out on my own and do rides I had missed and get some more SheiKra rides.

I went back to SheiKra, and the sign said 15 minutes. I got on the line, and it was indeed fifteen minutes. It would have been much shorter if they were running both stations, but with only three trains on, and a light crowd, it was unnecessary. I rode in the back row again and had another sick ride. I checked out my video, and left the area. I wanted to ride Stanleyville Falls, but I hadn?t noticed earlier that it was down for rehab (two parks, two flumes down for rehab). I walked back to the Congo sky-ride station, and it was a walk-on. It took me back to the front of the park, and I decided that it was time for Montu, my number one inverted coaster.

I strolled over to Montu, and the sign said 0 minute wait. Awesome. I got on in the middle of the train and had a sick ride. I love this invert. I felt a trim going into the batwing that I don?t remember from last year, and the MCBR seemed a little bit stronger too. Still, neither could bring down my favorite invert. After my first ride, I walked back around and boarded what I believe was the same row I was just on, and had another great ride.

I decided to just wander around the park and play it by ear. As I was approaching Gwazi I noticed something. There was a train on both lift hills at the same time. Could this be or were my eyes just deceiving me? I ran through Gwazi?s queue and made a right at the split, eager to ride Tiger, the side that had eluded me last year and was closed this morning. There was almost nobody in the station, and I hopped aboard. GWAZI WAS DUELING! This dueling can?t compare with DD, but nonetheless, it still added more fun to the ride. I rode Tiger thrice without getting off, then after a good deal of head banging decided that that was enough of the GCI woodie for now.

I was in the mood for another SheiKra ride, so I decided to walk over there. On the way, I stopped in the aviary for a few minutes and got to see some nice birds up close. I proceeded into Stanleyville, to SheiKra and waited 15 minutes again for my sixth ride of the day. Of course I chose the back row and another outstanding lap it was.

I called my mom to see what she was doing after that ride, and it turned out that she was just napping in the shade back by the hospitality house. I made the walk back there, and she gave me some money to get food. She was sitting right near Gwazi so I caught another ride on Tiger, front row. They weren?t dueling this time however. I opted against a re-ride and decided to go back to my mom. I sat down next to her in the shade and we both realized that the day was nearing its end. She had not gotten a chance to see the tigers, and I wanted to ride Kumba and SheiKra again before leaving so we walked all the way over to the sky-ride station and waited 15 minutes.

Once we got off the sky-ride, we both went into the Congo, her for the tigers, me for Kumba. I went over the bridges and walked right through Kumba?s deserted queue. There weren?t many people in the station, and I didn?t feel like waiting so I got with a group of 3 and boarded B&M?s first sit-down.

After another intense lap, I headed over to SheiKra. The line was still 15 minutes, and I called my mom while in line to tell her to meet me at there, and we would take the sky-ride back, then leave. After my 7th ride on SheiKra for the day (back row, duh), I checked out the video. By this point in the day, I knew the locations of all the cameras, so I would do funny things that couldn?t be seen in a still frames.

I looked around after leaving SheiKra and found my mom with a funnel cake for me. It was the perfect food to end a perfect day. We couldn?t take it on the sky-ride so we walked back to the front. We finished the funnel cake by the time that we got to the Hospitality House. She had to go to the bathroom, so I figured I could grab one last ride on Gwazi. She told me she would meet me at the ride?s exit. Gwazi?s station was again empty, and I chose to ride Lion for my last ride. The two sides were dueling, and that ride capped off an amazing day.

My mom met me after I got off, and we walked back through the front gates, took the tram to our car and hit the road, bound for Sarasota.

BGT Ride Reviews:

Gwazi
# of rides: 7 (5 Tiger, 2 Lion)
Rating: 8/10
+s: Out of control feeling that a woodie should have
Good first drop
Ride was dueling

-s: Tiger is rough
Not enough airtime

SheiKra
# of rides: 7
Rating: 9.25/10
+s: You don?t know when you are going to drop because of the holding brake
Incredible airtime throughout (back car)
Splashdown effect is great

-s: Too short

Kumba
# of rides: 3
Rating: 8.5/10
+s: Intense as hell
Great use of terrain
Nice zero-g roll
Helix at the end is very forceful

-s: Head banging in the corkscrews

Cheetah Chase
# of rides: 1
Rating: 6/10
It?s a wild mouse.

Scorpion
# of rides: 1
Rating: 7/10
+s: Lap bars give for a much better ride than OTSRs
Intense
Loop is very forceful

-s: Sort of rough
Short

Montu
# of rides: 2
Rating: 9/10
+s: Great variety of elements
Nice and long
Batwing is intense

-s: Some braking slows the ride down

Trip Conclusion:
Overall, my two days spent at parks were great. I was rather disappointed with IoA after my incredible day there last year. If I had known that Ripsaw Falls would be closed, and there would be no Express passes, I would have chosen to do MGM or Epcot rather than IoA. I still had a decent day there with lots of DD and Hulk rides to be had. I also picked up the two credits I was missing there. My day at BGT was spectacular. Nothing had a line except SheiKra and Rhino Rally. SheiKra was absolutely incredible. It was even better than I expected it to be, and it jumped into my top 10, currently sitting at #8.

In conclusion, I had a great two days, and I?m really looking forward to doing it again next year.

[Robert T Ackerman]

Very nice TR... I really really enjoy this park everytime I go. It's a shame Ripsaw was closed... I think just walking throug the line is a ride in itself, same with the Rapids... both AWESOME rides, and very cool lines to wait in. Does anyone know if the rapids still provides the zip up plastic to keep your shoes in on the rafts?? That was a very good idea, and I remember hearing that they stopped doing that somewhere... any truth behind that?

8 rides on DD is good too, do you prefer Ice or Fire? Fire, to me, is awesome, and ICE is just ok. The wierd "loop-turn" thingie is a very cool and intense element! Have you had the privelage of trying out the Mummy yet? If you did, what do you think of it? I personally loved it. I get to try out the Cali version in a few weeks, which I hear isn't nearly as good.

Glad you had a nice day at the park, and look forward to your BGT report!

[Metsman.]

^ Thanks a lot man. I totally agree with you about your DD preference. And no, I haven't gotten to try out Mummy yet. I should have gotten the two park/one day ticket, but I didn't. I'll do it next year if I go to Universal again.

I edited my original post, and will continue to do so until I finish up, which should be later today, but could be tomorrow.

[KingdaKaRuler05]

Nice trip report Mets. I was at IOA 3 years ago and I loved it. Hulk is one of my favorite B&M's. That launch into the zero-g is amazing! I also went on DD, but the only thing I remember is getting stuck on the lift so we didn't duel :? I don't even remember what side I was on, haha. Dudley is by far the best water ride I've been on, so too bad it was closed. JPRA is pretty good too, but I agree you don't get that wet.

Actually, Universal basically just announced the removal of the Express Pass. I believe it may have been as early as last week! Seems like you just missed it :?

-KKR05

[WadeJ]

Dude, very nicely written.  I know that can take a TON of work!

That really does suck that Dudley was closed.  But I can tell you after being on it several times last late October, it needed the rehab.  The ride was in baaaaaadddddd shape.  

I also prefer Fire over Ice.  For some reason though, they never seem to add more trains when the park gets busier throughout the day.

Hulk sucks as far as I'm concerned.  I'll go on it when I'm there if the line is short but once you enter the back section.... boring.....

Thats a bummer you didn't get the combo pass since you seemed to have run out of things to do @ IOA (imagine that).   Mummy alone would have made it worth the extra money.  Oh well, always next time .

As for the express pass, check out this link.   I actually tend to aqree with him.  This change does make sense for the most part.  (about half-way down the page - http://www.miceage.com/kevinyee/ky022106b.htm)

Thanks again.  I look forward to your BGT report!

[Metsman.]

Thanks a lot Wade. It took a hell of a long time to write. Almost four hours last night, and probably four hours today. Not to mention that I'm doing it on my grandparents laptop running Windows 98!  :shock:

I can see where the guy who wrote that article is coming from. I mean, first time visitors wouldn't even ever know that Express passes used to be free. I was just pissed off because I had no knowledge of the discontinuation going in.

The original post has been edited with my entire BGT report and the wrapup. Comments/questions would be appreciated.

[Bubba Z]

Great Trip report and I agree Kumba owns!!   I haven't been back to BGT since Kumba was installed in 93  :shock:  I did however go to IOA last year and had a great time. I too like Fire over Ice as well.

[OrlandoRocks]

On my second to last vacation to Florida I did both BGT and IOA. I seemed to get the same exact feelings as you did about both parks. I was a HUGE Universal Orlando fan since Islands of Adventure opened up. Recently everytime I go I to Universal I feel let down by having the rides temporarily shut down for mechanical issues, rehabs, cutting cost with one train operations, no more express passes. I don't know if its from GE taking over or what.

I made the same mistake by running to Sheikra when the park opens to find out its closed to 30 minutes after the park opens.  :lol: That is a far run to Sheikra, everyone was out of breath when they reached the coaster. BGT is a great park except for the area that surrounds it.

Awesome trip report Metsman ! Great Job
Any photos ?

[Nitro1118]

Metsman- Loved the TR, but disagree with a lot of points.

-I love Hulk. It has the best 1st half of any B&M looper, and while the 2nd half isn't that great, it is sort of fun and has nice surrounding.

-I think IOA definately has a lot of things to do. Honestly, I can ride Dudley, Hulk, Spidey, DD, and JPRA all day.

-Maybe I just had a bad visit, but I didn't like BGT at all (this was in 2004, pre-Sheikra). Definatelynot what i expected, and my trip to BGW proved to me that BGT is the inferior park. Again, probably just a bad trip....

-There is no way in hell Montu and Kumba are better than Hulk. Montu's 2nd half is twice as bad as Hulk's because the brakes kill the ride, and while Kumba is a very good ride, I do not feel anything on it is spectacular like Hulk's first 2-3 elements.

-That absolutely sucks, the express pass thing. But, I can see where they are coming from, and I think shelling out the 20 bucks or so for one pass for each ride is a lot better than the damn SF qbots.

-Remember, Florida parks don't really have an off season. So, every year for Universal each ride goes down for a few days for rehab. Dudley has been down since November, so they are probably making some huge changes to it. But, most rides are usually only down for 1 week or so, and they are usually repainted and some fixups here and there. I take that over Disney closing Space Mountain for 2 years and doing not all that much to it, or closing some of the rides for 2-3 months.


Other than that, very nice TR.

[Metsman.]

Thanks Nitro and I understand where you are coming from on all of your points.

-I love Hulk. It has the best 1st half of any B&M looper, and while the 2nd half isn't that great, it is sort of fun and has nice surrounding.

I agree that the first half it the best of any B&M looper, but after the mist tunnel it loses everything it had going for it. The only part I like in the second half is the little pop of air you get coming off the MCBR. And it's not a bad ride, I just don't like it as much as other B&Ms.

-I think IOA definately has a lot of things to do. Honestly, I can ride Dudley, Hulk, Spidey, DD, and JPRA all day.

I 100% agree. That's exactly what I did last year (with Express passes). But this year, the lines were too long (45 minutes for DD as an example) to do that, Hulk's single line was closed (unlike last year) and Dudley (my favorite ride at the park) was closed.

-Maybe I just had a bad visit, but I didn't like BGT at all (this was in 2004, pre-Sheikra). Definatelynot what i expected, and my trip to BGW proved to me that BGT is the inferior park. Again, probably just a bad trip....

You should try to get back there. If you guys in NJ get this week off next year, you should try to go because there are never lines. It's really a great park IMO. The landscaping is incredible, the theming is pretty good and the coasters are great. My only problem with the park is that Montu is so isolated. I would have rode it so many more times that day but I didn't feel like walking to the boondocks to ride. The food at the park is also excellent. And, they have SheiKra  :lol:

-There is no way in hell Montu and Kumba are better than Hulk. Montu's 2nd half is twice as bad as Hulk's because the brakes kill the ride, and while Kumba is a very good ride, I do not feel anything on it is spectacular like Hulk's first 2-3 elements.

I think that Montu's brakes were on really heavy when you went. I have heard people say that same thing, and then they go another time and love the ride because the MCBR is on lighter. And, while Kumba has nothing spectacular about it, and the layout is a little played out, it is intense as hell. I have been on Medusa and Scream(!), two rides with almost the same layout, and neither can even hold a candle to Kumba. From start to finish, Kumba has you pushed back into your seat. The helix at the end is also very intense and is the perfect way to close the ride. Hulk on the other hand feels very floaty and pleasant after the first four inversions

-That absolutely sucks, the express pass thing. But, I can see where they are coming from, and I think shelling out the 20 bucks or so for one pass for each ride is a lot better than the damn SF qbots.

I 100% agree. I was just shocked when they informed me that they no longer did it for free.

-Remember, Florida parks don't really have an off season. So, every year for Universal each ride goes down for a few days for rehab. Dudley has been down since November, so they are probably making some huge changes to it. But, most rides are usually only down for 1 week or so, and they are usually repainted and some fixups here and there. I take that over Disney closing Space Mountain for 2 years and doing not all that much to it, or closing some of the rides for 2-3 months.

I completely understand that they have to rehab the rides. I wasn't really pissed off that Dudley was closed because I knew that IoA have to do it, I was just disappointed because it is my favorite ride at IoA and it happened to be closed during my visit.

Thanks for all the feedback man. I understand all of your points totally.

[coastersue]

Thanks for posting those awesome reports!  I always love reading about BGT since it's one of my favorite parks.  Even though we live in NJ, we have a Gold Pass to BGT.  My fiance and I even got engaged at BGT in front of Montu which is our #1 steel coaster.

I do have to say, however, that my opinion of BGT has gone down recently.  Before we go, we always contact them to find out if anything is down so that we could change the dates of our trip if necessary.  When we decided to go last month, we called multiple times before booking our flight(only a week before we went) and were always told no coasters would be down.  They flat out lied to us because Kumba was closed for painting.  It was being painted as we spoke to them on the phone so how they could not know that is just beyond me.  We did each get 4 days worth of return tickets since our passes expire this month.  That was nice and all, but I still would've rather not been lied to in the first place.  It was especially disappointing since my sister visited the park with us for her first visit and I know she would've liked Kumba.

Sue

[Nitro1118]

I agree that the first half it the best of any B&M looper, but after the mist tunnel it loses everything it had going for it. The only part I like in the second half is the little pop of air you get coming off the MCBR. And it's not a bad ride, I just don't like it as much as other B&Ms.

See, I don't think it loses steam until shortly after the 2nd vertical loop. But, to each his own.

You should try to get back there. If you guys in NJ get this week off next year, you should try to go because there are never lines. It's really a great park IMO. The landscaping is incredible, the theming is pretty good and the coasters are great. My only problem with the park is that Montu is so isolated. I would have rode it so many more times that day but I didn't feel like walking to the boondocks to ride. The food at the park is also excellent. And, they have SheiKra  :lol:

I agree, Montu is pretty isolated. When thinking about it, almost every coaster at BGT is very isolated, except Scorpion and that Wild Mouse. Everything is quite a walk to get to, and the crappy park layout doesn't help.

I think that Montu's brakes were on really heavy when you went. I have heard people say that same thing, and then they go another time and love the ride because the MCBR is on lighter. And, while Kumba has nothing spectacular about it, and the layout is a little played out, it is intense as hell. I have been on Medusa and Scream(!), two rides with almost the same layout, and neither can even hold a candle to Kumba. From start to finish, Kumba has you pushed back into your seat. The helix at the end is also very intense and is the perfect way to close the ride. Hulk on the other hand feels very floaty and pleasant after the first four inversions

You are probably right about Montu, but nontheless, I rode it when they were on heavy, so that affected my decision greatly. And I think Kumba is solid, but I think the rattling and roughness about it make it seem a little more intense than it really is. I myself prefer Medusa more, as it is more comfortable seating, and better airtime on inversions.

Thanks for all the feedback man. I understand all of your points totally.

As long as you keep writing detailed TR's, I will always reply and comment on it. Keep it up.

[MForce23]

Awesome TR! I really need to go to Florida, I never been there and IOA and BGT look great!