Gwazi Ride Review
Ride Review completed June 1999
Ride Rating updatd June 2000
PRELUDE
I arrived at Busch Gardens in Tampa Bay at 8:45 am. Even though Montu dominated the skyline while I was strolling to the park entrance, I was overwhelmed with the thought of finally riding the double dose of wooden coaster thrills, Gwazi. My ticket stub was torn and I quickly set a change of clothes in a locker. I then turned the corner and Gwazi Tiger was stuck on the lifthill. It didn't take me long to discover that there was a malfunction of some kind... the seriousness of the situation was still unknown. As calmly as I could, I spoke with a park employee who nervously blocked the entrance to the park's 1999 edition. He stated that Gwazi could be closed for 2 minutes or 2 hours. With this new information, I departed from the Bird Gardens and rode Scorpion, Python, Congo River Rapids, Tanganyika Tidal Wave, and Stanley Falls. I went back to my locker to put on some dry clothes.
After eating lunch at the Zogora Cafa in Morocco, I ventured back to Gwazi's entrance. A park employee stated that the ride was broken and that there were plenty of other thrills to enjoy in the park. I could care less about the other thrills because I only wanted to ride Florida's second wooden roller coaster.
Hours passed and I returned to Gwazi in the middle of the afternoon. I talked to another park employee and he stated that the entire electrical system was down. I asked if there was any chance that the ride would open before closing time at 8:30 pm. With a brazen expression wrapped around his face, he told me that there was a better chance of him wearing a two piece ballerina costume than Gwazi opening today. I gave him a disgusted look and he said, "Are you alright, Bud." I nodded with anger and left.
At 6:00 pm, I was exiting the park, so I decided to take one final glance at Gwazi. My eyes lit up with amazement... Gwazi Lion was running smoothly up the lifthill. I pratically ran to the entrance. The wait time was around thirty minutes. I was finally going to ride the dueling coasters. Alleluhia!
GWAZI TIGER
I was next in line when it started to rain. Immediately, the ride closed and the lapbars were brought down to the level where the seatbelts could keep them in place. The trains continued to run, except with no one on them. Ten minutes passed and the shower ends, the ride reopens and hundreds of coaster enthusiasts cheered wildly. I board Gwazi Tiger and I am seated dead center of the 24 passenger train (six car, second second row, left seat). After two minutes of a painfully slow safety check performed by the Busch Gardens employees, the "leader" gives the control booth the thumbs up. We begin to accelerate and once again, everyone is cheering. The train leaves the station and suddenly goes through a sharp 240 degree curve to the left passing Gwazi Lion and then diving about 8 feet before going over a brief hump which is the beginning of the 90 foot lift hill.
The chain on this lifthill is slightly faster than other wooden coasters. At the zenith, I was able to view the beautiful downtown Tampa skyscrapers and the suburbs of Tampa. The train drops about 5 feet and does a 90 degree turn before dropping 9 stories. This drop has incredible airtime... I was out of my seat periodically throughout the entire ride. The train then climbs another 6 stories, does a "U-Turn" around the wooden structure and then plummets 5 stories before entering another wonderful 350 degree curve which includes minor dips and a section which passes Gwazi Lion. Next, we commit another "U-Turn" and pass over and under Gwazi Lion. The train curves and we enter a series of camalback humps. One is a lengthy hump which goes over the edge of the loading station and produces significant airtime. After this surprising hump, we enter a beautifully designed banked curve which shoots us back over a few more humps until we reach the braking area. The train cools off and slowly accelerates back into the loading station.
After waiting for over 9 hours while the coaster was temporarily broken, I must say that it was well worth it. Gwazi Tiger is pretty intense from start to finish. It never slows and doesn't have any added brakes like Montu possesses. I must comment again that the airtime was fabulous and the banked curves gave you a sense of insecurity... a true thrill.
GWAZI LION
After exiting Gwazi Tiger, I had to make a stop at the restroom and water fountain. My voice was partially strained after I had yelled the entire ride. At 7:00, I entered the Gwazi Lion line and waited until 7:50 to board. The wait went by fast because guests can view the beginning portion of the ride and both track's lifthill from the queue area. When I entered the loading station, there was no organization for line distribution. The line for the back rows were extremely time consuming, so I settled for the front car, second row, seat on the right. I fastened my seat belt, lowered my lap bar, and sat on my hat! The safety checks began and then came the thumbs up. Passengers on the train cheered once again, but not as exuberantly as the earlier time. We begin to accelerate and the train leaves the station and suddenly goes through a sharp 240 degree curve to the right passing Gwazi Tiger and then diving about 8 feet before going over a brief hump which is the bottom of Gwazi Lion's 90 foot lifthill. Both beginnings are exactly the same on both Lion and Tiger; this is in order for the trains to be syncrinized perfectly when dropping 9 stories.
We climb the lifthill and then drops a few feet before making a sharp 90 degree turn. We drop 90 feet and the Gwazi Tiger car races by us. The front is better for visual thrills, but the back is better for physical thrills. The train enters an identical "U-Turn" and drops another 50 feet before rounding a marvelous, thrilling 360 degree banked curve. This is the best banked curve of the two tracks and it is the second element riders experience after Gwazi Lion's death-defying first plunge. The train then makes a 90 degree turn to the right and goes over a camalback hump and quickly turns rights and enters a long straight-away with three separate humps including the airtime "up and down" that flys over the edge of the loading station while passing Gwazi Tiger. Then the train rounds another banked curve, this one being much smaller than the first, and enters the final series of camalback humps before braking and returning to the loading station.
The front seat was not as good as the middle seat of Gwazi Tiger. The train didn't seem to go as fast. Busch Gardens states that Gwazi has six "flybys," but due to the speed, riders are only aware of three at the most. I concentrated more on the track, rather than searching for another train. I witnessed the other train immediately after leaving the station, while dropping 9 stories, and when experiencing the airtime hump over the loading station. Dueling Dragons, at Universal Studios Islands of Adventure theme park in Orlando, has two trains that are capable of coming within inches of the other. Gwazi delivers two intertwining tracks with trains that pass each other about as close as you can get on a wooden roller coaster. I only wish I could have brought a camera on with me, but the employees made me buy a locker at the entrance.
LANDSCAPING & DESIGN
Gwazi Lion and Gwazi Tiger each have two 24-passenger trains. Each train is brightly decorated and painted with vibrant African colors and designs. Unlike any wooden roller coaster in the world, Gwazi has trains which would normally be on a steel coaster. The environment and landscaping was by no means finished when I visited the park on July 3. The original press release stated that the wooden mammoth structure would be surrounded by an African environment which will include a dense forest and waterfalls. The theming should be completed by the end of August. I cannot wait to return to ride both when I am fully immersed into a fantasy African jungle.
FINAL WORDS
A wooden roller coaster is the truest a roller coaster can be. Gwazi Tiger and Gwazi Lion are the truest a duel wooden roller coaster can be. I am looking forward to comparisons of Gwazi with Twisted Sisters at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom. Twisted Sisters has a 70 foot drop and I have heard that the ride is extremely rough. Gwazi has a chance of entering some web site's top 10 wooden roller coaster lists. Look for it to win a few awards at Screamscape's Annual Theme Park Awards. With the 48 inch height requirement, this is a roller coaster in which the entire family can enjoy. Busch Gardens should be proud of their 1999 addition to the park; it is the crowning jewel for three great coasters at the park.
And in a few years, this wooden mammoth will really be cookin'... if you know what I mean!
GWAZI FACTS
First-of-a-kind elements: a 100 mph "flyby" and a high banked "flyby"
Track Length: 3400 feet each (6800 feet combining Tiger and Lion)
Max Speed: 50 mph
Max G-Force: 3.5g
Height: 90 foot lifthill
Ride Duration: 2 minutes, 20 seconds
Passengers: 24 per train
Trains: 2 per track
Ride Capacity: 1440 per hour
Manufacturer: Great Coasters International, Inc.
Fun Facts: First dueling wooden roller coaster in Florida, Second and third wooden roller coaster presently in Florida, and the First wooden roller coaster at theme park owned by the Busch Entertainment Corporation.
RATING
My rating system is based on the typical grading rubric. Ratings updated June 23, 2000.
Gwazi Tiger
B+ This is a terrific wooden coaster with unrelenting speed, great camalback humps, and significant airtime.
Gwazi Lion
A- This is another terrific woodie with better drops, outstanding airtime, and the best high banked curves on the planet. Gwazi Lion never lets up during the two and a half minute adventure over 3500 feet of track.
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