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Fans Furious as Theme Park Ceases Operations Without Notifying Them

in Busch Gardens, Theme Parks

Posted on by Rick Lye 1 Comment
A colorful sign reading "Busch Gardens" in green, with abstract design elements in blue, red, and yellow behind it. The sign is situated on a green structure with a background of trees at the beloved theme park, leaving fans furious as whispers circulate about potential ceases operations.

Credit: Busch Gardens Williamsburg

Busch Gardens has been experiencing some public relations nightmares as of late. Some have been out of the theme park’s control, while others have been of their own making.

Front entrance to Busch Gardens Tampa Bay in Florida
Credit: Busch Gardens Tampa Bay

Related: After Threats of Another Violent ‘Takeover,’ Florida Theme Park Delays Opening of Newest Coaster

Busch Gardens Tampa experienced a security nightmare in late June when a group of locals held a “takeover” at the theme park, which ended in a brawl that was caught on camera and quickly spread to social media.

Fans of Busch Gardens Tampa took to social media to tell the park and local police that the same group was planning another “takeover” over Fourth of July weekend. Only after a massive social media campaign did the park adjust its security procedures and block off areas where guests sneak prohibited items into the theme park.

Busch Gardens Williamsburg was not immune to these public relations issues either. Earlier this summer, the park tweeted that its roller coaster, Pantheon, was the fastest multi-launch coaster in the world. They were so confident in the claim that they followed it up with, “Don’t even think of debating us on this.”

Related: Busch Gardens Changes Course After Fans Shame Them Into It

Coaster enthusiasts have decided to debate Busch Gardens Williamsburg on this claim, saying that the company has “blatantly lied” about the speed of their coaster and that there are other faster multi-launch coasters.

While thrill ride fans took no issue with Busch Gardens’ comments about Pantheon’s speed and record-breaking status, they did point out that Soaring with Dragon at Hefei Suna Land in China has a top speed of 77.7 mph, making it faster than Pantheon.

Now, Busch Gardens Williamsburg has stepped in again with fans. The park near Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, was forced to close on Friday due to inclement weather.

Related: Police and Security Have Florida Theme Park Locked Down After Threat of Another Violent ‘Takeover’

Severe weather frequently forces theme parks to shut down, and guests know that if the parks shut down, they do not receive a refund in most cases, but they also know that they should stay home.

However, when inclement weather shut down Busch Gardens Williamsburg on Friday night at five, the park did not inform guests that it was closing early, so anyone headed there for some Friday Night fireworks was in for a rude awakening.

Busch Gardens did post the adjusted park hours on its website but did not post them on one of its many social media accounts. Guests who only checked social media arrived at the park to find it closed.

After guests complained about arriving at the park only to find it closed, Busch Gardens posted the complaint to their Facebook and Instagram accounts but never updated X.

Guests took to X to complain that the park did not update its park hours for Saturday, given that the same inclement weather that forced the closure on Friday was still in the area.

One fan wrote on X:

Yeah, see, that’s because they’re Busch Gardens. It’s their job to build the best park in va by far and then be worse than King’s Dominion just by sucking so much at the guest experience.

So, while Busch Gardens cannot control the severe weather in the area of its parks, it can control how it relays information to its guests, and perhaps that’s the problem.

What do you think of Busch Gardens Williamsburg failing to inform guests that it was closing early? 

in Busch Gardens, Theme Parks

Rick Lye

Rick is an avid Disney fan. He first went to Disney World in 1986 with his parents and has been hooked ever since. Rick is married to another Disney fan and is in the process of turning his two children into fans as well. When he is not creating new Disney adventures, he loves to watch the New York Yankees and hang out with his dog, Buster. In the fall, you will catch him cheering for his beloved NY Giants.

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