I mean if their horrible handling of the memberships in the beginning of the season was any indication, this should have come as no surprise.
Christmas Town 2018
- Thread starter Nicole
- Start date
I mean if their horrible handling of the memberships in the beginning of the season was any indication, this should have come as no surprise.
BGW never said they were eliminating the Christmas Town Fun Card. Quite the opposite in fact. They said it was most likely returning with one very, very important caveat...
The price of this year's Christmas Town Fun Card? $49
The price of last year's Christmas Town Fun Card? $49
After a few calculations, I can confirm with a high degree of certainty that $49 is not "surely [...] more than" $49.
At best, Busch Gardens Williamsburg published misleading information in an attempt to prevent perspective Annual Pass-to-Membership transitioners from being able to do accurate value calculations for year-long BGW admission. At worst, Busch Gardens Williamsburg knowingly and intentionally published false information in an attempt to artificially inflate the value of their new Membership offerings.
Can you tell I'm angry? Because I'm pretty angry.
Busch Gardens Williamsburg said:
The price of this year's Christmas Town Fun Card? $49
The price of last year's Christmas Town Fun Card? $49
After a few calculations, I can confirm with a high degree of certainty that $49 is not "surely [...] more than" $49.
At best, Busch Gardens Williamsburg published misleading information in an attempt to prevent perspective Annual Pass-to-Membership transitioners from being able to do accurate value calculations for year-long BGW admission. At worst, Busch Gardens Williamsburg knowingly and intentionally published false information in an attempt to artificially inflate the value of their new Membership offerings.
Can you tell I'm angry? Because I'm pretty angry.
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When we spoke with them in early 2018, Marketing actually told us that they would not have a Christmas Town Pass, which was the option previously offered to annual pass holders. They hadn't made final decisions about Fun Cards and ticket prices.
As far as I can tell, they are not, in fact, offering the CT Pas this year. My impression is that plans for regular tickets changed somewhere along the line, however.
How have crowds been in the past the the first weekend of December (nov 30 and dec 1, this year)?
Also, we were looking into the Christmas Cheer package but were wondering about the meals that are included. Can we eat anywhere in the park or is it certain places?
Also, we were looking into the Christmas Cheer package but were wondering about the meals that are included. Can we eat anywhere in the park or is it certain places?
Do people that still have the old annual pass get free parking and 10% discount on food/merchandise at Christmas town?
This is however they word it a pass, there should have been only single day tickets sold other than than memberships if you want season long access. I do understand the combo tickets that are offered of 2 or 3 days in combination with other Williamsburg attractions and I think that is a great option for visitors. So in reality those that kept the very old passes that are paying only a few dollars a month pay $49 more and get all of CT, they are still paying way less than members and get season long access.
This is bullshit. The reason my family opted out of our old (and cheaper) pass plan, and paid the extra $60 to spring for unlimited membership over basic membership, was to avoid the CT blackout dates. We could have saved money by keeping our plan (or getting the basic membership) and then buying the Fun Card.
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Hey guys,
Questions if I could pick your brains. We only get the fun cards and never have been to BGW for the holiday. I would really like to take my family. What to expect weather wise and what does the park offer? I live in PA, so its cold as a dragons teet here. What's it like there? Are there rides open?
Thanks.
Questions if I could pick your brains. We only get the fun cards and never have been to BGW for the holiday. I would really like to take my family. What to expect weather wise and what does the park offer? I live in PA, so its cold as a dragons teet here. What's it like there? Are there rides open?
Thanks.
Weather this time of year is a tossup, and can really depend on when you go. I have been to CT wearing shorts and also in the snow. They have a ouple really good shows Scrooge No More and the one in Ireland. They also have a Ice Skating show and a show at the Festhaus, plan ahead as they usually time then to where its hard to see them all if you dont plan showtimes. Other than that this year hopfully there will be a new train ride attraction. The rest of the park is basically a walk through christmas light display. They have Santa (even after Christmas....) but not many rides, in fact only a couple run.
I’m not defending their decision. I am merely addressing the misconception that BGW said that there would not be CT Fun Cards.
There have always been both CT Passes and CT Fun Cards. As I’m sure you know, the passes included pass benefits and were cheaper than the Fun Cards. They got rid of the CT Passes when they created Memberships. Fun Cards, however, have always been for people who don’t have annual passes.
I have never supported any Fun Cards, regardless of the season, and they clearly did not live up to their promise to Members about CT pricing. Regardless, they never said anything about eliminating CT Fun Cards.
They haven’t said anything one way or another, but since pass holders are still supposed to get their grandfathered benefits, you should still get your usual parking and discounts. Just show your pass, when you buy things.
For the weather, I recommend checking the forecast as close to the night of your visit as you can.
There are several shows, but I’m not sure which will be back this year.
You can meet Rudolph and Santa. There is also an outdoor theater that shows a short version of Rudolph with special effects like snow.
There are holiday food and drinks, throughout the park. There is also a refillable hot chocolate mug (but I prefer to fill it with wassail). Naturally, there are several bars with specialty cocktails, as well.
Last year they added cookie decorating.
There are elaborate light displays everywhere. I particularly love the Polar Pathway.
Some of the rides have holiday overlays. Not everything is open, because of weather and maintenance schedules, however.
The train always runs. It appears that this year it might finally be a full drive through light show. In the past there were decorations and carols, but it wasn’t as cool as one might expect.
You can skim the 2017 CT thread for more discussion of the event last year.
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Yea, your right. They didnt say they were doing away with the Fun Cards specifically but they did mention that there would be no CT "passes". I consider the fun card a pass since its good for the entire event. I probably just interperted it wrong but im ny head they way it was presented there would be no season long cards passes or whatever. I feel like they mislead in their posts on Twitter, FB and Instagram in their replied to guests comments on this which weighed on many peoples decision to upgrade to memberships.
Regarding the old annual passes:
The big difference between the CT pass and fun card was that the pass included the parking and discounts, but fun card did not. I don't think it ever said, explicitly, that the old annual pass included CT parking and CT discounts, though it did give you the option of getting the CT pass (and then you get the parking and discounts).
We are one of those that chose to do the membership, and give up the old pass, because of CT being included.
If old annual pass members are not given parking and discounts with the purchase of the $49 fun card, then I will feel ok with this. CT parking and discounts more than makes up for the increase I'm paying to switch to the pass, even with the availability of the $49 fun card.
If I still would have gotten parking and discounts, then I'm pissed.
The big difference between the CT pass and fun card was that the pass included the parking and discounts, but fun card did not. I don't think it ever said, explicitly, that the old annual pass included CT parking and CT discounts, though it did give you the option of getting the CT pass (and then you get the parking and discounts).
We are one of those that chose to do the membership, and give up the old pass, because of CT being included.
If old annual pass members are not given parking and discounts with the purchase of the $49 fun card, then I will feel ok with this. CT parking and discounts more than makes up for the increase I'm paying to switch to the pass, even with the availability of the $49 fun card.
If I still would have gotten parking and discounts, then I'm pissed.
This has never actually been true.
The Christmas Town Pass provided admission and your typical pass benefits. That said, your normal annual pass also provided all normal pass benefits other than admission.
In other words, someone with an annual pass always had access to all of their typical annual pass benefits (free parking, 10% discounts, etc.) during Christmas Town regardless of what kind of admission they used to enter the gate (single day ticket, fun card, etc.).
If BGW has changed that policy, it would be a removal of benefits that annual pass members always previously enjoyed. If they did that, it would be in direct contradiction to their statements when the Membership Program launched.
Interesting.
I thought the details of the annual pass always said something along the lines of, "Christmas Town not included," as a blanket statement, which, to me, would imply all benefits do not apply to CT.
Was the extension of parking/discount benefits to annual passes an explicit benefit given to annual passes?
Or, was it more of an assumption that most annual pass members who attended CT would get a CT pass, given the CT pass was less than a general 1 day ticket, and therefore not worth the effort of going into the system to take the parking/discounts away from the annual passes for the season (and perhaps have to reimburse parking for members who purchased their CT pass upon arrival)?
The annual pass benefits were available to al, pass holders during Christmas Town, regardless of what type of ticket they used.
Wow.. they literally say Membership is “the most economical” way to get CT, and then come back 8 months later with the exact same Fun card offer as last year. If I had switched from one of the cheapest grandfathered passes, I would be h-o-t! It really does seem like willful misdirecting on BG’s part. Or at least very poor projection/planning.
Fun Cards are separate of passes/memberships - they have been offered for every season, there is no reason not to expect one for winter/christmas.
depending on your membership, it is a economical way to get CMT if you also want everything else that comes with the membership.
depending on your membership, it is a economical way to get CMT if you also want everything else that comes with the membership.
I think the complaint here isn't the existence of the Fun Cards, it's that they're the same price as previous years. The park specifically stated that it would be more economical to purchase a new Membership because they would be increasing the Fun Card prices as an incentive, but it turns out many of us would have saved a great deal of money and kept our old plans had the park been truthful.
More than that, several times they told us that CT ticket prices would increase significantly this year. Instead, Fun Cards cost the same as last year. There are several possible explanations; none of them reflect well on BGW.
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