TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — A lot of angry thrill seekers are venting at Busch Gardens after the Florida theme park let guests in despite a power outage that shut down rides.
The Tampa theme park announced on Twitter Saturday morning that power was out. It was fielding complaints hours later from people who paid for parking and admission and weren’t able to get on rides.
Tickets to the park cost $104.99 at the gate. Parking is $20. Some guests responded to the park’s Twitter post that they were leaving with no refund.
https://twitter.com/Jaggerace/status/995313948990869504
Those of you heading out to @BuschGardens please note that power is out. They’re letting you into the park. If power doesn’t come back on they will give you a free 2nd day visit if asked for as a park rep just informed me! Animals and Food are all up and running! #BuschGardens pic.twitter.com/PCxcMOuWUq
— CoasterFr3ak (@ucfjav) May 12, 2018
The park tweeted just before 1:30 p.m. that some animal habitats and two restaurants had power restored. It encouraged guests to come and enjoy free beer.
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is experiencing a power outage, today, May 12. We are currently delaying entry into the park, and our ambassadors are working with TECO to restore power as soon as possible.
— Busch Gardens Tampa Bay (@BuschGardens) May 12, 2018
Outage caused by squirrel ! Per Teco: The outage at Busch Gardens was caused by a squirrel in the substation. Busch Gardens was the only customer affected by the outage to this circuit. We have dispatched a crew and hope to have the park back in service this afternoon.
@BN9— Katie Jones (@KJones821) May 12, 2018
