chickenking said:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D58vqYjLY1A&feature=related
What it could be doing.
What it does instead:
Howl-O-Scream 2012
- Thread starter Ben
- Start date
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D58vqYjLY1A&feature=related
What it could be doing.
What it does instead:
chickenking said:
Yeah they were blue last year.
I guess the park wanted to go the cheaper route and insert a chocolate chip instead.
His comment about the photo is 100 percent true. Completely takes you out of the moment. This guy didn't even have to experience the awfulness of 13 to write a bad review, which means he must of hated ROAE and the hoards. I'm guessing he went opening weekend.
Smitty said:
Nope, last weekend - on 9/22, Parkscope tweeted "About to head into @BuschGardensVA. Last time I had no 3G service here so IDK how frequent my updates will be."
That review finds me a little disappointed. I mean, it could just be the second weekend was amazing compared to the first, so I may not have noticed things as much, but to be perfectly honest, I think this year things are going very down and then headed straight up.
I thought Root of All Evil was on par with Fear Fair. Especially since the two mazes share similar outdoor settings, going in and out of tents or greenhouses, although Root of All Evil was darker. I will say, I was hoping the picture op would be placed somewhere inside the maze where you'd least expect it. Maybe if they put the camera in the final "poison greenhouse" and timed it right with the strobe, they could take your picture getting your last scare. Definitely something they should try at the least.
I think the mini non marked scare zones mixed with the hordes is a great idea; and to make you guys happier I have heard that the park is planning on adding more hordes, I guess the issue with this was staffing the hordes, so expect more this weekend. I always thought, if there were hordes scares could come from anywhere and leave you on your feet guessing if you were going to run into one, and the longer it took the more nervous you get; well part of this is true. If you don't know where their going to be at what time, that does give you some edge and after not seeing horde for about 10 minutes you start to loose some edge and you feel safer as if the hordes were gone. So they do need to travel through the park more often, but not too often. Just enough to keep your guard on.
As for Night Beats I have heard very mixed reviews. I have heard praise for the show on the forums but my friends who have seen the show close by to me say it is terrible. It is the one show I have not seen at all, not even a clip. So I really wish I can see that soon and give my review on that personally. As for Dig It Up, I have only seen and heard bits. It does give me the Night at the Museum feeling which I would say could pass for Halloween theme. I mean, you see those types of costumes all the time, and just so you guys know, if these things actually came to life, it'd freak me out!
Overall I thought the event is just getting off on the wrong foot because of delayed planning and staffing problems. Hopefully these two issues can be resolved before October. Because I expect things to be ideal in October the actual month of the holiday. September is more of a testing month, to improve on things while the crowds are down and get a guest's opinion about things.
BTW this question was skipped over and I am really interested in the answer . . . Why does the troll by Pompeii's bridge no longer displays its full robotic features? Has the park programmed it just to open its eyes? Did it run into electrical issues? What gives with this troll not reaching max potential!
I thought Root of All Evil was on par with Fear Fair. Especially since the two mazes share similar outdoor settings, going in and out of tents or greenhouses, although Root of All Evil was darker. I will say, I was hoping the picture op would be placed somewhere inside the maze where you'd least expect it. Maybe if they put the camera in the final "poison greenhouse" and timed it right with the strobe, they could take your picture getting your last scare. Definitely something they should try at the least.
I think the mini non marked scare zones mixed with the hordes is a great idea; and to make you guys happier I have heard that the park is planning on adding more hordes, I guess the issue with this was staffing the hordes, so expect more this weekend. I always thought, if there were hordes scares could come from anywhere and leave you on your feet guessing if you were going to run into one, and the longer it took the more nervous you get; well part of this is true. If you don't know where their going to be at what time, that does give you some edge and after not seeing horde for about 10 minutes you start to loose some edge and you feel safer as if the hordes were gone. So they do need to travel through the park more often, but not too often. Just enough to keep your guard on.
As for Night Beats I have heard very mixed reviews. I have heard praise for the show on the forums but my friends who have seen the show close by to me say it is terrible. It is the one show I have not seen at all, not even a clip. So I really wish I can see that soon and give my review on that personally. As for Dig It Up, I have only seen and heard bits. It does give me the Night at the Museum feeling which I would say could pass for Halloween theme. I mean, you see those types of costumes all the time, and just so you guys know, if these things actually came to life, it'd freak me out!
Overall I thought the event is just getting off on the wrong foot because of delayed planning and staffing problems. Hopefully these two issues can be resolved before October. Because I expect things to be ideal in October the actual month of the holiday. September is more of a testing month, to improve on things while the crowds are down and get a guest's opinion about things.
BTW this question was skipped over and I am really interested in the answer . . . Why does the troll by Pompeii's bridge no longer displays its full robotic features? Has the park programmed it just to open its eyes? Did it run into electrical issues? What gives with this troll not reaching max potential!
Party Rocker said:
I've been there in September in previous years - if they were in test mode, it certainly didn't show as glaringly as it does now.
Sure, the park may be scrambling to make HOS2012 better with every passing week... but reviews like this are out there, and impressions have been made.
Will HOS2012 be the next Entwined, getting tweaked every so often in hopes of getting it right by the end of it's run?
Haberdasher1973 said:
Yes impressions have been made, but they were made way to early. I would wait to fully judge an event when it's at least into it's third or fourth weekend. Those who go to opening weekend or even the second weekend expecting it to be perfect are asking for way to much, especially when the park has started the event earlier in the year.
No, Entwined had much more issues than HOS and it has little hope of overcoming those challenges. Where as HOS can actually improve and they have more time to get things better with Monday thru Thursday to work things out.
Party Rocker said:
You are totally missing my point - not everyone has the luxury of going throughout the season, checking back and seeing it get better. Williamsburg may not be Orlando, but it's still a tourist destination... and I guarantee you that some people, like the writer of that review, have already made their HOS visit for 2012 and have been left with a major WTF.
I went opening weekend, I was dissapointed, and I may not have a chance to go back, so I am left with the impression that this year is a flop, imagine if someone knew nothing about the changes being made and had that opening weekend impression the whole year.
Smitty said:
Precisely what I'm getting at. Thank you.
EDIT: And as long as the start date keeps coming up, I'll keep responding: it's not the first time they've started HOS this early... it's just the first time they've been this far from being ready.
2005 - Sept 16
2006 - Sept 15
2007 - Sept 14
Party Rocker said:
I find it hard to believe the park has this attitude. If they do they have serious management issues.
How do you advertise a product as starting and then say "oh well it doesn't really start for another 3 weeks."? That is absolutely ridiculous from a marketing standpoint. The critics, people who write reviews like the one posted go early so they can get their reviews out for the remainder of the season and in this day and age of instant media, the first one wins. I have been each weekend and will go every remaining weekend, there was a marketed improvement from the first week to the second, but the whole of the event is still a shell of what it's been in the past.
I don't want to hear about lack of staffing or not enough time to get everything finished. Anyone remember when hurricane Isabel(?) came through a few years ago? They had to take everything down and put it all back up in a week, and it looked great. They have had weeks to get the park ready and had failed miserably for the first weekend, when the event started, not a gradual build up to the actual holiday. Now they are scrambling to try and fix what they skimped on. It's not a matter of time it's a matter of putting in the manpower to do it, this reflects on the poor planning of the current management.
Like I said delayed planning is the main problem for decorations. Whoever was in charge of the schedules and things to get done for HOS planned out the setup poorly. I never said that things should be this way. My point was, the event should be ready, BUT the park obviously seemed to be testing out the hordes rather than going full on horde, as well as with a few other things.
Did I say it was a good excuse? No. Did I say the park should do this? No.
I just view the parks action as this has happened, and yes because I have the luxury of going whenever I want I know I won't be disappointed too much by the end because things are constantly changing. Nothing stays the same. Now, to be completely honest, I know there are a few people who can not absolutely plan to go another day, but if you can (and most do) plan your trip later on, when things are obviously going to be much better.
As for reviews, I understand people have to get them done early on, after all people do plan trips around these things sometimes (IMO not a great thing to do but to each their own). The problem is no event, no season, nothing is ever perfect right out of the box when it comes to entertainment. I have seen movies that got completely new endings before they were actually released. I honestly expect the worst early on, and I think that is probably the better thing to do.
Did I say it was a good excuse? No. Did I say the park should do this? No.
I just view the parks action as this has happened, and yes because I have the luxury of going whenever I want I know I won't be disappointed too much by the end because things are constantly changing. Nothing stays the same. Now, to be completely honest, I know there are a few people who can not absolutely plan to go another day, but if you can (and most do) plan your trip later on, when things are obviously going to be much better.
As for reviews, I understand people have to get them done early on, after all people do plan trips around these things sometimes (IMO not a great thing to do but to each their own). The problem is no event, no season, nothing is ever perfect right out of the box when it comes to entertainment. I have seen movies that got completely new endings before they were actually released. I honestly expect the worst early on, and I think that is probably the better thing to do.
Party Rocker said:
But have you ever seen a movie released into theatres with unfinished effects shots, a temporary score, and half of the plot missing, that was then "finished" three weeks later? There's no way.
Opening day means opening day. Whatever is presented on that day *is* the event. It's not a test run or a trial offering.
HoS was not good on day one from everything I can gather. Even if the park fixes the event in subsequent weeks, the damage is done.
Agreed ^ when you say you're opening sep. 14th, I expect a finished, and very good event. Not a unfinished mediocre event. I know the event gets better as it goes on, because the scare actors get better. I will be going back a few more times, but after going opening day I didn't even feel like I had been to hos. This was deffinately the worst opening day they've had.
Haberdasher1973 said:
Hmmm. Funny, 'cause thats the same exact day I went. So I guess I'm not the only one who felt like it was sub-par...!
I think it just shows that whoever is in charge of planning and executing this event @ BGW needs to be replaced because they are clearly setting this park back.
I whole agree 110% that upon opening day, the park should be ready to deliver a finished product. Tweeks here and there are to be expected but should never be relied on to patch a blatantly unfinished "product". It's robbing the park goers of their money (for those who paid single-day tickets), their time (passholders), and the Halloween experience they're expecting from previous HoS events.