I have a few thoughts, based on some experiences I’ve had in Florida recently.
I was speaking with a very friendly Uni cast member, when I was picking up my pass. She was telling about a trip she and her boyfriend took to visit several parks, including Caro, BGW, SFOG, and Wild Adventures. Apparently, they really enjoyed BGW and thought it was a great park. As an aside, she prefers Pantheon to Velocicoaster, but says her boyfriend disagrees. So, I wonder if the problems many of us see with the park seem worse to us, because we go so often.
I was at BGT just yesterday and was struck by how much better staffed and maintained it was. There were tons of open restaurants; they were using both stations at Cheetah Hunt; we saw cleaning people everywhere; and we interacted with three separate keepers on one animal experience alone. I have heard that BGW is a victim of corporate policy, but those constraints don’t seem to have affected Tampa as much. Honestly, it seemed like a much better park.
Anyway, I know both of these anecdotes are only single data points and cannot be used to infer a trend. But I thought they were interesting counterpoints to the drumbeat I see here daily.
I'm might be one of the best equiped to answer this a a regular down here and a frequent flyer at many of the other parks.
I've very much noticed that the general population and those not familiar still think of it as a great park. They're used to the food and beverage that is close to utter garbage at most parks, for super high prices, so SEAS parks aren't bad, they're just the same. The scenery you get is still very nice and while the new stuff at BGW isn't as themed it's hard to tell unless you are thinking of the new rides. Most of these people never went to the park back when the wolf was there and the food was good. They don't have the contrast. Locals, however, do. The folks up in VA I talk to and the passmembers to SEAS down here in FL are very much noticing and complaining.
Staffing at SWO has been fine, ignore the fact they closed many rides and shows over the last few years, what is open is generally run pretty well. BGT does fine on the weekends, busy weekdays are always a slog, and staffing for special events like HoS and the food fests was noticeably bad. I think that there's just more people in C.FL so the staffing just isn't quite as bad, but staffing at the other parks given a decent sample size is obviously much better.
The same garbage corporate policies are happening down here along with local changes that really sour the mood. All the parks change what benefits passmembers get on a whim, food options have continued to worsen, even during special events. Everything has been hiked in price, lowered in portions, discounts reduced and surcharges added. Depending on the ride op you will be told you cant even have drink cups in line with you only to get to the station where they have bins sitting there waiting with tarps over them. So you sit there and stare at that while waiting for 5 mins for the workers making minimum wage to load a train with at least 50% QQ riders as slowly as humanly possible only to still have other loose articles that are still permitted in line (such as hats) slow the process even further. Many of the park's smaller areas have been closed and aren't opening any time soon. Theatres sit dormant for most of the year, with minimal, mostly weekend showings when there is something.
I might be being a tad dramatic here but it gets the point across. It doesn't even have to be your first time visiting, if you don't go regularly you won't have the same experience as the regulars.
So, and just to not be a debbie downer, There's a (debatably) good reason for all this. It makes money. Regular attendees are normally what the business world calls deadbeats. A deadbeat is a customer that is either very shrewd or very frugal. They're the type that only purchase and utilize the best deals and don't help the bottom line much at all. They might be a part of social marketing but they really don't help the business all that much. In 2019, the parks were packed. Christmastown at BGT was an unbearable mosh pit. SEAS has gotten themselves in a spot whereby they market to less shrewd and picky customers, such as the out of towners, they can get much more out of each guest, lower staffing requirements and freeing up capacity for future growth at the same time.
As much as I enjoy theme parks, I also enjoy many other things, so for me, I'm in the boat of getting pushed out. I've only ever had one local park membership and all SEAS has done has had me switch from FL platinum to nothing currently, and probably Universal in a bit when Epic U opens. If I lived in VA, I'd have probably switched to a CF parks pass. SEAS parks are far from the worst, but they are quickly erroding to the point where, for instance, dollywood and silver dollar are much more frequent favorites among those who have visited both.
Currently I'd put SEAS at about the level of something like SFFT. It's definitely a great park, but you're gonna have to deal with some stuff throughout your experience.
Not that I want to see my favorite park die, but from a pure business perspective, I am starting to wonder if SEAS really even is doing anything wrong at this point. Even long term, I think it is unfair to use BGW as an indicator for the chain as a whole as I have for so long. Really wish there were more detailed books available.
As a publicly traded company they are executing a perfectly viable strategy that has some small risks but I don't think ultimately will matter. I mean, after blackfish what else can they do? Clean and pretty six flags is the easiest pivot they can make and with all the rides they are adding, they make a compelling case.
This is exactly why parks such as Knobels and Herschend are so good IMO. They make a profit, and the company continues to preserve it's culture rather than have to fight over quarterly.
If consumers had more willpower over this stuff, it might be different, but as is the bar is pretty low for that.
