San Antonio Off Topic Thread Part 3 (Austin: rent, state, worst)

[sapphire]

You buy now!

[rd2007]

I prefer to stimulate the economy in my own back yard, or my front yard as is going to be the case tomorrow..

[djw]

Originally Posted by rd2007

Just asked my daughter and there is a policy, but only a SeaWorld employee would know it. She said it's hardly enforced, but they're not supposed to sell tickets to kids under 16 and she said they most often won't sell them to kids when they're in a group with no adults. That's probably why the three 14 year olds were singled out.

Whew...it took a few weeks and some emails and phone calls, but I finally got to the bottom of the Sea World admission policy.

For those just catching up: Sea World inconsistently turned away or allowed minors into the park without a clear written policy on how or whether they should be accompanied by an adult. I (and apparently others) challenged the policy and here's the reply I received today:

"Greetings from SeaWorld San Antonio!

I would like to apologize for the situation your son encountered on his visit. Our policy has since changed in regards to minors in the park.

The park recommends that all children and teenagers be appropriately supervised while at the park. Because each teen matures at a different pace, it is best for the parent to determine whether their child has the ability to handle the responsibility of going to a large-attendance facility unaccompanied by an adult or parent.

Again I apologize for the inconvenience this caused you and your family.
Our business is all about making friends and we will continue to work toward our commitment to excellence in guest satisfaction. If we can be of any further assistance, please call our Guest Relations Correspondent.

Sincerely, "
- a customer service rep on behalf of the VP -

I called to make sure I understood the policy and it seems that the VP had a reversal of mindset and it is now the policy of Sea World to NOT turn away unacompanied minor kids. They are leaving it up to parents to determine if they are mature enough.

Kiddo is very happy he'll get to spend his last two days in town at the water park! And mom is happy she won't have to spend $$ for parking to get them in!!

[sapphire]

They should have tossed in a couple of free tickets.

[djw]

Originally Posted by sapphire

They should have tossed in a couple of free tickets.

If we'd lost $$ in the deal, I certainly would have asked for it! Apparently the "old" policy was posted at the main entrance. Now exactly where at the acres-big main entrance, I'm not sure!
The kids did good, though. When they were denied, they simply walked away and didn't get into it with the admissions-ticket-thumb-scanner person. They tried scamming in with an unknowing family, but got caught by that same thumb-scanner. So they just called me to come get them. They were on fun-passes. So beyond an hour out of their young lives they didn't lose much!

Just happy to see common sense and reason won out on this one!!

[doss1]

This reminds me of a story...

Back in the days of old long before people used email, I actually hand wrote a letter to a toy manufacturer because the Ninja Turtles that I bought from the store were low quality. Specifically, the belts that held the weapons for some of the turtles would easily snap and break if you pulled on them too hard. Well, as a kid, that really made me cry. So I decided to write to the company and I told them they should make the belts stronger. I had written some long treatise...must have been at least 5 pages and I threw in some hand drawings of how I envisioned they could make the belts stronger. A few weeks later, my door bell rang and I found a big unmarked box on my door step with no return address and just my name on it. I opened it and the company had sent me 15 Ninja Turtle characters and tons of new belts all in nice box art. There was also a letter from the CEO and he said thanks for the suggestions.

Today, if I was a toy company and received bajillions of emails from people, I bet I wouldn't be able to tell who is 12 or who is 70 with the way most people write sentences on the Internet (no bashing of CD members here).

[sapphire]

Awww, I got a tear. *sniffle*

I can just see you sitting there playing with your turtles. Raphael, Leonardo, Donatello, and Michaelangelo!! I was a huge turtle fan--the first movie was great.

[perticusrex]

Went to The Witte today - I had read before, probably on here what a nightmare "Free Tuesdays" are, however I will say that as long as you get there just before 3pm, it is pretty much a piece of cake. It was even easier to get in if you paid a bit extra for the "Playing with Time" exhibit because they let those people go first before 3pm and you still got the added extra of the free museum admission. When we left though, which was around 530pm, the line was out the door well into the parking lot. Moral of the story, get there early.

[rd2007]

The same is true for the Louvre. I almost didn't go because I read so many stories about the PITA and waits involved in seeing the main attractions like Venus and Mona, but we just walked right up to them with no problem and we went later in the afternoon.. so yes, it sucks if you wait in line with everyone else in the beginning.. and it's a breeze if you wait for the retards to finish

[doss1]

Anyone been to the Texas State History museum in Austin? Pretty cool.