Comments on: Cheetah Hunt Coming to Busch Gardens Tampa in 2011

By: Quil

Quil — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 22:16:46 +0000

What about Alpengeist?

By: Bradley

Bradley — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 19:29:12 +0000

And when BGW copies BGT, it's usually an ugly, tacky mess. Sheikra > Griffon

I suppose it's mostly due to the fact that Busch Gardens Tampa has Disney as a neighbor, so their standards on theming is going to be higher.

By: The Coaster Critic

The Coaster Critic — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 00:17:49 +0000

Good points UnionJack95. I was thinking the same thing. Without that cool structure, I'm not sure it'd be very easy to find from afar.

By: Unionjack95

Unionjack95 — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 22:17:56 +0000

I truly believe that the purpose of the 102 ft. is to provide the ride with a landmark. While staying low to the ground is optimal for speed, the tower creates a recognizable, unique landmark for guests. Just like the lift hills on Kumba, Montu, and SheiKra, Cheetah Hunt's unique tower gives the coaster a spot on the park's skyline and helps guests to find the location of the ride in the park. Take SheiKra for example: if a guest wants to ride SheiKra, but doesn't know where it is, all he/she has to do is look up and spot the coaster's iconic lift hill and drop to figure out its location. Cheetah Hunt's tower is no different.

By: Unionjack95

Unionjack95 — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 17:06:46 +0000

They announced not to long ago that they increased the launch speeds to 38, 60, and 50. Plus, the top speed WILL most likely be faster. After all, it goes up 102 ft., does its little figure-eight, and it dives down 130 ft into a trench.

By: owen

owen — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 17:12:35 +0000

this might break a record for most launches in a single ride…but on the other hand…..when bgt builds a ride…..bgw builds it bigger and better

By: Piedude81

Piedude81 — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 23:32:24 +0000

Kyle, really? Honestly, Maverick, Hulk, and all flying coasters aren't all like Kingda Ka. It's the launches that make this one great. Three launches, is that like, the record for most launches in a single roller coaster? I will agree, the launches could be better. For instance, it could have completely stopped before each launch, creating a more scary, more suspensiful, element. P.S, how long did it take you to write that? It looks like it spent 4 hours?!?!

By: Quil

Quil — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 05:58:15 +0000

Also you have to remember that a 240-foot hill Co$t$ more.

By: Kyle

Kyle — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 03:44:24 +0000

"Cheetah Hunt is a launch coaster, so it doesn’t need a high hill to get through its course run."

You're right; it doesn't. Of course height isn't everything. In fact, Gwazi's 90ft hill is one of my favorite, and I would never consider that "puny." Like Cheetah Hunt, one of the main highlights on Maverick is its speed. Maverick's hill, too, is only 100ft, but its hill also creates anticipation, fear, and anxiousness for the start of the ride.

The reason I pointed out the hill is because, as you stated, it doesn't need a hill. If you emphasis a coaster solely on speed, why add a hill? My guess would be to increase the thrill riders experience, and that's fine. I'm all for increasing thrill, and I like heights. BUT, if you're going to spend the money on making a hill, you should make sure it holds some significance. When I see that hill at only 130ft, I just don't think it's impressive or significant. It's not breaking any records, and really, its just taking some emphasis off speed.

I guess it's better than nothing, but like I stated before, I think they really need to increase the speed. If they do that, then maybe they could even increase the hills size to be more awe-inspiring. Dropping 240ft down to the ground sounds a lot more exciting than 130. This is all just my opinion of course =)

By: Mike M.

Mike M. — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 21:24:20 +0000

While I completely agree about the speed being lower than one would expect seeing how the theme is so focused on speed, I can't say I agree with your argument on the height. Cheetah Hunt is a launch coaster, so it doesn't need a high hill to get through its course run. If you looked at the video, it isn't even really a traditional hill (more like a tower) and the coaster is launched to the top of it before it dives back down into the trench run.

Going back to your argument, take the Incredible Hulk Coaster at IOA. Its top height is only 110 ft. But surely you wouldn't say that making that "puny" hill is a waste of money (particularly when that hill is a zero-G roll). My point is that height isn't everything. It all depends on what the coaster is trying to accomplish. There are no top hats or other tall elements that Cheetah Hunt needs height for, so if they decide to keep it lower to the ground to keep as much speed as possible then I'm all for it. Again like you though I wish the top speed were a bit faster…