Wild Days 2012

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Pretzel Kaiser

Pretzel Kaiser

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Apr 5, 2011
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Has anybody heard/seen anything about Wild Days happening this year? The site has nothing on it for this year.

edit: Though poorly advertised on the site, Wild Days are September 15-16th this year.
 
We've done the breakfast at least twice and really enjoyed it. I remember once they sent us walking through Italy and up the hill to the Festhaus; another time they had the trams running and we were driven back around through employee and service areas and let out to the right of the Festhaus (when facing the front facade). Either way it's always fun to be in the park before the general public gets in.

The breakfast was good; for this event service was set up on buffet tables with chafing dishes in the dining area. Some other breakfast event I've been to used the regular serving lines but I know the last JH breakfast I went to had the lines in the dining room, like I said. Not too long after serving starts, JH will be seated at a table with a queue for pics/autographs. After the dining period is over, you get Jack and the staff up on the stage introducing the animals. The animals' handlers will walk each one down the main aisles where everyone is seated. You do get to see the animals much more up close than in the Globe, e.g.

If you're not into animals, it's probably not worth it, but if you (or your kids, they really seem to enjoy it) like animals, I think it's a fun experience.

BTW: The Concerts and Events page I looked at on the website says Sept 10 and 11 for Wild Days, but then when you click to purchase tickets, it says Sept 15 and 16, like PzP says. It would be nice not to have conflicting info like that!!

http://www.buschgardens.com/bgw/cp/default.aspx?page=wilddays

^This page says 2012 at the bottom, but maybe it's a holdover from last year?

Edit again: If HOS starts the 14th, I would think Wild Days might indeed be the 10th and 11th? Sound plausible??

UPDATE 8-11: Ok, I called the park and was told Sept 15 and 16, but to confirm I said, "even with HOS starting Sept 14?" and the rep was like, "oh, HOS doesn't start until the last weekend in September." True, but this year the website says "The haunts begin Sept 14th."

http://seaworldparks.com/en/buschgardens-williamsburg/Events/Howl-O-Scream


and here:

http://seaworldparks.com/en/buschgardens-williamsburg/Events

I've found the park doesn't keep consistent basic info very well anymore. I guess Wild Days is Sept 15 and 16, but I'm surprised it would conflict with HOS. Is HOS really starting that early? Off to check the HOS threads here on the site and anything else I can find (and I see that on the HOS Rumor thread around page 60, and probably before the site did discuss that HOS starts Sept 14) ... Would like to know for sure about the Wild Days tho.
 
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Starting a second post to highlight new info: Today I spoke with another ticket rep who was quite willing to sort of hash through the information with me to see what we could come up with that made the most sense. She said (unlike the rep I spoke to Saturday) that Wild Days are Sept. 8th and 9th. This is logical, as those dates are Sat. and Sun., although the webpage still says the 10th and 11th, which is a Monday and a Tuesday (hard to believe they would have Wild Days on a Monday and a Tuesday). Again that webpage is:

http://www.buschgardens.com/bgw/cp/default.aspx?page=wilddays

But regardless, today's rep told me the Jack Hanna dining events are September 15th and 16th. She said JH and Julie Scardina were not listed in her information as being in the park for the 8th and 9th, so she couldn't make a statement either way. Maybe they are there the 10th and 11th, like the webpage says, as well as the 15th and 16th ??

At least this rep seemed firm that, regardless of Wild Days or other appearances, the dates for the dining events are correct as listed on the ticket sales page, the 15th and 16th.

I'm still hesitant to buy tix, tho. I enjoy the JH breakfast, but if it doesn't coincide with the rest of Wild Days, maybe I'll just go for Wild Days.
 
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Thanks, it's funny, I really hadn't thought about Wild Days until PzP's post, and then what should have been a simple question got really complicated!

I realize it's not a marquee event, but the information sure seems to be a hodgepodge. Maybe it's my mistake for thinking of the dining events as part of Wild Days -- but then, they are advertised on the same flyer, so it's kind of a natural assumption.

Wild Days in the past have been really nice, with a lot of outside animals brought in and the mini shows in several different areas of the park. I do think this can be a really nice event, but the information and advertising obviously aren't there, and I realize the park's energies are focused on the transition from Illuminights to HOS.
 
10th and 11th were on a friday and saturday last year. Interesting that the event is going on during Howl-O-Scream. I think we'll try going that weekend so we can get in some cool animal experiences before Howl-O-scream starts.
 
So, are Wild Days this weekend, like the last rep told me? Anybody going next weekend for JH and JS?

ETA: So, we went yesterday and obviously Wild Days wasn't this weekend, so next weekend during HOS? Wow. Packed weekend I guess.
 
BBW said:
So, are Wild Days this weekend, like the last rep told me? Anybody going next weekend for JH and JS?
Click to expand...

I'm gonna try to go. I just hope they bring some cool animals. I'd love that anteater Julie brought to the park a few years ago!
 
Quick Question:

With Jack Hanna being there this upcoming weekend (opening HOS weekend too WHOOHOO!) will the animals still come out for viewing around the park?

Example: The Owls in Ireland that come out for viewing and photo taking.

I just didn't know if he would be using his own animals and the animals already living in the park as well in the showing.
Thanks!
 
Zachary said:
Nah man, the dancing flamingo she brought two years ago was the greatest thing ever.
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The best bird ever to grace BGW with it's presence was Mama Cass the Cassowary back when the park did the bird show. She was part of the show for two years in the early part of the last decade (2002-2003). She looked like a giant pre-historic turkey!
 
^Oh, great memory, Unagi. I liked the way Mama Cass's segment went, with bringing the volunteer up on stage, directing his/her attention away, and letting the big bird stride quietly up behind him!
 
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BBW said:
^Oh, great memory, Unagi. I liked the way Mama Cass's segment went, with bringing the volunteer up on stage, directing his/her attention away, and letting the big bird stride quietly up behind him!
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She's at Jungle Island in Miami now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f011zAbc7es

There's a cassowary at the National Zoo in DC but it is not trained like Mama Cass. And seeing it up there in its exhibit is hit or miss.
 
From their latest email it looks like they're doing something at the Globe:

Join us Sept. 15 and 16 when Jack Hanna comes to Busch Gardens. Guests can get up-close with dozens of animals and learn how they can help protect wild animals and their habitats. Be sure to stop by the Globe theatre this weekend to see Jack Hanna and Busch Gardens' animal ambassadors.
Click to expand...
 
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The Wild Days that weren't, basically, best as I could tell. I got so much differing information from park staff, as detailed ad nauseum above. Sigh. I think Wild Days this year was basically the Jack Hanna show and that was it. But that's just a guess.
 
I did the breakfast, and it was pretty basic. He brought up animals, talked about them, and so on. It's pretty much a thing you'll only enjoy if you like animals. That being said, I wish I could have seen the looks of some of the ent execs if they saw what some of the animals were doing to the stage. :p
 
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