But where were the kilts?

[eighties]

Hey all,

The wife and I just got back from a vacation in Virginia. One place we visited was Busch Gardens Europe. It was the first time that either of us had been there in about 15 years and while we really enjoyed it I must say we had hoped to see some kilts in the Scotland part of the park. Okay I didn't wear mine but that was only because we had agreed to pack light and 3 pairs of shorts was all I had taken.

Needless to say I thought the idea was to bring a taste of Europe to a lot of folks who will probably never get there. That was how it was for me when I was a little boy. Now it seems like they are more concerned with the next big roller coaster.

The Ireland section was pretty cool and did have a fairly distinct Irish flavor, Italy came in a close second to it but the rest just seemed to be a thin veil of the countries they were supposed to represent.

Don't get me wrong we still had fun but the Scotland section needs some beefing up. Some kilts and a piper wouldn't hurt.

80s

[macsim]

I noticed the same thing earlier this year. The Scotland section seemed to have declined since our previous visit, most notably in that there was no Scottish gift shop. The only "kilts" were worn by the female employees in that section and they had some sort of button thing up front. The male employees wore black shorts. They played the same Scottish music over the PA all day. Every time we walked through it was the same song as the last time. It seems to have been combined in with England and it just makes you wonder if someone complained somewhere. "Hey, why have you got England and Scotland? That's not fair. You should have (insert country) instead of both of them!" Oh well, hard to imagine either England, Scotland or Ireland in the muggy summer heat up there.:rolleyes:

[JayFilomena]

Busch Gardens, like any other business, is trying to seperate you from your money. God Bless America. I'm sure, that if you would send Busch Gardens an email explaining how much more money you would have spent had their been added attractions, they may look into it. More likely a cost analysis was done and the $70,000 a year it would cost to hire a piper, or put employees in kilts, would have only generated another $50,000 in sales. Hence...no go on the kilts and pipes. At the YMCA we took a loss every year on the pool. With chemicals, lifeguards, equipment, safety classes, added insureance, it wasnt worth it for the amount of swimmers we had using the pool. On the other hand, the survey we did showed that the pool was the reason people joined the YMCA. So, we intentionally took a loss on the pool, to increase memberships. Funny how that works huh?

[Blu (Ontario)]

('m going to play devils advocate here.)

... What were you thinking?...

You blew the perfect opportunity to show the people there that a kilt can be worn in a casual situation. You blew an opportunity to take some fun photos to share with the group.

You packed 3 pairs of shorts?? How about a kilt and one pair of shorts. Frankly, you saw no kilts because every other bloke decided to do follow your example and wear shorts. :rolleyes:

Pfffff....... You wimped out, man!

blu

Seriously though, glad you had a fun time!

.

[Ne Oublie]

Hey all,

The wife and I just got back from a vacation in Virginia. One place we visited was Busch Gardens Europe. It was the first time that either of us had been there in about 15 years and while we really enjoyed it I must say we had hoped to see some kilts in the Scotland part of the park. Okay I didn't wear mine but that was only because we had agreed to pack light and 3 pairs of shorts was all I had taken.

Needless to say I thought the idea was to bring a taste of Europe to a lot of folks who will probably never get there. That was how it was for me when I was a little boy. Now it seems like they are more concerned with the next big roller coaster.

The Ireland section was pretty cool and did have a fairly distinct Irish flavor, Italy came in a close second to it but the rest just seemed to be a thin veil of the countries they were supposed to represent.

Don't get me wrong we still had fun but the Scotland section needs some beefing up. Some kilts and a piper wouldn't hurt.

80s

I have a feeling the response you would receive from the corporate personnel would be that kilts and pipers are not cost effective.

[A Hay]

I lived in Newport News for a year and we went to Busch Gardens exactly one time. I was disappointed. Over priced and not that pretty.

I've also been to Grants Farm in St. Louis County and that was more enjoyable.

Of course, I'm not into roller coasters and other thrill rides. Mostly go to see the shows and things.

Tom

[haukehaien]

... and the $70,000 a year it would cost to hire a piper ...

There are places that will pay pipers $70,000? AND YOU DIDN"T LIST THEIR ADDRESSES?!!!!

No, I'm not angry. Just very, very disappointed. (sigh.)