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 Review of Kumba @ Busch Gardens Tampa
0 Rating Posted by: tpcommando on 4/14/2002 12:10:00 PM
I have a lot of respect for this coaster and I would really like to love it. What prevents me from doing so, are the extreme G forces which are evident along the way. Hey, Ill confess, extreme Gs do me in. Still, I have to compare my experiences on Kumba with those on other steel coasters. This sucker turns my legs to rubber everytime and I do not find it a pleasureable experience. Id rather ride Montu or either Gwazi. I think Kumba would have been a better coaster if it was a touch slower.
 

Review Comments

DJBLADE on 4/14/2002 4:32:14 PM said:
u are taking away from it because of gs? that is what makes coasters great.
tpcommando on 4/28/2002 10:26:00 AM said:
To DJBlade: The logic of your response would seem to presume that, the greater the G forces, the better the coaster. Yet we know that at a certain point, Gs not only become problematic, but life-threatening. I believe that one of the current problems with roller coaster design is that computers have allowed engineers to take coasters to the absolute limits of what riders can withstand. While some people subscribe to the idea that this necessarily makes the rides better, I suspect that in many cases, the rides become less pleasurable for the majority of riders--even those who LOVE roller coasters. I have been to Busch Gardens on two occasions and both times, there was at least a minimal wait to board Montu while Kumba was always a walk-on. I can only wonder if the excessive G forces on Kumba are part of the explanation.
DJBLADE on 5/19/2002 12:44:53 PM said:
definatley not. Kumba is always very busy on weekends. on some days though, the people in the park are jkust the zoo people, not the coaster people.
Sephiroth7 on 5/19/2002 5:40:21 PM said:
the reason why Kumba isnt as crowded is simple Theme Park knowledge....Montus in the front, Kumba is in the back. Its a really long walk to get to Kumba and Montu is right there when you enter the park, so it gets less crowds....not the Gs...
daptwa on 5/21/2002 2:57:50 PM said:
I dont think location has anything to do with the popularity of a ride. I f you spend $40 to get into a park youre going to see the whole park. And if the attraction is that good then you will get on it regardless of where it is located.
DJBLADE on 5/21/2002 8:12:21 PM said:
i also think location is key. you cant even see kumba from the front and Montu really catches your eye and holds it there. people may not even know about kumba. plus, it really is a hassle to find it and get there.
Sephiroth7 on 5/26/2002 1:01:54 PM said:
Layouts are very important. A perfect example is Dinosaur at the Animal Kingdom. Not many people knew it was there when it came out and it got horrible attendence records. They needed to go far as to change the name of the ride and the way it was marketed in order for people to start going on it. Especially in a park like BGT where its a long walk to get to the other side of the park, layout will certainly change things.
tpcommando on 6/5/2002 6:56:59 AM said:
While location in the park can be an issue, I have a hard time believing that it explains much here. When you can see Kumba on the horizon from so many places in the park, its not like people dont stumble upon it. Consider, too, that the Congo River Rapids manages to attract long lines and it is in the same section of the park (and much lower to the ground). Hey, I may be wrong about all of this, but I strongly suspect that the heavy positive Gs on Kumba take much away from the experience for many riders. By the way, since writing this review, I have ridden a number of world-class steel coasters at Cedar Point. All but one of them did a much better job of managing positive Gs. One of those rides even hit speeds in excess of 90 mph while keeping things within a suitable comfort zone. Im not saying that Kumba is a bad ride or unpleasant for everyone; I just think it would have been a much better ride for most people if the G forces had been constrained a bit.
Sephiroth7 on 6/7/2002 1:34:05 PM said:
In reality, most people dont even know how many gs Kumba has. People dont even know what Gs are! You are overestimating the intelligence of regular theme parkgoers. Kumba certainly is not visable throughout most of the park. You have to walk towards the back to see it. Ride locations are a huge part of sales. For example in my park where I work, they opened The Inverter right near the kiddie area of the park, once they moved it to where most of the thrill attractions are, it got much better attendance. When Disney, or Busch designs a park, ride layouts have huge effects on the rides attendance. Sure, there are rides that dont need to be seen, but in this case I would suggest its because the ride isnt marketed anymore, as well as it isnt seen usually until the park goer has been in the park for at least a couple hours...
tpcommando on 6/22/2002 8:12:19 AM said:
People may not know what a g is or how many Kumba has, but they do know when a ride makes them feel ill. If you walk off the thing with a headache or rubbery knees, youre not as likely to get back on.
Sephiroth7 on 6/29/2002 8:05:29 PM said:
Montu isnt a slouch either in the Gs department. I had no problem riding Kumba 3 times in a row when the park opened. And im not a fan of big gs either...but thats not to say some people wont be affected by the gs. Overall, I dont think it hampers attendence too much, I still think the main factor is the location of the ride...
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