Hello everyone! Here's a update from my Dutch Wonderland visit. We have not been back to the park. My daughter isn't interested in their new changes. I have sent out a email to Dutch Wonderland's managment and this is a email I got back explaning the changes. Although I do understand they are under new mangament I would think they would test out their theories before applying them. I am most upset over the parking fee that will be added in the future. One of the park's best selling points was the free parking. It's sad to see the family come out of the "family amusument park". A kingdom for kids no more. I am hoping to visit soon again when we get a chance and will give them a second shot. I will post my review then. Until then keep having Dutch Wonderful days.
Email from Dutch Wonderland Managment:
Hi Theresa,
I want to first of all thank you again for taking the time to communicate your concerns to me. As you stated, we are going through a period of change due to our new ownership. With that said, it is our intent to make all the change as positive as possible.
In your email to me you expressed your disappointment about the First Family event we had done in the past. I’m sorry for the misunderstanding but the “First Family” from last year was the result of a Facebook contest we held the month before the Park opened. The winner was drawn randomly from entries on our Facebook page – not as a result of being the first in line. We would never encourage our guests to race on to our property and physically compete with one another to be “the first one in line”.
Your observations on the changes we’ve made to our Entertainment department are being discussed with our production company, RWS. Again, the intent of the changes here was not meant to diminish the experience we offer regarding our shows, guest entertainers, characters and special events. In fact, our intention was just the opposite. We added a show called Dress Up and Dance and we have scheduled appearances by the Princess, Duke and Knight to make it easier to find them.
For business reasons we needed to reevaluate our special events like Christian Family Fest that and other events that we traditionally hosted. Over the years we have added and deleted events. Unfortunately this event has had diminishing support and a high cost and so we decided to eliminate it. We will always consider it as a possibility at some time in the future.
I am truly sorry that you didn’t like the brick pavers that were installed at the front of the park. I’m not sure where you heard that this was going to be done throughout the rest of the park but this is not really accurate. We will be adding decorative pavers in areas where it makes sense and enhances the aesthetics of the park but, as always, it will be done with safety and guest satisfaction in mind.
Unfortunately, as with special events, we also have to reevaluate all aspects of our park and business each year. Many of the old life sized characters and props that have been in Dutch Wonderland for years have gotten to the point where they could not be repaired economically and so the decision has been made to remove them. You probably don’t know but most of them were created from chicken wire and paper Mache. Although they were covered in fiberglass and many coats of paint, they did not have a strong base and just deteriorated over the years.
I want to apologize for any trash or spider webs that you witnessed that should have been taken care of. Obviously a park as large as ours takes incredible work to keep pristine. We shared your feedback with our Environmental Services staff and they are dedicated to make sure they improve in this area.
I also want to apologize for our employees who were not uniformed properly or engaging with our guests as is expected. Although we have our employees try on their uniforms each season, it’s hard to tell how they will work out until we are fully operational. We constantly monitor adherence to dress code and will continue to keep a close eye on this. We will also continue to reinforce our service standards and commitment to being Guest Focused.
I want to thank you for pointing out issues with the ride operator at the Space Shuttle. The message was immediately passed on to our Rides Operations Manager and the situation was addressed with the employee. We have also addressed the hot water issue in the rest room located by the Potato Patch by adjusting the water temperature. Safety is always our number one priority!!
One of the changes you mentioned was regarding food & beverage. As with entertainment, we reevaluate our menus, pricing, ingredients and suppliers every year. We are revamping our entire food service and had to make some business decisions that caused the changes you have mentioned. Again, it’s for the betterment of our park and guest experience. Nathan’s hot dogs and Breyer’s Ice Cream were both considered because they are high quality products just like Berk’s and Turkey Hill. Give them a try, I think you will like them.
It is true that we will be offering Preferred Parking this year. Again, it is a business decision based on guest feedback and economics. This change will also allow us to provide more handicapped parking spaces. The majority of our parking is still free and we still allow drop-off and pick-up of guests who need this option.
As much as I appreciate and value all of the feedback you have given to me, I especially want to thank you for the positive feedback you have also provided. We do try hard to make every visit memorable but unfortunately sometimes fail to live up to even our own high standards and expectations. I’m glad that there were some favorable experiences during your first visit this season. Thank you for your feedback on our two new rides. We hope that they are a big hit with all of our guests!
Theresa, again, thank you for your comments and for the time it took to write them down and send them to me. I want to assure you that everyone here at Dutch Wonderland is completely committed to making this the best park in the world for everyone who visits here. I look forward to seeing you at Dutch Wonderland this summer and please don’t ever hesitate to contact me or another member of the team here if you have any concerns or other comments you would like to pass on to us.
Sincerely,
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