SeaWorld and BGT Introduce $50 Weekday Ticket

[Brian G.]

Discuss

http://orlandounited.com/seaworld-p...seaworld-orlando-introduce-50-weekday-ticket/

 

[maxairmike]

I think its a very interesting move by them to step into dynamic pricing this way. They recently expressed interest and they made the move, but I wonder if they set the bar excessively low? I know the park tends to be quiet even in the summer on weekdays, and ridiculously so every other time of the year (besides holidays), but this could affect their value perception compared to the other Orlando parks in a very negative way.

 

[Starwarsfan13]

Discuss

http://orlandounited.com/seaworld-p...seaworld-orlando-introduce-50-weekday-ticket/

Jeez...they gotta be hurting...

 

[LHZY]

Its crazy to me because it goes into christmas break.

 

[Octobers Fade]

Its crazy to me because it goes into christmas break.

Still only week days...
I think that's about right the end of the slow period and probably will help Christmas Town sales on Fridays.

 

[SeventyOne]

Anecdotal evidence says they are hurting--I think Potter/Transformers did more damage to SW than any Disney park--but they have offered ridiculous deals before, like a de facto $90 AP. (The "fun card" didn't include parking or discounts, but still gave a year's admission for price of a 1-day ticket.) Honestly, I've never thought SW lived up to the immersive standards of WDW or USO, always thought their tickets were priced too high.

 

[Eckert]

Doesn't anyone else here love this idea? I personally feel all theme parks should have reduced pricing on weekdays.

 

[Octobers Fade]

Doesn't anyone else here love this idea? I personally feel all theme parks should have reduced pricing on weekdays.

Yes, I agree reduced hours should equal reduced admission.

- - - Updated - - -

Anecdotal evidence says they are hurting--I think Potter/Transformers did more damage to SW than any Disney park--but they have offered ridiculous deals before, like a de facto $90 AP. (The "fun card" didn't include parking or discounts, but still gave a year's admission for price of a 1-day ticket.) Honestly, I've never thought SW lived up to the immersive standards of WDW or USO, always thought their tickets were priced too high.

Several years ago when my pass was about to expire my renewal offer was two years for $105!

 

[Teebin]

Several years ago when my pass was about to expire my renewal offer was two years for $105!

Hmmm... I was shocked to see that neither Disney or Universal even tries to play this game. You let your AP expire and you never ever hear from either of them again. Do any of you think it is the two not wanting to set such a precedent?

 

[IzzyB]

Hmmm... I was shocked to see that neither Disney or Universal even tries to play this game. You let your AP expire and you never ever hear from either of them again. Do any of you think it is the two not wanting to set such a precedent?

Not true. My Universal pass expired years ago and several months after they sent something to me for me to come back. It was an amazing deal and got us to upgrade to the highest premier pass. Now I believe the premier was pretty new back then, so that might be why. But still, it was a good deal, I think we saved like $60 each for the passes.

 

[knokout1]

About 75% of Busch Gardens visitors are pass holders. Could have something to do with it.

 

[Teebin]

Not true. My Universal pass expired years ago and several months after they sent something to me for me to come back. It was an amazing deal and got us to upgrade to the highest premier pass. Now I believe the premier was pretty new back then, so that might be why. But still, it was a good deal, I think we saved like $60 each for the passes.

Hmmm.. perhaps they look more closely at the spending habits of APs and decide from that. Otherwise, I believe you might be correct that it may have been a special premier deal.

 

[IzzyB]

Hmmm.. perhaps they look more closely at the spending habits of APs and decide from that. Otherwise, I believe you might be correct that it may have been a special premier deal.

Speaking of spending habits, since Uni gives discounts, they probably get a rough estimate of AP spending. So they know roughly what their AP population spends. But Disney has no clue. I wonder with the bands coming, not only will they be able to track AP spending if people use the bands, but they will be able to do something even Uni can't do right now. Target AP holders that spend more money during their visits. So lets say you have an AP holder that spends $5 every time they go (basically a couple bottles of water) and then you have another AP guest that spends $100 each time they go because they go to dinner, lunch, etc. Both of those AP holders don't renew, they then can select which person to send a special deal to or the AP holders it is even worth spending mailing money on to send the renewal notice to. These are just some of the things I was thinking they could use it for to get more money. Maybe if they see spending being reduced by a certain passholder, send them a special dinner offer to get them back into the park. You could do this with other guests too. Being able to track someone's spending habits could really help them target the right people.

 

[Kevin38]

Hmmm... I was shocked to see that neither Disney or Universal even tries to play this game. You let your AP expire and you never ever hear from either of them again. Do any of you think it is the two not wanting to set such a precedent?

Not true I let my Universal pass expire week before Christmas and called mid January and got the renewal rate They said they could do it up too two months expired.I lost 2 or 3 weeks off my pass (renewal anniversary is still week before Christmas)

Does anyone know renewal rate for SW and BGT Annual pass (out of state) currently 199.00 for 1 year or 299.00 for 2 years .
If renewal rate is less the 140.00 will wait to get 2nd year when first expires (have too buy 2 of them)

I am sure a lot tracking of AP spending goes on even without wristbands ie. HHN discounts ,AP discounted rooms,food and merchandise discount.
I have stayed @ all three hotels without free entrance (w/AP)and AP room discount I would not have been able to afford that So I am sure a good bit of AP spending is tracked .You give them your AP for the discounts so that they can.

 

[JungleSkip]

SeaWorld reported a loss of 15 million for Wuarter 2 and an attendance drop of 9% from last year.

Things aren't looking good for them. They say they have record revenue, but they're seemingly bleeding cash.

 

[Brian G.]

Was that SeaWorld parks, or just SeaWorld Orlando?

 

[JungleSkip]

Was that SeaWorld parks, or just SeaWorld Orlando?

Parks.

 

[Splatter]

Busch Tampa is likely hurting because they have not offered anything new but thrill rides and whisper of additions over the past decade. Falcon's Fury will be fun, but it is just another thrill ride. They have that market but it is hard to compete with Orlando(including their own Sea World there)

Now with Legoland it put another dent in that extra day people have to venture outside of Orlando.

This was perhaps a smart move.

 

[Mad Dog]

SeaWorld reported a loss of 15 million for Wuarter 2 and an attendance drop of 9% from last year.

Things aren't looking good for them. They say they have record revenue, but they're seemingly bleeding cash.

Yes, and that $15.9 million loss was a far cry from 2012 Q-2 $39.1 million profit. This partially explains the cutbacks at some of their parks this summer. Next summer will probably get worse for the flag ship Orlando Sea World park when Diagon opens for Universal and 7DMC for Disney.

 

[KRAKENvsMANTA]

It's unfortantely apparent that the Busch parks are hurting financially. In another thread I tried denying this, but after a little research, the truth came out. I can only blame this on upper management. SeaWorld Orlando and Busch Gardens Tampa are consistantly underrated. To the average tourist, they may not be on the same level as Disney or Universal, but they're not THAT far off. Both parks have made huge strides improving their themeing with every latest addition. And while BGT has been criticized for not being family-friendly enough, I believe that's not entirely true. While they'll always be known for the great selection of thrill rides(the greatest in Florida), they've attempted adding more kid-friendly atttactions: Jungala, Safari of Fun, Walkabout Way, Madagascar. And that's how I feel they should be marketed: :"The Greatest Selection of Coasters and Thrill Rides in Florida", tied in with the animal exhibits and kid-friendly stuff. It's a shame Antartica's ride was kind of disapointing. SeaWorld needed that. While Kraken and Manta are obviously the best coasters in Florida, you don't want to advertise SWO as a thrill park in family-friendly Orlando. Perhaps SeaWorld should stick with what they do best: awesome animal exhibits. Add in a flat ride or coaster every few years to feed Orlando's ride-based mentality, and you're good to go. As someone who loves both parks, I hope they can recover from their financial woes and can continue building amazing attractions, shows, and animal encounters for years to come.