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Gwazi Closing in 2015

Screamscape said:
(12/19/14) BREAKING - (12/19/14 / UPDATED) Screamscape sources tell us that GWAZI will be the latest item cut from the company budget. I’m told that the last day for guests to ride GWAZI will be Sunday, February 1st, 2015. After that it will silently close, but don’t look for it to be demolished anytime soon... as that will cost money that the park doesn’t have. Instead Gwazi will sit as a silent sleeping giant until the park is ready to redevelop the site for a new future attraction. I have reached out to the park for an official comment on this, but so far have heard nothing back to officially confirm this. So for now, it is a rumor, but you’ve got a few weeks left to get your last rides in before GWAZI goes extinct.
UPDATE - Screamscape has confirmed with Busch Gardens Tampa that they do plan on closing GWAZI on or around February 1st, 2015. The exact date may change between now and then however, but the park does plan to make an official announcement with a confirmed final date near the start of the new year.
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http://www.screamscape.com/html/busch_gardens_tampa.htm
 
^This. A thousand times. I've already texted a friend of mine that's also into NoLimits so we should go to town on that pretty soon. XD

I honestly can't wait to see this thing ripped down. I lived next to Son of Beast and that thing is the only thing I've ridden that ever compared. I can't believe they let it operate as long as it did.

As for what replaces it, it sits on a decent plot of land. RMC would be the obvious choice (Florida's first, they could do a lot with the different sides, call it Gwazi Unleashed or something similar) but if the support structure can't be saved or they don't want to do that, I'd like to see something like Skyrush replace it. Maybe a B&M hyper/giga, a Morgan Hyperlite, or a Mack Megacoaster would work well. But aside from a good wooden coaster, the park is missing a decent airtime machine.
 
No massive loss. It's not the worst coaster in the world but it's certainly up there (or down there however you look at it). I'm just glad I got the cred in the summer, only one of the sides was open as has been the case for a year or so now.

Speculation for what will replace it? Hmmm, it takes up a reasonable amount of space, with the amount of steel coasters and the general diversity between them I'll be surprised if they don't go with a woodie. I love White Lightning, would anyone say that it has taken Florida by storm though? If BGT think that White Lightning had been a massive success for Fun Spot then they'll be more coerced to build a much better woodie in place of Gwazi.

But, whatever happens, its exciting times ahead!
 
Considering they're having huge budget cuts - the chances of an RMC makeover are extremely low.
 
Not saying anytime soon, but RMC conversion is relatively cheap compared to demolition and a brand new coaster. If I recall, NTG was by far the most expensive renovation at $10 million, or that could have been the cost of Outlaw Run. Yes there is a higher demand for the type than back then, but I'm assuming for a max of $10 million (assuming the structure can stay) they can make that thing pretty **** awesome.

Never rode it so I don't know how painful it was originally.
 
I actually really likes it tbh.

I don't think the layout really leads itself to rmc and the park already has enough inverting rides.

They could do with either another wooden coaster or a hyper tbh.
 
Pardon me if I sound naive, but I don't understand how a park with the draw and ticket prices that Busch Gardens Tampa has (well, all the Busch Gardens and Sea World parks) is having budget issues. I'm aware that attendance has dropped, but the decline does not seem like it would have this major of an impact on their parks. I think it's unanimous that Gwazi won't be missed, but it's still alarming that a park like this has to close a ride due to budget issues.
 
^ It's the whole of SeaWorld that's having the issues and they've cut the budget from Busch Gardens too. A lot of their senior management have been fired after many years of service - like Scott Swenson who produced the first ever Howl-O-Scream and has done ever since. He's been laid off work after over 20 years of employment with the park.
 
I don't get all the hatred for it, I thought it was good fun without being anything spectacular. Yeah it throws you about a bit, but that's what woodies are all about; )
 
Martyn B said:
I don't get all the hatred for it, I thought it was good fun without being anything spectacular. Yeah it throws you about a bit, but that's what woodies are all about; )
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My spine would disagree.
 
Because it's the holidays, I thought it would be appropriate to make a little song to go along with the occasion.

Sing to "Let it snow"

Let it Burrn

Oh looking at it was frightful,
but riding it was far from delightful.
The one thing the park'll have heard:
Let it burn, let it burn, let it burn!

The one thing we liked was it stopping,
I brought popcorn to see the workers start chopping.
Quite a few people would keep it in an urn,
so let it burn, let it burn!

We'll be happy for saying good bye,
For all the bad memories of the ride.
But once the wood is warm,
All the way home I'll have joy.

And the ride sure won't be missed,
nobody will be holdin' up fists.
If anybody does, they'll learn,
let it burn, let it burn, let it burn!

We'll be happy for saying good bye,
For all the bad memories of the ride.
But once the wood is warm,
All the way home I'll have joy.

Aw, the fire is slowly dying,
but at least nobody's crying.
The one thing the park'll have heard:
Let it burn, let it burn, let it burn!
 
Antinos said:
Pardon me if I sound naive, but I don't understand how a park with the draw and ticket prices that Busch Gardens Tampa has (well, all the Busch Gardens and Sea World parks) is having budget issues. I'm aware that attendance has dropped, but the decline does not seem like it would have this major of an impact on their parks. I think it's unanimous that Gwazi won't be missed, but it's still alarming that a park like this has to close a ride due to budget issues.
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Lofty said:
^ It's the whole of SeaWorld that's having the issues and they've cut the budget from Busch Gardens too. A lot of their senior management have been fired after many years of service - like Scott Swenson who produced the first ever Howl-O-Scream and has done ever since. He's been laid off work after over 20 years of employment with the park.
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I dunno much about the Tampa park, but Williamsburg has suffered budget woe long before SeaWorld's Blackfish disaster. It certainly didn't help, but, I first went to BGW just after the AB sellout to InBev and whilst fans were already noticing minor changes in the quality of the park, it was outstanding when I went in Winter 09/10 and Summer 2010. By last year, something was just... I dunno, wrong? Show quality is terrible now by comparison and the event decor is, like, shockingly bad? Tacky? And even their new attractions are tacky and wrong and Christ have you looked at that London Rocks stuff? Vomit.

I've only been to the Tampa park once, back in Jan 2010, around the same time as my first BGW trip. I'm going back this January, so won't it be interesting to see the damage?

I'm skeptical about attendance dropping as a direct result of SeaWorld's issues because I don't think many people are smart enough to realise Busch is owned by SeaWorld. I think it's more likely money is being hacked from the other parks to reduce impact on SeaWorld's losses?
 
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