Total revenue and EBITDA down in first quarter for United Parks

When you have some of the worst ride operations in the industry it’s not surprising. Busch Gardens Tampa could, and should, be the “Cedar Point of the South” from November through April with top-notch ride operations yet I regularly here “never again.”How do you F something up that is so stupid simple?!

While Six Flags/Cedar Fair has undersold their product and not only given away the gate plus food & drink, this company is at the opposite end of the spectrum. They have gouged to the point the people are not coming back anymore. It's only going to get worse with the price of fuel and everything else rising.

Hyper gouging food pricing and the sleazy 5% surcharge might have been great for the financials in the short run, but in the long run it is causing attendance to lower.

Somewhere there is a happy medium between giving away the gate and gouging........

I stopped reading your post when I saw you referecing price gouging.

The problem is also the food has declined considerably since it has left Busch ownership. Add on top operations being terrible and up time being absolutely the worst. Then the ridiculous rates for parking.

I’ll say it again, United to me has far more pressing issues then SF… The new additions are great, but fix what is broken first.

I so wish Herschunds could have bought this chain instead of Palace, yes it would have meant the end of Howl-O-Scream but otherwise they are just a perfect fit to fix what ails these parks. That board is just the worst. Sadly I don’t think there is any company who is able and willing to buy them at this point.

that the hill you're going to die on? Yes it's not gouging in the old man traditional definition, but the word has adopted a newer meaning in recent years. Fight it all you want, but you look silly doing it.

You know darn well what he meant, (Looking at you mandatory $4 locker at Iron Gwazi).

Face it, if this group of educated consumers says that the operations are crap, and the experience isn't worth the premium price they charge, eventually the general public will figure that out as well. It looks like that's happening, Quarter after Quarter.

I just sub 'overcharging' for gouging anytime I see that word in these threads, that's basically what it is. And yes, the reports have effectively blocked any BGT Florida trips for us, at least til we're ready to try Epic along with it.

5% surcharge on anything purchased in the park. This was just downright sleazy and insults the customers intelligence.

$5 for one ride on a standard in park transportation or observation ride after paying a high ticket price to get in.

I’m not aware of any other chain that surcharges like this.

The parking and food prices are beyond the higher prices that one would expect. $11 for a pretzel at BGW….

There is always a tipping point and I think they have reached that. Short term profits will end up with long-term attendance decline.

I have to admit that I was prepared for the worst during my December trip to BGT, but was pleasantly surprised. We caught the right mix of preparations for the upcoming Xmas week crowds, but were lucky with semi reasonable crowds the weekend before that. Food quality has decreased, the staff are the absolute worst. That might just be Tampa, and not BGT, but they are just the worst. If that's what works at a theme park, I shudder to think what the local Walmart must be like.

super7*:

$5 for one ride on a standard in park transportation or observation ride after paying a high ticket price to get in.

Dude, they have charged for Skytowers and the skyride at San Diego since day one.

The recent charge for the skyride in Tampa is unfathomable.