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glissade13

Dec 28, 2011
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Check this out. On BGW's Facebook wall they posted this link to a glowing review of Christmastown on some unknown website called supernovamommy.com

Here's the article
http://www.supernovamommy.com/2012/11/24/busch-gardens-williamsburg-christmas-town-review/

Here's the funny part. At the bottom of this amazing review the author states the following : "My family received complimentary park admission, Quick Queue option 1, a Penguin Insider Tour, and an overnight stay in a Williamsburg area hotel as compensation for this review. All opinions in the article are my own."
 
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RE: Christmas Town 2012

I honestly find stuff like this sickening. It's crap like this that gives bloggers a bad name. I will never let BGWFans (or any other ParkFans site) go down that path. That's a promise.

The staff did an excellent job to keep things moving right along, and the longest we ever had to wait for an attraction was only approximately fifteen minutes. I was very impressed!
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Yeah, must be really nice to be given free QuickQueue. I'm sure those gave you a great way to gauge and experience the wait times. Must have been nice not to have to wait in a line for Gloria that stretched all the way through the Wild Reserve or a line for the penguins that stretched all the way back to the entrance of the RPT.

SuperNovaMommy, your review is bad and you should feel bad.

Busch Gardens, you're playing dirty, dirty games here. The good news is that this site will continue to receive exponentially more views than any of those bloggers you've bought good reviews from ever will.
 
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RE: Christmas Town 2012

Why are we fans again?

EDIT: Look at it like this, if you purchase all that, you will have the same amazing experience :p
 
RE: Christmas Town 2012

Where can I get in line for that treatment. Guys it's called PR and what BGW is doing is one of the oldest tricks in the book. Don't bust on them for making good investments. It helps bring the GP in the door with open wallets. BGW is a business after all.
 
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RE: Christmas Town 2012

Just because she doesn't go out of her way to piss off the park at every chance she gets doesn't mean she's a bad blogger...
 
RE: Christmas Town 2012

You were there on Black Friday just like I was. We all know that review couldn't have come from any normal person who was at the park that night.
 
Re: Christmas Town 2012

And if you buy a QQ and tour, you can experience what she did as well. The most she can really be faulted for is not putting the disclaimer more up front.

Edit: Also, that blog isn't for us. It's for the GP. You know, the majority of the park's visitors. It's called PR as indicated above.
 
RE: Christmas Town 2012

No, because you still have to deal with absurdly packed paths, lines for pretzels that stretch to the sitting area behind the pretzel shop, etc. There's no mention of a single fault in that review of her's. We were there that day. We both clearly saw faults. Overall, I think this year's Christmas Town is pretty fantastic, but it's not some mind-blowing experience- especially not that night.
 
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RE: Christmas Town 2012

The response to Christmas Town this year from the forums seems to be very positive. Same was true for Howl-O-Scream when they got themselves in order.
 
Re: Christmas Town 2012

That is true, but people were complaining about HoS until the end. Not to mention that people would rather complain about minor scenery changes than praise the park about the fantastic new ride.

Point being, mommyblog's audience and bgwfans' audience are two different groups. Don't get upset when the park uses PR to attract the more profitable crowd.
 
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RE: Christmas Town 2012

This isn't PR, this is paying for a good review. If you give people like that free tickets, I don't have a real problem with it (as long as that person does the right thing and freely admits that they were given free admission). My issue comes with the up-charge items they were given. Things like free QuickQueue are a blatant attempt at distorting the actual in-park experience.
 
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Re: Christmas Town 2012

That's kind of the definition of PR, to attract people to your business.
 
RE: Christmas Town 2012

jmu2011 said:
Where can I get in line for that treatment. Guys it's called PR and what BGW is doing is one of the oldest tricks in the book. Don't bust on them for making good investments. It helps bring the GP in the door with open wallets. BGW is a business after all.
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Even if it is like selling your soul to Satan for quicker playtime with penguins? :evilgrin:

PzP said:
Just because she doesn't go out of her way to piss off the park at every chance she gets doesn't mean she's a bad blogger...
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True... but it does speak to her credibility. Anybody can paint pretty pictures for special treatment. Assuming anyone in the GP reads the article, they will be misled into believing misinformation in regards to waiting times, etc.

You know what, one thing that really throws up a red flag for me besides all of the fluff (because I too was there from 2pm to closing) is the final sentence in the article's disclaimer.

Quote:
"My family received complimentary park admission, Quick Queue option 1, a Penguin Insider Tour, and an overnight stay in a Williamsburg area hotel as compensation for this review. All opinions in the article are my own."

Any time you have to qualify your statement by saying something like that makes me wonder why you have to say it in the first place. It sounds like a used car salesmen who says to you, "TRUST ME. This is a really good car. It won't break down on you or anything. It will run forever!" I have to call BS when I see stuff like that.

You know what else? After thinking about it some more I have decided that we are all being way too harsh on this blogger. Is it possible that they think that everyone in the park receives the same treatment that they did when they buy a ticket because it is a package deal that comes with options? I had the Pass Member BOGO deal with QQ & Santa's Fireside Feast and... wait a minute!! Nope. That was in a dream where money was no consideration (I did get the BOGO deal though). :cool:

And oh yeah, does anyone know if this is correct:
Quote:
"We were there on the “most crowded night of Christmas Town” ever..."
Really?
 
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RE: Christmas Town 2012

Nothing, I repeat NOTHING, is wrong with that review. The writer included that he/she was received compensation for the authoring of the review. So long as that disclaimer is included then there is no issue to be found. The real issue exists where the writers are compensated and no disclaimer is included. That and only that is where it is against journalism ethics.

Zachary said:
This isn't PR, this is paying for a good review. If you give people like that free tickets, I don't have a real problem with it (as long as that person does the right thing and freely admits that they were given free admission). My issue comes with the up-charge items they were given. Things like free QuickQueue are a blatant attempt at distorting the actual in-park experience.
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I was there the night that that blogger was in park. Quick Queue did not a bit of difference. Everything was walk on that night so QQ is irrelevant. Had it been on Friday I would agree. Since it was not I feel strongly it is a very accurate review. The disclaimer was submitted so no issue is to be found. If you want real Social Media blunders with no disclaimer I certainly can link more than a few.
 
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RE: Christmas Town 2012

Atlantis said:
I was there the night that that blogger was in park. Quick Queue did not a bit of difference. Everything was walk on that night so QQ is irrelevant. Had it been on Friday I would agree. Since it was not I feel strongly it is a very accurate review.
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May I recommend reading the review? First sentence:

We skipped the malls and “decked the halls” this Black Friday by scoping out Christmas Town in Busch Gardens Williamsburg.
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RE: Christmas Town 2012

Zachary said:
May I recommend reading the review? First sentence:
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Must have mixed it up with a review posted here. Either way, with QQ or not there are days in the park where QQ is not needed in the slightest form. If it were a Disney case where it was slammed everyday with crowds then I would take issue with it. However that is not the case as CT will and has had days of low attendance.
 
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