'Twas That Night On Ice Coming to Christmas Town 2015

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Roller coaster was a sunk cost
Landscaping budget took a thit
Food and Wine supposedly pays for itself.

I never said there was a one for one correlation. I point out the hypocrisy of spending unnecessary dollars when useful departments are cut so far that the barely exist.
 
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The SeaWorld ambassador animals were removed from BGW- most of which were never seen by park guests and hence never really provided any return on investment for BGW. Honestly, this year I've seen more animals on display than I have in years. The total number of animals on park property took a dive but I honestly don't care what animals the park is hiding in their warehouses- I care about what is out and in the sight of guests.

I miss a few of the ambassador animals that we did get to see occasionally, but it wasn't the park's choice to remove them from Williamsburg and they have clearly made an effort to replace them in every guest-facing role. That's all I can really ask for.
 
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I won't deny that the zoology department suffered major cuts, or that the Entertainment department didn't. The thing is, most of us don't know the reasoning behind cutting something like zoology while not cutting something else. We may not agree with it, but sometimes, it's just the way the cookie crumbles.

However, I don't know why the Entertainment department has suddenly become our scapegoat for everything wrong with the park. Some people are giving off the feeling that every other department is sweet and innocent and does nothing wrong, while the Entertainment department is this big mean monster who goes to other department offices and mugs them for money from their budget to fulfil some evil scheme.

I know some of us like certain aspects of the park more than others, but that doesn't mean it's necessary to vilify the aspects you do not appreciate.
 
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Zimmy said:
Roller coaster was a sunk cost
Landscaping budget took a thit
Food and Wine supposedly pays for itself.
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Do you have actual evidence to support these claims? There is a lot of speculation being thrown around in this thread, and without the actual facts it is impossible to conclude on the justification (or lack thereof) of each department's budget. This goes for myself as well.

I point out the hypocrisy of spending unnecessary dollars when useful departments are cut so far that the barely exist.
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"Barely exist"? When did we come to the conclusion that "most of the animals" were removed? Most? For the most part, only the rotated, "temporary" animals were removed. The wolves are still there. The collies are still there. The Clydesdales are still there. The moo cows are still there. The animals in Festa field are still there. Yes, some animals have been removed, and it is certainly a shame. But to say most animals were removed is a drastic overstatement, especially when the average park guest likely wouldn't even notice the missing animals. It does not "barely exist". A trip from Killarney to Aquitaine should be enough proof of this.

Also, purely in my opinion, I honestly am not so sure of how "useful" the Zoological department. I love the zoological aspect of the park, and in no way would I ever want to see it gone. However, I question how profitable the department is, which is an important question given the park's economic struggles as of late. As an anecdote, I know of very few (if any) people who pay for admission to the park just to see the animals. Unlike many SEAS parks, the animal aspect of BGW is not, and never has been, the major focus of the park- it is far more of a diversion, a "plus" that, while certainly enhancing the park experience, does not seem to stimulate the clicks of turnstiles as much as other departments. Honestly, given the massive amount of advertising, promotions, and publicity accompanied with the park's large-scale productions, I do think Entertainment is in many ways profitable. I actually know of many people who pay to visit the park just to experience the entertainment. Even though it contributes to the overall park experience, I'm not sure how much profit is directly generated by Zoology.
 
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Luke said:
Soooo Elvis is coming to BG?
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And dare I say time agrees with Mr. Stojko?  I predict this show will draw quite a few people to Christmas Town.  With a little luck the park will not slash admission costs leading to unmanageable crowds.  I heartily agree this will make better use of RPT and also pull a lot of people off of the park's pathways.  I will miss the pengys though.

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I wonder when the ice rink/stage is completed if the park will have a mini Zamboni to refinish the ice surface with after each show. I'd like to drive that sucker if so!
 
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Well .. Well .. Well .. the Iceman Cometh! :)

Nice to see BGW take another stab at an ice show. I have faint recollections of the indoor version at the Globe Theater back in the early-mid 1980's. Good show. The only issue I had with that location was that the stage floor was pretty high in relation to the seating. If you sat in the front 1/3 rows, the skaters legs below the knee was cut off and little ice surface was seen. You really need to see the ice surface and the legs down to the skate blades to really appreciate the skaters talents in foot work, spins, and jumps. I always sat at least 2/3rd's back from the stage to watch.

I also remember the 2nd iteration of the ice show they had at the Royal Palace Theater. This was a SUMMER evening show that was performed twice a day when the park had a 10pm closing time. I think this production was in the early 1990's. I can only imagine the cost they incurred to keep the H2O frozen in a Virginia Summer. I know BGW kept a silver reflective curtain drawn around the rink during the day. I would not be surprised if they had to lay insulation panels on the ice and maybe even run portable AC units to blow cold air over the rink surface. I think the ice show ran for about 3-4 years.

With the park having a Christmas event now. I think having the outdoor ice show is a great idea! Plus, the temps are much cooler during Christmas Town (well, we can get a few days in the 60's-70's). But, the days are much shorter and the thermometer usually drops at least to the 40's after sunset. So, there should be less cost to maintain the ice and I would think they would have 3-4 shows per day. Doesn't one of the Sea World parks already produce an outdoor ice skating show for their Christmas event?

Speaking of the mini Zamboni, I do remember seeing the one KD used when they had the Paramount on Ice shows (1993-1996). It would come out after about 2/3rd's of the audience have left the theater after the current performance was done. It was about the size of a large riding mower and looked like it's bigger brother. A mini-me Zamboni! :cool:
 
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I've wondered since the possibility of a CT ice show in the RPT if the park could potentially put on a summer ice show in the RPT as a replacement of the infamous summer event. It's interesting to hear that they've done it before.
 
Applesauce said:
This show is going to freeze everyone. It's going to be worse than watching Miracles.
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Probably. I might be in the minority category here, but I prefer the frigid cold temperatures of Winter over the scorching heat of Summer. At least you can bundle up. You can only go so far in Summertime.  


Shane said:
BGT has an Ice Show year round. It's pretty fantastic.
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Iceploration is amazing! It reminds me of Celtic Fyre in the way that they keep the choreography new while keeping the best parts. The score is also one of my favorite Busch Gardens soundtracks to listen to because you don't need a backstory to enjoy it.


Anyway, I have to admit, I am slightly worried about how they are only marketing the fact that a celebrity will be in the show. What if he doesn't want to return a second time? I hope the show is enough to stand alone without the "bells and whistles" and a celebrity. The musical score better sound fantastic as well. I want something that sounds mesmerizing like Miracles. I don't know if Alan Zachary, Michael Weiner, and Ben Cohn can do that, but they are talented enough.

Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner themselves have claimed that their style is similar to that of Alan Menken, and other famous Disney composers. Ben Cohn is the master at fitting 50 songs into 30-45 minute shows. He actually hit that big number in SeaWorld's "O Wondrous Night" through subtle references. As a consequence, his arrangements sometimes sound too sporadic and unorganized when he gets that ambitious. I won't mention any examples now, because I don't want to insult anybody's taste in otherwise successful shows.

The same team outright floored me with Scrooge No More, and they definitely met my (albeit low) expectations for Roll Out The Barrel's music. So I am still very hopeful, and expect to see a good final product.
 
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Oh, no don't get me wrong, I love winter. I vastly prefer it over summer. I agree you can always put on more layers, while in the summer you can only take so much off.

That being said, RPT is out in the open. Chances are this show is going to be 30 minutes, not to mention the wait before the show even starts just to get decent seats. So you're look at roughly 45 minutes to an hour of sitting out in the frigid cold, without really moving or any sort of heat source besides you and the the person on either side of you. And then consider the wind.

Miracles at least has some form of "heated seating". There's no way to make RPT heated seating, without putting covers over the whole thing. And even then it's not going to do much.

I imagine most people who see it, will see it once and then skip it just because of how cold it's going to be. And I get it, that people go to see figure skaters all the time, but even then you're sheltered from the wind and it only gets so cold.
 
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First, not everyone can get warm, regardless of the number of layers. I, for example, am cold the entire time I am at CT. Conversely, heat doesn't bother me at all.

Second, in my experience, the longer you sit in a cold place, the more the temperature affects you. It feels as if the cold is seeping into your bones.

I have to say that I found Miracles physically uncomfortable last year. I can only imagine how much worse this will be for people like me.
 
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I prefer heat over being cold. I don't like wearing a million things that do a half ass job at insulating my body, until eventually I start losing feeling in parts of my body because they're practically frozen. I can get hot in the heat, but it takes an extreme amount of it to make me actually feel uncomfortable. But besides that, I'm pretty tolerating of both extreme heat and extreme cold. I've been able to endure Miracles several times(because a dear friend was the show's biggest fan ;)), and Mix it Up several times in the burning hot brown seats in the hot sun.

I know I'll get cold while watching the show, but that probably won't keep me from going to see it. However I'm interested to see what measures the park will put in place to attempt to keep the audience members from getting hypothermia.

Part of me just says buy a bunch of portable heaters and disperse them all over every inch of the theatre. :p
 
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