Summer Nights 2019

[Applesauce]

Reserved seating should only be reserved until a certain time. Once that certain time hits -Whether it's 5 minutes before show time or 10,- your reserved seat becomes forefit. And the park has the right to give it away to try and get as many people in the theater as possible.

Considering from my understanding, most of these acts you have to sit dead on in the middle to even appreciate the work being put in. It's not even a matter of getting there early. You can get there early and still get shit seats, because they not only have the reserved seating blocked off. But, they have the entire back closed too until all the middle seats are filled first.

 

[Icer]

There is no incentive for the park to stuff the theater full. It's not like you pay to get into the show. If anything, there's incentive for them to NOT fill the reserved seats, so the people you turn away are more inclined to pay next time to guarantee their ability to see the show.

From a kindness standpoint, sure fill those seats. But ultimately, if you wanna see a show at BGW just do what you've had to do for years. Pay, or show up early. You shouldn't expect a guaranteed seat if you show up any less than 15 minutes before start time on busy days for a high-profile show. Hell sometimes the place fills as soon as the doors open.

 

[Jahrules]

I'm kinda with @lce on this one.. we need to remember that the park is a business and a business will do what makes most sense from a moneymaking perspective. Comparing reserved seating to quick queue is an oversimplification.

If you've taken your kids to Busch gardens solely because they wanted to see freckled sky and you aren't able to get into the first show; it stands to reason that the family will either queue up earlier, or buy reserved. Conversely, if a family has bought reserved and sees them open reserved to anyone after a time; how likely are they to buy reserved in the future?

Also, people being people, would learn about this reserved free for all; and you'd end up with a queue of people waiting to get free reserved.

It's not about what's nice in this instance.. it's about what makes money for the park.

 

[horsesboy]

Following that logic there no reason to fill seats on coasters because longer lines equal more QQ sales right? I don't expect a guaranteed seat but I also have the reasonable expectation that you fill the theater till it's full. Again you can do both charge of guaranteed seats and let as many people in as possible it's not an either or thing. All some one needs to do is go how MN any seats did we sale 20 ok the 25 or so best seats are reserved block those and fill the rest. The park has access at anytime to the numbers of tickets that they are selling save those heck save them snd as few extra no problem with that don't block off several times the number that are sold so that you are shutting people out. And again the posted picture is 20 minutes before the show start time when they are already full.

 

[Jahrules]

As I said above; comparing limited run shows to QQ is an oversimplification. You can't apply the same logic.

A coaster/attraction is always there. A limited run show has a bit more sense of urgency to it. 'If I don't see the show now; it won't be here next time I come'. Playing off that sense of urgency sells more reserved seats.

The same doesn't work for coasters. If the line is too long, oh well, I'll just ride it next time I come.

 

[FoozMuz]

Those coaster seats also don't go to latecomers and provide a preferred view.

 

[belsaas]

For what it's worth, I think this version of Summer Nights was largely a success.

I think the rotating acts was a fun gimmick, and definitely drove traffic to the park. At Freckled Sky yesterday I was sitting next to a family of 5 that had seen every act. And the quality of the acts was generally fun (I would say Boogie Storm being the exception for me).

Spark is still a manic laser dance party, but that's exactly the mood they are going for, and it seemed like people were into it the one time I attended. I do miss All for One, but there's definitely a demand for this sort of thing.

I hope there's more of this coming in future Summer Nights.

 

[WDWRLD]

Busch just sucks at managing people. We got in line for Fighting Gravity a good 40 minutes before showtime on a blistering hot day. Standing there waiting in the hot sun justsucked.
We were back to about the phone booth by the bathrooms which isnt very far back. When we go inside the place was fairly full and the best seat we could find was 3 seats from the far left side. Problem is people were holding huge sections of seats for other people and then everyone seemed to leave a seat or two between their family and the next. Add to that the first 3 rows or so were blocked off and the back half was also roped off.
Now this also brings up something I was just going to ignore. We ran into probably the rudest team member ever while waiting for this show. She wanted everyone in line to be standing 4 wide, no more and no less. Since it was me and my wife she went and found another party of 2 people from somewhere in line behind us and put them standing beside us which was fine untill we figured out they were holding space for a group of like 10 people. Then the line was a huge out of controll mess. Her tone talking to other guests was horrible.
As far as the shows overall I thought they sucked. The earth harp was ok, but fighting gravity just plain blowed and after that and the seating fiasco we didnt even have any interest is going to any more acts based on their description.

 

[Nicole]

I'm kinda with @lce on this one.. we need to remember that the park is a business and a business will do what makes most sense from a moneymaking perspective. Comparing reserved seating to quick queue is an oversimplification.

If you've taken your kids to Busch gardens solely because they wanted to see freckled sky and you aren't able to get into the first show; it stands to reason that the family will either queue up earlier, or buy reserved. Conversely, if a family has bought reserved and sees them open reserved to anyone after a time; how likely are they to buy reserved in the future?

Also, people being people, would learn about this reserved free for all; and you'd end up with a queue of people waiting to get free reserved.

It's not about what's nice in this instance.. it's about what makes money for the park.

I would argue that guest satisfaction is a critical piece of the amusement industry. There is a reason that people make such a big deal about the special things Disney does to make their visitors feel special. Policies that make guests happy make them want to stay longer, return more often, and recommend the park to friends.

An irrationally draconian system does nothing but irritate people. In this specific case, if you are forced to sit in a seat with a view that literally ruins the show, and you can see rows of empty seats, you are going to be frustrated, and possibly less likely to want to bother with another show.

I know I avoid the Globe, because I always have bad customer service experiences there. In my case, I essentially have to return both to BGW and it’s various venues. If I didn’t feel some obligation to BGWFans to experience a certain percentage of their attractions, I doubt I would put myself through their inexplicably unpleasant process at all. I certainly never recommend to anyone that they go to a show, and I never bring guests just to see the shows. So, yes, in fact, because the operations suck in the Globe (and have since at least London Rocks premiered), the park has lost money.

 

[Icer]

You aren't forced to sit in a bad seat. It is your choice to not show up early enough. And if you're someone who gets pissed off seeing empty reserved seats when your seat is worse, because you chose not to pay or to show up early enough, that's on you not the park. Hell I don't think I've ever been to a show ANYWHERE (parks, regional theater, professional theater) where there aren't empty seats better than mine. But I don't get bothered, because I know I chose not to upgrade to that seat. I made the conscious decision not to. I shouldn't blame the venue for that.

 

[WDWRLD]

Disney does their shows in a very fair way if you ask me. FP+ holders have a certain window to arrive and after that general seating is allowed to sit there.

As far a @Nicole post, I agree. I went to the one show with the light up costumes, harp show and Fighting Gravity because I hoped the park had something new to entertain but after the painful performance of gravity I didnt even bother with any others. I should also add we went to the park those nights specifically to see those shows, so by us being dissapointed and deciding to not see the rest was nights that BGW didnt get our business of buying food and drinks.

 

[WDWRLD]

You aren't forced to sit in a bad seat. It is your choice to not show up early enough. And if you're someone who gets pissed off seeing empty reserved seats when your seat is worse, because you chose not to pay or to show up early enough, that's on you not the park. Hell I don't think I've ever been to a show ANYWHERE (parks, regional theater, professional theater) where there aren't empty seats better than mine. But I don't get bothered, because I know I chose not to upgrade to that seat. I made the conscious decision not to. I shouldn't blame the venue for that.

What in your opinion is how early you should arrive at a regional theme park for a show to get a decent seat keeping in mind you have to stand in 90 degree temps in direct sunlight with high humidity?

 

[Icer]

The goal isn't to show up X amount of minutes before a show starts. It's to show up before the majority of other people show up. So if it's hot like that, maybe people won't wait as long in line, so you don't have to be there as early. Maybe not. It also depends on how badly you wanna see the show, and how many opportunities you have to see it.

For example, at Abbey Stone, I get in line once that line has reached that side entrance down the hill a bit. That's a good gauge for how many people are there. If I walk by and there is a shorter line, I may go use some time in grogans or something. This is coming from a person who goes to the park once or twice a year and 100% needs to see the shows when I'm there, because I can't risk missing it because idk when I'll be back next. So I don't roll the dice.

You know it's first come first serve coming into it. It's not like this is a new concept. If I really want to see a show, get there early. I seriously can't see how this is even kinda the parks problem. Sure it'd be nice if they opened those seats up, and I'd sure like if they did so I could try to get a better seat, but I don't see how it is their responsibility to. I'd like them to open it, but if they don't, I can't be mad.

 

[Nicole]

You aren't forced to sit in a bad seat. It is your choice to not show up early enough. And if you're someone who gets pissed off seeing empty reserved seats when your seat is worse, because you chose not to pay or to show up early enough, that's on you not the park. Hell I don't think I've ever been to a show ANYWHERE (parks, regional theater, professional theater) where there aren't empty seats better than mine. But I don't get bothered, because I know I chose not to upgrade to that seat. I made the conscious decision not to. I shouldn't blame the venue for that.

Perhaps I wasn’t clear enough.

I’ve never been pissed off about a bad seat at a theme park show. And I certainly never blamed anyone for where I sit.

The case I made was that there is an incentive for BGW as a business to open the unsold premium seats to people in seats that ruin the experience. I was specifically addressing the implied claim that the most important consideration for the park should be the few dollars they make in charging for reserved seating.

I also think that comparing seats at a show at a theme park to a those at the Kennedy Center is a false analogy. Entertainment in a park is part of a larger experience. People go to professional theater specifically to see a show. Expectations at the former are generally just to have a varied, fun time. The latter is much more specific.

Regardless, I believe that the logic of “you get what you pay for; suck it up, buttercup” is probably bad for anyone in the service industry, and certainly shortsighted for the amusement sector, in particular.

 

[Icer]

My apologies, I have been using "you" as a general term and not to address anyone specifically. I didn't mean anything to you specifically, @Nicole. Only thing I referenced directly from you was the "forced" bit. I do agree with you with the professional theater bit, but as long as people here are comparing the seats to roller coaster seats I'll make stretch analogies all day long. Can't beat em, join em.

My point is moreso that there is no reason I can see that the park should need to open those seats. I see equal sides to it, pros and cons for both sides that balance each other out. And the "get what you paid for" logic is kinda the logic of every good or service. You get what you pay for. You pay 1$ for a burger vs 10$, reasonable assumption the 1$ burger isn't as good. Sure there are exceptions, but if you're paying no additional cost for a show versus some additional cost, there's a reasonable expectation your experience won't (and arguably, shouldn't) be as good as those who paid additional. But I can understand how that's more opinion based, and we will disagree on that one.

My main thing is I don't think anyone has the entitlement to be genuinely mad at the park for not opening those seats. Sure we can want them to. But some anger I have seen to me is unmerited. I'm a firm believer in as long as you have the ability to influence the outcome of what's happening, if you could've done something better to make a better outcome, you have no right to be mad at / blame anyone else.

By the way, most of the anger I'm referencing is from outside of this discussion, more things I have heard/picked up on through recent years since this is a common topic.

 

[Nicole]

I’m certainly not arguing that anyone it entitled to those seats, I am saying that making them available generates good feeling toward the park.

As for my use of the word “forced,” in the case of the Globe I stand by that characterization.

More than any other venue I’ve experienced across the industry, the ushers at the Globe seem rude and authoritarian. I am specifically referring only to that one theater at BGW. I have had nothing but unpleasant interactions with them, since London Rocks premiered.

 

[Icer]

I have been to the Globe twice since London Rocks started. Once for HoS, once for London Rocks 2 (I forget the name of the show, that's how much I likes it). The HoS experience was normal, I showed up early and went in, found a seat, didn't interact with anyone. The time I went for London Rocks 2 the people were confused, didn't know when to let us in, and didn't ever open up the back seats for additional people. I was early as hell that time too since I'm a sweaty tryhard so I still got the seat I wanted but that put a sour taste in my mouth, as does anytime a team member doesn't perform 100% as they should. But I'm picky, so I usually let things slide without complaining since I can't expect perfection. But I guess I can take your word for it that the Globe has a track record, since I'm 0-1 as far as interacting with the personnel there, and I have once seen what you are talking about @Nicole

Every other theater I've had only good experiences when I show up early. Abbey Stone is always damn near perfect. Festhaus and whateverthefucktheyarecallingitalynowadays don't really count. RPT is basically a graveyard now. But Globe is shady.

Britmania. That's what it was called.

 

[WDWRLD]

The goal isn't to show up X amount of minutes before a show starts. It's to show up before the majority of other people show up. So if it's hot like that, maybe people won't wait as long in line, so you don't have to be there as early. Maybe not. It also depends on how badly you wanna see the show, and how many opportunities you have to see it.

For example, at Abbey Stone, I get in line once that line has reached that side entrance down the hill a bit. That's a good gauge for how many people are there. If I walk by and there is a shorter line, I may go use some time in grogans or something. This is coming from a person who goes to the park once or twice a year and 100% needs to see the shows when I'm there, because I can't risk missing it because idk when I'll be back next. So I don't roll the dice.

You know it's first come first serve coming into it. It's not like this is a new concept. If I really want to see a show, get there early. I seriously can't see how this is even kinda the parks problem. Sure it'd be nice if they opened those seats up, and I'd sure like if they did so I could try to get a better seat, but I don't see how it is their responsibility to. I'd like them to open it, but if they don't, I can't be mad.

I assumed 40 minutes before the show would be early enough as the line was only to the phone booth/restrooms. I still had a shit view. And as far as the paying for better seats, I have never looked at it that way because even with paying you could still get stuck sitting far left or far right. I have always veiwed the upgraded seating at BGW as you are paying to avoid standing in line and a guarented seat not a guarenteed great seat. I think much of this over blocking off seats may have something to do mwith the RPT. They had a few concerts where people paid for reservaed seating and VIP ,meet and greets. Thye would meet the artist just before the show and then have a reserved up front seat only thy didnt have enough seats and therefore no where for those that paid to sit.

 

[Applesauce]

Those coaster seats also don't go to latecomers and provide a preferred view.

Arguably, those aren't even a preferred view.

Being right up front in the globe, isn't the best spot to be. Same with Abbey Stone. Considering for the Summer Nights shows, most of them you needed to be dead center and farther back to see everything.

 

[Icer]

THATS my issue with the reserved seating. I think they should have a system where you can pay to pick your seat, not pay to be shoved front row. Like a movie theater, pay to pick your seat. THEN they can have a system where you forfeit your seat X minutes before the show.

But that's a discussion for a different thread.