After three years of sitting idle, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay says its popular SkyRide attraction will officially reopen this week.
"Get ready to soar to new heights— The SkyRide will reopen this Friday, February 2!," wrote the park on social media Thursday afternoon.
The kid-friendly ride takes passengers back and forth between Stanleyville station and Cheetah Hunt Plaza, rising as high as 50 feet above various attractions and animals, mainly the Serengeti Plain.
While the news was welcomed by just about anyone who has ever had to walk back to the main entrance from Jungala with a tired toddler, many BGT fans were shocked by a new fee attached to the ride.
Unlike previous years, the slow-moving, gondola-style transportation ride now costs $5 extra for regular admission guests, but is still free for Annual Pass, Fun Card and Preschool Card holders, says the park.
The disclosure of the new fee was not mentioned in the social media post, but was added to the ride's dedicated webpage. Regardless, commenters still noticed. "Reopening as an upcharge attraction is very disappointing," wrote one commenter on the post. "Imagine having to pay for a ride that used to be free," said another.
It's unclear what changes or upgrades have occurred since it's been shuttered, but the SkyRide does have a new logo and signage at the loading stations.
Designed by the Von Roll Holdings company, the SkyRide initially opened at the park in 1974, but closed in 2020 during the pandemic. Last August Busch Gardens confirmed it would return, and began testing the ride last month.
Similar gondala-style rides manufactured by Von Roll are currently at other parks owned by BGT's parent company SeaWorld Entertainment, including SeaWorld San Diego's Bayside Skyride and Busch Gardens Williamsburg's Aeronaut Skyride. Both of these rides are currently free for all guests.
Creative Loafing Tampa Bay reached out to BGT have more information, and will update this post if they get back to us.
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The SkyRide at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay reopens this week, but not everyone is happy about it
The slow-moving, gondola-style transportation ride now costs $5 extra for regular admission guests.
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About The Author
Colin Wolf
Colin Wolf has been working with weekly newspapers since 2007 and has been the Digital Editor for Creative Loafing Tampa since 2019. He is also the Director of Digital Content Strategy for CL's parent company, Chava Communications.
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