Sea World - no more free beer
 

So, it says here that the Hospitality Houses at Sea World parks (and Busch Gardens) will no longer serve free beer! Thus ends a long, much loved tradition. Heck, I used to enjoy this, and I HATE BEER! It's true. I can't stand the stuff, but, when I used to have an annual pass for Sea World, I would go to the Hospitality House and get my complimentary six ounce serving, and try really hard to learn to like it. I never succeeded. In fact, I never once managed to complete my little plastic cupful. But, in spite of that, I still enjoyed this silly part of my Sea World day. The cooked barley aftertaste as I strolled toward Shamu Stadium was always part and parcel of the overall experience. Likewise, I cannot think of Busch Gardens, Tampa without immediately thinking of both the brewery tour and the beer aftertaste as I wandered around the animal exhibits.

Edited to add - I wonder if this also means that employees of these parks will no longer receive free beer as a benefit. Currently, they get a free case every month.

Sad I suppose...

It sounds like the new owners want to make the "Hospitality Houses" into "Profit Houses" by turning them into family friendly cafes.


On the other hand, I was reading some of the comments left on the article flippy linked to. Several of them cited free beer as "the only" reason for going to Sea World. Geeze a season pass to Sea World is ~$100.00. You can get 128 bottles of beer for that much just by going to a grocery store. That's 256 6oz servings. Just stay home and drink up if beer is that important to you....

I don't read it as, "Free beer at Sea World or nothing." I read it as, "Free beer is the only reason I choose Sea World over other forms of entertainment." Should those people who stated the beer as their reason for attending stop receiving that free beer, they're unlikely to stay home. They're likely to instead spend that $100 elsewhere.

With travel and amusement park attendance trending down right now, it seems bad timing.

Awww man now when i go to Sea World Orlando and Bush Gardens Tampa i won't get my free beer. I usually hate beer. The last time we went to Sea World i had injured my ankle that morning (gave out as i missed the sidewalk/step) it immediately swelled and i just decided to drive there anyways with Matt. Long story short the free beer helped numb the pain as i was trying to limp around all day. Story short we didn't even make it all day due to the pain.

but...for the most part, it was Bud, wasnt it? not a huge loss

I like beer that doesnt taste like it came from one of the clydes.

wont stop me. I loves me some seaworld. :snap:

and yeah. when youre already hurting for biz, and who isnt...the last thing you do is start pulling anything that actually brings folks in, even if its only a small part of the reason people attend

Free beer was the only thing to make the horrible San Diego version of Journey to Atlantis (aka Expedition Grain Silo) semi-tolerable.