Rumor: Busch Gardens Parks to Be Sold Off?

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I don't throw them out as a possible purchaser either. I have never heard of MACK. So out of the loop on that one. If Disney comes in, it's gonna be boring! Plus, if they do turn it into a Disney themed park, I won't have a really good physical argument on going to FL anymore.
 
Six Flags was in an expansions phase during the late 90s. It's very doubtful that they purchased SFA because Disney got snubbed.

On the Disney note they won't trample on a proven theme that has worked for 35+ years. Throw out the rethemeing speculation with Disney.
 
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b.mac said:
On the Disney note they won't trample on a proven theme that has worked for 35+ years. Throw out the rethemeing speculation with Disney.
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This. On the other hand, certain things would definitely change, whether needed to or not (Sesame Street comes to mind immediately, as well as areas that need freshening up.)

The thing is, I just can't see Disney wanting to buy Busch Gardens, especially if it were an Ala Carte purchase (BGT isn't too far away from being a competitor). More importantly, BGW lacks the fresh, squeaky "magic" you find in a Disney park...it's made up of that dusty, old-world nostalgic charm. This is pretty much unlike any Disney park (Epcot probably being the most similar to BGW, which could be a challenge in itself). What I love about BGW is how it's so subtle (the entrance is literally a stroll down a wooded path), whereas Disney takes the more dramatic approach (walking past fountains and under an enormous golf ball, for instance.) I've always thought of Busch Gardens and Disney parks as total opposites, which may not work well with how Disney does things...but you never know, a change of pace from what they normally do could be embraced....
 
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But Disney or even universal have the money to keep the park up. I don't think either one would mess with the theme. Disney would just replace forest of fun with Disney characters. Probably lotd too. As long as the park makes money i think they would leave it mostly intact. Plus like i said before they could actually make water country awesome!
 
^^^ exactly!!!! They could make it phenomenal. It would finally fit in with BGW and CW. This would almost make up for losing all of my platinum pass perks. I'm really going to miss the other parks!
 
Disney doesn't purchase parks. The only park they tried to purchase was Knotts and that was because Eisner wanted to continue the Disney's America project on the West coast after VA shot the project down.

*shudders* Never been to a MACK-run park, but the thought of a ride manufacturer purchasing and using our park essentially to promote their rides (I know that's a bit extreme, but, to an extent, that is what they do...) worries me. Imagine all the grumbling we'd be doing!
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MACK is quite good at running theme parks. Europa Park is regarded as one of the best theme parks in the entire world (think BGW if they had a LOT more money and land to play with).

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Considering MACK is a well-renowned ride manufacturer in the industry and they're willing to take a few risks with their additions (their next coaster is supposed to be a full-fledged dark ride), plus the money they make from their installations, I can see BGW and BGT benefiting heavily if they decide to purchase both parks. I don't think it's likely to happen, but it would be an excellent choice.
 
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Fun fact: Europa-Park shares the same theme as BGW, is on a considerably smaller plot of land than BGW, opened the same year as BGW, and crushes BGW's attendance numbers yearly. Once again, Europa-Park Williamsburg would be a dream come true as far as I'm concerned.
 
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Ok- first of all, I have never visited the Europa Park website; which I just did. I have only "heard" about it. Not only do I want to book and immediate ticket to Rust, Germany and visit the park- I am so frustrated because about 18 things I see at the park are what I have begging BGW to do for years! Ahhh~ it is like seeing every hope and dream you have ever wished for BGW in a land far far away.

They have jousting for Pete's sake!! Sorry, I have to have a good cry right now and bang my head against the wall.
 
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b.mac said:
Europa has consistently had at least a million more visitors than BGW has had over the last few years. Considering they contend with Disney Paris due to the readily available mass transportation that Europe has it's incredibly impressive compared to BGW and their nearest competitor being Kings Dominion.
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That's not an impressive statistic considering Europa Park is in proximity to more densely populated regions than BGW. They have Alsace, France to the west with 2 million people and only 30 minutes away from its largest city Strasbourg (made this drive while visiting friends in this area). They have the Stuttgart region to the east with over 5 million and the park is a couple hours north of Zurich which is Switzerland's largest city.

Europa Park also has a larger daily capacity than BGW and is open during the winter.
 
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Bill said:
If Disney purchases BGW, that doesn't necessarily mean it's going to become Disneyland Virginia. While I would expect some Disney-ish presence, I don't think they'd bulldoze and start over.
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This is what everyone should read and listen to. I do not hold them as the most likely option at that.
 
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Uni needs to buy busch, especially while they are pulling what they did in the late 80's/90's.
 
Nora said:
Ok- first of all, I have never visited the Europa Park website; which I just did. I have only "heard" about it. Not only do I want to book and immediate ticket to Rust, Germany and visit the park- I am so frustrated because about 18 things I see at the park are what I have begging BGW to do for years! Ahhh~ it is like seeing every hope and dream you have ever wished for BGW in a land far far away.

They have jousting for Pete's sake!! Sorry, I have to have a good cry right now and bang my head against the wall.
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Nora,

Watch this video. You'll get a better scope of how well their theming is done. When I visited it was in the early 1990s when they only had a couple of coasters. I'd love for them to own BGW but I don't see that happening.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdn_NjvuPBk
 
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Wow! I am in awe...this place looks like a little piece of heaven. Thanks for that video. When I get frustrated I can now go to a happy place!
 
Maybe it's just hard to tell from that video but it looks like it's almost got too much going on there. The details are impressive, just doesn't seem as relaxing and tranquil as BGW. Also it really looks to me like something Disney would do. Incredible details though and lots of neat looking rides.
 
Bill said:
If Disney purchases BGW, that doesn't necessarily mean it's going to become Disneyland Virginia. While I would expect some Disney-ish presence, I don't think they'd bulldoze and start over.
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Now while I totally agree with this there are some potential problems that would arise.

Disney attaching their name to the park would be a huge boost to the local economy. Think of the millions of people that live within a day's drive of the park. They would visit on name alone because the Disney brand is that strong. It would be a cheaper alternative than going to Florida or California. A lot of international travelers would visit as well. This would lead to a major problem as the park's daily capacity is less than half of the majority of the major Disney parks and some of these have a second (or more) gate to alleviate the crunch of visitors to their resort.

We would then have the issue of local hotels. There are not enough near the park to handle the demand that a Disney-branded park would draw. They would have to expand immensely.

This would also create and add more traffic problems on the I-64 corridor between Hampton Roads and Richmond. This interstate is already thin with two lanes on each side but that stretch needs widening anyways so maybe a Disney takeover of BGW would force the state to expand the lanes instead of throwing all the money to road projects for Northern VA.

Higher prices - the rebranding of the park would almost guarantee increased gate prices because of higher demand. This would be bad for locals. This is already evident as the Disneyland Resort keep jacking up their annual pass prices for local southern California residents. A Disney park in the 757 would be potentially too expensive for many locals to visit.
 
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