Cheetah Hunt at Busch Gardens Tampa – Early Reviews & a Video
My pick for the most anticipated roller coaster of 2011 opened this past weekend. The opening wasn’t as smooth as Busch would have wanted and I’m not referring to how it tracked.
According to Tampa Bay Online, Cheetah Hunt was down from 9:30 AM until about 2 PM on opening day due to a sensor malfunction. Thankfully, the issue was resolved and the Cheetah was rocketing riders across the Serengetti throughout the rest of the day. I was eager to find out what some of the early reactions and reviews would be. Here’s a sample of reviews from around the coaster web with a particular focus on some local flavor.
Adrenaline Junkies vs. Theme Park Realists: The Eternal Battle Rages On – BGTNations Forums
A long-running argument is being played out once again as enthusiasts react to Cheetah Hunt’s opening. There are those who feel let down because it wasn’t an intense white-knuckle adrenaline rush. And there are those enthusiasts that consider it a good addition to fill the gap between the kiddie rides/less intense rides like Scorpion and the larger rides like Montu and SheiKra. Reviews here on Florida Thrills Net described it as ”faster than it looks”, “good airtime”, “good hang-time” (during inversion). Other reviewers 
here said “it does not deliver speed” and mentioned “many sections of track that are straight and boring.” Check out BGTNation’s full coverage.
Behind the Thrills Experiences a Break Down
Rachel and Erik from Behind the Thrills posted a myriad of photos and two on-ride videos from Media Day. They received two rides taped by the Cheetah Cam because during one of their rides, the coaster stalled before the final launch section. Rachel said:
“…it was a fun ride. While it wasn’t the most thrilling coaster I’ve ever been on, it was exciting and thrilling all at the same time.”
Check out their first video below and more Cheetah Hunt videos and photos.
And here’s an official POV video of Cheetah Hunt at Busch Gardens Tampa:
My Take
I’m not sure what to say about the extreme vs. fun controversy. The launches looked sort of intense in the animated videos, but it make sense that it’s more of an exciting (not intense) roller coaster. Generally, the most intense rides aren’t so heavily themed and the most themed rides aren’t so intense. If the launches were more intense you’d fly by all those themed areas and you wouldn’t have a chance to see the park from those new vantage points.
I’d love people to compare and contrast Cheetah Hunt to Cedar Point’s Maverick. I haven’t been on either, but I’d imagine that they’re the most easily comparable rides as they’re both Intamin multi-launchers.
What’s Your Take?
Are you one of the lucky ones that has ridden Cheetah Hunt? Let us know what you thought. Vote in the poll below and leave a comment or mini review. Image 1 courtesy of TampaBayOnline, Image 2 courtesy of Behind the Thrills
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September 27, 2011 at 05:00
In non-technical descriptions; Maverick is wilder, faster, more unpredictable – makes me laugh every time (about 25 times and counting). Cheetah Hunt is like gliding; smooth and pleasantly exhilarating. The 2nd and 3rd launches offer a nice contrast to each other – the 2nd taking you straight up to the figure 8 and the 3rd to a nice air-time hump (the 1st launch = somewhat uneventful).
November 3, 2011 at 16:39
Good rollercoaster, but not exceptional, though. It´s a very nice themed ride, but it is not expect too much intensity. The drop is kind of fun, and getting to the top of the main tower delivers a great airtime.
June 9, 2012 at 08:46
Ride looks great
October 8, 2012 at 02:38
Maybe I'm just "old" but this ride was brutal. Way too fast, I closed my eyes for much of the time. Everything was a blur when they were open. It was violent and unpleasant. Just my opinion.
December 26, 2012 at 20:43
From what people are saying, at least the wait is much shorter than Maverick! I had a platinum pass at Cedar Point last year and I still had to wait almost an hour, even though I entered the park an hour earlier than the general admission holders… UGH. I'm also anticipating Cheetah Hunt to be not so harsh and extreme in the turns. This is Busch Gardens, they're known to make fun, well themed, quality rides, not record breaking. This is a great, well made ride overall in my opinion.