COVID-19’s Impacts on BGW
- Thread starter WDWRLD
- Start date
Aerosmith wrote a song about your federal response wish...it's called Dream On.
I think you don't quite understand how a response to an emergency crisis should work? Yes, at any time during an emergency crisis you should be flexible and able to make changes as the situation evolves. However, there are certain things that are rigid and standard that do not change. Such as, how to count people who have the virus and then died as a result of said virus. I can not possibly imagine any other way to change how you count that? It is pretty straight forward. They either have it or don't. They either died from it or they don't. There is no flexibility there.
So since the discussions have slowed down since last weeks news, I’m wondering what everyone thinks about what’s next here. We know WCUSA is likely to remain closed for 2020. Given the surging of cases in a majority of the country, I’m wondering if we will even see Busch Gardens attempt to open at all for 2020.
The Governor also warned today that he could roll back restrictions at any time, which to me sounds like he may he saying enjoy phase three safely, but it may not last long. It seems inevitable that Virginia will also have more trouble with increasing cases in the near future.
The Governor also warned today that he could roll back restrictions at any time, which to me sounds like he may he saying enjoy phase three safely, but it may not last long. It seems inevitable that Virginia will also have more trouble with increasing cases in the near future.
Considering they rolled back many of the phase 3 guidelines to almost a phase 2.5 I’m going to go ahead and say BGW won’t open this year at all.
How long can the park go without opening - if they can't open until 2021 (or can't open without capacity restrictions that put them in the red), how soon before we start worrying that they'd either shutter rides and/or sections of the park, sell rides, or simply close permanently?
Depends how much cash they can raise and what their burn rate is. A big signal will be what their operating margins look like at the parks that are open. If those numbers are bad and their EBITDA is negative for those parks, things could go south fast burning through cash with few if any lenders willing to provide them more debt. OTOH, if the open parks margins are high enough, they shouldn’t have problems financing operating costs for the closed parks for a longer period.
Placing this here as it pertains to the expenditures of the park but I am hearing so very worrisome RUMORS but from people that usually have fairly decent info sources about the state of the zoo side of the park. I again stress this is RUMOR and not fact as the person who told me while reliable told me they were only about 75% sure in the info. My understand is that the park has lost several wolves and may be down to as little as one pair of them. This was through a combination of illness, and old age in one case. I have also been informed that that the park is looking for homes for at least a few of the Clydesdales. So brace yourselves when we finally go back to the park zoo may have taken an even greater hit.
I wonder if BGW will ever just cut their losses with the zoological part of the park entirely. It’s clearly not a core part of the park’s business, and with many of the animal attractions already ousted from the park, it’s hardly marketable anymore either. The animals are a lovely part of what makes BGW special, and I’d be sad to see them go, don’t get me wrong. But if the chain is hurting for money, pulling the plug on the already dwindling animal presence at BGW wouldn’t be shocking to me. I’m sure individual guests would be devastated by the loss, but by and large, I don’t think the animals are what bring most guests through the turnstiles, and I don’t think losing the animals would keep most guests from coming.
And yes, I know “conservation” is a core message of SEAS. But what does that really mean? Is every property of the company really obligated to live up to that corporate-level buzzword? I‘d point to Sesame Place and a handful of SEAS water parks as evidence that not every SEAS property has to uphold “conservation” via live animal encounters.
And yes, I know “conservation” is a core message of SEAS. But what does that really mean? Is every property of the company really obligated to live up to that corporate-level buzzword? I‘d point to Sesame Place and a handful of SEAS water parks as evidence that not every SEAS property has to uphold “conservation” via live animal encounters.
I to would be sad to see the go but I feeling like we are headed that way and honestly at the moment with the current situation I am not sure I blame them if the do decide to pull it as long as they do so in a manner that is responsible for the animals.
I wouldn't worry about them not opening up for 2020. SEAS said they had the cash to last through the end of 2021. That shows me, that it is feasible for them to reopen in 2021, if need be.
Sadly I would have to agree that the rumors of more removals of the zoological elements of the park may be true. It’s a shame but I understand the financial situation the company is in right now.
On a different note- what condition are some of the rides right now? I know some of them ran during training before the Covid closures happened in March, but with maintenance furloughed are trains of coasters still sitting on track in the same place since March? How would they prepare the rides for winter if the park doesn’t reopen this year without maintenance personnel on payroll?
The longer this goes, the more expensive it gets to reopen the park from the maintenance side of things I would assume.
On a different note- what condition are some of the rides right now? I know some of them ran during training before the Covid closures happened in March, but with maintenance furloughed are trains of coasters still sitting on track in the same place since March? How would they prepare the rides for winter if the park doesn’t reopen this year without maintenance personnel on payroll?
The longer this goes, the more expensive it gets to reopen the park from the maintenance side of things I would assume.
Nope. There is still a skeleton crew on site doing everything required to prevent any sort of long term damage.
