Calling all Coaster Junkies!

[Travisma 1,317]

SeaWorld Orlando to host 'Thrill Fest Ride Night' in August with extended nighttime rollercoaster hours

SeaWorld Orlando plans to celebrate National Coaster Day a second year in a row by hosting “Thrill Fest Ride Night” on Friday, Aug. 16, with extended park hours. 

One of the toughest parts of accomplishing the "the coaster challenge" is the limited amount of time for crisscrossing the park and standing in line for rides. Visitors on the 16th will get 90 additional minutes to ride all the park's heart-racing offerings, including Manta, Mako, Infinity Falls, Kraken and Journey to Atlantis. The coasters will be open until 11 p.m. 

Thrill-seeking nerds will enjoy the educational aspect of the day, with two behind-the-scenes, 20-30-minute “Coaster Tech Talks” with SeaWorld operations and ride maintenance teams. The tours include the Mako trains inside the “coaster house,” and are first-come-only and limited to 50 people each for 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. Guests must sign up in person at the Mako Gift Shop to hold a place. 

The day's extended happy hour gets you BOGO drinks until 11 p.m. at Waterway Grill and Flamecraft Bar, as well. Guests also get a discount on rollercoaster photos, five for $20 all day at Adventure Photo in the park. 

 

Hmmm, just what they need a bunch of drunks riding on coasters and getting bounced all around.  All them BOGO drinks might be coming back up pretty quick.

 

And this is also going on.

 

Free Beer — May 25 - September 2

The free brews will be available at the park starting Saturday, May 25 through September 2, 2019 from 10:30 a.m. to one hour before park close. Complimentary beer will be available to guests 21 years of age and older. Guests can visit The Patio Bar next to Mama’s Pretzel Kitchen and receive one complimentary 14-ounce domestic beer per day.

[ThemeParkCommando 81]

SeaWorld is doing something right this year.  Here in San Antonio, we went last Saturday and it was PACKED.  We came in at 4pm, and they were using the overflow parking area.  I've not seen that parking area in use on a regular park day in years. 

I saw actual lines at all the rides.  Usually, it's not worthy buying the Quick Queue option, because most of their rides have 10 minute waits or less.  Not on this day.  I saw ride lines that were up to and hour and half wait.  Just amazing for this park. 

I hope our park does something for Natl. Coaster Day.. I gotta go look. 

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

I didn't realize SeaWorld had so many coasters!  Makes me wish I was going to be in the area for this.

[Travisma 1,317]

50 minutes ago, ThemeParkCommando said:

SeaWorld is doing something right this year.  Here in San Antonio, we went last Saturday and it was PACKED.  We came in at 4pm, and they were using the overflow parking area.  I've not seen that parking area in use on a regular park day in years. 

I saw actual lines at all the rides.  Usually, it's not worthy buying the Quick Queue option, because most of their rides have 10 minute waits or less.  Not on this day.  I saw ride lines that were up to and hour and half wait.  Just amazing for this park. 

I hope our park does something for Natl. Coaster Day.. I gotta go look. 

This has been happening at Busch Gardens in Tampa on weekends.  They were using an overflow lot I never saw them use before, plus the usual overflow one.

But, weeknights the park is fairly calm and most rides are way less than a 1/2 hour wait.

A lot of the stands are closed.  They have been  open every night until 10 from June thru August 11. I have my doubts they will do that again next year due to the small amount of guests wandering around. We went over last night around 5 and stayed till a little after 7.  Just walked around, got our free beers, and I stopped by and got a glass of adult cider from the Brew Club.

[Breezy2 18]

We went to Busch Gardens for a concert once and they actually has us parked in the overflow lot at Adventure Island. I'll never do that again! Is that the overflow lot you are referring to? The crowds were totally unmanageable.

[Travisma 1,317]

24 minutes ago, Breezy2 said:

We went to Busch Gardens for a concert once and they actually has us parked in the overflow lot at Adventure Island. I'll never do that again! Is that the overflow lot you are referring to? The crowds were totally unmanageable.

That is the normal overflow.

This extra overflow lot was across the street to the N of where you parked.  Currently about 1/3 of it is under water.

 

Little know fact.  That area was an airfield during WW 2. 

After World War II, Hillsborough was reused as a civilian airport, known as Henderson Airport, however it was closed in the late 1950s.

The University of South Florida campus began construction in 1957 on a site adjacent to the north side of Henderson Airport, and the Busch Gardens theme park was opened in 1959 just south of the airport. The surviving runways are used as a driver training area by Busch Gardens to instruct new drivers on some of their vehicles.

Today the airfield is all but unrecognizable in the urbanized area of Tampa, however the center of the airport, with two cris-crossing runways in an X shape, is visible from satellite images. The Tampa Bay regional headquarters of the Florida Department of Transportation building is located on the site of the northeastern runway. Mel's Hot Dogs, a popular Tampa eatery, states on its website that it occupies the last remaining structure from the World War II army air base.^[1]

[Breezy2 18]

I've never seen them use that extra overflow lot either. Didn't even know it existed. Must have been one heck of a day for BG visitors. Certainly one of those days I would have continued driving by and never pulled in. Thanks for the history lesson on Henderson Airport and Mel's. It is a fascinating tidbit of Tampa history. Looking at the area today it's hard to imagine what it looked like pre-BG and USF. 

[Travisma 1,317]

Photo from 1948

 

 

There is some sort of construction sign on the fence around the lot.  But now there are some signs about bus/RV parking.  That day they had everyone parking in it.  The grass lot at Adventure Island was crammed full. There is an overflowing drainage pond next to it, so a good chunk of that lot is now under water.

That day they were using the lot I, was driving down the side street to get to Temple Terrace and got stuck on it while cops were directing traffic and letting people cross the road.