Coasters and Craft Brews 2020

[BGWnut]

Interesting question. All indications point to this being sold out from a member, legacy pass holder, fun card holder, and single event ticket holder? But, a friend just sent me this. When he added tickets to the cart for 8/8/2020, two reservations for the same day auto-loaded. Could they be blocking previously purchased tickets from reserving and only allowing people who buy tickets expressly for the event to reserve??

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Yes if you purchase a ticket for a specific date you will automatically get a reservation for that day and time slot. They have to be able to sell some tickets to people that don't have either a membership, pass, fun card or existing ticket if this event is to prove feasible.

My biggest fear with this event is pass holders could be booked multiple days in a row and are solely going for rides and just to walk around. I love walking around the park and soaking up the atmosphere as much as the next guy, but if this is the majority of the crowd, the park will close again. I’m hoping they can pull a profit on this so we can see a continuation of this format throughout the year.

I don't even think they would need to pull a profit for them to consider it feasible. It just needs to be ideal enough costs that the losses they incur by operating are less than they incur by not operating.

But that's my fear as well. I have reservations for 3 different days but I fully intend to spend some money while I'm there. But there are probably passholders coming with the intention that you said, they just want to walk around and ride the rides but they won't end up buying anything.

 

[rswashdc]

One thing they may be able to get away with if they continue opening is starting to charge members for tickets at a discount rate - e.g. $10-20 per ticket. I don't think they could have done that initially, but with large demand and it being clear that memberships are being extended, this kind of a change won't be unreasonable.

 

[musicman3204]

@BGWnut thanks for the clarification. I'll let him know he'll get in if he buys a ticket.

 

[Jonesta6]

Unless I'm mistaken, with the current setup there aren't any feasible ways to enforce any no-show policy they may have for ticket holders though honestly I would figure that's a direct financial loss for the no-show so whatever.

However, assuming their system can verify the pass or member ID being scanned in for a given session and compare against the reservations for said session, they could implement a re-visit restriction to maybe 2 weeks after the date of the no-show for their next possible reservation slot if it's available.

However, I wouldn't expect this to work because of the nuances - if you reserved 5 slots for your family (parents + kids) and say a kid or two ended up not coming due to an illness, should they get punished? What about folks who reserve in advance but forgot to cancel until after the session time started - customer service may bend over backwards but technically will their system allow for it?

 

[Ghost of Pretzel Kaiser]

I saw an electronic billboard for the event. Seems to be a bit of a waste of marketing money since the event sold out within hours.

 

[Zachary]

I saw an electronic billboard for the event. Seems to be a bit of a waste of marketing money since the event sold out within hours.

It's likely that BGW had already booked that billboard space well before the event—possibly well before COVID—and, assuming it was one of the digital billboards they like along 64, it just makes sense to swap out the graphic to something relevant.

 

[Nicole]

If @musicman3204 and @BGWnut are right, then there are still tickets available for sale. If that is the case, then the billboards make sense.

 

[musicman3204]

My friend has now bought tickets for Saturday to attend. Will let everyone know if he has any issues.

 

[ToddF]

Seeing as how it's pouring rain, with thunder and lightning, in northern Newport News right now, it will be interesting seeing how BGW plans to keep everyone socially distanced when they have to pack everyone indoors during a thunderstorm. With wet masks which no-one is allowed to remove.

 

[horsesboy]

Over all I was quite pleases with the operations tonight all the lines moved pretty well and at least from what I witnessed there was good social distancing with solid mask usage. As a matter of fact I only recall witnessing one incident of someone not wearing one properly. As a matter of fact I accidently got myself into a little trouble in this front. As I was taking my glasses of to ride Griffin I inadvertently caught the ear piece on the mask strap and pulled it off. In the brief time that it took me to reach up and fix it two different staff members reminded me that I had to wear it. I watched their food operations at both Smoke House and a couple of the other venues and saw very good compliance with both state rules and industry practices.

Not to beat a dead horse but the only real area of concern that I had was Nessie.

 

[Lord Robert]

You know, the fact that only 1 or 2 rides were a cause of concern (according to Twitter) is a good sign all things considered.

 

[Mushroom]

I was extremely impressed by how BGW was running things today. Mask compliance was almost 100%, social distancing was good, rule enforcement was strong, and operations were quick. In particular, I thought the setup they had at the entrance was incredibly well done and thought out.

My biggest complaints are the Nessie situation and how some of the queues weren’t well-marked and modified to accommodate social distancing (mainly Griffon). But those can easily be fixed.

While you could definitely tell you were in a partially closed park - the vibe was certainly not normal - it felt so good to be back home at BGW. And I’m very happy that BGW has put a serious effort into making the park feel safe to return home to.

 

[Findley]

One thing to remember about reservations is that there generally is a bit of padding to account for no shows as it is expected. Airlines frequently use to overbook based on trends in the industry. I got several vouchers for travel this way when the flight was overbooked and I voluntarily gave up my seat.

 

[lilleape]

So I was there from 4:45 until about 8:15. The rides got shut down at one point around 7:30-7:45 due to bad weather in the area but it never actually rained.

The set-up to enter the park is well run. The new scanners at security were great. They repurposed the waiting area for hotel shuttles to be a quasi-queue to get your temp checked, then you go through security. I walked through wearing my backpack and because I didn't alarm, no one had to touch my stuff. Then you walk down the hill and have your pass and reservation scanned at the normal entrance.

The shops have doors designated for entrance only and exit only. Lots of reminder spots on the ground in the ride queues of where to stand. None of the food places had unreasonable lines, even Trappers and we were there right around 6 PM.

Hand sanitizer stations EVERYWHERE. I observed staff cleaning rides about once an hour. Masks for sale in all the shops. I got myself and my kids new masks. We spent a LOT more money than we normally do on a BG visit. My kids were in heaven!

 

[WDWRLD]

So what were the food options? Was it a food and wine festival kinda vibe?

 

[Nicole]

Trappers, Grogans, and one or two drinks stands were open.

Trappers had a reduced menu.

 

[Memles]

So what were the food options? Was it a food and wine festival kinda vibe?

Not at all. There's definitely a beer garden vibe in Killarney with all the tables set up, but there are no additional food stalls added to any areas. They're just running popcorn/turkey legs/churros/etc. out of Brady's (next to Grogan's) and the spot next to the amphitheater in France, and then Three Rivers for Funnel Cakes and the Smokehouse. Basically, they're offering enough iconic "theme park foods" to get people to consider a snack, and then as @Nicole just said a slightly reduced Trapper's menu.

 

[lilleape]

There were pub pretzels in Grogan's, which I don't remember having been there before but I could have honestly missed them. I'm usually just getting a whiskey flight but this pesky pregnancy prevented that this time.

One thing that wasn't really called out on the website, no souvenir cup fills/refills and no souvenir popcorn bucket refills so leave those at home.

 

[BGWnut]

There were pub pretzels in Grogan's, which I don't remember having been there before but I could have honestly missed them. I'm usually just getting a whiskey flight but this pesky pregnancy prevented that this time.

One thing that wasn't really called out on the website, no souvenir cup fills/refills and no souvenir popcorn bucket refills so leave those at home.

They have been there before. If I recall correctly they started selling them last spring/summer

 

[Buschfan777]

Where are the mask relaxation areas located?