Busch Gardens Tampa Bay

I absolutely love Busch Gardens. The Animal Kingdom for big kids, I like to call it. I have been here a couple of times now, and it truly is a wonderland for any theme park enthusiast. While I tend to stick with the Orlando parks while in the area, I would not hesitate to drive a couple hours over to Tampa to come here. When it comes to its theming, BG does it so well. The whole park resembles a jungle feel and will make you think you have transported into one. There are also animals inside the park, so it also is like a zoo hybrid. What you come here for are their coasters. They have one of the best collections of them that I have seen in one park. Some personal favorites are Sheikra, Iron Gwazi and Cheetah Hunt! They have some pretty neat events too - We came during the food and wine festival, and it was just like Epcot getting to go around and try different food and drinks! Busch Gardens will always have my heart. As soon as I leave, I anticipate my next visit!

I visited Busch Gardens on a beautiful day in February. More like 3.5 stars.Unfortunately, on this beautiful day Busch Gardens was doing maintenance on many rides and the sky tram and several of the train stations. This made for long lines on the rides that were open. We ended up riding two rides, riding the train looking at animals. There are lots of really cool animals to see so it's not all about rides. Next time I will consider a fast pass and an Animal Encounter tour. I really don't want to wait on hour plus lines for a 45 second ride. Luckily I live in Tampa and did not come from out to a partially open theme park.

Not what it used to be. The animal parts of it were the highlight for us. We have done the giraffe add on where you feed the giraffes after a jeep ride and this time we did the Gorilla training which was cool, but not so different than what you can see without paying the extra $40pp. Poor signage throughout the park and a lack of staff added to our okayish experience.My husband liked the big rollercoasters but long waits and some shutdowns made that also okayish. My daughter doesn't like the big rollercoasters so we finally settled on the sky ride only to find it was an additional $5 per person. We had already spent $500 for admission and parking for 3 people and one animal experience so that just didn't sit well. We were misdirected or given misinformation 3 times by staff, had to wait in a huge line to get in even with prepaid tickets, and found that the preferred parking we prepaid for was also full. Overall, was just unimpressed and felt like it was old and tire compared to what it used to be. They lost a lot of the charm but added a lot to the pricing.

The rides at Busch Gardens were fun when they were operational, but unfortunately, they kept breaking down throughout the day. We arrived right at opening at 10 a.m., expecting to make the most of our visit. However, it wasn't until 1 p.m. that we finally got to ride our first attraction due to frequent technical issues. Considering it was a Friday and theoretically less crowded, the constant delays were frustrating and made the day feel like a waste. The sky flyer, which is supposed to help you get across the park, costs $5 per person, which feels like nickel-and-diming guests instead of providing convenience.The park itself seemed poorly maintained. The restrooms were at least functional, but the general cleanliness of the park left much to be desired. Trash bins were overflowing, and litter was scattered everywhere. It appeared the cleaning staff was severely understaffed and struggling to keep up with the mess. This lack of upkeep affected the overall atmosphere and made the experience less enjoyable.One of the most concerning aspects was the condition of the animals. While we expected to see healthy, well-cared-for creatures, many of them looked skinny and underfed, which was upsetting to witness. It raised serious concerns about the welfare of the animals in their care. If the park is going to market itself as an animal attraction, maintaining proper care for the animals should be a priority.Food was another huge disappointment. Everything was overpriced to an absurd degree. A churro was $10, and a soft pretzel was also $10 after tax and tip. The quality didn't justify the price--both items were stale and bland. With such steep prices, you'd expect at least decent food, but this wasn't the case. Considering how expensive admission is, it felt like a cash grab at every turn.To make matters worse, the staff seemed overwhelmed and unfriendly. They were clearly overworked, and their exhaustion showed in their attitude toward guests. We encountered several rude interactions, which only added to the unpleasant experience. Overall, while the rides had potential and the concept of the park is great, the lack of maintenance, overpriced food, and poor service made for a disappointing visit. I wouldn't recommend it unless significant improvements are made.

The magical day all begins with $38 for parking. Then you get to wait an hour to get into the actual park. Meanwhile, people walk past the line in the road while an employee yells "get out of the road" and the tram lays on the horn.BG needs an entrance admissions overhaul.Pro Tip: bring your own food and water. It's allowed and will save you from waiting in the next hour long line. I would recommend the Tampa Bay Lowry Park Zoo over Busch Gardens

This was the letter I sent today after our visit. To whom it may concern,My name is David. My wife, baby, mother, father and 2 friends went to your park at Busch gardens Tampa Bay today, November 3, 2024. Today, we drove 3 plus hours to go to your park. Including the park tickets, we paid 35 dollars for parking and bought 2 all day meals for 67 each. So we invested a ton of money into today to have a great friend and family day especially for my 16 month old daughters first theme park experience. When we entered the park, no one said anything about most of the rides being closed or said anything on social media about things being closed, much less most of your roller coasters being closed. A couple finally opened later in the day by around 1 pm. We rode a total of 1 ride today which was the carousel. We tried riding the Congo river ride which was closed. All your coasters except for 2 were closed. A third one as previously mentioned open around 1pm. Of course, we didn't ride any rides due to the long lines. More of your attractions were closed including the elephants. We learned your train was closed for yearly maintenance as well as something else. The food was every 90 minutes which was not stated until you enter the park. Due to the rides being closed, the lines were probably longer for food too. So there for we only were able to eat at 2 places. Then, the other ride my daughter tried to ride was the gwazi gliders. My wife told the guy working it, "Hey, my daughter will cry because she's being very attached to me". My wife then put our baby in the car to which she started to cry. The guy then lifted the bar looked at my wife, and walked away. My wife then asked if she was unable to ride and the guy just shook his head no. No feedback or anything verbal. That was not a good experience. So then at 550pm right before the park closed, we walked to your guest relations booth prior to the exit. I walked up pretty upset. I then met Caleb with guest relations. To ensure this is the correct Caleb, he's white, light brown hair, approximately 6ft tall, with light skin. His boss I believe is Bri. Caleb seeing me very upset, pulled me to the side so no other guests could hear our conversation or my screaming if it had come to that. Caleb immediately took control with a smile and listened to my issues with today's visit. Caleb was apathetic, sympathetic, and just overall a good listener as he seemed he generally cared. Everything, that management should be with customers to diffuse the situation. Caleb listened to everything I had to say, then my wife, then my mother and then my buddy. So imagine 4 people complaining at the end of shift when he stayed until 230am the night before we learned later. Caleb showed exemplary tactics and did his job well. He exhibited the true definition of what an employee should do. I learned after all this, Caleb wants to move up with your company to management. I thought there was nothing better I could do then to write this email to your company providing you the details for today, what happened the negatives and the saving grace positive because of Caleb. I also asked his boss Bri about what happens when a guest wants someone to get credit which she stated he gets an Ace card or something. I asked about recognition which can be placed in his file for future consideration for management. She didn't think at that level she could do that. Hence why this letter needed to be written. I want to ensure, this email, makes it down to Caleb, his boss and their bosses as well as corporate. Caleb should be recommended for supervision or management. Caleb should be looked upon as the gold standard for your company as I believe he could help your company grow with increased positive experiences as he will eventually train his own employees. Please regard this letter as a recommendation letter to be placed in his file and future consideration for management.

After over five years is passholder I am canceling my annual pass. Things have really gone down hill in recent years. We used to love Busch Gardens because it was a great place to bring my son and we could spend the day in Sesame Street land or in pantopia riding kid rides but no more. In in late 2023, they ripped out all of the kid rides in Pantopia to make way for yet another roller coaster. So we lost half the rides that my child could do. This included motorcycles, a small train, small airplanes, a pirate ship and a small roller coaster. Busch gardens has made no effort to replace all the missing rides for small children.Additionally, they always seem to be short staffed. Sesame Street safari of fun is the perfect example. Two weekends in a row we've come, and the Grover roller coaster has been broken. They only have one person running both the kitty log flume and the snuffy elephant ride. They only have one person running big bird eggs, and the swings. My child has recently outgrown the swings and so we're trying to wait for the big bird eggs and a cast member was rude and told us it would be over an hour before she would be able to open up the big bird eggs. Lately we've come and only been able to do the count von count cars and the playground in Sesame Street land because the other rides were not operating. So if your kid is under 48 inches or too scared to do the big roller coasters there's really not much for you to do here. Busch Gardens is not remotely size inclusive. None of the new rides fit larger size bodies. These are rides that have been built in recent years, and they could've made a better effort to include more people.The food is very expensive and not that good. We have a popcorn bucket for literally every Theme Park in Florida because it is my son's favorite snack. Instead of a $2 refill like Disney, the refill here is $5. Last time we got one it was so salty, it was almost inedible. I'm really sad because we used to LOVE to come here, but there really isn't much for us to do here anymore.

Morning May started rough with shut down of first ride we stood in line at rope drop but rest of day was amazing! Cheetah ride was best ride for me but all the rides were so much fun. For food I recommend the bbq place with ribs as they gift most food for your money. Hope to return!

I enjoyed the aviary and many of the rides, however, many of the rides and other things were shut down, and the bathrooms were gross.

So so. Once you've done it no need to repeat. Rides are short. Food is expensive. You can do almost all the rides in one day.