A Phoenix Rises Over Busch Gardens

The first coaster in Florida made its debut in 1963 in the long-defunct Miracle Strip in Panama City Beach in the north-west of the state. The Starliner was the star attraction of the old-style amusement park, but it most definitely wasn’t a theme park in the modern sense of the concept.

Instead, the first true theme park to invest in a high-profile coaster was Busch Gardens Tampa Bay back in 1976, when The Python became THE ride for all thrill-seekers. And its legacy still thrills ride fans today.

Enter, The Phoenix

The Python lasted until 2006, when it was replaced by the Jungala area, but it had already laid down a mighty marker for Florida’s adrenalin junkies, who demanded more of that high-speed formula.

After The Python came The Scorpion (1980), Kumba (1993), Montu (1996) and duelling wooden coasters Gwazi (1999), and the Busch Gardens speciality for thrill rides was ensured, especially as that quartet was followed by the monstrous SheiKra in 2005 and the speedy Cheetah Hunt six years later.

Since then, the park has added the unique Cobra’s Curse (2016) and fast-launch oomph of Tigris (2019), while Gwazi was rebuilt as the more thrilling Iron Gwazi in 2022. And now comes Phoenix Rising, the park’s NINTH out-and-out coaster, and another completely different ride.

It officially opened on July 21 and absolutely underlines the Busch Gardens reputation for thrill rides in exciting fashion. We were promised something special for this part of the Pantopia section of the park and, wow, have they delivered.

So, what IS Phoenix Rising?

Old-time visitors to Busch Gardens may recall the former swinging galleon ride that was The Phoenix, a looping starship type of attraction that opened in 1984. This stomach-testing swinging ship went through a full 360-degree loop before dropping back to level ground again and was something of a rite of passage for younger park visitors. If you could survive The Phoenix, you could survive anything!

However, this Pantopia area icon was quietly shuttered in 2018 and nothing more was heard of it until 2022, when it was suddenly demolished (along with the wild mouse coaster Sand Serpent). Aha! we all surmised. Something big is due to take their place.

It wasn’t until October last year that the park made it official, though. A new type of coaster was due to make its debut in summer 2024, and, with a nod to the ride that once stood in its place, it would be named Phoenix Rising (out of the ashes of the old ride – geddit?!).

The Busch Gardens head honchos were still a bit silent with the details, but we knew we could expect a suspended style coaster – a bit like Montu or SeaWorld’s Kraken, but with a few extra twists – and it would be a more family-style ride, with a minimum height requirement of just 42 inches (107cm).

This Phoenix Is A Blast!

So, July arrived with a whole heap of expectation and anticipation, and the first reviews of the new ride – from annual passholder previews and a media event – were all highly encouraging. This was going to be another ride to remember.

With an announced top speed of “only” 44mph (70.8km/h), it didn’t sound like it would be especially breathtaking, but that doesn’t take into account the sharp twists and turns of the ride, the smooth nature of the “flying” element of the coaster cars, and the length of the ride, which is the one of the longest suspended coasters in North America.

To start with, Phoenix Rising uses an “old-fashioned” lift hill to get things under way; none of those new-fangled fast-launch sequences that are fun to experience but over much too quickly. No, here you go up a long slope to the ride’s maximum height of 80 feet and get a good look at the neighbouring Serengeti area before you plunge into the first swooping element, coaster cars swinging from side to side.

The ride is also themed around four different phoenixes, with each representing the various realms of fire, ice, jungle and sea, and each themed phoenix makes for a slightly different experience, with the onboard audio changing depending on which mythical creature guests encounter.

Tell us more!

Well, there is a series of banners and other neat Phoenix-related theming in the queuing area, and a series of big video screens alongside the loading area that help to set the scene for the next flight. The audio system also packs quite a punch, with a clever sound that mimics the flapping wings of the Phoenix as well as a stirring soundtrack to accompany the trip along the 1,831ft of steel track. And 80ft may not sound like a big drop for a coaster these days – until you are diving headlong into the first banked horseshoe turn with no way back!

Surprisingly, there are no full inversions (unlike Montu, The Scorpion and Kumba), but there are definitely several moments when the coaster train swings high and wide and it feels like you’re about to go upside-down.

That is a deliberate ploy, as corporate director of project management Andrew Schaffer explained: “We try and fill all the voids of all the age groups that come to the park, which we have a whole range because of us having animals and rides at this park. So this is definitely one of those ‘next step rides’ that we’re hoping the kids are going to really enjoy.”

And that’s no understatement. We think Phoenix Rising is a huge thrill for younger children but also something their teenage big brothers will have great fun with, too!

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