busch gardens

[hELEN H]

We are off to the gulf coast on 28th dec. We hope to visit Busch gardens from ana maria island in the first week. Our boys are 9 and 11 and like rides and also wildlife. Can anyone recommend best day to go? Rides to hit first. Any tips at all? We watched the holiday programme the other night and they showed an animal encounter which looked great and they said you had to book in advance. What was it called and how do we go about booking it?
thanks alot
helen

 

[bengunn]

Hi Helen,

I emailed Busch Gardens with this very question on Tuesday; here is the reply:




SERENGETI SAFARI TOURS
BUSCH GARDENS/TAMPA

SERENGETI SAFARI TOURS ARE A 30 MINUTE ANIMAL INTERACTION
EXPERIENCE IN AN OPEN TRUCK OUT ON THE SERENGETI PLAIN


Tours go out five times a day:
11:15 (reservations available at the Guided Tour Center for this time ONLY)
1:00
2:00
4:00
5:00
Cost of the tour is $29.99 + per person plus tax in addition to park admission
AAA and season pass holders pay $27.99 per person + tax
There is NO discount for Florida Fun card holders (Bronze passport)
Tours last approximately 30 minutes
Children must be a minimum age of 5 years old, children under 5 will not be permitted on the tour due to safety concerns
Wheelchairs are permitted and take up two spaces, but only charged for one space. Be sure to note reservation of wheelchair presence
Guests must arrive at the Guided Tour Center (Outfitters gift shop NO LATER THAN 10:30 on the day of their tour. Guests arriving later than that run the risk of losing their reservation
A credit card MUST be given to hold the reservation. There is a 24-hour cancellation policy. If reservation is not cancelled within 24 hours of the tour, the credit card will be charged the full price for each reservation
Maximum capacity is 20 people for each tour time





To book this tour, or for help with any questions, please call the Guided Tour Adventure Center at (813) 984-4043, or email us at BGT.VIPTours@Buschgardens.com


They also gave me details of other (more expensive) special tours which I can email to you if you are interested.

 

[SimonV]

Helen, if you can leave BG until later in that week you will avoid the Xmas/New Year crowds. The numbers drop off dramatically after Jan 1 and you will find the park very easy to get round with few queues anywhere. The few where you might get a line (hence the ones to do first) are the outstanding coasters Gwazi, Montu and Kumba. The Congo River Rapids also draw a bit of a crowd, but only on hot days (as you can get quite wet!). If you can leave your visit until after Jan 1, you will probably be amazed at just how quiet the park is.

 

[hELEN H]

Thanks to you all for your great advice. WE leave for sanibla on the 4th so we should be able to time the visit after the 1st jan
helen

 

[Janice]

Hi Helen - we went on Christmas Day in 1999 and had a fantastic day - could'nt believe how quiet it was, but one thing that disappoint us was the amount of Rides that were shut for Rehab! Out of the big coasters we could only ride Montu (Simply brilliant at dusk!) and Gwazi - although only 1 side was open first thing. This may have been an extra ordinary occurence but if you're into coasters it might be worth checking out for a rehab schedule. But as I said, we had such a fantastic day we even forgot to have our meal at lunchtime!!!

Have you been to AnaMarie Island before? We stayed there on our very first visit to Orlando for just one night after visiting friends from Canada who had a Condo there - it is simply stunning! I hope you have a fantastic holiday

 

[hELEN H]

This is our first trip to Ana maria island Janice so any tips would be great. It is our first gulf coast visit so we are really excited
thanks
helen

 

[The Murfs]

Helen,

We visited Busch on Christmas day 2000 and although the weather was dissapointing first thing it cleared early afternoon and the was little if any queueing.

The year before we rode the Serengati Safari and were suitably impressed to have a giraffe eat grass out of your hand and be able to stroke them. Amazing experiance for the kids and a must for the camcorder !!!

The Murfs

602 hours and counting !!!!

 

[bengunn]

Booked the Serengeti Safari today for 2nd September. The only one you can book is the 11:15 trip. You have to check in by 10:30 or you lose your place.

They no longer require a credit card to book and you do not pay until you get there on the day.

You can get a $2 per person discount if you get the AAA card from the AA in this country (assuming you are a member).

Hope this helps.

 

[Janice]

Hi Hellie

I have been searching for our holiday pictures of our visit to Anna Marie Island - eventually found some during the weekend and this is about the best shot I got of the beach (we were visiting friends who have a Condo there - so most of the pictures are of people!) - anyway this one was taken from the patio at their condo looking North along the beach. The sand is pure white and just like Caster Sugar!

<IMG width="400" SRC="http://www.boomerweb.net/users/janice/AnnaMarieIsland.JPG">

We booked into a Motel just for one night - the hotels are all top notch and were fully booked - but the Motel was excellent and on the beachfront too. We walked out and found a brilliant bar the next morning for breakfast - and that was our first taste of Grits! Probably the best example of American Hospitality that you could ever find - this was an off the beaten track place and the food was wonderful and we could not believe the portions!! And we were staggered at the free refills - there was a little boy sitting on a stool at the bar, purely squeezing fresh oranges on a Juicer and the waitress (his Mom) kept bringing over jug after jug!

We were treated like royalty and it was just one of those times that you remember always

We drove into Tampa on the evening before and went to see an Ice Hockey Game (Tampa v The Canadiens) - our friends are Canadian so we were cheering for them - at the Tampa Bowl. That also was an experience never to forget. We also took a drive over the magnificent Skyway Bridge - if you can, do this, it is a pretty amazing sight!

You are going to just love it there I am sure

 

[hELEN H]

Thanks Janice for the reply and the photo. It looks and sounds great on ana maria island. We booked independently into a group of 5 cottages on the beach called shady trees. Owned by a WElsh lady and her german husband and kids. We will be there for new years eve. We are spending the second week on sanibel. cant wait
cheers
helen