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Jun 22, 2013
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Below is the official schedule of refurbishments from the Busch Gardens Tampa website. In addition, notes and other information on those refurbishments/closures is listed below.

This post will be updated as things change, in an effort to always be current and available for forum readers.

As a reminder, even though the list below is the official one from the park, it is not always updated regularly. Attractions not on the list may be closed, and as we've seen a number times, attractions on the list may have their refurbishment dates changed (earlier or later) without an update to the park's website.

Official BGT Refurbishment/Closure Schedule

  • Stanley Falls (Flume) -- November 3 - 21, 2014
  • Scorpion -- October 27 - November 26, 2014
  • Congo River Rapids -- December 8 - 12, 2014
  • Count's Rally -- January 5 - 9, 2015
  • Stanley Falls (Flume) -- January 5 - February 27, 2015
  • Elmo's Safari-Go-Round -- January 12 - 16, 2015
  • Phoenix -- January 26 - February 13, 2015
  • Wild Surge -- February 16 - 27, 2015
  • Tidal Wave -- February 28 - May 1, 2015
  • Snuffy's Romp -- March 2 - 6, 2015
  • Busch Flyers -- April 13 - 17, 2015
  • Dessert Runners -- April 20 - 24, 2015
  • SandSerpent -- May 4 - 22, 2015
  • Carousel -- May 26 - June 12, 2015
  • Gwazi Gliders -- June 15 - 19, 2015
  • Falcon's Fury -- August 24 - September 4, 2015
  • Skyride -- September 8 - October 31, 2015
  • Hippos of the Nile -- September 14 - 18, 2015
  • Rosita's Fly A Way -- September 28 - October 2, 2015
  • Big Bird -- October 5 - 9, 2015
  • Congo River Rapids -- November 2 - December 18, 2015
  • Scorpion -- December 7 - 18, 2015




Notes:

*This schedule reflects all of 2015's currently planned refurbishment. If 2015 is anything like 2014, this schedule will change several times, so don't assume this is all set in stone.
 
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RE: BGT Refurbishment/Closure Schedule

Initial list as of first posting on November 9, 2013:

  • Busch Flyers -- July 1 - December 31
  • Kiddie Train -- July 1 - December 31
  • Desert Runners -- July 1 - December 31
  • Rhino Rally -- August 19 - December 31
  • Jungle Flyers -- September 3 - December 19
  • Skyride -- September 17 - November 10
  • Tidal Wave -- October 21 - December 24
  • Congo River Rapids -- October 21 - November 8
  • Gwazi Gliders -- October 19 - 23
  • Big Bird's Whirley Bird -- November 18 - 22
  • Stanley Falls -- November 11 - 28

Notes:

Busch Flyers, Kiddie Train and Desert Runners have been closed since the start of Falcon's Fury construction in June 2013. They are expected to remain closed until Falcon's Fury opens in Spring 2014.

Rhino Rally is in "seasonal closure" at least through the end of 2013. It is likely this will remain closed into 2014, if it returns at all. The attraction was completely removed from the map at the end of August 2013.

Congo River Rapids remained open throughout the scheduled refurbishment period.

Stanley Falls remained open throughout the scheduled refurbishment period.

Tidal Wave reopened the last week of November 2013, likely because Congo River Rapids unexpectedly closed due to a rumored pump issue.
 
RE: BGT Refurbishment/Closure Schedule

Just a quick update - so far, Stanley Falls Log Flume has remained open the last few days, and has not gone down for refurbishment as scheduled.

The Skyride did reopen as expected, but has spent much of the last two days closed due to high winds.
 
There has been no change to the official online calendar, but a few notes:

  • Stanley Falls never closed during the announced refurbishment period
  • Tidal Wave was running and open to visitors today despite being scheduled to be closed through Dec. 24th
  • Congo River Rapids has been closed for maintenance for over a week despite not being on the schedule
 
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The original post has been updated with the new schedule, which includes dates through all of 2014. Will be interesting to see how many changes are made throughout the year... if indeed they update the schedule as changes are made.

This is the schedule as of 12/17/2013:

  • Jungle Flyers -- Through December 19, 2013
  • Busch Flyers -- Through April 19, 2014
  • Desert Runners -- Through April 20, 2014
  • Kiddie Train -- Through April 21, 2014
  • Rhino Rally -- Closed until Summer 2014
  • Snuffy's Romp -- January 6 - 10, 2014
  • Skyride -- January 6 - 31, 2014
  • Jungle Flyers 1 & 2 -- January 13 - 17, 2014
  • Jungle Flyers 3 & 4 -- January 20 - 24, 2014
  • Jungle Flyers 5 & 6 -- January 27 - 31, 2014
  • Elmo's Safari-Go-Round -- February 3 - 7, 2014
  • Congo River Rapids -- February 3 - 28, 2014
  • Count's Zambezi Rally -- March 24 - 28, 2014
  • Wild Surge -- May 27 - June 6, 2014
  • Phoenix -- August 18 - 29, 2014
  • Hippos of the Nile -- August 25 - 29, 2014
  • Stanley Falls (Flume) -- September 2 - 19, 2014
  • Rosita's D'jembe Fly-Away -- September 22 - 26, 2014
  • Tidal Wave -- September 29 - October 17, 2014
  • Sahara Go-Round (Carousel) -- November 3 - 21, 2014
  • Scorpion -- December 8 - 12, 2014
  • Big Bird's Whirly Bird -- December 15 - 19, 2014

While not on the park's official list, Congo River Rapids was closed due to a rumored pump issue from late November until just before Christmas. It is scheduled to be closed again in February 2014.
 
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Well, the park's official refurbishment/closure schedule has been almost completely revamped. Only a few of the dates from a few weeks ago are the same - most everything else has changed. See those changes below:

  • Busch Flyers -- Through April 19, 2014
  • Desert Runners -- Through April 19, 2014
  • Kiddie Train -- Through April 19, 2014
  • Rhino Rally -- Closed until Summer 2014*
  • Count's Rally -- January 6 - 10, 2014
  • Tidal Wave -- January 13 - 14, 2014
  • Carousel -- January 13 - 31, 2014
  • Elmo's Safari-Go-Round -- February 3 - 7, 2014
  • Congo River Rapids -- February 3 - 21, 2014
  • Phoenix -- February 24 - March 7, 2014
  • Wild Surge -- March 31 - April 11, 2014
  • Snuffy's Romp -- April 28 - May 2, 2014
  • Hippos of the Nile -- August 18 - 22, 2014
  • Gwazi Gliders -- August 25 - 29, 2014
  • Tidal Wave -- September 2 - 19, 2014
  • Rosita's D'jembe Fly-Away -- September 22 - 26, 2014
  • Skyride -- September 31 - October 24, 2014
  • Stanley Falls (Flume) -- November 3 - 21, 2014
  • Scorpion -- December 8 - 12, 2014
  • Big Bird's Whirly Bird -- December 15 - 19, 2014

Notes:

Busch Flyers, Kiddie Train and Desert Runners have been closed since the start of Falcon's Fury construction in June 2013. They now have scheduled dates of reopening as seen in the list above.

*Rhino Rally is in "seasonal closure" until Summer 2014 according to the Park Hours page, however it is not listed on the official Attractions Update page. The attraction was completely removed from the map at the end of August 2013 after closing at the end of Summer Nights. In early January 2014, the notice on the Park Hours page about Rhino Rally was removed.
 
When And If Rhino Rally Opens Summer 2014 It Probably Wont Be Open For Too Long. It's Going To Be The Same Thing That Happened Mid 2013, Nobody Rode It And They Closed Within A Week Of Opening It.
 
Original post has been updated with the current schedule. Not much has changed to future refurbishment dates, with the exception of Skyride scheduled to close two days earlier now.

  • Busch Flyers -- Through April 19, 2014
  • Desert Runners -- Through April 19, 2014
  • Kiddie Train -- Through April 19, 2014
  • Rhino Rally -- Closed until Summer 2014*
  • Snuffy's Romp -- April 28 - May 2, 2014
  • Hippos of the Nile -- August 18 - 22, 2014
  • Gwazi Gliders -- August 25 - 29, 2014
  • Tidal Wave -- September 2 - 19, 2014
  • Rosita's D'jembe Fly-Away -- September 22 - 26, 2014
  • Skyride -- September 29 - October 24, 2014
  • Stanley Falls (Flume) -- November 3 - 21, 2014
  • Scorpion -- December 8 - 12, 2014
  • Big Bird's Whirly Bird -- December 15 - 19, 2014




Notes:

Busch Flyers, Kiddie Train and Desert Runners have been closed since the start of Falcon's Fury construction in June 2013. They now have scheduled dates of reopening as seen in the list above.

*Rhino Rally is in "seasonal closure" until Summer 2014 according to the Park Hours page, however it is not listed on the official Attractions Update page. The attraction was completely removed from the map at the end of August 2013 after closing at the end of Summer Nights. In early January 2014, the notice on the Park Hours page about Rhino Rally was removed. The park recently responded to a guest on facebook re-confirming it would reopen for Summer 2014.
 
Original post updated. The only change - two of the six lines on Jungle Flyers will be down each of the next three weeks.

Also, the three kiddie rides opened a few days later than originally scheduled in the rethemed Pantopia section.

  • Rhino Rally -- Closed until Summer 2014*
  • Jungle Flyers 1 & 2 -- May 5 - 9, 2014
  • Jungle Flyers 3 & 4 -- May 12 - 16, 2014
  • Jungle Flyers 5 & 6 -- May 19 - 23, 2014
  • Hippos of the Nile -- August 18 - 22, 2014
  • Gwazi Gliders -- August 25 - 29, 2014
  • Tidal Wave -- September 2 - 19, 2014
  • Rosita's D'jembe Fly-Away -- September 22 - 26, 2014
  • Skyride -- September 29 - October 24, 2014
  • Stanley Falls (Flume) -- November 3 - 21, 2014
  • Scorpion -- December 8 - 12, 2014
  • Big Bird's Whirly Bird -- December 15 - 19, 2014
 
Original post updated.

Despite what the website has posted, Skyride is still closed, and they closed up Scorpion by Monday for its refurbishment, earlier than what is posted online. For those who plan ahead, the misinformation online can be a bit of a hassle.

  • Skyride -- September 29 - October 24, 2014
  • Stanley Falls (Flume) -- November 3 - 21, 2014
  • Scorpion -- November 3 - 26, 2014
  • Congo River Rapids -- December 8 - 12, 2014




Notes:

*As of Monday (10/27/2014) Skyride had not reopened from its scheduled refurbishment, and Scorpion was closed for its scheduled refurbishment already.
 
Full time operation parks has its pros and cons...

I am so used to seeing all ride refurbishment done over winter at one time (well as much as they can go throw into the warehouse at a time).
 
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Most guests here expect to run into some refurbishments at the Florida parks since they are year-round. It's always disappointing, of course, to have any attraction closed when visiting, but I think it's a little more frustrating to not have correct information and show up to something different. The Skyride especially has its fans, there have already been a few social media postings questioning why it hasn't reopened as is published on their schedule.
 
Original post updated.

This update includes the full schedule for planned refurbishments in 2015. It's likely to change if it follows the pattern for this year where a number of the dates were modified throughout the season.

Falcon's Fury is scheduled for it's first "official" annual refurbishment - hopefully it runs well until then and doesn't require and significant downtime like its first several days of "official" operation this past September.

Also worth noting, the log flume is going down for nearly two months after the first of the year - interesting since it just came out of a refurbishment. Either there is more work needed, or the more likely explanation is this is part of the SEAS cost savings plan they announced in the last earnings conference call.
 
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