Delirium_Guy

Busch Gardens sent in some pictures to Orlando United regarding the pull through....gives you a better look at the trains Cheetah Hunt Pull Through

The pictures I'm seeing look a lot like the Maverick/original I305 restraints. Am I missing something? No, you aren't. This is what was stated during the media tour, however since then the Park has stated on their Facebook that the restraints on Cheetah Hunt will feature a new version of the Maverick bars in that the OTSR is made of a softer silicone material in an effort to improve rider comfort. Time will tell and we'll find out soon enough when we can ride! From the initial vantage point though, it would seem as though they are exactly the same as Maverick and the old I305 restraints.

The final sections of track for Cheetah Hunt were completed this afternoon. Roller Coaster Pro has a large update showcasing the occasion.....they also have updates up for the past few days that show more of the drop off the the figure 8 tower as well as the run through Trench 2. The drop off the tower reminds me very much of the original drop on Ripsaw Falls at IOA.....starts off shallow but then quickly drops off to its steepest point. Just a tad over 2 months until the ride is scheduled to open! I can't wait to see all the pieces tie together and see how the theming and exhibit shape up! Cheetah Hunt Track Completion

Trains are looking really nice! Roller Coaster Pro also has an update from yesterday with a look all around the construction site.....mostly painting and theming work that is taking place right now. Trench 2 is finally seeing rebar go down and footings show up.....not sure when vertical construction will resume and how they are going to coordinate it with the shortening of the Sky Ride Towers. Either way, the Park still says they are on track for Memorial Day Weekend for opening! Cheetah Hunt Update 3/8

Haven't ridden yet since it re-opened last week, but I am beyond excited that they fixed the exploding shack that the ride's main drop goes under. That was always one of my favorite parts of the entire thing. I happened to be there on opening day last Thursday and was shocked to see it working. Ride looks fabulous on the outside though! With this, the re-painting of Hulk that is taking place, plus Potter....Islands just feels like a different park now. Its refreshing to walk through the park and see some personality come out of the place now. Kudos to Universal for finally giving IOA the attention that it has deserved for many years.

Jesse, I think you know that I agree with you 100% on that. Busch Gardens has always focused on quality when building new attractions, but I honestly believe it was DarKastle at Williamsburg that really elevated the work that they do now.....that was the single largest investment at either park at the time and it clearly showed. I wasn't working for the company yet, but I know I was blown away by the amount of thought and detail that they put into that attraction, with them being a seasonal park and all. With that sad, the company upped their standards yet again with the introduction of Manta. I think people knew it would be nice, but I don't think anyone really expected what turned out with it. That queue is one of the most beautiful out there, IMHO! Even if Cheetah Hunt turns out to not be the most amazing ride out there, though we'll have to see how it rides in a few months, it is no doubt going to be a great deal of fun because of how it ties into the entire experience and theme. A few more tidbits that was learned.... Some more information that was learned during the tour..... * 5 trains carrying 16 passengers each * 2 trains will load simultaneously like Sheikra * Train depot can hold up to 6 trains but BGT only ordered 5 * Block brakes are set up to carry a maximum 1400 PPH, but expectations are 1200-1400 PPH. * Trains will resemble those on Maverick at Cedar Point but will have a zero car themed to a Cheetah and additional theming all down the side * Cheetah Hunt will use the new soft OTSR's like I305 installed midway through last season. * The zero car was originally mocked up using styrofoam * There are 3 control booths for this coaster.

The coaster officially opens on May 27th, but like rides of the past....a soft opening isn't out of the question. Manta soft opened a full month before its official Memorial Day Weekend opening. With that said, several hard hat tours commenced over the last few days. TPR has the best pictures. Some information that was learned from the tours: * The cheetah pens are near completion and that there's 7 stalls for 14 cheetahs (12 on property already). * Theming will be incredible. There will be a section called the "Crossroads" where Morocco, Egypt and Edge of Africa meet. Villagers of the Crossroads celebrate the spirit of the Cheetah. Cheetah Hunt's queue will connect this village to the nature of the actual roller coaster attraction through an integrated back story * Cheetah figures at the front will resemble driftwood carvings. * Inside the station, there will be a giant 15 foot high Cheetah Rock that will resemble a cheetah. Villager's celebrate this iconic rock because when found - it resembled the shape of a cheetah. Through chiseling and carving they've managed to carve the head of the cheetah into the top of the rock - the bottom remaining in its natural state. * Mack Rides is installing their air gate systems on Cheetah Hunt. * First launch will now be 38 mph instead of 30. * The Second launch will remain at 60 mph accelerating in under 2 seconds flat. * Third launch will now be 50 mph instead of 40. * The Canyon Section will include a run-in with a waterfall. Riders will be skimming above 18 inches of water. The river will be designed to run at a fast current in the opposite direction of travel to further give the illusion of speed. * The use of trenches in the design of the roller coaster is primarily to inhibit certain aspects of the attraction to pedestrians. Cheetah Hunt was specifically designed to interact with non-riders - and the trenches enable the trains to disappear from sight; thus intensifying the experience for spectators. * Parabola hill is 60ft. tall. * Cheetah Hunt will do a pull through with the front car and ride clearances. * Trains arrive next week. *Track completion expected by end of next week. 13 pieces remaining to be installed. Installation from this point forward will start on the Windcatcher Tower and finish at the crown of the "skyride hill". The ride will jump OVER the top of the Sky Ride Sounds like BGT has one heck of an attraction up their sleeves!

Certainly got this attraction back on track in a hurry, it was originally slated for last year but postponed due to the InBev takeover. It was also suspected to be from Premier Rides and similar in style to Mummy, with the turntables and backward segments. Either way, sounds like a great new attraction for San Diego! 2011 is the biggest year in the history of the SEA Parks in terms of investment, with 8 out of the 10 parks receiving new attractions. 2012 is already looking promising with this, Williamsburgs new coaster, plus some other surprises that haven't been announced just yet. The park's blog also posted some concept art as well as a very generic video rendering of the coaster. LA Times Article

Latest update posted today at RCPro. In the past 4 days they have installed a substantial amount of track due to crews that are working over night. All that remains is the drop off of the tower and the short span between trench 2 and the Edge of Africa bridge. Things are looking good now! Cheetah Hunt Update 2/4/11

I've been meaning to post a little about the new ride experience, as I was able to head down for a few hours Saturday. * The trains are beautiful....I'm pretty sure the best looking set of Millennium Flyers that are out there, IMHO. * They have improved the ride TREMENDOUSLY and judging by the people clapping on the brake run....the guest agree * The Lion side, while significantly smoother than before, is the rougher of the two sides. It had its re-tracking done last winter, so the PTC's have been running over that for about a year now. The Tiger side is quite a bit smoother than Lion and is running slower at this point in time.....new track work, new trains, going to take a little while to break in. Of course, on Saturday, it was 52 degrees with 25mph sustained winds for most of the day....so it was pretty cold. * The first half on each side, especially Lion, is much faster than before. The trains glide effortlessly, as expected, around the very twisted layout. I was actually pretty surprised, as the first half had quite a punch to it now. It wasn't so much the airtime, all though there is some, but the trains were just really hauling around the track. The last half of the ride, basically where the trains split off and cross over the dueling camel backs is still pretty slow, even on Lion.....both sides saw some more track work during this last period of downtime so we'll see how everything breaks in. * Overall, AMAZING improvement to the ride. We took 8 laps on Saturday, which is probably more rides than I took on it all last year. Very easy to re-ride. While its not a top ten ride, it is now an incredibly fun ride and very complimentary to the rest of the coaster collection there. It really is like the park just opened a brand new coaster! They were running 2 trains on each side Saturday and dueling every dispatch, which was a VERY refreshing change to see! I hope that continues. Now that Gwazi is back up and running, time to start looking forward to Cheetah Hunt....which was confirmed by the park at media day as opening in May.

You better let me know when you head this way, Terpy! Would love to share some rides at BGT with ya, its been way to long!

Gwazi had its media event today to show off the brand new Millennium Flyers. The trains are absolutely gorgeous. It soft opened to day time guests after the event was over. So far the reviews are very positive and all have said that the ride is significantly smoother. Here's the article from tampabay.com and tons of pictures, as well as another video, are up over on TPR. Can't wait to check it out on Saturday!

Busch Gardens has posted a video on their Facebook of the new trains testing on Gwazi. Looking forward to hopefully trying them out on Saturday if I can make it down there after work. Gwazi Video

Disney will unveil its updated Fantasyland plans this evening for Magic Kingdom.... Fantasyland Details Fox 35 here in Orlando has gone a step further by going into a bit more detail about the attractions, including the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train coaster. They also have some renderings posted. In true Magic Kingdom fashion, though, something always gets replaced. Snow White's Scary Adventure will be replaced by a princess meet and greet area Fox 35 article The new plans look a bit more exciting, so I guess we should be thanking the Wizarding World of Harry Potter for that....

Gwazi Testing and Cheetah Hunt Update

Park officially confirmed today. TPR had the official press release along with some pictures. Gwazi Announcement and pictures I'm anxious to see how the new trains change the ride. I have always enjoyed the layout and actually more recently we've had a few decent rides on it. It'll never be a top ten ride or anything of the such, at least not for me, but I think it'll once again be a very fun and enjoyable experience for more guests. Hats off to BGT for making the investment finally!

As tycoonrebel already posted, they did test a Millennium Flyer over last winter while one side was down for rehab. I would guess that its possible they determined what was needed to know then regarding how the trains would perform on the ride and such. On the matter of testing, I would think that it would boil down to them cycling the trains a particular number of times prior to letting guests on board. I can tell you that Manta required 180 cycles per train before the first public riders were let on. Not sure if that same requirement would be true for Gwazi or not. Even if it were, it appears as though the ride will be ready to start cycling trains (new or old) anyday now. I'd go out on a limb and say that they may only focus on one train for each side, possibly even one train period due to the low attendance days that are typically seen this time of year. That would still give them a few weeks to prepare the others before the popular Bands, Brew & BBQ event begins in February. Sooooooo excited that this is FINALLY happening!

Latest update from RCPro.... Cheetah Hunt Update 1/11/11 Mid-course brake is in place, the exit for the heartline is in place, as well as the third launch. The biggest news is coming from Gwazi, however. A sign has been placed in front of the entrance that says, "The cheetahs are coming, but these big cats are about to unleash their own NEW Breed of Speed! Re-opening January 22". Could the long rumored Millennium Flyer trains finally be making their debut? Keeping fingers crossed. Gwazi goes down every winter around this same time for re-tracking purposes and always reopens sometime later without any fanfare or acknowledgement, afterall its just a winter refurb. This time around there was a significant amount of re-tracking done to both sides and new anti-rollbacks put into place on both lift hills (these re-replaced when they tested the millennium flyer train last year, however the old roll backs were put back into place after that). Here's hoping that there is good news coming out of Tampa in about 2 weeks!

Disneyland Resort has been doing very well this year, however Florida has seen attendance declines. I'm not sure worried is the right word to use here, but they definitely under estimated the effects that Potter would have in Orlando. It is exactly why we are now seeing them re-imagine the Fantasyland expansion. Yes, Magic Kingdom has been at capacity a few days this week....so has SeaWorld. It happens every year during this week. The growth that Universal has seen since Potter has been nothing short of amazing and the fact that for the first time in the history of the resort they are having both parks filled to capacity? That's saying something.

You should be fine next week. Traditionally, that week is always pretty slow.....though Potter will still be steady.

Potter Crowds Continuing on through the winter, the holiday crowds have descended upon Universal in full force. - Todd

Perhaps Test Track and Mission: Space were experiencing technical delays. The Future World attractions that do not remain open until park close are Innoventions, Captain EO, Universe of Energy and Journey Into Imagination....all others remain open. Even during crowded periods, 3 of those are almost always available with little to no wait....it is pointless to staff them with no ridership that late. As for the hours breakdown not being on the website, it is very clearly printed on the Show Guide available to guests at the entrance. - Todd

Johnny Upsidedown has the latest update from today.... Cheetah Hunt Update Work has shifted to the Rhino Rally canyon where a significant amount of new track was put in place today.....its about to get twisty!

Figure 8 is now complete essentially......they also added one of the cosmetic supports to the top of the tower and still have two additional ones to install that will hold the banner that the train will go under as it crests the top. 12/15/2010 Update I'm wondering if construction is now going to shift to the Rhino Rally canyon, as none of footings have been poured yet for the outward and return run of the ride.

There are banners and other theme elements that will be attached to the tower that will somewhat mask the mass of supports in the center. The pictures of the completed figure-8 were before the pieces were painted or finished. Definitely can't wait to see how that part turns out for the actual experience. As for the first turn, I like the supports....they seem to give the illusion that it is being held up by stalks of bamboo.