Taste of Busch Gardens 2020
- Thread starter Eric
- Start date
Not too crazy when you think that demand is low due to pandemic concerns, and that the 4 hour sessions with reservations required make it difficult for guests that don't live in close proximity (would think JCC/Yorktown/Williamsburg specifically here) to get their money's worth.
For better or worse, I'd think most people have higher priorities than going to a park in the middle of the week.
I went to the first Wednesday of this event, but I don’t work a normal job, meaning that I could leave at 3pm to avoid the worst of the tunnel traffic coming from Norfolk/Virginia Beach. But on a Thursday when I’m busy until 4:15, I’d probably an hour getting to the park if not worse traffic depending, which means I’m looking at three hours at the park and maybe two hours on the road, and that gets to a point where it isn’t worth it for me.
The reality is that between people who are concerned about visiting a theme park (a place where people OFTEN catch viruses generally, Theme Park Crud is very real), people who are being impacted financially by the pandemic, and people who are Summer/Halloween/Christmas parkgoers at most, demand is not currently high for a seasonal theme park. We’ll see if Howl-O-Scream Lite manages to move the needle on that, but right now the demand isn’t strong enough to fill nights where combinations of work/traffic makes the short duration of the event less desirable.
I look at it more from the vantage point having young kids and a lot of activities still being closed down (e.g. most Indoor sports) opening up opportunities for BGW to drive visits. I know if I asked my kids if they wanted to go to the playground or a theme park, they’ll pick the latter almost every time regardless of special events going on - same with a zoo, farm, etc.
If I had to suppose, I’d say the event is over marketed to adults when it should probably be a bit more balanced. My kids had fun the day we went, but the limited activities really showed compared to a fully open park and we haven’t been back (note: we’re a little over 2 hours away w/o traffic).
Kids don’t spend as much money as adults, so I’m not shocked they’re actively avoiding appealing to them. Prioritizing staffing costs for kid-friendly options just didn’t track, although if they’re hiring Games hosts for the next event that’s at least a sign they’re creating one more option.
While kids don't buy high margin drink after drink, they do get their parents to buy ice cream, popcorn, cotton candy, etc. which are all high markup items. Additionally, kids rides and playgrounds require much less staff to operate than roller coasters and large flats. I would argue that teens and college age kids are probably the worst crowd to attract since they don't have much money, but they want to go on the biggest rides.
A smarter approach for BGW would be to make the event adult oriented on Fri/Sat/Sun and more kids oriented during the week by opening the Sesame Street and playground areas and closing Oktoberfest.
Phew, glad I saw this. I had my reservations for tomorrow.
Just switched them over to today.
Just a heads up if you are headed to BGW today. It is in the 50's now and the high today will be in the 60's. With the winds there will be wind chill factor to deal with, too. Tomorrow is supposed to be just a little bit warmer. Might want to consider how you dress. Especially today.
1015 is fine. We have been targeting arriving 25-30 minutes early.
Beautiful day at the park today. Really nice surprise that all merch was 50% off with a membership. Only disappointing part was seeing more people than expected not wearing a mask or having their nose sticking out. Also France was definitely a bottleneck in terms of people, did not feel like limited capacity at all there. But it was good to be back!
OMG 50%?!? Hell the Waterford Crystal AB Eagle would be in my price range!!!
There was a DJ bumping some classic mid 2000’s hits and enforcing mask usage and social distancing in Ireland. Always iffy on if these things are good or not as my inner theme park nerd is raging at the mere thought of this, as it’s not thematically consistent and doesn’t fit the vibe of the area, but it definitely added some energy to the event that is missing with the reduced capacity. Also, this guy was jokingly calling people out who were taking their masks off or not social distancing with the microphone, that is a huge plus to see subtle enforcement in one of the worse bottlenecks in the park and is much needed. Public shaming in the way of safety is always appreciated, even if it means we have to lose our tranquil Killarney for a few weeks. Always great to see fun and safety trying to be merged together in creative ways during these unpredictable times.
I was there Saturday night and Sunday morning. Mask enforcement was hit or miss as well as people not being able to stand on their dot. My wife was in a shop with our 2 year old son and his mask fell off his nose. She was politely informed about this from the shop worker, but all throughout the park teenagers and adults were never told. A 2 year old was an easy target I guess, thankfully my son was a good about it most of the day and didn't throw a tantrum.
There was a young girl in the verbolten line hoping under one queue to another and actually getting right with another group. That group said something to this little girl but not the people that were responsible for her.
It was nice to be in the park and Saturday night, the masks were almost welcomed while riding rides since it was a bit chilly.
Overall I think BGW did a fantastic job.
My only complaint with the food was there was no menu right at the cashier at O'tators and since I was ordering multiple items I couldn't remember the real names of things. Also there seems to be confusion when it comes to Busch bucks, I know this isn't a new concept but one gentlemen was completely confused at first.
There was a young girl in the verbolten line hoping under one queue to another and actually getting right with another group. That group said something to this little girl but not the people that were responsible for her.
It was nice to be in the park and Saturday night, the masks were almost welcomed while riding rides since it was a bit chilly.
Overall I think BGW did a fantastic job.
My only complaint with the food was there was no menu right at the cashier at O'tators and since I was ordering multiple items I couldn't remember the real names of things. Also there seems to be confusion when it comes to Busch bucks, I know this isn't a new concept but one gentlemen was completely confused at first.
We finally took the plunge and have tickets to this event for Sunday evening's session. I see the recommendation above on arriving around 45 minutes before opening as the best/safest time. Does that hold up for the 5 PM slot as well, or should one arrive even earlier? I don't want to get locked out due to capacity problems, but I also don't want to stand outside the gates in a large crowd as well.
Any other advice for the event? Thanks!
Any other advice for the event? Thanks!
Just went through the front entrance for the sixth time this year and the attendant wanted to see my ticket before letting me go. Did not happen other times. Something new? Also put on insect spray. Already had to swat several mosquitoes away and I'm still in Ireland.