Gwazi Tiger side shutdown

Does anyone really care about Gwazi? I certainly don't.

The park purchased new trains and there was no improvement. It was still the same lousy ride it's always been. I think it proved one point. Millennium Flyers are nice trains, but despite the claims of some enthusiasts, they don't improve the ride experience on a roller coaster that's already got issues.

The fundamental flaw with this roller coaster is that there is nothing memorable about the layout. I've ridden both sides numerous times and I can't remember the layout on either side, but yet I can for many other roller coasters. There is no signature element, pop of airtime or anything to speak of.

The other issue with Gwazi is the sheer number of operating hours. It's just like GhostRider at Knott's. That coaster has also been destroyed from the climate and the number of operating hours, but at least GhostRider had an awesome layout.

At this point I'd be fine if Gwazi went extinct.

* This post was modified at 1/14/13 12:53:24 AM *

Hey, that's fine if you hate it. I have no personal attachments to the ride the way I do for montu or kumba, but it is still the main large wood coaster in the state. If they could give it the RM treatment, then by all means I'd like to see them do that. As for the trains, at the very first year they ran, the ride felt much better because the cars were articulated as opposed to fixed frames of the ptc trains. So I think the trains made a difference. However, the structure itself needs a major overhaul as its probably damaging the trains. So I give you that point that if the structure is already flawed, just having new trains won't make a difference and that the damage is done.
To me the main thing is its the dueling aspect (yes hardly great compared to dueling dragons at IOA), but yes after that there's no redemption for the ride if only one side is running. For me if both sides are not running, I'm not riding it. I dunno for the racers and what the others thinks regarding those.
Otherwise, I can also live with them replacing it with a winged or hyper coaster.

* This post was modified at 1/14/13 3:00:48 AM *

I don't hate it. I just don't think it really offers anything that we expect to make it an awesome ride. There are coasters that we go out of our way to ride. SheiKra, Kumba, and Montu are all awesome rides. Scorpion is even a pretty darn good ride considering its age. Are you going to spend a couple hours riding Gwazi over and over?

You hit the nail on the head. The layout was designed for dueling, which never really worked well and I think the designer forgot to put in the elements that make a great wooden coaster because they were too focused on the dueling.

The issue from what I've read and heard is with the wood layered track not the structure and not the trains. Using the two extra trains for parts doesn't mean those trains are damaged or they are going to disappear entirely either.

I'm not convinced that the Iron Horse treatment is the solution for every wooden coaster that's in poor shape. Both rides that have the Iron Horse track have had major modifications to the layout and the result is really a brand-new ride. A lousy layout is still going to be a lousy layout with I-box steel track.

I suspect with Gwazi that guest survey scores are low, operating both sides is twice as costly, lines are too short to justify both sides, attendance certainly doesn't justify it for a large part of the year and maintenance costs are high. It's a mediocre turkey, so the park is giving up and directing the cost savings to other parts of the park.

* This post was modified at 1/14/13 4:31:10 AM *

If they are going to only use one side it's too bad it isn't the better of the two, which is Tiger. We totally passed on Gwasi last summer... or maybe it was closed (I don't recall) but if Gwazi is to be only Lion then we'll likely never ride it again.

Rob: that's interesting. From most of the times I'm there the side that's usually down was the Lion side and lol, I prefer the Lion more because it feels less out of control. So yeah, not a big fan of wood coasters.

Eric, fair enough. And as I said, if they tear down Gwazi, then so be it, I'm not going to miss it that much. Hell I would Not ride it if the wait is over 30min and that's being very generous for a mediocre wood coaster. I stand corrected about the trains. But I still find it odd about the cannibalization this soon. Shouldn't they have some extra parts on hand before they have to take apart parts from the other trains?

* This post was modified at 1/14/13 12:04:36 PM *

I'd use the partially used parts over the brand-new ones first. The park isn't stating this as fact either. This is being reported by Screamscape, a rumor site.

I didn't know there was a better side Rob. You both drive home my point about Gwazi being nothing to get excited about.

Eric_Gieszl said:
I didn't know there was a better side Rob. You both drive home my point about Gwazi being nothing to get excited about.

Tiger was more of a twister with more hops and laterals, whereas Lion was long stretches and sweeping turns... not unlike the difference between Fire and Ice at IOA.

I can't say that I'd actually miss Gwazi, though I'm glad we did get a few rides on it over the years.

Have to say I agree with Eric, at least about Gwazi being forgettable. I've been to BGT the last 2 Thanksgivings and the only thing I can remember about the ride is the HORRENDOUS loading procedure. If they are going to permanently disregard the dueling aspect, unlike Dueling Dragons, there is nothing redeemable about the ride that would make it worth keeping. And Iron Horse treatment?!?! They could level it and build a single track GCI that would be more interesting for probably less.

As for cannibalizing the trains, if Busch Tampa has made up their mind that they are not going to run the Tiger track at all, it only makes sense to use the trains as parts. (they are never going to run more than 2 on Lion). But, I think it is important to note that I have never seen a park that starts taking parts from a train (ie Volcano/FOF/Avalanche/Skull Mountain) bring that train/s back. If the rumored 3 train operation on Volcano does happen this year, it will be a 1st.

Paul

alpengeistno3 said:

the only thing I can remember about the ride is the HORRENDOUS loading procedure.

LOL- That part is memorable! Busch Gardens/SeaWorld sometimes drives me nuts with their ride operations.

Two years ago I went to ride Gwazi and it was a three-train wait (single train operation) mid-November weekday. The wait was 20 minutes! Later the same day they added a second train so I rode it one more, but what I remember in particular was sitting on the brake run before the station for what seemed like an eternity.

I used to love Gwazi back when I was an annual passholder back in 2003. Loved the whole twisted layout and it was not so bad roughness wise. Agressive, but fun. Sadly, even GCI admit Gwazi has an horrible time with the Florida weather and add the year round operating hours... you got a hopeless case.

The new trains made it worst in my opinion. Every bit of airtime or laterals that made the ride fun with the PTC trains was gone.

Did anyone ever get an answer as to why they have such an awful loading procedure? The only other ride I have seen with the same procedure is the Silver Comet at Martin's Fantasy Island on the US side of Niagara Falls.

I can't even remember the last time I ridden Gwazi (Tiger); Hell, it was down on my Oct 2011 trip, so I rode Lion once with the MF's. I agree that Gwazi isn't nothing to write home about, just okay at best. Not totally terrible like Hurler but just mediocre. Gwazi is like a lemon high mileage cash car, as it's just ran in the ground with the year operations, weather etc. Can't say that I'll be chaining myself to it if BGT decides to tear it down, not that I want it to happen.