No more free beer at SeaWorld or Busch Gardens

No, but if profitability were the only factor in this decision there are a lot of things the Busch parks do that are not profitable but add up to a unique experience only a Busch park can deliver.

That's a big shame! How can I go to BGE, BGA, Seaworld and not get drunk now! Even if they charged $.50 a glass or a dollar people would still come to the Hospitality House. Just taking out completely is going to make loads of people angry!

ridemcoaster said:
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(edit - afterthought) Before anyone wishes they were an employee of the parks for free beer.. It technically was only given to the full time 12 mo employees. (ie Suits). The people you mostly see in the parks didn't see such benefit.

Actually I worked at SWO for some time last year and free beer was available to any part-time or full-time employee who worked 6 months with the company. So actually most people working the front-line jobs got free beer. It was actually kinda neat. There would be 3-4 days a month that were called "beer distribution days" where you would stop at a warehouse and pick up your free cases of beer (I believe it was two free cases). They even let you pick what kind of Busch beer you would like. As crazy/funny of a perk as it may sound it seemed like the perfect little "benefit" for employees as everyone was always talking about it and such and it almost created some pride about their job (along the lines "I work for Sea World but it is owned by AB, and they give us free AB beer, they must value us" type deal). It was a big deal, at-least when I worked there.

eightdotthree said:
No, but if profitability were the only factor in this decision there are a lot of things the Busch parks do that are not profitable but add up to a unique experience only a Busch park can deliver.

I wasn't suggesting otherwise.

Jeff said:
Why is the desire to be profitable greedy?

I've been trying to get someone to explain that to me for years. As far as I can tell, it isn't.

Andrew said:

Actually I worked at SWO for some time last year and free beer was available to any part-time or full-time employee who worked 6 months with the company. So actually most people working the front-line jobs got free beer.

Actually let me revise my statement.. I was referring to BGE which Im closely related to a 12 mo (suit) employee.. This benefit was not extended to part-time and very few seasonal full time employees. The process is similar but was limited despite the brewery being walking distance away from the park. So while SWO is that way.. Not true for BGE. Keep in mind, we are a seasonal park and dont operate completely the same way as Orlando Parks.

Today was fun speaking of BGE. Unconfirmed tornado touch down near park today. Minor damage to rides, some of the trees and fences.

Jeff said:
I don't think free beer is something you can honestly compare to conservation and recycling, is it?

Depends on what bin you throw your bottle or can in ;)

Lord Gonchar said:

Jeff said:Why is the desire to be profitable greedy?

I've been trying to get someone to explain that to me for years. As far as I can tell, it isn't.

For me, the distinction is one of timelines..."greed" in my personal lexicon equates to short-term thinking...profit-taking that makes the books look good RIGHT NOW. But too often that comes at the expense of long-term viability/profitability. Does this move spell doom for the A-B parks? Hardly...but it does make them somewhat less "distinctive" - which is where I think 8.3 was headed - and if he was, I tend to agree.

Jeff said:Why is the desire to be profitable greedy?

Jeff I got no problem with companies being profitable, You have to be or your not in buisness. The problem I have is sometimes they tend to slash and cut to the point of not being enjoyable anymore.No, the Hospitality rooms are not that big of deal but start removing landscaping and other exclusivly Busch traits and they will no longer be Busch Parks, Much the same that I feel CP isn't nearly as nice as CP 15-20 years ago. NO its not supposed to be but theres more to a park than concrete and coasters

rollergator, It is precisely what I meant.

If this change simply means the parks are trying to separate from the brewery than I think it's fine and have no major issue with it other than I will miss the free Beer School at BGE every year.

The only "Beer School" I've done was at SWO a couple years ago when some good friends were down from Jersey. Trying the different kinds of beer available, the information delivered about the product/process, the pairing with foods, all VERY useful knowledge to have - very glad I got to do it. Certainly something atypical of your average theme park experience, but something that made AB parks special....my Platinum pass has certainly lost some of its value to me (and for the price, they should kiss my butt upon request).

Charles Nungester said:
The problem I have is sometimes they tend to slash and cut to the point of not being enjoyable anymore.

At which point they lose customers. How is this going to cause them to shed customers?

Jeff said:

Charles Nungester said:The problem I have is sometimes they tend to slash and cut to the point of not being enjoyable anymore.

At which point they lose customers. How is this going to cause them to shed customers?

IDK, I guess we'll have to take a wait and see aproach and see if Inbev retains ownership or a park operator who will treat the parks as their pride and joy..I see a whole bunch more cuts coming. I sure bet them clydesdales loose a fortune despite their distinct identity to Anheiser Busch.

I can see the Clydesdales being scaled back vis a vis no longer being at any Busch park, but I highly doubt they will ever leave Grant's Farm, the Breweries and the fair circuit. This is not about cutbacks, this is about proving to a potential seller that AB is not the reason for SW and BG's sucess. Infact, I would not be suprised if BG got a new name sometime in the near future.

Awww man, bummer. That was a yearly tradition for me, free beer at BGA for my birthday. :( I'm sure though that it was always one of those perceived value things, like free soda at HW. It is not like you could have as much as you wanted all day, but then again it isn't like they really policed that policy too well either. Oh well, times they are a changing.

Touchdown said:I would not be suprised if BG got a new name sometime in the near future.

Africa/Europe, Old Country/Dark Continent, Tampa/Williamsburg...it's not like the parks weren't already suffering from multiple personalities. Even Elizabeth Taylor always kept the ONE name... :)

eightdotthree said:

coasterdude318 said:
When did the Williamsburg park stop serving free beer?

I am not sure they ever did. They do have "beer school" which I suspect won't go anywhere.

I don't know if free beer was served in the park, but BGE did serve free beer at the end of the brewery tour, although I'm not sure when they stopped. Several years ago there was a monorail that took guests from the park (I think the boarding station was between Aquitaine and Hastings) to the brewery. I believe this monorail was removed sometime in either the late '90s or early this decade. I never understood why it was removed, as it was a pretty long walk to and from the brewery.

The monorail and hospitality center it serviced was closed at the end of our '98 season due to financial reasons.

It wasn't deemed profitable to operate and manage the hospitality center and the cost of maintaining the monorail wasnt being offset by guests visiting it. There were also issues with the monorail catching fire due to its unfortunate poor design. Hence more maintenance and more $$'s.

As far as the current Beer School in Ireland at BGE.. As it stands now, that is also part of the "free beer" removal thats sweeping through the BEC parks, and will not exist next season.

I have just came from Sea World Orlando and they were still serving Free Beer as of right now. They will quit doing it on Feb 1st and will be closing the hospitality center then to remodel it into a new restaurant. So if you still wanting free beer you have a few weeks left to get it at SWO. I don't know as of yet if they are still doing or have already stopped at Busch Gardens Africa (Tampa). I'll find out in a few days when I head over there.

^It's still there at BGA until the end of the month. Signage in/around the HH indicates the upcoming change. They're touting the new food choices they'll be making available in that building. Seeing the grandparents (and grandkids) as a significant portion of the people keeping the park operating on Monday only served to reinforce my previous opinion. Granddad liked the beer while grandma liked showing off the birds in that area of the park to the young'uns. ;)