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Quite frankly I have seen major decline in the appeal of BGW in the past five years. My visits this year have been very disappointing, as the little things that used to make the place magical are tossed aside. The merchandising completely sucked this year. The landscaping was lackluster. I'm still waiting for them to beautify the trainwreck that is Finnegan's Flyer. That whole bridge area looks a wreck.

Then we have Verbolten, where they tore out the theming. Pantheon looks like it belongs at a Six Flags. The shows keep getting dropped with no replacements. The animals are all leaving.

Really the place is just an overpriced Kings Dominion now. And this is coming from someone who used to be infatuated with it. They are riding on reputations from yesteryear and they don't deserve the good will any more. My fiance and I are both not renewing our membership next year.

Oh, and I'm glad they lost the award... Landscaping looked cheap this year.
 
Busch Gardens, unless I read something wrong, got ZERO mentions on the Golden Ticket List. Apollo's Chariot isn't even on the list for Top 10 Steel anymore?

2022 - Dollywood first visit, here I come. Looks to be a great place to spend time. I grew up with BGW, and I'll always cherish this park, which is why my frustration with its general decline is all the more painful to see.

Losing that distinction SHOULD mean that efforts are re-doubled to get it back, but I guess priorities have changed in a direction that tells me the days of BGW being untouchable in so many ways are long gone.
 
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I'm sure some dough head in the marketing department said this was fine because BGW held that title into the calendar year of 2021 before the awards, even though its no longer true.

Also speaking of beauty, I cringe to think of what Verbolten's queue line effects look like now that the park as all but stopped caring. I'm certain there are red "Supreme" stickers on the walls with the words "Karen loves A$$" scratched into the surrounding posters.

Gone are the days...
 
According to someone's comment on there, they're quoting the 2020 NAPHA member survey results (never heard of them before now, but it's a historical society kinda thing?): https://napha.org/The-Latest/Member-Survey

Sneaking by on a technicality, but when they heavily promoted the Golden Ticket awards they've received over the years I doubt anyone else would think of any other awards.
 
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Quite frankly I have seen major decline in the appeal of BGW in the past five years. My visits this year have been very disappointing, as the little things that used to make the place magical are tossed aside. The merchandising completely sucked this year. The landscaping was lackluster. I'm still waiting for them to beautify the trainwreck that is Finnegan's Flyer. That whole bridge area looks a wreck.

Then we have Verbolten, where they tore out the theming. Pantheon looks like it belongs at a Six Flags. The shows keep getting dropped with no replacements. The animals are all leaving.

Really the place is just an overpriced Kings Dominion now.
Worse, when KD is putting in an effort to make their new attractions look good, and have some coherent theming.

The Six Flags bargain basement thrills model is a toxic and unsustainable model.
 
BGW hasn’t been the most beautiful park since they cleared the right of way out of the center of the park. I know it’s not their fault, it was required, but it looks horrible.

No way should Dollywood have that title. Their recent expansions make the park look like a strip mine.
 
Wait read the thread, does BGW not realize they didn't get the nod this year?
 
Also, I think it's safe to say that the Golden Tickets are the industry standard. Any organization can claim to award any park any award. Not every random award is equal (even if they all fall somewhere on the bullshit side of the scale).
 
Also, I think it's safe to say that the Golden Tickets are the industry standard. Any organization can claim to award any park any award. Not every random award is equal (even if they all fall somewhere on the bullshit side of the scale).
I worked at a golf course that did something similar. They always showed up on the state wide top 10 list from a trusted nation wide magazine. They had lost it and the Golf Driving Range and Practice Facilities Association gave them an award, so they advertised at top 10 in the state*. And the asterisks had fine print that said “practice facility only, courses not included.”
 
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I was recently told by a staff member that they won the same award they win every year and that they didn't ever win the Golden Ticket Award and that BGWfans and others were making a lot to due about nothing about them not winning it year. Um what is this from 2019 then?
 

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