The Wild Side: Checking In On Busch Gardens Tampa

We took a trip to Busch Gardens Tampa to see how they’re doing since their June 11 reopening. We previously covered the safety guidelines from the park’s reopening, but we’ll show you what’s changed since then. There’s also a new baby animal announcement, as well as news from the Busch Gardens Williamsburg park. Let’s see what’s new . . . 

Busch Gardens Williamsburg Update

Before we get to Busch Gardens Tampa, we’d like to note something about the Busch Gardens park in Williamsburg, VA. Busch Gardens Williamsburg has announced they will not be opening in Virginia’s Phase 3 that began on July 1. Virginia Governor Ralph Northam said amusement parks can reopen in Phase 3, but at a capacity of just 1,000 guests.

“Based on this guidance and our need for several weeks to turn things back on, we’re looking at a closure well into July and maybe later, which will be devastating to our business and the local economy,” said Kevin Lembke, the President of Busch Gardens Williamsburg at a recent press conference. “Water Country USA is at risk of not opening at all this season, which will impact millions of dollars of taxes and related revenue for York County.”

We have also learned that King’s Dominion, a Cedar Fair park located in Virginia, will also be delaying their reopening plans.

Financially, it’s extremely difficult for amusement/theme parks to operate with such a low capacity (Busch Gardens Williamsburg has an overall capacity of approximately 38,000 and King’s Dominion’s overall capacity is approximately 50,000). And it’s just easier to keep them closed until they can safely open with a higher capacity allowance.

And now, back to the Tampa park!

New Baby Giraffe!

An adorable male reticulated giraffe calf was born on June 19 (just in time for World Giraffe Day, which was June 21) to third-time mom, Bea. He has yet to be named, but is spending time bonding with his mom behind the scenes.

The new calf is the latest success story regarding 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 species populations within AZA-accredited facilities. After a 15-month long pregnancy, the Busch Gardens Team is very excited to welcome the new calf following Bea’s two previously successful births: Binty in 2014, and Amani in 2015. The last giraffe born at the park was Patty, who arrived on the eve of St. Patrick’s Day in 2018.

Operational Schedule Changes

When Busch Gardens Tampa first reopened, they had a 5-day operational schedule: open Thursday through Monday, and closing on Tuesday and Wednesday. The five-day schedule is still in effect (and will be through at least the rest of the year), but beginning this week there will be some updates. The park will now be closed on Mondays and Wednesdays, and open Tuesday and Thursday through Sunday. The park’s operating hours remain unchanged, from 10:00am to 6:00pm each day. Advance reservations are also still required.

The park has announced extended hours of 10:00am to 8:00pm July 3 and 4. However, there will be no fireworks presentation this year.

We also noticed on the park’s operational calendar, beginning November 14, they will be open until 10:00pm through December 29 (for the annual Christmas Town event, which at this time is still planned), and will be open 9:00am to 1:00am on December 31.

Arriving

I got to the park early afternoon on June 30th, and this time I was able to use my new Annual Passholder Preferred Parking perk to park in the lot adjacent to the park. The toll booth worker also handed me a health & safety flyer.

Temperature screenings are still in use. Since the park is operating at a reduced capacity, and I arrived late, the line for this was not long and I was through in just a few minutes.

In the Park

Face coverings are required for your park visit, and Busch Gardens has started selling their own. Here’s a closer look at some of the face mask designs. You have your choice of sloths, flamingos, tigers. . . or, if you want a solid color, they sell them in black, blue and pink with the Busch Gardens logo on the side.

Iron Gwazi still is not open. The park has yet to announce an opening date, but as soon as we know something, we’ll be sure to share it with you! However, I spotted some passholder exclusive Iron Gwazi merchandise at the Emporium. They had t-shirts, water bottles and baseball caps featuring the Iron Gwazi logo.

It was VERY hot and humid; temps were in the high 90s with a heat index of over 100. However, the majority of guests were following the face-covering rule. Though, I did see many guests not properly wearing their masks (masks below their nose or even their chin). I saw several guests utilizing the Relaxation Areas where you’re allowed to remove your mask for a break as long as you practice safe physical distancing.

The park continues to feel empty in many places. 

Just before 2pm, Tigris broke down, but they got things up and running pretty quickly. Also, later in the afternoon, there was lightning within 5 miles of the park, so all the rides were shut down temporarily as a safety precaution. Once the weather threat passed, the rides reopened and I was able to ride Montu twice with a maybe 5-minute wait and Cobra’s Curse with a 10-15 minute wait (it had a posted 15-minute wait time).

A Cobra’s Curse ride operator told me they are cleaning and sanitizing the coaster trains every hour. They’ll spray the seats and lap bar/harness down, then send the empty trains through a ride cycle to sanitize and dry. This is a significant change since my last visit on June 12. When the park initially opened, staff would sanitize attractions after every launch. This process dramatically ballooned wait times, but it also helped to make it a more clean-feeling place to visit. I’m interested to hear your thoughts on what you expect as far as vehicle sanitation. How frequently should they be wiped down? 

Cheetah Hunt was down for the afternoon. They had a sign out front stating it was closed for maintenance, plus they had a couple employees in front of the ride entrance answering questions guests had.

Skyride is still closed at this time and Stanley Falls was also still dry, the latter is receiving scheduled maintenance. The other water ride, Congo River Rapids, was running (with a 25 minute posted wait time), but sadly the interactive water canons are still closed for now.

The Sesame Street show, Let’s Play Together!, is the only show currently running at the park with only a few performances throughout the day. Moroccan Palace Theatre, Stanleyville Theatre and Pantopia Theatre remain temporarily closed.

The new Coke Canopy across from the Garden Gate Café looks about ready to open. It looks like a great shaded area to enjoy an ice-cold Coke.

The animals were out and happy to see guests again. 

The penguins seemed particularly thrilled to see people visiting their little corner of the park again.

Even though it was a really hot and humid day, it felt good to be back again and even better to finally ride some coasters. You just have to remember to stay hydrated and take breaks in the Relaxation Areas so you can cool off.