WiFi Access Spots?

Register or Login to Hide This Ad for Free!
So at what point does "free" wifi access make the cost of your ticket price go up (if it hasn't already)? And as to people bringing all of their devices, each to their own. For myself, I didn't come to BGW to surf the Internet. And if I just have to do something, my phone has decent LTE for most of the park.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Julia
Also keep in mind the park has an app to assist navigation throughout the park that requires internet to use; yet they don't offer free internet to use the app?
 
Unless you have Verizon data coverage is spotty all over. Imagine the low cost advertising opportunity. Offer free Wi-Fi at the restaurants put up a sign with a hashtag and maybe you get free tweets. You at least get people to stay longer in the restaurant area.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Julia, Zachary and Party Rocker
Party Rocker said:
Also keep in mind the park has an app to assist navigation throughout the park that requires internet to use; yet they don't offer free internet to use the app?
Click to expand...

You mean the app that doesn't work?

Yeah, they should probably fix that also. Well, the company they paid to make it that is... But i'm sure they have no idea what they are doing either. Sounds like a great partnership.
 
I'd settle for just having basic mobile phone and data coverage from the provider I'm already paying. Since switching from Verizon to Sprint 5 years ago, the one and only place I've ever really suffered has been at BGW. Data coverage is typically slim to none.

I'm not going to blame the park for this, but it would be nice to be able to look some things up while waiting in line, suffering through Entwined, etc.
 
halfabee said:
I'd settle for just having basic mobile phone and data coverage from the provider I'm already paying. Since switching from Verizon to Sprint 5 years ago, the one and only place I've ever really suffered has been at BGW. Data coverage is typically slim to none.

I'm not going to blame the park for this, but it would be nice to be able to look some things up while waiting in line, suffering through Entwined, etc.
Click to expand...

I understand that. But you have to also understand there are A LOT of things that cause you to have bad connection while at the park(trees, buildings, rides, etc) which are out of your carrier's control.... This is why parks are putting in open wifi for their guest. It becoming an industry standard thing now.

chickenking said:
David said:
You mean the app that doesn't work?

Yeah, they should probably fix that also. Well, the company they paid to make it that is... But I'm sure they have no idea what they are doing either. Sounds like a great partnership.
Click to expand...
You mean this isn't ALSO under the Entertainment Department?!? :shocked:
Click to expand...

You know, knowing what I know about ent.... I'm sure they would get a better app made if it was their job to do so.
(oh as an edit: they'd probably go 300% over budget doing so)
 
  • Like
Reactions: CastleOSullivan, Julia, gazisghost and 2 others
David said:
halfabee said:
I'd settle for just having basic mobile phone and data coverage from the provider I'm already paying. Since switching from Verizon to Sprint 5 years ago, the one and only place I've ever really suffered has been at BGW. Data coverage is typically slim to none.

I'm not going to blame the park for this, but it would be nice to be able to look some things up while waiting in line, suffering through Entwined, etc.
Click to expand...

I understand that. But you have to also understand there are A LOT of things that cause you to have bad connection while at the park(trees, buildings, rides, etc) which are out of your carrier's control.... This is why parks are putting in open wifi for their guest. It becoming an industry standard thing now.
Click to expand...
That is all understood. Sprint data coverage in the park is just flatly terrible, in every hamlet. Or at least, it has been useless all this week, and was during the same week last year, and the year before, etc., which is when my family and I have had a variety of Sprint devices across all guest-friendly corners of BGW. That is not explained by trees, buildings, and rides unless the explanation is, "The multitude of trees, buildings, and rides causes Sprint's existing coverage to fundamentally fail everywhere." In which case the trees, buildings, and rides aren't really the underlying problem.

Again, not blaming the park. And I'm only somewhat blaming Sprint, as tower-based mobile phone/data tech is kind of insane when you really get into its technical guts and requirements, making it silly to expect it to work well everywhere with perfect overlap between carriers. I do think it's reasonable to expect a carrier to ensure that a 30,000+ guest permanent multi-season attraction has decent cell coverage, as having zero bars at a large destination is the kind of vacation memory that tends to stick. But really it's their decision to make the added effort and dollar commitment vs not to. Kudos to the park... wifi does have its place as a proximity based substitute for data needs.

Oh: If Sprint has picked early August for data network upgrades or service-crushing tests every year for the past half-decade or so, then I apologize for impugning its excellent Williamsburg-area coverage. :dodgy:
 
David said:
You know, knowing what I know about ent.... I'm sure they would get a better app made if it was their job to do so.
(oh as an edit: they'd probably go 300% over budget doing so)
Click to expand...

I have no doubt about better (not too difficult). But better does not necessarily = good. I imagine it would have a 60 second splash intro screen that you cannot bypass. Then animated glitter every time you touch something on the screen. Then a random animated silky flying acrobat will do a flyby accompanied by DON"T STOP BELIEVIN'!! :p
 
  • Like
Reactions: CastleOSullivan, flamanar, Julia and 3 others
Wi-Fi signal strength gets weaker and slower the farther away you get from the receiver. That being said, for the park to have an efficient Wi-Fi connection across the entire park, I would imagine that they would need several hundred recievers.
 
destroyer421 said:
Wi-Fi signal strength gets weaker and slower the farther away you get from the receiver. That being said, for the park to have an efficient Wi-Fi connection across the entire park, I would imagine that they would need several hundred receivers.
Click to expand...

Several hundred is a mild stretch... But as PR said, I think just a slow roll out at large eateries/rides would be fine. Then past that, one or two routers per hamlet should be adequate coverage. Now, this is taking into account that they wouldn't install a bunch of $50 routers from Walmart..... In which case, it'd probably take 500 or so to cover the park, and it'd be terrible. :p
 
  • Like
Reactions: CastleOSullivan


This popped up on my phone recently and luckily I caught a screenshot before it disappeared seconds later. Notice the fine print in super tiny font under the logo, "For assistance, please contact the nearest team member."

This is the Terms and Agreement page you must accept to use the park's wifi. It looks like wifi is slowly coming quicker than we might think.

Thoughts?

EDIT: To go along with this, it seems as some odd Busch Gardens Wifi spots have been popping up occasionally and disappearing in seconds.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Alf33, CastleOSullivan, netdvn and 1 other person
Just an update, notice that new wifi routers are appearing around the park. One seems to have been added to The British Baker, and a new one added to the Welcome Center. These wifi routers are smaller than the ones previously pictured and they are gray.
 
For those interested I did get tidbits of the policy and it actually is quite an interesting read. The most notable parts are below:

Privacy Notice,

SEA automatically collects information about your use of the Service, including:

Utilization data - e.g. # of users of Service by park

Session data - e.g. length of session

Type of device - e.g. iPhone, Android

Browser data - e.g. browser version, IP address

Location data - e.g. location of park where device used

Use of Services - e.g. mobile coupons redeemed

Device ID number

Web sites and page visited - e.g. seaworldentertainment.com, google.com

Ways we use the information we collect include:

Internal Operations - e.g., enhancing the efectiveness of the Service, analyzing how the service is used, and improving our stores and mobile experience

Legal Compliance - e.g., assist law enforcement and respond to legal/regulatory inquiries

Marketing - e.g., banner ads, mobile coupons

You must not use the Service to access internet services, or send or receive e-mails, which:

are defamatory, threatening, intimidating, or which could be classified as harassment;

contain obscene, profane, or abusive language or material

contain pornographic material (that is text, pictures, film, video clips of a sexually explicit or arousing nature);

contain offensive or derogatory images regarding sex, race, religion, color, origin, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition or sexual orientation;

contain material which infringe third party's rights (including intellectual property rights);

in SEA's opinion may adversely affect the manner in which it carries out its work;

are bulk and/or commercial messages

contain forged or misrepresented message headers, whether in whole or in part, to mask the originator of the message;

are activities that invade another's privacy;
 
Anyone know where the wifi will be available? Is it going to be park-wide, or just in specific hotspots? If the latter, where? I am particularly interested in the cabana area.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Consider Donating to Hide This Ad