Busch Gardens Tampa Bay’s free first responder ticket ran for one week, 5/17 through 5/23, and it has ended. Williamsburg’s first responder page names an offer but prints no terms we could read. So there’s no first responder ticket to claim today, and the route that checks out is cash back: Fluz sells Busch Gardens gift cards that earn cash back.
The Tampa Bay page is still up, which makes it easy to mistake for a live deal. Here’s what it said, so you know what to look for if another window opens, and what to do until then.
How To Get The Busch Gardens First Responder Discount
With no offer running, the way to come out ahead today is cash back on the tickets you were going to buy:
- Create a free Fluz account, or sign in if you already have one.
- Open Fluz’s Busch Gardens page and buy an e-gift card. Fluz delivers it digitally to your account.
- Fluz says the cards are redeemable online only, so buy your tickets on Busch Gardens’ website with the card, not at the gate.
- Check the cash back figure on Fluz’s page the day you buy, because it moves.
Fluz ranks first on our list of cash back partners and it has a Busch Gardens offer of its own, so it’s where we send you. We don’t print a rate here for that reason. Rakuten also has a Busch Gardens store page if you’d rather use it. Use one route per order, and don’t click through a second site partway through checkout.
What The Tampa Bay Offer Looked Like
The page offered eligible first responders one free ticket to Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, plus up to three discounted dependent tickets for $59.99 each. You registered through ID.me during a window of 5/17 through 5/23, and tickets had to be claimed and used by 5/23. The page said any first responder nationwide could claim it.
The rules were strict. You had to pre-register online, because the offer wasn’t available at the park, and the page said registration wasn’t available at any ticket window. Each first responder also had to create their own ID.me account. The window is over, and the page doesn’t say whether another one is planned.
Williamsburg
Busch Gardens Williamsburg has its own first responder page. It says the park is proud to support first responders with this special offer, and it explains that ID.me verifies your status. That’s all the text says: no percentage, no dates, no ticket limits. The offer may sit behind the ID.me button, but we couldn’t confirm what it gives you, so don’t plan a trip around it until you’ve seen the terms on the page.
Waves of Honor, the program Busch Gardens advertises on its military page, is for members of the armed forces and their families, not first responders.
Q&A
Q: Does Busch Gardens have a first responder discount right now?
A: We couldn’t confirm one. Tampa Bay’s window ended on 5/23, and Williamsburg’s page prints no terms.
Q: What did the Tampa Bay offer include?
A: One free ticket for the first responder and up to three discounted dependent tickets for $59.99 each, claimed through ID.me.
Q: Could I buy it at the gate?
A: No. The page said you had to pre-register online and that it wasn’t available at the park.
Q: Where does the cash back come from?
A: From Fluz, which sells Busch Gardens e-gift cards and credits you cash back on the purchase. Rakuten lists Busch Gardens too.
Q: Can I use the gift card at the park entrance?
A: Fluz says the cards are redeemable online only, so buy your tickets on Busch Gardens’ site.
Q: Is there another park with a first responder offer?
A: SeaWorld has first responder pages too, though the ones we read have ended. See our SeaWorld first responder discount page.
More Information:
Busch Gardens’ offers and each cash back site’s terms can change, so check them before you book. You can also see it alongside other options in Planning a Vacation? Don’t Miss These First Responder Travel Discounts. For more days out, browse our entertainment discounts.