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They attempted repeatedly to make it more desirable with various updates, format changes, and menu overhauls and, right before COVID hit, the park was about to embark on another renovation.

Ultimately, the restaurant is just currently locationally doomed in my opinion. Roman Rapids operates for only a handful of months each year and, without it (and even sometimes with it these days), there just isn't enough foot traffic to justify a restaurant back there.

Plus, post-COVID, BGW has decided to operate with dramatically reduced dining capacity—effectively vacating a number of dining locations, downsizing others, and operating the others with dramatically reduced capacity. If BGW decided they wanted more dining capacity again, it would make much more sense to open additional food lines at Festhaus/Trapper's, reopen locations like Grogan's Grill, or convert Josephine's or the like back to a restaurant than it would to try to make La Cucina functional.
Why can't they use roman rapid queue for rudolph fo get more people back there?

I think iv'e at everywhere besides that spot haha
 
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I think it would do well to downsize the event a little, geographically, like it used to be. Take Italy/Festa out of the running entirely, and have the railroad and skyride stations serve their respective villages like normal (except Festa).

Then you can take whatever decorations that were in Italy and decorate a little more densely in the other villages.
 
The issue with downsizing the event would be how much more congested the park would get with a fairly large area like Holiday Hills (Festa) closed down. There are nights during CT where it already feels overcrowded as it currently stands.

I don’t disagree that there should be some significant changes, though. I just think closing Festa during CT entirely would create more problems than solve.
 
They attempted repeatedly to make it more desirable with various updates, format changes, and menu overhauls and, right before COVID hit, the park was about to embark on another renovation.

Ultimately, the restaurant is just currently locationally doomed in my opinion. Roman Rapids operates for only a handful of months each year and, without it (and even sometimes with it these days), there just isn't enough foot traffic to justify a restaurant back there.

Plus, post-COVID, BGW has decided to operate with dramatically reduced dining capacity—effectively vacating a number of dining locations, downsizing others, and operating the ones that are open with dramatically reduced capacity. If BGW decided they wanted more dining capacity again, it would make much more sense to open additional food lines at Festhaus/Trapper's, reopen locations like Grogan's Grill, or convert Josephine's or the like back to a restaurant than it would to try to make La Cucina functional.
The first few years Dasher's Diner was open, more often than not, there was a line of people waiting to get in. That line disappeared after the food quality/selection was greatly diminished in the last year or two of its operation. Of course, then, the park "decided" that Dasher's Diner wasn't popular enough to keep.

Charge $30-$35pp, include soups, salad, a carving station, and a variety of sides, and it would be packed again.
 
The issue with downsizing the event would be how much more congested the park would get with a fairly large area like Holiday Hills (Festa) closed down. There are nights during CT where it already feels overcrowded as it currently stands.

I don’t disagree that there should be some significant changes, though. I just think closing Festa during CT entirely would create more problems than solve.

Very true. The park is not built to handle crowds well with its narrow pathways. Reducing the size of the event would just make it absolutely more miserable on crowded days.
 
Sadly we are booked for Sunday. Is it wishful thinking on my part that when the rides are closed they move people around to optimize f&b. It's looking like it will never cross 39 degrees now, which is going to make my kids sad that they won't get to ride much.
 
Also, when Scrooge comes out towards the end to go to the Crackett's house, he doesn't wear the scarf Bella gave him anymore. Weird oversight they need to bring back. Him wearing it at the end was a nice, warm, visualization of his change.
I just edited a video with two different angles from two showings. It seems to be an issue with quick change timing. The 11/14 show he was wearing his gray coat and no scarf in the finale, but in the 12/09 video he was wearing his red coat with the scarf. I think it may depend on the actor and how comfortable they are with a quick change.
Left is 11/14, right is 12/09 bows.
Screenshot 2025-12-11 11.23.30 AM.png
 
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To be fair, F&B employees and ride employees are in completely separate departments, answering up to different management and — importantly — getting paid out of a different budget. So it’s not just a matter of training but a matter of logistics and expenses.

Ideally, if a ride closes they would move those ops to another ride they’re cross trained on, or move them out to sweeping the paths or cleaning the bathrooms or something. That’s how KD would do it when I worked there. Of course, during winter operations where a lot of rides might close at once when the temperatures get too low, BGW probably just sends people home.
 
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Yes. I don't think I know of any cross-training that has ever occured between operations and culinary.
They should take a page out of Universal’s playbook—F&B there often has shifts that anyone can pick up and they’ll show you what to do when you get there. It can be anything from hosting, to busing tables, to serving food on the serving lines.
Ideally, if a ride closes they would move those ops to another ride they’re cross trained on, or move them out to sweeping the paths or cleaning the bathrooms or something. That’s how KD would do it when I worked there. Of course, during winter operations where a lot of rides might close at once when the temperatures get too low, BGW probably just sends people home.
This is pretty much how it goes. Area 2 (New France, France, and Alpie) will send their people to the train and Skyride (provided they’re trained there, of course) on top of going to do park quality (sweeping and such) before sending people home.
 
They should take a page out of Universal’s playbook—F&B there often has shifts that anyone can pick up
Is it wishful thinking on my part that when the rides are closed they move people around to optimize f&b
F&B at BGW also pays $15/hr whereas ride operations only pays $13/hr. I think the wages would have to be equalized before it would even be remotely possible to just move someone to a different department making a totally different wage for a couple hours.
 
F&B at BGW also pays $15/hr whereas ride operations only pays $13/hr. I think the wages would have to be equalized before it would even be remotely possible to just move someone to a different department making a totally different wage for a couple hours.

This shouldn't be an issue at all. There would just be another line item at a different pay rate.
 
As far as I'm aware, BGW already does let departments charge out to different departments for a shift. A lot of my coworkers do it and have a good time doing it. They work in the morning and then charge out to F&B to make their wage for another shift but out of F&B budget. Operations usually charges to Entertainment to help with decorating if they choose to. Most choose to go home.
 
This shouldn't be an issue at all. There would just be another line item at a different pay rate.
I meant more because normally if people in ops are sent to a different ride/area host/park quality/etc, their supervisors just add another line item to their shift and somewhat guess what time they probably moved. If someone is sent to F&B at roughly 3 pm, who's to say they aren't accidentally marked as going at 2:45 or 3:15, and then their pay is wrong. It could be solved by just adding a new shift and having the person clock out and back in, but that seems more clunky than what it's worth.

It's a different story if you are intentionally scheduled for 2 different shifts like what @AIR described above, but if you are forced to go to a different department making a different wage it seems like it could cause some issues. The other thing as well is what about the vice-versa, if someone in ride ops chooses to pick up a shift on F&B expecting $15/hr for the day, and then is told they are being moved to $13/hr ride ops for the day.
 
I can’t speak to BGW, but at a park I worked at we would be paid the same rate, it would just be coming out of the other departments payroll.
This is how it is for BGW too. But when rides close, for instance, operators can't necessarily just jump into another position at their choosing. They're typically sent home or offered a different position if available.
 
I went on the 14th. I had dated tickets for a while now because it was my youngest's birthday. If I would have known the weather would be so cold, I would not have purchased them. We made the best of it though. Finally saw Scrooge No More and caught the Festhaus show. I do have issues with a ticket including X, but only being able to receive Y with no way to substitute. I know weather can't be controlled but come on. When rides are closed and the park is closing early, offer up a free drink or something especially to daily/ pre-purchased tickets. I bet they knew before the park was opened that it would close early. Customer service goes a long way for me and they are far from getting me to become a member again. There needs to be at LEAST one more indoor attraction!

The lights.... The main reason we go to this event. I'm just not impressed anymore. The number of strands out and the overall lack of lights is sad. The P in on the peace on earth sign had issues. The train had an entire "tunnel wall" section out. Darkoaster is a missed opportunity to have a xmas overlay. Verbolten should be taken into consideration with the retheme to have an easy means of changing it for the season.

I'm disappointed with the park and how they handle the cold for the employees. Once you are in the 30s, outdoor locations should be set up with some sort of heaters. Sitting/Standing in the cold is not fun. Yes, employees should know how to dress appropriately but come on BGW. Cashiers in Italy shouldn't be exposed like they are. Gas lines are already in the location, hopefully the pipes can support a few more heaters.

Food. I purchased a dinning plan and got to use it 2 times. I think it covered the cost. I got the Christmas dinner at Festhaus. What a load of crap on a plate. They were out of mashed potatoes, the vegetables tasted funny and the chicken barely had any meat. The mac & cheese was edible only because I refused to waste money. We got a salad with turkey as well and even the turkey seemed like poor quality lunch meat. It's sad that the only thing we got enjoyable are the things that aren't good for you like hot chocolate and the black forest cake. I still remember when you got a decent slab of cake instead of a large cupcake.

Not xmas town related but ride ops in general. Darkoaster. If you have someone sitting before the steps to the loading platform, their job should include telling people, you need to place X in the bin. My eyeglasses were on my face the entire time. Tell me to do something with them instead of me sitting down and then being told to remove them with no safe spot to place them at that point. My glasses aren't falling off my face on any of the rides in the park and certainly not that one. My wife had an issue with her purse which can be worn like a hip bag/fanny pack and she's done this on other occasions and it was never an issue. Ride lockers need to be free, I'm going to die on that hill.

This was our first time back at this event in a few years and we'll probably stay away again. I want to check out Hershey's event. I received a survey and I was brutally honest about the food. I fear with no competition now, they have zero reason to make this better.

I got to hand it to the 3 man band that was playing in France around 7:30 pm. I didn't get to catch any of it, but I don't know how they were able to strum a guitar and play drums in this temp.
 
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