If you hate waiting in lines for theme park rides and are headed to Busch Gardens Tampa, there is an easy fix for the problem. Enter Busch Gardens Quick Queue.
Not only has it been described as ‘beyond worth it’ on Tripadvisor, it is also the best-selling Busch Gardens update.
If you’re wondering if Quick Queue could make your trip to Busch Gardens even more fun then you’re going to want to keep reading.
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Busch Gardens Tampa Quick Queue at a Glance:
- This upgrade allows you to skip the lines for the rides at Busch Gardens Tampa
- The cost starts at $14.99 for the Regular Quick Queue
- Buy your passes early before they get snatched up
Keep reading to get the full guide on this must-have Busch Gardens upgrade!
What is the Quick Queue at Busch Gardens?
As its name suggests, Busch Gardens Quick Queue allows you to get on rides faster by skipping the stand-by line for some of the most popular attractions at the park.
How does Busch Gardens Quick Queue work?
The Busch Gardens Tampa Quick Queue works by you visiting the website and choosing which ride “VIP” experience you’d like to embark on.
This is a highly recommended upgrade as it will help you cut your Busch Gardens Tampa wait times down in half!
There are multiple types of Quick Queue options so be sure to read to see which one would be the best for you.
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Types of Quick Queues at Busch Gardens Tampa
There are currently five options when it comes to Quick Queue passes, the most recent one added being the year-long Quick Queue pass.
However, before you break your piggy bank and rush to grab those year-long Quick Queue passes, it is extremely important that you weigh out the alternatives:
1. Quick Queue
This is the original Quick Queue. This option does however, give you the chance to skip the line one time at each of Busch Gardens most popular attractions.
This option is the most affordable starting at $14.99 a day.
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2. Quick Queue Unlimited
The Quick Queue Unlimited pass allows you to ride all of Busch Gardens most popular attractions an unlimited amount of time during the day.
That means that you get to ride as much as you can without the burden of having the long Busch Gardens Tampa wait times for the majority of your day.
This option is the best value for money, especially if you’re only planning to visit Busch Gardens for one day. It starts at $19.99.
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3. Quick Queue Junior
This is basically the original Quick Queue with half the rides and three-quarters the price, because the rides offered are Busch Gardens more family-friendly attractions.
However, you do have a limit of one skip per ride. At $4.99 this pass is quite a reasonable price to pay for keeping the kids happy.
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4. Quick Queue Unlimited Plus Iron Gwazi & Serengeti Flyer One-Time Ride
This options allows you to get all of the benefits of the Busch Gardens Tampa Quick Queue Unlimited, plus a one-time ride on Iron Gwazi and Serengeti Flyer where you can skip the line!
This upgrade starts at $49.99.
Get started on Your Tampa Bay Travel Plans here!
5. Year-round Quick Queue
If you’re a Florida-residing solo theme park traveler, you may have skipped right to this section, even though the pass is available to all travelers.
To ensure you’re getting the best value you’re going to have to calculate out the amount of times you’re planning on going to Busch Gardens each year and compare that to purchasing the Quick Queue Unlimited pass for that many days.
As is evident by name, this pass gives you unlimited skips for an entire year, starting when you visit the park for the first time that year.
The price for this level of pass is $599 for the year and includes Iron Gwazi.
Hipster Power Tip: The cost of the Busch Gardens Quick Queue depends on the time of the year you plan on visiting.
Which rides can you access with Quick Queue at Busch Gardens Tampa?
Whew, that was a lot of Quick Queues! Now that you are aware of your options, you can choose the one that is best suited to your individual needs and wants.
Quick Queue, Quick Queue Unlimited and Year-round Quick Queue passes are available for the same attractions:
- Tigris
- Falcon’s Fury
- Cheetah Hunt
- SheiKra
- Montu
- Kumba
- Cobra’s Curse
- Scorpion
- Stanley Falls Flume
- Congo River Rapids
- Iron Gwazi*
- Serengeti Flyer*
- Phoenix Rising (Coming Soon – restrictions may apply)
That is a long list of rides, which makes any Quick Queue pass extremely useful to have.
Considering that this list includes all of Busch Garden’s biggest and baddest rides, you’ll be on and off them before some people are even halfway through the stand-by line, it’s a good value.
The Quick Queue Junior pass, on the other hand, has a much more limited and child-friendly selection to choose from:
- Cobra’s Curse
- Stanley Falls Flume
- Congo River Rapids
- Scorpion
- Air Grover
How can I get a Busch Gardens Tampa Quick Queue pass?
An important thing to remember is that there are a limited number of Quick Queue passes available for each day.
That means you need make up your mind about them before they are all sold out. And you have to do that fast.
Once we are past that hurdle, you have two paths ahead of you:
- Buy your ticket online: Just head over to the Busch Gardens website and purchase the pass you think is best for you.
- Purchase it at Busch Gardens: Just head over to guest services and purchase the pass at the beginning of the day.
7 Ways to Avoid the Busch Gardens Busy Days and Wait Times
Holiday peaks, large crowd sizes, park hours, weather, and a few other factors have a lot to do with your experience, including how long you’ll be waiting in line for your favorite rides on those busy days at Busch Gardens.
Here are a few tips to get you started on picking the best times to travel to Busch Gardens alone, or with friends and family.
1. Buy Your Busch Gardens Quick Queue Pass Early
Remember what I said about limited Quick Queue passes?
I would advise planning your trip and buying your passes really early before they get snatched up, especially in high tourist time like summer and the holidays.
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2. Get Your Quick Queue Pass Online
On the same note, do try and buy your Quick Queue pass online to avoid the possibility of them being sold out for the day at the park.
3. Use Your Annual Pass Member Perks
I have got another bonus for you– Annual Pass Members to Busch Gardens get a whopping 10% to 20% off all Busch Gardens products, including the Quick Queue passes.
Talk about a Busch Garden upgrade!
4. Avoid All Holidays
If you’re a solo traveler, this one’s especially for you. Avoiding the Busch Gardens holiday crowd (especially in December) means shorter lines.
You’ll also want to avoid the long Busch Gardens Tampa wait times by skipping out on holidays such as the 4th of July, Memorial Day and Labor Day.
5. Avoid Peak Seasons
Spring break and the general summer season are all pretty popular times for the park.
So, if you want to avoid the Busch Gardens busy days, then you’ll want to skip out on the park during this time.
6. Know What are the Best Times to Go to Busch Gardens
You’ll notice that April has crowd sizes ranging from low to moderate, while March has crowd sizes ranging from Moderate to High (mostly due to the influx of Spring Breakers).
Best Time of Year to Visit Busch Gardens
- January
- February
- April
- October
- November
These months are closely followed by May, and September as still pretty decent visiting times.
7. Visit on Tuesdays
Tuesdays tend to be the best day to go to Busch Gardens. Mainly due to the fact that most people are at work or school during this time.
If Tuesdays don’t work, Wednesdays and Thursdays are a good backup option if you want to avoid the long Busch Gardens wait times on busy days.
What You Should Know About Your Busch Gardens Tampa Trip
Now that we have the basics out-of-the-way, let’s go over the most common questions asked about this Busch Gardens upgrade.
Can you buy a Busch Gardens Quick Queue pass at the park itself?
Yes you can. All you have to do is walk up the guest services and ask the person at the counter for your choice of Quick Queue passes.
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Does the price of the Quick Queue pass at Busch Gardens change according to the season?
Yes it does. It is higher in the summer and the so-called ‘Busch Gardens busy season’. Whereas, you can get a lower price for the same passes in winter and the ‘off-season’.
Can I do Busch Gardens in one day?
It can be stressful to try and get on all rides in a single day. However, having a Quick Queue pass will definitely reduce the frustration and stress.
So, yes it is possible to do Busch Gardens in a day but buying a Quick Queue (original) pass should make your life easier.
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Is Quick Queue at Busch Gardens Tampa worth it?
If you are a solo traveler, the answer is one hundred percent yes. There is no need to wait for 90 minutes, when you could skip the line altogether for a few extra bucks.
If you’re only chance to visit this Tampa park is during the busy season, then you must have this pass to make your day easier and to avoid the long Busch Gardens Tampa wait times.
So pull on your sneakers and grab your favorite sunnies, the Quick Queue rides at Busch Gardens are waiting for you!
Until next time, Happy Park Hopping Hipsters!
About the Author
My name is Nikky. I’m a wife, a mother, a pharmacist turned theme park blogger, USA Today 10Best Contributor, and a writer who loves ALL things amusement park related!
Traveling alone to the parks has changed my life and I want to show how you can create your own solo theme park memories.
Connect with me on Instagram!
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(Original Article Date: July 16, 2020/Updated February 15, 2024)