WebmasterBarry
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 20, 1999
October 7, 2000
The cast:
Me (the 28 year old)
I arrived at Tampa around 4:30. I checked into my hotel, the Motel 6 on 333 E. Fowler Avenue. The front desk clerk had bangs under her eyes and seemed quite tired. I waited in line as she attended to a family in front of me. She kept on calling the maintenance person to see if this room or that room was clean. I had kind of a bad feeling now. I got room 232, which faced I-275. I didnâÂÂt really care where I was. I was smelly and in need of a shower.
The room was clean, but I could hear the sounds of the trucks from the Interstate, even with the door closed. The room smelled kind of musty because I was in a smoking room. I saw ashtrays in the room. The bathroom had some black stuff over the toilet. The showerhead looked kind of like an attachment to a garden hose. I had to ignore these things. I would be just here to sleep. ItâÂÂs not like IâÂÂm going to live here. I donâÂÂt think I would stay here again. I stayed at the Howard JohnsonâÂÂs down the street once. Although the room had a whole in the bathroom wall and I could see some pipes, IâÂÂd rather stay there from now on when I visit Tampa. I took a shower and the water never felt so sweet!
I was resting and watching a movie on HBO. I had never seen it before and it looked kind of interesting. I made a mental note to find out what the movie was (it turned out to be Brokedown Palace). I headed out of Busch Gardens and I was looking for a place to eat. I found a Chinese buffet and the dinner buffet was $11.29. I decided to eat there. The restaurant was fairly busy and the food was good. Alaskan snow crabs was the specialty tonight. I generally donâÂÂt eat crabs â too much trouble for so little meat â but I ate a few of them. They were kind of salty, but good. The surprising thing on the menu is that they had a whole area of American food. They had pizza, fries, stuffed shells, and other American delicacies. I was thinking why anyone would pay $11.29 for a buffet to eat pizza. You might as well go to CiCiâÂÂs Pizza and have their $2.99 buffet!
I finished dinner (which was pretty good) and headed to Busch Gardens for Howl-O-Scream. As I drove on Busch Blvd. and headed closer to Busch Gardens, traffic started to get heavy. The McDonaldâÂÂs across the street was packed. Every restaurant that was across from Busch Gardens was packed. As I entered the parking area, cars were lined up all the way back to the entrance on McKinley Avenue. I had a bad feeling about the night.
I finally made it in around 7:30 and I took the tram to Busch Gardens. I hadnâÂÂt bought a ticket beforehand, which was a mistake. The lines were all the way back to the fountain. Not every ticket booth was open either. I asked at the annual pass center if I could buy Howl-O-Scream tickets there because I had a two-year pass, but she said I had to buy them at the ticket booths. I guess I am trying to get too many privileges from my pass.
As I stood in line, the speakers had a creaky voice that said over and over again that if you have tickets to tonightâÂÂs Howl-O-Scream event, you can proceed to the turnstiles. Then it ended with a bad laugh or something. It took me 30 minutes to reach the ticket booth. I got my ticket, which was $9.95 with my two-year pass discount. I handed my ticket to the turnstiles operator. She took my ticket and kept it. This seemed strangely familiar to Halloween Horror Nights. Next, the security guards were searching bags. DidnâÂÂt I see this last night at Universal?
I walked in and headed to Gwazi. As I did, monsters were scaring people. This seemed strangely familiar too. Outside of Gwazi, a DJ dressed as a vampire was spinning tunes. I saw something similar at Halloween Horror Nights too. While I was walking by Gwazi, I saw guests with Halloween Horror Nights t-shirts from 1997. Several others were wearing Halloween Horror Nights t-shirts from this year.
I wanted to ride Gwazi, but it was a 45-minute wait. I decided to skip it, although it did look like a fun ride in the dark. I walked over to Egypt to ride Montu. As I did, I walked by the line to the Labyrinth of Lost Souls, one of the haunted houses. The haunted house was in the skyway building (the skyway was down for annual maintenance). Hey, didnâÂÂt Universal have haunted houses at Halloween Horror Nights too? The line stretched back to the Crown Colony restaurant and the alligator habitat. People thought it was the line for Montu! A Busch Gardens employee pointed people in the right direction.
In Crown Colony, several monsters were trying to scare people. One female monster looked like she was having a bad hair day. She saw one guest become scared. She started to chase him and say, âÂÂNow that I know youâÂÂre scaredâ¦â As I was walking through Egypt, several mummies were hanging around. They just stood around and werenâÂÂt scaring anyone.
I finally reached Montu and the wait was about 20 minutes. The line was almost to the entrance. I just picked a row and waited. The front seat wait was way too long. I rode in the inner seat. Montu was pretty fun in the dark. It was faster than I remember and it seemed a lot faster than Fire or Ice in Dueling Dragons. I could barely see the track, which made some turns and twists unexpected.
I headed over to Akbar Adventure Tours, which was the second shortest line I stood in all night. The wait was about five minutes. The ride was about to start, but we had to stop. A woman had brought a drink in and tonightâÂÂs rule was that no drinks were allowed on the ride. She got rid of the drink and the ride continued. The simulator was bumpier than I remember. It wasnâÂÂt a bad ride, but I think that IâÂÂd rather hop on one of the coasters outside.
When I visit, I usually take the skyway to Kumba after I ride Montu. Since the skyway was down, I had to walk it. I didnâÂÂt realize that the walk would be so long from one side of the park to the other! I walked by the Dark Caverns haunted house (which was at the Curiosity Caverns) and the line was out the door. It was as long as the Labyrinth of Lost Souls line. The Busch Gardens band was entertaining the guests in the queue line. As I walked away from them, they started marching away and following me. I should have gotten behind them. The crowd would clear out from in front of them and I wouldnâÂÂt have to push through to get where I was going.
I walked by the Dolphins of the Deep theater and I was surprised that they still had the show, with the dolphin shortage Busch Entertainment has had. I finally made it to Kumba. The line stretched out to the entrance, but only half of the queue was being used. The wait was about 15 minutes. Like Montu, Kumba was a good ride in the dark. You couldnâÂÂt really see the track and the cool air blowing in your face makes the ride seem different.
I checked the Congo Rapids Ride, but the line was too long. I walked by the Python and no one was in the queue. This was the shortest line I encountered all night. I decided to ride it. A guy in front of me said he might as well ride it because he was drunk. The Python was lit up, especially at the lift hill drop and the three loops. It was too bright to be considered a night ride. I rode the Python and I didnâÂÂt like it very much. The ride was uncomfortable. I felt like my face was going to rip off!
I decided to take the train ride next. I heard that the Serengetti Plain had a massive overhaul and I wanted to see the results. It was going to be in the dark, but at least I could rest on the train ride. I was walking to the Stanleyville train station and through the Stanleyville Log Flume ride, I saw the Scorpion and it was stuck at the top of the lift hill. A guest said that itâÂÂs been stuck there for 30 minutes.
I boarded the train at the Stanleyville train station. I entered through the exit. Whoops! I found a seat and took a train ride around the park. The speakers played scary music and sometimes the announcer would make heavy breathing sounds. IâÂÂm sorry you have asthma. I thought monsters would start jumping at us from the sides of the trains, but I only saw a chainsaw guy. He revved up his chainsaw and came close to the train. In one of the tunnels, the train blew its whistle and the sound was almost deafing.
At the Congo train station, a family of four sat beside me. One kid was wet. I didnâÂÂt mind, but the mom switched places with him so I wouldnâÂÂt have to sit by the wet kid. Throughout the ride, the mom got a call on the cellphone from one of her other kids. She was going to meet them at 11 pm, but the kid was trying to negotiate a midnight meeting. I think every other word she said was âÂÂNo!â The kid called several times for negotiating, but the mom kept on saying, âÂÂNo!â I had to cover my mouth to keep from laughing. The wet kid said that the negotiating kid would be grounded for months. He probably was. The next time her cellphone rang, I was expecting her to answer it with âÂÂNo!âÂÂ
I took the train ride 1 ý times around. I got off at Nairobi. The Serengetti Plain looks nice. It looks like they took out the fences that blocked the animals and replaced them with huge moats. I didnâÂÂt see too many animals. I only saw some deer and sleeping ostriches. The train passed by Montu and the line was all the way out the entrance and down the fence.
The park was way too crowded for me, so I had left around 10:45. I suppose I could have followed the mom and see if the kid did meet her at the appointed time. I guess that is something I will have to wonder about.
I stopped by a convenience store for a soda. The place was packed and the cashier said it was on the house. I headed back to the hotel. I watched the season premiere to âÂÂStar Trek: Voyagerâ at midnight and fell asleep soon afterwards. I heard the trucks from the Interstate zoom by. The sound didnâÂÂt keep me awake, but the room didnâÂÂt seem any different than if I rolled a sleeping bag by I-275 and fell asleep. OK, so the police wouldnâÂÂt pick me up staying in a hotel.
I asked for a 7 am wakeup call for a date at Busch Gardens.
-----------------------------
Barry aka usagi
Moderator, Universal and Sea World Boards
The cast:
Me (the 28 year old)
I arrived at Tampa around 4:30. I checked into my hotel, the Motel 6 on 333 E. Fowler Avenue. The front desk clerk had bangs under her eyes and seemed quite tired. I waited in line as she attended to a family in front of me. She kept on calling the maintenance person to see if this room or that room was clean. I had kind of a bad feeling now. I got room 232, which faced I-275. I didnâÂÂt really care where I was. I was smelly and in need of a shower.
The room was clean, but I could hear the sounds of the trucks from the Interstate, even with the door closed. The room smelled kind of musty because I was in a smoking room. I saw ashtrays in the room. The bathroom had some black stuff over the toilet. The showerhead looked kind of like an attachment to a garden hose. I had to ignore these things. I would be just here to sleep. ItâÂÂs not like IâÂÂm going to live here. I donâÂÂt think I would stay here again. I stayed at the Howard JohnsonâÂÂs down the street once. Although the room had a whole in the bathroom wall and I could see some pipes, IâÂÂd rather stay there from now on when I visit Tampa. I took a shower and the water never felt so sweet!
I was resting and watching a movie on HBO. I had never seen it before and it looked kind of interesting. I made a mental note to find out what the movie was (it turned out to be Brokedown Palace). I headed out of Busch Gardens and I was looking for a place to eat. I found a Chinese buffet and the dinner buffet was $11.29. I decided to eat there. The restaurant was fairly busy and the food was good. Alaskan snow crabs was the specialty tonight. I generally donâÂÂt eat crabs â too much trouble for so little meat â but I ate a few of them. They were kind of salty, but good. The surprising thing on the menu is that they had a whole area of American food. They had pizza, fries, stuffed shells, and other American delicacies. I was thinking why anyone would pay $11.29 for a buffet to eat pizza. You might as well go to CiCiâÂÂs Pizza and have their $2.99 buffet!
I finished dinner (which was pretty good) and headed to Busch Gardens for Howl-O-Scream. As I drove on Busch Blvd. and headed closer to Busch Gardens, traffic started to get heavy. The McDonaldâÂÂs across the street was packed. Every restaurant that was across from Busch Gardens was packed. As I entered the parking area, cars were lined up all the way back to the entrance on McKinley Avenue. I had a bad feeling about the night.
I finally made it in around 7:30 and I took the tram to Busch Gardens. I hadnâÂÂt bought a ticket beforehand, which was a mistake. The lines were all the way back to the fountain. Not every ticket booth was open either. I asked at the annual pass center if I could buy Howl-O-Scream tickets there because I had a two-year pass, but she said I had to buy them at the ticket booths. I guess I am trying to get too many privileges from my pass.
As I stood in line, the speakers had a creaky voice that said over and over again that if you have tickets to tonightâÂÂs Howl-O-Scream event, you can proceed to the turnstiles. Then it ended with a bad laugh or something. It took me 30 minutes to reach the ticket booth. I got my ticket, which was $9.95 with my two-year pass discount. I handed my ticket to the turnstiles operator. She took my ticket and kept it. This seemed strangely familiar to Halloween Horror Nights. Next, the security guards were searching bags. DidnâÂÂt I see this last night at Universal?
I walked in and headed to Gwazi. As I did, monsters were scaring people. This seemed strangely familiar too. Outside of Gwazi, a DJ dressed as a vampire was spinning tunes. I saw something similar at Halloween Horror Nights too. While I was walking by Gwazi, I saw guests with Halloween Horror Nights t-shirts from 1997. Several others were wearing Halloween Horror Nights t-shirts from this year.
I wanted to ride Gwazi, but it was a 45-minute wait. I decided to skip it, although it did look like a fun ride in the dark. I walked over to Egypt to ride Montu. As I did, I walked by the line to the Labyrinth of Lost Souls, one of the haunted houses. The haunted house was in the skyway building (the skyway was down for annual maintenance). Hey, didnâÂÂt Universal have haunted houses at Halloween Horror Nights too? The line stretched back to the Crown Colony restaurant and the alligator habitat. People thought it was the line for Montu! A Busch Gardens employee pointed people in the right direction.
In Crown Colony, several monsters were trying to scare people. One female monster looked like she was having a bad hair day. She saw one guest become scared. She started to chase him and say, âÂÂNow that I know youâÂÂre scaredâ¦â As I was walking through Egypt, several mummies were hanging around. They just stood around and werenâÂÂt scaring anyone.
I finally reached Montu and the wait was about 20 minutes. The line was almost to the entrance. I just picked a row and waited. The front seat wait was way too long. I rode in the inner seat. Montu was pretty fun in the dark. It was faster than I remember and it seemed a lot faster than Fire or Ice in Dueling Dragons. I could barely see the track, which made some turns and twists unexpected.
I headed over to Akbar Adventure Tours, which was the second shortest line I stood in all night. The wait was about five minutes. The ride was about to start, but we had to stop. A woman had brought a drink in and tonightâÂÂs rule was that no drinks were allowed on the ride. She got rid of the drink and the ride continued. The simulator was bumpier than I remember. It wasnâÂÂt a bad ride, but I think that IâÂÂd rather hop on one of the coasters outside.
When I visit, I usually take the skyway to Kumba after I ride Montu. Since the skyway was down, I had to walk it. I didnâÂÂt realize that the walk would be so long from one side of the park to the other! I walked by the Dark Caverns haunted house (which was at the Curiosity Caverns) and the line was out the door. It was as long as the Labyrinth of Lost Souls line. The Busch Gardens band was entertaining the guests in the queue line. As I walked away from them, they started marching away and following me. I should have gotten behind them. The crowd would clear out from in front of them and I wouldnâÂÂt have to push through to get where I was going.
I walked by the Dolphins of the Deep theater and I was surprised that they still had the show, with the dolphin shortage Busch Entertainment has had. I finally made it to Kumba. The line stretched out to the entrance, but only half of the queue was being used. The wait was about 15 minutes. Like Montu, Kumba was a good ride in the dark. You couldnâÂÂt really see the track and the cool air blowing in your face makes the ride seem different.
I checked the Congo Rapids Ride, but the line was too long. I walked by the Python and no one was in the queue. This was the shortest line I encountered all night. I decided to ride it. A guy in front of me said he might as well ride it because he was drunk. The Python was lit up, especially at the lift hill drop and the three loops. It was too bright to be considered a night ride. I rode the Python and I didnâÂÂt like it very much. The ride was uncomfortable. I felt like my face was going to rip off!
I decided to take the train ride next. I heard that the Serengetti Plain had a massive overhaul and I wanted to see the results. It was going to be in the dark, but at least I could rest on the train ride. I was walking to the Stanleyville train station and through the Stanleyville Log Flume ride, I saw the Scorpion and it was stuck at the top of the lift hill. A guest said that itâÂÂs been stuck there for 30 minutes.
I boarded the train at the Stanleyville train station. I entered through the exit. Whoops! I found a seat and took a train ride around the park. The speakers played scary music and sometimes the announcer would make heavy breathing sounds. IâÂÂm sorry you have asthma. I thought monsters would start jumping at us from the sides of the trains, but I only saw a chainsaw guy. He revved up his chainsaw and came close to the train. In one of the tunnels, the train blew its whistle and the sound was almost deafing.
At the Congo train station, a family of four sat beside me. One kid was wet. I didnâÂÂt mind, but the mom switched places with him so I wouldnâÂÂt have to sit by the wet kid. Throughout the ride, the mom got a call on the cellphone from one of her other kids. She was going to meet them at 11 pm, but the kid was trying to negotiate a midnight meeting. I think every other word she said was âÂÂNo!â The kid called several times for negotiating, but the mom kept on saying, âÂÂNo!â I had to cover my mouth to keep from laughing. The wet kid said that the negotiating kid would be grounded for months. He probably was. The next time her cellphone rang, I was expecting her to answer it with âÂÂNo!âÂÂ
I took the train ride 1 ý times around. I got off at Nairobi. The Serengetti Plain looks nice. It looks like they took out the fences that blocked the animals and replaced them with huge moats. I didnâÂÂt see too many animals. I only saw some deer and sleeping ostriches. The train passed by Montu and the line was all the way out the entrance and down the fence.
The park was way too crowded for me, so I had left around 10:45. I suppose I could have followed the mom and see if the kid did meet her at the appointed time. I guess that is something I will have to wonder about.
I stopped by a convenience store for a soda. The place was packed and the cashier said it was on the house. I headed back to the hotel. I watched the season premiere to âÂÂStar Trek: Voyagerâ at midnight and fell asleep soon afterwards. I heard the trucks from the Interstate zoom by. The sound didnâÂÂt keep me awake, but the room didnâÂÂt seem any different than if I rolled a sleeping bag by I-275 and fell asleep. OK, so the police wouldnâÂÂt pick me up staying in a hotel.
I asked for a 7 am wakeup call for a date at Busch Gardens.
-----------------------------
Barry aka usagi
Moderator, Universal and Sea World Boards
