1997 Trip Report index
Dave's Adventures
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Bureaucratic nonsense:
I don't know what I think of Montu after my first ride. As you may be aware, I carry a palmtop computer with me. Normally, the computer slips into my pocket. But in parks, I slip the computer into a case which dangles from my belt, specifically so that I don't smash or break the unit...and so that I don't drop it. Somehow, this isn't good enough for the Montu crew. They informed me that my securement means is insufficient, and that the computer case is not able to ride. I was also informed that a waist-pack, such as I have for my video camera, would be OK. Excuse me? I could bring my video camera...it would probably get crushed, but I could bring it. Even though I do not consider the quick-release nylon strap to be secure, and it would be dangling outside the confines of the car...which I feel is unacceptable. But the computer case, safetied to me by its strap, which wraps around a leather belt with a secure pin-buckle closure, and wedged in between me and the seat...is considered "loose". Excuse me?
At least the Kumba crew is honest about it...as I approached the queue entrance, I was asked if my computer case contained a camera. When I responded in the negative, no further challenge was offered.
Enough of the bureaucratic nonsense. On with the park...
Montu
Bureaucracy and absence of logic aside, Montu is a pretty good ride.
Of the three B&M inverteds I have ridden, I think Montu has the shortest
profile. Not short as in "not long", but short as in "not tall".
"Wait a minute..." I hear someone argue. "Montu is the
second-tallest inverted coaster in the country!" Yeah, I realize that.
And "Mantis: The Coaster Formerly Known as Banshee" is the
second-tallest stand-up, too, but I also note that its profile is short. What
I mean is that much of the ride is very low, which combines with the tall lift
to make for a very fast ride. Montu is an interesting collection of elements,
but B&M did a nice job of tying those elements together. Because Montu
is built over a grassland instead of a midway, it is able to dive lower, making
for faster, wilder transitions than, say, Raptor. I liked it, but they
need to reexamine their platform policy. Their current rules make no sense at
all as applied.
Python
From Montu, my 92nd coaster, I headed around the park to Python,
my 93rd coaster. Okay, so it is short, and it is old. It is also quite a lot
of fun. I also noticed that many of the comfort complaints I have with certain
other early Arrow loopers have been addressed on this ride. For starters, I
have long complained about the pad on the top of the seatback on Cedar Point's
Corkscrew...Python has this pad as well, but it is very soft.
Instead of a block of high-density molded foam, Python has an upholstered
foam block. Likewise, all of the side padding in the car is soft. Then, I'm
pretty sure I also noted that on BGW's Loch Ness Monster, the outer edge
of the shoulder bar protrudes so close to the outside wall of the car that there
is no room for the rider's arm. On Python, there is more than adequate
clearance. And even better, the shoulder bars are covered with soft foam, making
for possibly the least unpleasant Arrow looping train I have ridden in a long
time.
The ride itself is a been-there-done-that looper: Up the lift, around the bend, through the full Corkscrew, and back to the station. I think the Corkscrew at Geauga Lake (dismantled) was a slightly more interesting layout. But that brings up an interesting point...Geauga Lake took out their Corkscrew last year, and with the multi-element extravaganzas coming out of B&M, Arrow, and Vekoma, is the production model Corkscrew becoming an endangered species? Perhaps Busch Gardens Tampa, with its emphasis on natural preservation, and its reminders that, "extinction is forever," is a particularly good place for this steel classic.
I should also note, for the "been there, done that" crowd, that while I have ridden 62 different steel coasters, only two of them are two-inversion production-model Arrow Corkscrews. Python is one of them; the other, the Geauga Lake Corkscrew, has since been dismantled.
Kumba
As you may already be aware, I'm not a big fan of Kumba. This visit to
BGT further reinforced my opinion that Kumba, as big and long and fast
and loopy as it is, isn't that great a coaster. That the seats are not particularly
comfortable is part of the problem. Add to that the fact that it was running
particularly rough on this visit (Python was a smoother ride), and that
I was more than a little sore after five or six rides...it just wasn't as much
fun as a lot of other coasters I have ridden this season. Lap bars would help
a lot, but unlike Outer LIMits (which switching to lap bars would convert
it from "bad" to "outstanding" [Update: for the 2001
season, that is exactly what happened]), that isn't the whole problem with
Kumba. Kumba simply doesn't feel right, and I can't quite figure out
why. Sort of like my initial reaction to the Hersheypark Wildcat. But
while changing seats improved my opinion of Wildcat, that didn't work
on Kumba. Front, back, middle...it's a good ride, but just not as much
fun as I was looking for.
Scorpion
Scorpion is another matter entirely. Of the four coasters at BGT, this
one is still my favorite. No, it isn't very big. Yes, it looks very functional
and not very elegant. But it is a whole lot of fun. I rode a couple of times
and realized there were two young ladies (How young? Far too young for me, unfortunately...)
who were cycling on Scorpion. They noted that their parents thought they
were crazy for riding and riding on the coaster (What, they came for the spider
monkeys?), and I remarked that they should get to know some of the ACEers who
had invaded the park. At that moment, r.r-c's own Robert Reagan, standing right
in front of me, introduced himself and his family. We chatted coasters a bit,
and went 'round the park riding all of the coasters. In my case, riding all
of the coasters again.
I finished up my tour of the park with two more rides on Montu, this time near the back. I think I still like Alpengeist better. Though I must say, Montu runs considerably smoother than Alpengeist; Alpengeist is a better total package. And I think that is also true for the two Busch Gardens parks. Both are very nice parks, but BGT is just a little disappointing when compared with BGW. Please understand that BGT is not a bad park, only that BGW is much nicer. The Tampa park is the older park, built on flat ground, right in the middle of town, and themed as Africa. The Williamsburg park, on the other hand, is themed after Europe (mostly), built on a hillside or two, and heavily wooded. The result is that while riding up the lift on Alpengeist, you can see all the way to "Scotland", but while riding up the lift on Montu, you can see the University of South Florida. And while BGT has four decent coasters, it has very little else in terms of a ride package. But I think one of the biggest problems BGT has in terms of presenting a highly developed theme atmosphere such as BGW does is the overall "African" theme. While it makes great sense for the animal park, I think the Dark Continent doesn't hold the wide variety of stereotypes that the Old Country does. When most of us think of various European countries, we can think of architectural, musical, and gastronomical images unique to those countries. I think for most Americans, the same cannot be said of the countries of Africa...our African stereotype is limited, which in turn limits what BGT can do while still maintaining a successful theme.
But then again, while BGT is a small park (at least from a rider's point of view) that has worked to my advantage. I've been there twice, and both times I could only devote a short visit. Of course, it was longer than most of my other park visits on this trip...but thanks to the small ride package, even with a short visit, I managed not to miss anything I really wanted to do.
Next trip: Old Town
1997 Trip Report index
Dave's Adventures
Back to Dave's page
--Dave Althoff, Jr.