Tigris (roller coaster)
Tigris is a steel launch roller coaster at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay theme park in Tampa, Florida, United States. Built on the former Tanganyika Tidal Wave water ride, Tigris officially opened on April 19, 2019 as the park's ninth roller coaster. Tigris is located within the Stanleyville section of the park. The roller coaster and surrounding area re-uses previous infrastructure and landscaping of the former attraction. Manufactured by Premier Rides, the roller coaster is one of ten Sky Rocket II models built. Tigris utilizes a linear synchronous motor (LSM) system to propel the train through  three launches. The roller coaster reaches a maximum height of , a maximum speed of , and a total track length of , though riders traverse around of track. Upon opening, the roller coaster received positive reviews from critics. History. The Tanganyika Tidal Wave, an African-themed shoot the chutes water ride, closed in April 2016. In March 2018, SeaWorld Entertainment (owner of Busch Gardens Tampa) filed trademarks with the United States Patent and Trademark Office for the name "Tigris", in addition to "Twisted Tiger" and "Uproar". In April 2018, demolition permits were filed for the water ride's deconstruction. On June 26 , 2018, an environmental resource permit was submitted to the Southwest Florida Water Management District revealing the location of the attraction to be within the confines of the tiger exhibit and section of Jungala. In the same month, demolition of the former water ride began. In July 2018, documents were reported about upcoming developments where the previous attraction once stood in Busch Gardens Tampa Bay under the working title "Project TEEL". The project was proposed to construct a building within a area consisting of the attraction and paths and to remove within the existing area. Busch Gardens Tampa Bay announced Tigris , a Premier Rides Sky Rocket II model on September 12, 2018. The announcement revealed the roller coaster would be themed to the tiger and open in 2019 along with a development for a Gwazi area attraction in 2020. In October 2018, the concrete footers for the roller coaster were completed and the first construction updates by the park were published. During the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) exposition in November 2018, the design of Tigris' cars were revealed by Premier Rides in the form of a cake. The roller coaster's track began arriving at the park  on November 29, 2018, with vertical construction of the track pieces taking place on December 3, 2018. By January 2019, the park had the roller coaster's supports three-fifths complete. In February 2019, construction of the roller coaster was completed. The train for Tigris was observed on February 20, 2019 being lifted onto the track. Busch Gardens announced a media event to present the roller coaster's car alongside additional information on the Gwazi attraction. On March 1, 2019, the train for the roller coaster was publicly displayed for parkgoers. The roller coaster's opening date was announced by  the park on April 4, 2019, scheduled for mid-April. The roller coaster soft-opened on April 16, 2019, and officially opened on April 19, 2019. Ride experience. Queue. The queue area of the ride was repurposed from the previous attraction, Tanganyika Tidal Wave, though the water rides station was not re-used. The roller coaster's queue uses a part of the water ride's pathway with landscaping in tact from the previous layout. The queue of the ride features educational pieces of the tigers living conditions in the wild and actions wildlife conservationists take with the species. Layout . Tigris launches out of the station up into a partial twist. The train then falls back through the station, where it is accelerated backwards into another twist. Once again, the train falls back into the station and riders are accelerated to a top speed of . It then travels up to a height of where it completes a non-inverting half-loop, a heartline roll before exiting in a second non-inverting half-loop. It then enters a full non-inverting loop before returning to the station. Characteristics. Tigris operates within a small footprint of the former attraction and is located  within the Stanleyville section of the park. For the construction of the roller coaster, existing infrastructure in the land was reused for the purpose of the ride. The landscape was preserved with recycled materials from the previous Tanganyika Tidal Wave water ride and other byproducts from the construction of Falcon's Fury and Cobra's Curse attractions. Tigris was the third Sky Rocket II model to be constructed at SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment-owned theme parks, the first being Tempesto at sister park Busch Gardens Williamsburg and the second, Electric Eel, at SeaWorld San Diego. The roller coaster is one of  ten Sky Rocket II models built by Premier Rides. Tigris was the ninth roller coaster built at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay in operation. The roller coaster features black-grey supports with bright orange track. The roller coaster uses a linear synchronous motor (LSM) launch system that adjusts the speed of each launch by timing the train's position through sensors. The LSM launch system is cooled by air blowers beneath the track. The roller coaster has a total track length of , though, riders traverse around feet of track because of the forward and backward launches. Tigris operates one train featuring  three cars, with each car having a row of two seats across in three rows for a total of eighteen riders a train. The cars have a lap bar and over the shoulder restraint system. The roller coaster train features an orange color scheme with tiger print. Reception. Upon opening, Tigris received positive review from critics. A writer for the "Tampa Bay Times", Daniel Figueroa IV, enthusiastically remarked about the roller coaster's overall intensity and its "visually impressive" speed. Figueroa IV further commented that any seat on the roller coaster had favorable moments to experience, with the front being  more visually notable and the back for more intensity. A writer for the "Orlando Sentinel", Dewayne Bevil, noted overall about the thrilling experience of the roller coaster, being both "confusing and...exciting". Bevil also remarked about the ride experiences from different seating position and the restraint system having positives and negatives aspects. Haley Coomes of WKMG-TV described the "good first impression" the roller coaster operations left on her experience and personally added it earned "a top approval rating" between "the other Busch Gardens coaster giants". Andrew Stilwell of "Coaster101" categorized Tigris as a mid-tier attraction for "thrill seekers