Last time it was mostly my shortcomings that couldn't eek out a good time while visiting Busch Gardens. Heat sensitivity, blood sugar issues, hangover, fatigue and a whole heapin' spoonful of social anxiety. This time though, I blame the world. And Mother Nature.
Unlike the heat and humidity of my last attempt, that wasn't the big thing, (oh, mind you, it's still hot and humid, just not so bad as that weekend in July) it was the rain. Our usual quickie rainstorms in the mid afternoon lasted consistently on and off throughout the afternoon and well into the evening. Only now around 10pm does it seem fine. Figures. Nevertheless, I was dealing with downpour after downpour during my drive to (and subsequently from) Tampa. I planned on walking to the park from my booked (and paid for?) room nearby but I would have been soaked either during that walk or while touring the attractions in the park or on the walk back to the hotel. Either way, I wasn't having any of it.
I booked the hotel last week and I was sure they had pre-charged me as I'm accustomed to but the dude at the plexiglass (bulletproof?) barricaded front desk (Covid safety guards or sketchy motel safety guards, I wonder?) said I hadn't paid so I did then. No more than 15 minutes later I was back at the desk asking for a refund which, it looked like, he gave me without a blink of an eye. (This place is a freakin' dump and he must know it.) Come to find out, I have two charges for this room on my credit card, neither one credited back! They're still pending so we'll see what happens but you know I'm disputing the charge(s) if they go through.
So yet another Busch Gardens visit ruined. And the second time in almost TWENTY FUCKING YEARS I try to check out their Howl-O-Scream event. Last time was when Ric, Gary and I tried to do so back in 2002! I wrote about that interesting night here.
I should have got a Fun Pass at their other park, SeaWorld in Orlando. I know that park more intimately and the area is very safe with lots of competitively priced yet clean and decent hotel accommodations nearby. Unlike this shithole area of Tampa near Busch Gardens. Welp. hindsight is twenty twenty, right? Know this, I'm not going to make this mistake again. If I ever do decide to come back, it's only if I can get the ticket for the Howl-O-Scream deferred to another night, maybe closest to Halloween when it's less rainy and I'll just drive home afterwards.
Meanwhile on the other ruined vacation that was also supposed to start today...here's a current-time Cruise Tracker of the ship I was booked on until this crazy Covid testing shit got outta hand making me cancel.
Instead of sipping a Heine here at home like I am, I could have been sipping one on the Lido deck or from the comfort of my upgraded balcony cabin. Damn my luck sucks lately, which is also why I didn't bother stopping at Hard Rock while up in Tampa. It would have just been more money down the freakin' drain.