The only bright spot I can think of is as someone who doesn't go to Water Country, the crowds may be slightly smaller at BGW?
Free WCUSA Pass With BGW Fun Card Purchase
- Thread starter Zachary
- Start date
I'm going to be sad when Water Country USA opens. The only good times to go would be in the early mornings before noon, two hours prior to closing, or on days that forecast rain. I seriously hate how crowded it gets there and the lines are miserable. I would pay for Quick Queue, too bad the unlimited Quick Queue is only good for like four of the slides.
This really won't help Busch Gardens either. It just gives more people the chance to come to both parks for a really cheap price plus parking if they even decide to park. They could take the bus or walk in.
This really won't help Busch Gardens either. It just gives more people the chance to come to both parks for a really cheap price plus parking if they even decide to park. They could take the bus or walk in.
I'm sure they'd include it for passmembers if it they wouldn't lose so much money doing it. It would completely annihilate potential profits because the locals are the ones who have passes. Giving it away to free to the otherwise non local traffic encourages multi-day visits and multiple throughout the summer.
Not saying its not a bad PR move how they handled it... But short of restructuring their whole ticketing system for the chain, it's probably the best they can do to bring in some quick profit. Besides, with how often some of us visit the park, you could buy a water country pass with the money you save in parking alone.
Not saying its not a bad PR move how they handled it... But short of restructuring their whole ticketing system for the chain, it's probably the best they can do to bring in some quick profit. Besides, with how often some of us visit the park, you could buy a water country pass with the money you save in parking alone.
I should just cancel all but one of my passes, and replace them with Fun Cards. I could use the remaining pass for free parking and in-park discounts, and save a bundle. Thanks, BGW!
Joe said:
Joe, businesses have to adjust their prices to get their income. Complaining and sighing won't do any good, but I do agree they should take their pass holders more seriously.
Zachary said:
From the promotion, I understood the Fun Card got this advantage.
A fun card is still a pass member, just the lowest you can be. While this may not be everybody's preference, I'm fine with a free water park option with BGT. And even if I went to WCUSA, I would still find this intriguing.
P.S. My name is Jonathan. No second h in Jonathan
JBusch16 said:
This is so wrong I really do not know where to begin.
Fun Cards are NOT passes! They NEVER were and hopefully NEVER will be. Do you know why they are not passes? Because the park doesn't classify them as passes and they are no where near the basic idea of a pass.
Let me start by saying when you go to the park's website, scroll over Buy Tickets & Passes and you will see that Fun Cards are listed under tickets. The Fun Card is nothing more than a multi-day ticket option. The park doesn't classify it as a pass, nor should anyone else. If it were a pass it would be called the Fun Pass, but it's not! It's a Fun Card.
Next, all passes meet basic criteria. They all offer admission for an entire year (12 months) or for the parks normal operating season. They all offer benefits of some kind. Parking, Merch, Food, something. Fun Card holders aren't even invited to Pass Member events.
I am not going to trash on this deal because it is just that, an amazing deal. It has it's drawbacks, but its great for any non-daily visitor. The only thing I truly hate about this is that it packs more people in the park, especially in a water park that is already typically packed every day.
Why is it too expensive to extend the dual park option to passholders? Is it because we tend to live closer to the parks and would use the option more often? I do also realize this would negate some of the value of the Plat pass.
Second question: I have not really analyzed the Fun Card. To cover a full season at BGW, would that require the purchase of 3 fun cards (summer, HOS, and CT)? Would that cost exceed a Silver Pass?
Second question: I have not really analyzed the Fun Card. To cover a full season at BGW, would that require the purchase of 3 fun cards (summer, HOS, and CT)? Would that cost exceed a Silver Pass?
Party Rocker said:
No.
I rarely jump into these arguments but by GIVING Fun Card holders a major park perk (free admission) they have essentially become passes. Don't try to sugarcoat this.
^ I tend to agree. You can call it what you want, but if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's probably in my backyard and named "Leroy."
What are we talking about again?
What are we talking about again?
I'm sure I could go on the website and find this info but I figured I'd just ask here- when exactly are the Fun Cards good for? Do they start at the beginning of the season and extend up until Howl-o-Scream begins?
Sky said:
Admission is not a 'perk'. Admission is what you are paying for. A perk is free parking. A perk is exclusive ride nights. A perk is discounts on other things. Fun Cards are nothing more than a elongated multi-day ticket used to get people through the doors for maybe a few days out of the Spring/Summer, Fall, or Winter. An annual pass is a membership to obtain benefits. It is more than just admission.
Bottom line, it is not a pass, not even by the park's standards.
Geo, yes if you wanted to use Fun Cards all year, you would have to buy three. One for Spring & Summer, one for Fall, and one for Winter. The total cost would be approximately $182. For comparison:
Fun Cards purchased all year: $182
1 - park pass plus CMT: $162
2 - park pass plus CMT: $210
Platinum pass plus CMT: $246
I don't have the Christmas Town prices on hand so I estimated $30 - $35 for that.
TheMostHappy, Fun Cards are only good for a traditional season (ex: Spring & Summer, Fall, Winter). So the Spring & Summer Fun Card end Sept. 7. The Fall Fun Cards are for Howl-o-Scream and the Christmas Town Fun Cards are for Christmas Town.
Admission is a perk when you offer deals going "Buy a Busch Gardens fun card, and get admission into Water Country USA for FREE!"
You are still paying for Busch Gardens admission. But I'm not even talking about this 2-Park Fun Card deal.
A regular Fun Card is not a pass. This specific deal comes close to it, but it still even isn't because it is just that, a limited time special. Specials are supposed to be special.
A regular Fun Card is not a pass. This specific deal comes close to it, but it still even isn't because it is just that, a limited time special. Specials are supposed to be special.
I'm pretty sure a fun card, even a regular one would be classified as a pass across the whole amusement industry. If it gives you unlimited admission in an allotted period of time, it's a pass. I don't know if the park does things like this anymore, but there used to be an option for unlimited admission in a 7-day period, it was called a 7-day pass. Before the fun card there used to be the bronze pass, which is essentially the same thing, and you still got no perks other than unlimited admission for the allotted time. So yes, the Fun Card is a pass, just like everything else that gives you unlimited admission for a period of time.
I think where you're mis-interpreting what we say, is you think when we say pass, we're saying it is a part of the pass member group. However, that can't be true, because the park doesn't group Fun Card holders with Pass members. Fun Card holders are still essentially pass holders, as they are owners of a pass, but they aren't in the group that the park is supposedly giving special perks other than unlimited admission to. But none the less, if it gives you such a perk as unlimited admission, it's a pass, no matter what the park try's to call it.
I think where you're mis-interpreting what we say, is you think when we say pass, we're saying it is a part of the pass member group. However, that can't be true, because the park doesn't group Fun Card holders with Pass members. Fun Card holders are still essentially pass holders, as they are owners of a pass, but they aren't in the group that the park is supposedly giving special perks other than unlimited admission to. But none the less, if it gives you such a perk as unlimited admission, it's a pass, no matter what the park try's to call it.
A Fun Card is not the same as a multi-day ticket. The cost of a multi-day ticket increases as you add days. A pass is a flat rate, like the Fun Card. The fact that the park has chosen to use the name "Fun Card" for its lowest tier pass, doesn't mean it isn't still a pass.
Ah, arguments over nomenclature.
I can understand where Party Rocker is coming from but I think it might help your argument if you used "pass member" instead of just "pass" because there is a distinction in the amusement industry. PR is right, Fun Card holders are not pass members by any definition. They are allowed admission and that is it. Others are right that by saying that a Fun Card COULD be considered a pass because the word pass is typically used when referring to multi-day admission.
But the thing is (and this is what I think PR was alluding to), no matter what we may think of the nomenclature, we have to default to the terminology that Busch Gardens uses because it is their ticket structure. They made the rules. Just because they used the word "pass" to refer to 7-day tickets doesn't mean that they are still using the word "pass" to mean the same thing today. They purposelessly named the Fun Card a Fun card for a reason and that was to distinguish it from the pass structure. This is to say that we can't argue over customer perception of the terms but we should also acknowledge that we have a greater insight into what tickets have been in the past so terminology means different things to us.
I can understand where Party Rocker is coming from but I think it might help your argument if you used "pass member" instead of just "pass" because there is a distinction in the amusement industry. PR is right, Fun Card holders are not pass members by any definition. They are allowed admission and that is it. Others are right that by saying that a Fun Card COULD be considered a pass because the word pass is typically used when referring to multi-day admission.
But the thing is (and this is what I think PR was alluding to), no matter what we may think of the nomenclature, we have to default to the terminology that Busch Gardens uses because it is their ticket structure. They made the rules. Just because they used the word "pass" to refer to 7-day tickets doesn't mean that they are still using the word "pass" to mean the same thing today. They purposelessly named the Fun Card a Fun card for a reason and that was to distinguish it from the pass structure. This is to say that we can't argue over customer perception of the terms but we should also acknowledge that we have a greater insight into what tickets have been in the past so terminology means different things to us.