RobertDavid

My Busch pass was one of those cheap paper things. Since I had easy pay it never expired, so I had it for a couple of years, until recently when they came out with the plastic ones, but I had to pay extra for the plastic one. I wish Disney would get easy pay. For those unfamiliar with it, you pay monthly. They automatically deduct money from your bank account. The Disney passes are so expensive, it would be nice to be able to pay monthly like all the other parks down here.

That's hysterical! That's the only way I can distinguish the two. "Park open daily now through Labor Day".

I know I've said this before, but this is also my least favorite area of the park. It's been going downhill since the park opened. They've removed way too many trees to build extremely unattractive structures, there is no coherent theming, and worst of all they built rides in the parking lot. Someone made a series of really bad choices.

Maybe they wanted something colorful and attractive in front of the boring building.

That would be great. I only vaguely remeber entering the park from the old entrance. I would love to see exactly how it was laid out.

The antique cars?

Shows are a necessity. You'll never attract families without them.

I think it's a little unfair to get mad at these people for not taking on every instance of stereotyping in the world. They saw an ad that offended them personally and responded to it. It is their right to do so. Of course people are going to get involved when they are personally affected. There are millions of worthy causes in this world, every person does not get involved in every cause. People tend to get involved in causes that somehow affect them personally, and there's nothing wrong with that, as long as they get involved in something. I do not believe this ad is worth getting too upset about, but I do believe it was a bad decision and again is a step backward for the company instead of forward in working to improve their image. And by the way, this stereotype does not involve me at all personally, but I still believe it is wrong. Most of all, however, I just believe it was wrong for the company and it's image.

This is unfortunate. I do believe they made a bad choice with this ad campaign. I don't believe it conveys the image they are going for with the parks. Ethnic issues aside, it's just obnoxious.

My fear is that someday they will not be able to get parts for it anymore and then they'll have to take it out. I fear the same fate for the Giant Wheel. A lot of park attractions get retired because parts are no longer available for them. Both these attractions are older than the park. I hope they last as long as the park does.

This is what upsets me about the park. 'It used to be beautiful" "It used to be well themed". It seems like the park keeps going backwards, deteriorating, instead of getting better. I have loved this park since it opened and I'm sorry if I sound bitter, but in a lot of ways I am. It's very frustrating to see something you love so much deteriorate. To see what was a magical, wonderfully themed park spread through a forrest become a slab of cement with rides thrown on it haphazardly breaks my heart. Its going from a theme park to a carnival. I keep hoping that each new company that takes control will be it's savior, but it hasn't happened yet. But I never give up hope.

That was great. Brings back memories. Thanx.

You seem to be missing the same point the park does. It's not that the attraction itself is not well themed, it's that it has nothing to do with the attractions around it or the theming of the area of the park that it is in. I wasn't sure if there were trees exactly where the go carts were or not. I just remember when the employee dining was in that area it was one of the last wooded areas of the park and I was sad to see them cut them all down.

I was very impressed with The Golden Kingdom. It is the best theming they've done in the park since it opened. I really wish they would do something with Movie Town and the Boardwalk. I've never really liked either of those 2 sections. First of all the theming doesn't make any sense. They also cut down way too many trees in the Enchanted Forrest to make Movie Town. The boardwalk also ticked me off because it was built out into the parking lot and they cut down a lot of trees to make that monstrocity of an aircraft hanger and go cart track. Couldn't they have at least left some trees in the go cart track so you could be driving through the woods? I don't know if it was a safety issue or that it costs too much to work around trees, but they really seem to like cutting them down.

How does an aircraft hanger fit into any theme? I believe the area of the park it is in is called the "Boardwalk". How many boardwalks have aircraft hangers on them? Not to mention, not one single board. This is the problem SF has with themeing, they just don't understand it. They theme each ride completely separate from everything around them and seem to just throw them around the park, whether or not they fit into the theme of the area.

Indoor attractions inside themed buildings or mountains or something attractive. PLEASE, no more big gray warehouses.

It's not enclosed structures I have a problem with, it's structures enclosed in big, ugly, gray warehouses. A "Theme Park" is supposed to have "themes". What kind of theme is that, "Warehouse Land"?

Couldn't they just take that massively ugly building out of the park instead of changing the movie.

It looks interesting, like a take on Disney"s Electric Light Parade or SpectroMagic. But I imagine it only happens once a day, and at night. What about the rest of the day?

I would LOVE to see BEC run Great Adventure. those people know how to run a park. I don't think they would be interested, though. It scares me to think of someone buying those parks. They are the best-run, best-themed parks in the country. I was a dancer at Busch Williamsburg and I go to Busch Tampa every week. I can't imagine them being owned by a foreign company. being American owned has always been a source of pride for them. It really doesn't matter that much to be though who owns them as long as they continue the quality they have produced over the years.

It seems to me that before Great Adventure spends any more money on roller coasters, they have to get a decent show. Nobody loves roller coasters as much as I do, but adults need something to do in the park. I know shows do not seem to draw a lot of people, but that is because there are not a lot of adults in the park. They do not like Great Adventure because there is nothing for them to do. Animal shows are all there are and that does not appeal to everyone. Every other theme park I have been to, and I've been to a lot, have several live stage shows and people flock to them. I live in Orlando and frequently visit Disney, Universal, Sea World, and Busch Gardens Tampa. All of these parks have many live shows and people arrive an hour beforehand to get good seats. Busch Tampa is the closest comparison to great Adventure. It is a much smaller park than GA but still has 3 main stage shows, an animal show, and a children's show. It also has great roller coasters and thrill rides. The shows are generally 70-80% adults and always filled to capacity. Adults go to the park just to see the shows. Great Adventure has spent so many years marketing to teenagers that adults see it as a teen hangout and stay away. It will take a lot of work to change this image. People will not flock to the park because they put a show in. It will take several years of providing quality entertainment to reverse the image they have created as a park with nothing for adults. This will be necessary, however, if they intend to attract families and change their image to one of a family-friendly, quality theme park. Shows do not cost as much as roller coasters and they can keep them for a couple of years to make them more financially acceptable. The payout in the end will be well worth it. Some have argued that people in that area do not want to see shows at the park because they are so close to NY and Broadway. If anything this would create even more of a reason the shows need to be quality, however I do not believe this affects the situation at all. Not many people get to go to Broadway shows on a regular basis, and those that do enjoy theatre would enjoy seeing shows at theme parks. Great Adventure has no real competition in the area as far as thrill rides are concerned. Hershey is the only other major theme park I can think of in the area and it does not come close. But even that park has live stage shows that seem to draw a large audience. I don't believe a Batman stunt show is the answer. That would be a show geared toward teenagers. Adults would not like it and teenagers would rather ride rides. If Great Adventure wants to change it's image and become a quality family park they are going to have to suck up a few years of spending money on shows that will not have very large crowds while they build up their reputation. One way to do this is to cast 2 different shows with the same performers, doing 2 performances of each show. Since there will not be a large audience they could get by with only 2 performances and that way they could do 2 shows for the price of one, at least as far as casting goes. I remember when I was at the park we did 6 shows a day and never had more than 1/3 of the Showcase theatre full. We certainly could have gotten by doing 3 or 4 shows. Once people realize the park is offering quality entertainment more adults will come to the park and there will be something for everyone to enjoy.

I'm really looking forward to that spotlight. I miss that little village!

Does anyone know when they usually start decorating for Fright Fest? I usually come up in October and go to the park, but this year I am trying to get there while the park is still "normal". I know time is running out. I just haven't seen the park without spider webs and skeletons in a long time.

I gotta tell ya, I had the best laugh over "the amazing slab of concrete". I don't know why, it just tickled my funny bone.

I think there are 2 main reasons the shows did not draw a crowd. First of all, they were lousy shows. I had a great time performing there, but I know that even the show I was in was terrible. Second, there just aren't many adults at the park. The park had always been marketed toward teenagers and that was always the majority of guests. That's why I think it's important to offer shows for the adults that do not ride rides to have something to do at the park if they are serious about drawing families. It will take a while of providing quality shows to change the image they have created of having few, any not very good, shows.