Orlando 40th Birthday Trip 2025 - PART 8
Staying at Universal, visiting Orlando's Theme Parks,
relaxing in the Water Parks and animal sightseeing!
Part 9
Busch Gardens
My visit to Busch Gardens involved a 90-minute shuttle coach (free for ticket holders) from Icon Park on International Drive, travelling west to Tampa Bay.
The park boasts an impressive blend of animals and high-octane rides, most notably currently the 2nd best ride in the world according to rankings, Iron Gwazi by major coaster manufacturer, Rocky Mountain Construction. They have 3 rides in Europe, 2 of which I’ve previously ridden - Zadra in Poland and Wildfire at a Zoo in Sweden, so I had high expectations.
Naturally, I headed straight to tallest, steepest and fastest hybrid rollercoaster in North, and it was a wild ride, with an initial 206-feet drop at a sheer 91 degrees propelling you round the course with 3 inversions and plenty of airtime moments. You are left wondering at the end what on earth just happened.
I’d have liked to have had another go later in the day to assess its true ranking, but this was to be one of those days with thunderstorm warnings in the area shutting rides for most of the day, which applies in Florida when alerts are in a 6 mile vicinity - because when the storm comes, it really comes! I also managed to get a go on a decent log flume before the forecast changed. At least I had done Iron Gwazi and literally got the T-shirt!
Overall, I took the positives that this gave me much time to see all the animals of the park, which is another of its major selling points. In reality, this would be a 2-day park to experience everything it has to offer.
Throughout the day, I would see Kangaroos, Komodo Dragons, Alligators, Gazelles, Tigers, and colourful Lory Birds amongst many others. The Safari was a memorable experience, particularly when our path was blocked by an Ostrich!
It actually turned out to be a brilliant day, more relaxing than envisaged, but perfect pacing really on the middle weekend of the trip, and it was nice to get a bit of a change of scenery from Orlando. I certainly hope to return to this park one day.
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