SheiKra
Website: Busch Gardens Tampa Homepage
Ride Type: Steel Coaster
Ride Status: Running
Average Rating: 4.2000
TPC Overall Rank: #115 out of 2933 rides.
Reviews: 39
Last Review: 10/31/2009 5:46:00 PM
In User Top 10: 49 times.
User Tracker Count: 96 times.
 

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4 Rating
0 Rating Rate Down Rate Up Leon152894 on 10/31/2009 5:46:00 PM - User's Top Ride #4
Cool Ride It has an amazing drop! The lift hill is pretty quick and STEEP!! :o The drop is AMAZING!!! but of course very very short. The Immelman is pretty good but it gets kind of slow at the top ( but it does provide a bit of airtime) The second drop i find it to be a bit better even though it is shorter and less steper but it is Frekin AWESOME!! The splash part is cool for people off-ride but when your on though it goes so fast you can hardly enjoy it. After the drop though there is a little bit of airtime which is pretty cool. Overall the ride is a 4.

4 Rating
0 Rating Rate Down Rate Up Steve NY on 5/1/2008 9:57:00 PM
While approaching Busch Gardens I was impressed by the skyline of the 3 B&M giants. Kumba and Montu both looked exciting, but it was the gimmicky red one that caught my attention. Having never been on a diving machine before, I flew off to this ride the second I entered the park. Well after rounding that amazingly slow turn, the ride slowly climbed over the edge and paused there. Ill admit it, I was peeing in my pants at this point at the intimidating drop ahead. Well, it lived up to my expectations as it was sudden and an insane rush. The air during the drop was amazing and my stomach completely dropped. Afterwards came a huge immelman. Sadly, it was rather gentle on the forces and it just seemed too big for its own good. Then came the second vertical drop. Just like the first one, it was a rush and gave great air as well. After that the ride just flew over the speedaway and then around the turn before hitting the brakes. It was definitely thrilling thanks to the two drops, but if that immelman had forces to it, this would truely be a world-class coaster. Griffon is way better than this.

4 Rating
0 Rating Rate Down Rate Up randomper on 4/23/2008 4:59:00 PM - User's Top Ride #2
My 2nd place. Its real smooth. Theres to much tosay about how much I love this coaster

4 Rating
+1 Rating Rate Down Rate Up shag9004 on 4/17/2008 10:43:00 PM
Date Ridden: January of 2007 and 2008. Times Ridden: 4 Ok, I admit it. I love gimmick coasters. There..I said it and I feel better. I love Top Thrill Dragster and Xcelerator, Dueling Dragons, and now Shiekra and Griffon. Keep in mind that although these are rides that I absolutely love, they will in no way crack my top 10. Let me explain. When visiting theme parks I prefer coaster rides to anything else there (except maybe the potato patch fries in Kennywood). I love rides like the Raven, Ozark Wildcat, and Thunderhead. My favorites are obviously the large steel hypers and the new modern day marvel woodies. But I also enjoy the "thrill" rides that are present at each park. I personally, even though I defintely recognize the rides listed above (TTD, DD, etc.) as coasters, I dont prefer (or rank them) as coaster per se. For example, I would give TTD a rank of 10 since it is an experience like I have never before faced. However, I would prefer to ride Appollos Chariot or Nitro even though I would rank them as 9s because I consider them more as "true coasters". Everybody got it now? I didnt think so but at least it makes since to me. Shiekra scores in the 9 range because its gimmick (90 degree 200 foot drop) is totally unbelievable. Who cares about the rest of the ride after that drop which totally takes your breath away? The ride has other redeeming qualities such as the drop off the mid-course brakes and the Immelman but this ride is all about the first drop. I have been privileged to ride this thing with the floor and without and can say that I prefer it floorless. And keep in mind, regardless of what the ride ops say, the front row is still the best. You are not riding Shiekra for airtime or laterals, you are riding for the view and the best view by far is up front. When riding make sure you get a front seat, pererably on one of the ends. Those seats make for a much better experience. Also keep in mind, that Shiekra is the most popular coaster in the park. Montu is a much better coaster and is only a 10-15 minute wait while you may be waiting 30-45 minutes (or even longer) for Shiekra due to its being the newest ride in the park. Please check out my review of Griffon if you get a chance. It contains some more of my opinions on these dive coasters which are among my favorite amusment park rides. Shiekra gets a very solid 9 and ranks only slightly below Griffon overall due to its lack of single rider llne and overall themeing. It is a wonderful experience that will leave you breathless the first time you get on it and hang over the edge waiting to drop. Its all about the dive baby!!!

4 Rating
0 Rating Rate Down Rate Up erinys on 4/17/2008 2:45:00 AM
How can a ride I give a 9 end up in my Top Ten? Heck if I know. As we are all aware SheiKra is kind of a one hit wonder (or maybe two). But what a one it is! Unlike something like Kingda Ka on which you are back down on the ground before you feel the descent, SheiKra has the opposite approach, perfect timing to let you know what you in for, as you shiver with antici - pation. Perhaps even anticipating more than the ride delivers. The drop isnt that large, its power is in that anticipation. Over two rides, first in back and then in front, it gave that "oh crap!" moment so many of us live for and rarely feel. Drops and going straight down are my last fear, so to stare down those rails is to me like looking down into the 7th circle of hell. In a good way. The immelman surprised me but wasnt overwhelming. I cant truly say it should be longer, but Id like a little more action at the end. They tried to fit in a variety of effects, but just not intense or diverse enough. If SheiKra and Great Bear or Medusa had a child, THAT would be a ten.

4 Rating
0 Rating Rate Down Rate Up SFne201004 on 3/24/2008 8:27:00 PM
I came to BGA expecting an amazing coaster. Sheikra was good, not great. the drop lacked the intensity of some other rides. That being said, it was still a good drop. The water area and second drop were great also.

4 Rating
0 Rating Rate Down Rate Up fergusonat on 3/16/2008 11:25:00 PM
I will admit I wasnt very excited about riding SheiKra. I thought that I had gained a solid idea of what to expect from a Dive Machine from riding Griffon so much at my homepark BGE. I figured it wouldnt be much different.

I was wrong

Believe me when I tell you that if SheiKra had the second half that Griffon has, it would blow Griffon out of the water. SheiKras first drop is essentially exactly as intense and airtime-filled as Griffons. It is the giant first Immelman where SheiKra excels over its BGE sister. The forces exerted on riders is phenomenal and it is virtually impossible to stay in your seat. So much airtime. It was glorious. Griffons Immelman lacks this intensity, and I really wish it didnt, because it was outrageous.

With that being said, SheiKras second half falls flat on its face. The second 87 degree drop is great as always, but the overbank turn was just plain boring. I will admit that the watersplash area is much more interactive than Griffons, but the second half of the ride blows. Thus, I still enjoy Griffon much much more overall simply because of its strong finish.

Still, SheiKras superior Immelman is well worth noting!

4 Rating
0 Rating Rate Down Rate Up immelman on 3/16/2008 2:18:00 PM
On my recent trip to Florida, this was the coaster I was looking forward to riding most. Not because I thought it would be the best one on the trip, but because its not like anything Ive ridden before.

The first difference you notice is the huge trains, which probably help a lot on busy days. Climbing the lift hill youre almost lying down, which is unfortunate because its hard to see your surroundings. Once you get to the top you get a very impressive view, as you can see much of the surrounding city. Even so, I never really felt *that* high up.

The first drop is the highlight, it feels a lot like a free fall tower and has good air. The immelmann is huge, perhaps too big because the "whip" action I like on those elements isnt here; its more slow and graceful.

The second drop is much like the first, in a way its better because you have momentum going into it. The banked turns that follow are kind of gentle and boring.

Overall a unique expeierience, but not as satisfying or intense as the other big" coasters at the park.

4 Rating
-1 Rating Rate Down Rate Up Mega08 on 1/1/2008 12:03:00 AM
SheiKra is one of those rides that you either love and you think it is one of the best rides in the world or you hate it and you think it should be burnt to the freaking ground. I used to be one of those haters, I used to hate SheiKra. If I would have reviewed the day after I have ridden it, I would have probably given it a 4...obviously a below average rating. But the more times I rode SheiKra, I Realized that there was more to it then what I was seeing. SheiKra is one of those attractions that really builds up the Intensity. Now I know all other rides do that, but SheiKra really pumps you up with Suspense. Slowly climbing up that steep lift hill, slowly going around that curve with that incredible view of Tampa and the rest of the park, and of course the topping on the cake, the five second pause the just dangles you over that 90 degree drop. The suspense that builds up inside of you while your at that part of the ride is one of the major parts of the attraction. Besides the actual drop, the part of going up the lift hill and hanging there for a good five second, is the most thrilling part of the ride..and I love because it is unique and different. Its sad because the people that say it sucks doesnt seem to get that part of the attraction. Another good example of an attraction that builds suspense, is the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at the Disney Parks. Going through the hotel and getting to the main drop is the same exact thing SheiKra does..slowly get to the main event while building suspense and that intensity that you feel inside of you. The only thing that is different is, TOT has amazing theming to add with it, but anyways back to SheiKra. The 90 degree drop is amazing, best drop Ive experienced so far. The Immelman, great air time in the back, nice edition to the track lay out of the ride. But after the Immelman...there is nothing really else to offer. The Thrill and fun is over and this is the part that people criticizes about and this is the part Im going to criticize about. The Second half of this ride absolutely F**** sucks. It reminds me of the Hulk. Amazing first half, boring second half. They could have done better then just a water splash down and a tunnel. Im not saying there bad elements, but they could have done something better for the finale of this ride. If they could have added an extra 20 seconds to the ride with some more interesting coaster elements, then SheiKra would have gotten a perfect 10. Montu and Kumba, doesnt really have a certain element that stands out except for the ride itself, but they both Stay Entertaining the ENTIRE ride. SheiKra doesnt do that. A great first half but a boring second half. If only they made SheiKra with a great first half with a great second half..THEN would SheiKra get a 10 in everybodys book.

4 Rating
-3 Rating Rate Down Rate Up roxy on 12/26/2007 4:59:00 PM

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