Interesting letter in email from there president, celebrating what happened last year and the year ahead. More interesting park was acknowledging the issues with food and beverage. Hopefully this means this year is better!
BGW Correspondence
- Thread starter tursiops
- Start date
And here's the letter:
February 8, 2023
Dear Valued Member,
On behalf of all of us at Busch Gardens® Williamsburg, thank you for being part of our Membership family. As we look forward to an exciting and fun-filled year ahead, I want to take a moment to celebrate a few milestones from 2022.
Last March, we expanded our award-winning ride portfolio with the opening of Pantheon™, the world’s fastest multi-launch coaster. The celebrations continued with our inaugural Ride the Five coaster anniversary event, highlighting five coasters with milestone years in 2022. In September, we showcased our commitment to being a leader in thrills with the announcement of our tenth roller coaster, DarKoaster™.
While reflecting on the many great memories that last year brought, we know there are opportunities to improve parts of our overall guest experience, especially when it comes to wait times and food and beverage availability. Staffing challenges impacted our operation at times during the year and improving that issue is one of our top priorities. We continue to evaluate our in-park offerings to better suit your needs and we remain focused on delivering the best experience possible during your visits.
Guests can expect improved food and beverage experiences throughout the park in 2023. After the successful opening of Bürgermeister’s Hideaway last year, we are excited to continue offering a rotating seasonal menu with upscale beverage flights and entertainment in the park’s first-ever speakeasy experience. The improvements will continue throughout the park with enhancements being seen from the moment you step into England, as construction has begun on the ever-popular candy shop, M. Sweets Confectionary. We look forward to sharing more on other park renovations in the coming months.
This year also promises the return of the park’s signature event lineup with beloved seasonal festivals like Food & Wine Festival, Summer Nights and Howl-O-Scream®. From Mardi Gras to Christmas Town™, there’s fun for the whole family with new and returning favorite event offerings throughout the year. Let the good times roll at Mardi Gras , every weekend through February 26, with 30+ bayou-inspired flavors, jazzy live music and the popular Carnaval Imaginique cirque show.
Families and thrill lovers alike will enjoy the addition of Busch Gardens’ tenth coaster and all-new dark ride experience, DarKoaster, opening at Busch Gardens this spring. Escape the storm on North America’s first all-indoor straddle coaster while traveling on snowmobiles across 2,454 feet of track through total darkness. As the weather strikes, riders encounter four accelerating launches on this soon-to-be favorite attraction. We are excited to again offer Members early access to our new attraction before it opens to the public, same as in 2022 with the opening of Pantheon.
In addition to being among the first to ride DarKoaster, your Membership offers unbeatable benefits all year long! Enjoy monthly rewards like FREE Busch Gardens Bucks, FREE Food & Wine Festival tasting items, BONUS friends tickets and more. Be sure to follow @BuschGardensVA on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to stay up-to-date on the latest offerings.
Upcoming Member Rewards & Offers:
February
FREE Mardi Gras Tasting Item
Member-Only Mardi Gras Beads
BONUS! FREE DarKoaster specialty beverage
March
FREE Member-Exclusive Shamrock Pin
FREE St. Patrick’s Day Beer
2 for $25 Souvenir Cup Special
Animal Tour Special
April
Save 25% on a Family Fun Tour
For all of the details, log into your Member portal today. We look forward to seeing you at Busch Gardens Williamsburg soon and as always, thank you for your continued support.
Sincerely,
Kyle Miller
Kevin Lembke
Park President
Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Water Country USA
February 8, 2023
Dear Valued Member,
On behalf of all of us at Busch Gardens® Williamsburg, thank you for being part of our Membership family. As we look forward to an exciting and fun-filled year ahead, I want to take a moment to celebrate a few milestones from 2022.
Last March, we expanded our award-winning ride portfolio with the opening of Pantheon™, the world’s fastest multi-launch coaster. The celebrations continued with our inaugural Ride the Five coaster anniversary event, highlighting five coasters with milestone years in 2022. In September, we showcased our commitment to being a leader in thrills with the announcement of our tenth roller coaster, DarKoaster™.
While reflecting on the many great memories that last year brought, we know there are opportunities to improve parts of our overall guest experience, especially when it comes to wait times and food and beverage availability. Staffing challenges impacted our operation at times during the year and improving that issue is one of our top priorities. We continue to evaluate our in-park offerings to better suit your needs and we remain focused on delivering the best experience possible during your visits.
Guests can expect improved food and beverage experiences throughout the park in 2023. After the successful opening of Bürgermeister’s Hideaway last year, we are excited to continue offering a rotating seasonal menu with upscale beverage flights and entertainment in the park’s first-ever speakeasy experience. The improvements will continue throughout the park with enhancements being seen from the moment you step into England, as construction has begun on the ever-popular candy shop, M. Sweets Confectionary. We look forward to sharing more on other park renovations in the coming months.
This year also promises the return of the park’s signature event lineup with beloved seasonal festivals like Food & Wine Festival, Summer Nights and Howl-O-Scream®. From Mardi Gras to Christmas Town™, there’s fun for the whole family with new and returning favorite event offerings throughout the year. Let the good times roll at Mardi Gras , every weekend through February 26, with 30+ bayou-inspired flavors, jazzy live music and the popular Carnaval Imaginique cirque show.
Families and thrill lovers alike will enjoy the addition of Busch Gardens’ tenth coaster and all-new dark ride experience, DarKoaster, opening at Busch Gardens this spring. Escape the storm on North America’s first all-indoor straddle coaster while traveling on snowmobiles across 2,454 feet of track through total darkness. As the weather strikes, riders encounter four accelerating launches on this soon-to-be favorite attraction. We are excited to again offer Members early access to our new attraction before it opens to the public, same as in 2022 with the opening of Pantheon.
In addition to being among the first to ride DarKoaster, your Membership offers unbeatable benefits all year long! Enjoy monthly rewards like FREE Busch Gardens Bucks, FREE Food & Wine Festival tasting items, BONUS friends tickets and more. Be sure to follow @BuschGardensVA on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to stay up-to-date on the latest offerings.
Upcoming Member Rewards & Offers:
February
FREE Mardi Gras Tasting Item
Member-Only Mardi Gras Beads
BONUS! FREE DarKoaster specialty beverage
March
FREE Member-Exclusive Shamrock Pin
FREE St. Patrick’s Day Beer
2 for $25 Souvenir Cup Special
Animal Tour Special
April
Save 25% on a Family Fun Tour
For all of the details, log into your Member portal today. We look forward to seeing you at Busch Gardens Williamsburg soon and as always, thank you for your continued support.
Sincerely,
Kyle Miller
Kevin Lembke
Park President
Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Water Country USA
Total darkness = no themeing... lol jk
"Staffing challenges" aka we had trouble finding people dumb/desperate/thoosie enough to work for peanuts.
Bingo. “Our penny pinching philosophy to increase the bottom line at all costs dictates we won’t pay enough to get workers at the park. Despite our higher pricing and 5% surcharge gouge.”
I was at the park the Tuesday before Christmas and the Only thing open was Fest Haus and the pretzel place. That bad experience plus the 5% gouge caused me to cancel my membership.
I’ll take the Cedar Fair platinum with meals and drinks all in for $450 for the entire year. I have never been to a Cedar Fair park when they did not provide adequate food service despite the fact that they’re giving away food with a meal plan.
Last edited by a moderator:
I had high hopes in reading the letter that it was going to say “We will remove the 5% surcharge in the park.”
i was at the park on a saturday a week or two before halloween, and festhaus had a line back to the arcade and pretzel place was long aswell, and idek if anything else was open.