The Brits at the Beach Club RE-VISITED! THREAD 2 COMPLETE! About This Page:

[chezp]

Saturday 28 December - part two: Congo vs. Kali River Rapids and a Skyride

From there, it was only a short walk to the Rhino Rally, Busch Gardens’ new ride and what we’d really come here to try. We came on honeymoon on 1999 and they were working on it. The signs said it would be open in summer 2000. DH’s family came in November 2000 and they were working on it. In December 2000, we came back and they were still working on it, so we were really keen to see if it was worth the wait.

Well, we weren’t going to wait as long as some people obviously were planning on doing. The signs read “90 minutes from this point” and I guessed it would probably take us 20 – 25 minutes to even get to “that point”. It was starting to get hot and the prospect of that long in line just didn’t appeal, so we figured we’d come back and hope it would be a bit quieter later.

We headed across the park, grabbing some photos on the way:


The train that runs round the park


Some of the animals around the park, including Busch Gardens’ famous white tigers

Next we ended up going on the Congo River Rapids, which I wasn’t sure about, but with the ponchos on (I know, wimp! ), I figured at least we wouldn’t end up drowned and it wasn’t that warm, so I didn’t fancy being wet all afternoon! The worst bit was right at the beginning, where we got bumped around a fair bit, but at no point did we really get wet on it, unlike the Kali River Rapids. Although it was a lot bumpier than Disney’s version, it was a lot shorter and we got less wet and of course, there wasn’t really any theming, unlike Disney. Out of the two, I prefer the Kali River Rapids, but you just need to pick a hot day to do it or risk being very wet and freezing afterwards!


Yes, that’s what we looked like on this ride – complete with ponchos!

We then caught the Skyride back to Africa. For those of you who don’t know, it’s essentially a cable car system and very similar to the Skyway, which used to run between Fantasyland and Tomorrowland, until its untimely demise in November 1999. I know when it was, because we were there on our honeymoon, when the worker was killed and it was closed immediately and subsequently dismantled. The Skyride took us over Rhino Rally, giving us some clues of what to expect from the ride, that’s if we ever manage to get on it… It also gave us a chance to see if the queue had reduced. It hadn’t. This is certainly a very relaxing way of getting from one part of the park to the other and I’m glad Busch Gardens still have their system, even if Disney doesn’t.



Some overhead shots of some of the animals on safari



These three shots show Rhino Rally in operation


When we got to the other end, the queue to get over to Stanleyville, where we’d just come from, was 40 minutes! I think we picked the right direction to travel. As we came out of the station, the Crown Colony House Restaurant was directly in front of us and the menu looked very nice, so in we went. Downstairs was a buffet, while upstairs was a la carte. There was plenty for me to eat on that menu, while the choice was limited on the buffet, so upstairs we went.

We got a table straightaway, after Mark asked if we could be seated immediately. We couldn’t understand why so many people were sitting outside waiting, including other couples. My only thought later was that they were waiting for a table outside or with a view over the savannah, but we were hungry and wanted food!

For an appetizer, I had the fresh fruit sampler and Mark had a salad. Actually, that’s not entirely true. For some bizarre reason, I also got a salad as an appetizer. I didn’t ask for one and we didn’t get charged for it, so I wasn’t going to worry too much about it! For entrée, Mark had the seafood platter and I had the fish pie. Both were wonderful, but best of all were the prices. Including the tip, the two courses came out to $50. Very good value.

Crown Colony House Restaurant
Starter 8 9
Main course 9 9
Atmosphere 9 8
Service 9.5 8.5
Value for money 9 9

Average: 8.80

Next: we head into the Edge of Africa and will we ever get on Rhino Rally?!

[lauren-roxy]

I really hope you get to go on Rhino Rally Cheryl!! Sounds like you are having a really nice day so far!! I love your photos, which are always awesome!! Can't wait to read more!!

[Colexis Mom]

Another great update Cheryl That looked very cool

More please

[DawnDenise]

Another great couple of updates Cheryl!! I haven't been to Busch Gardens since I was 12....ALOT has changed. Hope you get on Rhino Rally.

[chezp]

Saturday 28 December - part three: we head into the Edge of Africa and will we ever get on Rhino Rally?!

After lunch, we wandered around the Edge of Africa, essentially a walk through attraction full of animals, a bit like the Pangani Forest Trail or the Maharajah Jungle Trek. My personal favourites were the hippos, who always look closer than they are, thanks to the magical trickery of the glass they use, and the lions. Nowhere at AK can you see either species up this closer. It was annoying though that they don’t put up information on individual animals or have staff available to answer questions, like they do at AK. I would’ve loved to have found out more about the baby hippo or how old the massive crocodile was.





A walk into the Edge of Africa

Instead, the staff who were around only seemed to be interested in getting people to sign up for the Serengeti Safari, a half hour ride out to feed some of the animals on the savannah, which we later found out costs $32. I’ve known quite a few people who’ve gone on it and none of them have rated it particularly highly.

It was at this point that we thought we’d give Rhino Rally another try. The queue was slightly shorter, but not by much and we were resigned to a wait of between 60 – 90 minutes, that was until we saw signs to the single rider line. It wasn’t ideal, as I would’ve preferred to have done this together, but it was better than an hour or so’s wait.

I literally walked straight on and Mark was two vehicles behind me. It was great fun, but totally different to Kilimanjaro Safari. For starters, one of the rules of the Rhino Rally is no videotaping or photos, which we only spotted after we’d been on it. I could see why, as the ride was pretty rough, but the animals do seem to be a lot closer than on the Kilimanjaro Safaris, which means the restriction is pretty frustrating and for me, taking photos of the animals was one of the main reasons for going on this ride and I did manage to grab some shots before I stuck to the rules!





Another difference is that it’s not all on land. About halfway round, you drive on to this “bridge” and suddenly you’re floating down the river. It’s all very cleverly done. Essentially you’re on huge floatation devices and this is probably the reason the ride took so long to create. I can imagine that trying to put Land Rovers on what are essentially big air cushions to carry it along the water takes some serious engineering!


Entering the water section of the attraction

Although this was great fun, it was over very quickly. Literally the whole thing took not much longer than five minutes and if I’d waited over an hour for it, I’d probably have been disappointed. Anyway, as the wait had been quite short on the single rider line, we decided to go on again. This time, it was a longer wait, about 15 – 20 minutes, mainly due to people at the top of the line then declaring they wanted to ride with their sister / brother / friend / husband / wife etc. That’s the whole point of a single rider line – you don’t get the choice to ride with the people you’re with! I wish Busch Gardens had sent them to the back of the queue for that, but no they didn’t. Instead they let them go in pairs, which really defeated the whole object of why we were all standing there.

The second time around, the ride seemed to be a lot smoother, but that could just have been our driver. I loved the bit where we saw warthogs and our driver asked what they were. All the kids yelled “Pumbaa” to which he replied sternly, “no, they’re warthogs. This isn’t Disney now, you know”! Then we had the predictable gag, when the zebra walked right in front of us, “yes it’s a zebra crossing” etc. Mark’s vehicle had fun with a rhino, which didn’t want to get out of their way.


And me arriving back after my solo trip – taken on our second trip round!

Overall, I think Kilimanjaro Safaris is a better ride, but that aims to show you the animals first and foremost, whereas I think Rhino Rally seems to be a ride first with the animals adding some excitement. It is hard to compare them, as they are more different than I thought they would be.

Next: white tigers and World Rhythms on Ice

[lauren-roxy]

I am so glad that you finally got to ride on Rhino Rally!! It looks like a very awesome ride!! Can't wait to read more!!!

[Minnie Lor]

Thanks Cheryl for the great updates. We taped a show about Busch Gardens on the travel channel last week. I was interested in the Rhino Rally and the special safari. They didn't mention that the safari was an extra $. I'll have to remember the tip about the single riders line. How cool that you cut your wait time way down. Enjoying the report!

[Colexis Mom]

Another great update That Rhino Rally looks fantastic

More please

[chezp]

Saturday 28 December – part four: white tigers and World Rhythms on Ice

Talking of animals, our next stop was the white tigers, who weren’t doing a great deal, except lying in the sun. Sensible creatures. They are wonderful to see and the viewing area is a lot better than at Animal Kingdom. There seems to be a few places for the tigers to hide out of view at Animal Kingdom, whereas that’s just not the case at Busch Gardens.




We carried on walking around the rest of the park, taking in the animals, which are literally scattered throughout the park. We stopped to watch Tidal Wave, where you can almost guarantee someone will be holding one of their friends or relatives on the bridge, just as the ride touches down from its final descent. The wall of water it throws up has to be seen to be believed and if you’re on that bridge, you’re going to be drenched. It’s not a maybe, it’s a certainty you’ll be drowned. I’m always wary of going near the bridge, in case Mark decides to hold me up there. Mind you, I think if he did, he probably wouldn’t be my DH for very much longer if he did that…!

Our final stop of the day was the World Rhythms on Ice show, which Len had told us earlier was a “must see”, otherwise we would probably have missed it. I’m glad we caught it. It was all about the different songs and music from around the world and included Brazil, Germany, the UK and America. It was amazing how they managed to put the show on, considering how small the ice rink on the stage was. The costumes were wonderful and very flamboyant, but the biggest surprise was at the end of the show, when the whole cast was revealed and instead of it being around 30 skaters, as I’d expected, there were only about 12 of them!

After a bit more shopping, we returned to the bus to ensure we were back in plenty of time, as it had been made clear the bus would not wait and latecomers would just be left at the park! On the way back, we had no commentary, but a movie instead, although this seemed a bit pointless, as by the time we made the first two stops, it hadn’t finished. It also wasn’t particularly good.

We didn’t get back to the Beach Club until well after 9.00., so it turned out to be a very long and of course, there was no point in trying to sleep until after Illuminations at 9.30!

The weather today was sunny, with temperatures in the low 60’s.
The best thing today was Rhino Rally.
The worst thing today was the crowds and the length of the queues at Rhino Rally in particular.
The funniest thing today was the Japanese family who got on the bus, thinking it was going to Magic Kingdom.
Today we tried Rhino Rally
And the result was it was good fun, but I wouldn’t wait 90 minutes for it and we found out it’s nothing like Kilimanjaro Safaris.
The most magical moment today was watching the white tigers.

Pedometer: 6.3 miles

Next: “this is FREEZING!!”

[lauren-roxy]

Thanks for sharing your day at Busch Gardens, it has been so long since I have been there!! Your pictures of the tigers are wonderful!! Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!

[Colexis Mom]

Great pictures of the tigers More please