Our first trip questions

[pumpkinfish]

This is our first trip to BG in Tampa. My husband and I have season passes to BG in Williamsburg so I know what my CURRENT expectations are of BG. Has anyone done the Serengti Safari before, and what should we expect? We will be leaving from Ocala, so what time should we leave? We are going on 9/13 and have ressies for the safari at 11:15 am. Will there be any crowds?

I know there are a lot of questions to answer, but I ALWAYS like to be prepared ;)

Thanks for the help and advice in advance...

[Nostromo]

You need a good whole day to get full value out of Busch Gardens and so, I would suggest arriving early (by 10am - the usual off-peak opening time). Even though it is going south from Ocala on the Interstate-75 most of the way, you would need about 90 minutes to reach BG and so start out at 8:30am. Crowds at BG are variable, but it is usually not that busy during weekdays in September.

The Serengeti Safari is a bouncy mini-lorry ride through the park's animal reserve, lasting about half an hour. It is somewhat similar to Animal Kingdom's 'Kiliminjaro Safari', but I thought we got closer to the animals in BG and the educational element was rather better.