Theme Park Travels: Nickel and Dimed, Part I

Last week, in lieu of a 20-year high school reunion, my husband's friends got together for a week-long vacation/reunion in Williamsburg, Virginia. Cricket Bug is still a little young for a week-long vacation (plus, the amount of "stuff" we'd have to travel with!), so my husband and I just went up for a night. We ate a fantastic meal at The Hound's Tale (if you're ever in Williamsburg, I highly recommend it) and walked around Colonial Williamsburg at night. (Which, apparently, you can do: I suppose since nothing is open, why not?)

Okay, that's great. But this is a blog about Disney, and last time I checked, Disney isn't in Williamsburg, Virginia.

True. They're not. (Although, a Disney theme park in Virginia almost happened. With fun places like "Slavery-Land"! Can you imagine?)

Anyway. Back to how all of this relates to Disney. Sunday morning, before the reunion dinner, we went to Busch Gardens.

We're both...let's say "theme park enthusiasts" (rather than "theme park junkies") and can't really pass up an opportunity to visit one.

Four years ago, for the Fourth of July, we went to Carowinds for the day. (Our original plans fell-through; it was a spur-of-the-moment trip.) The coasters were great, but the overall park experience was...not. The entire time, we were basically complaining comparing it to Disney.

Unfair? Maybe. But when you go to order lunch and (1) the "restaurant" is out of everything except hamburgers (no hot dogs, no chicken sandwiches, no salad--just hamburgers) and (2) the clearly bored teenage cashier ringing you up tells you to "hold on" while she finishes her text/tweet/who knows, well...it's kind of hard not to compare.

And we found ourselves doing the same thing at Busch Gardens. On the way to the park, we were actually trying to figure out where, in The Theme Park Hierarchy, Busch Gardens ranked. Clearly above Carowinds; yet also clearly  below Disney.

But Disney is the one who is scrutinized for everything -- it's the Disney park prices that are reported on every time they increase; the Disney films and merchandise that are critiqued for being "too much" and for being "a shameless marketing ploy." That's not to say to that other parks aren't criticized -- for some reason, it's just not as heavily.

Maybe it's because Disney is the one that sets the bar: every one else is just "copying."

This was quite evident at Busch Gardens:

• Disney: has MagicBands, their super convenient, all-access pass: it's your ticket, your FastPass, your room key, your credit card--it's the only thing you need on property.
  Busch Gardens: has Cashless Wristbands (not nearly as catchy a name), which is basically just a credit card (not as convenient as a MagicBand), perhaps so you don't have to worry about carrying (and losing) a wallet. 
• Disney: has Photopass Photographers, strategically stationed around each of their four parks in "Kodak picture spots" (at least, that's what they used to be called, back when they were sponsored by Kodak). They're in front of Cinderella Castle, Spaceship Earth, and the Tree of Life -- but also in less iconic spots, all to capture your vacation memories. And the thing is? They're NEVER intrusive -- they never ask you if you want your picture taken.
  Busch Gardens: also has photographers, a.k.a. PhotoKey, and it works the same way. It's cheaper than Disney ($60 for a "day" pass, but then $200 at Disney gets you all the photos from the entire duration of your stay, so...) but the thing I noticed? These photographers don't just walk around quietly, waiting for you to approach them; while they're not exactly pushy, they definitely approach you and ask, forcing you to politely decline. They also didn't seem to be in the best locations -- there was one at the front of the park who asked us to pose for a photo, but after we declined, I looked around and said to my husband, "There's nothing special around here!" Not even a sign that said "Busch Gardens." Take the selfie above -- there were specific "photo spots" on the bridge, but not a photographer. (Hence the selfie.)
• Disney has FastPass+ (the tickets that allow you to essentially "cut" the line); Busch Gardens has Quick Queue (more on this later). 

I can't say for sure that all of these features at Busch Gardens came after Disney...but I think they probably did. And yet Disney is the one criticized, and the one that gets accused of trying to "nickel and dime" you. More on that specific subject here, since this ended up being a little bit longer than I had originally intended.