Customer ReviewsforHoliday World & Splashin' Safari

We had our worst experience ever lately while visiting Holiday World. They struggled last year with pandemic rides being closed, but we decided to give them another shot this year. We visited on June 20th and there were 15 rides closed throughout the day --- you read that right, 15 rides closed! I do understand that rides do sometimes require maintenance and are shut down temporarily, but this wasn't the case. Rides simply weren't staffed to be open. This type of experience is totally unacceptable to me. Our family left at 3:30 that afternoon. Perhaps the most upsetting was the way that Holiday World handled my inquiry when addressing the situation --- first, they waited for almost a week to respond to me and then told me that the ticket you purchase isn't in fact for rides it is for "admission to the park". They admitted that a large number of rides were down that day (again) but said that I should have read their website and looked at the board at the entrance to know this. I advised that we did look at the board and it showed three rides being closed. Unfortunately, Holiday World has refused to remedy this situation. They have advertised and promised one experience, collected their money, and then not delivered on their promise. I have spoke to several individuals who have experienced similar situations while visiting recently. It's unfortunate to see this happening at a park that we have supported for years.

Thank you, BBB, for allowing us to respond. I am concerned that this review is intentionally misleading, but I will share the truth about what occurred during the visit, how we tried to resolve, and the blackmail that followed if we didn't provide a refund. To protect the anonymity of the person who submitted this review, I will respectfully refer to him as a passholder.

To be honest, June 20th presented itself with some unique challenges. It is always our intention to open each ride every day as long as it is safe to do so. We post all-day closures on our website under Ride Closures, in front of the ticket booths, and above the ticket gates. We want folks to know, and that's why we make that information available as quickly as possible.

Inevitably, some rides will temporarily close for maintenance, lack of staff (due to call-ins, car wrecks on the way to work, or attending a funeral), or because we are dealing with the aftereffects of rider misconduct or cleaning up after riders get sick. There is a constant open-close-reopen variable that we deal with daily. If someone walks by a ride once and sees that it is closed, it doesn't mean it was closed all day.

The passholder ** correct in how long it took for a response. Office time that week was extremely rare for me, and, even though it was unavoidable, I take responsibility for that.

However, I am concerned how he presents/frames interactions between us, neglects the fact that we offered a resolution, and omits that he tried to blackmail us.
1) Our tickets and passes *** for admission to both our parks; we are not a pay-per-ride facility. Not all those who purchase a ticket/pass ******** ride our attractions. Some come just to be with their kids/grandkids, and others just enjoy walking around the park, watching the shows, or basking in the sun in the waterpark. For all passholders, there are 107 total days they can visit.
2) At no point in our email conversations was he told he "should have read their website and looked at the board at the entrance to know this". Verbatim, the response was "Were you aware that we post all-day closures online, in front of the ticket booths, and above the ticket gates? We strive to be open and honest!"
3) "Unfortunately, Holiday World has refused to remedy this situation" couldn't be farther from the truth. Verbatim, the response was "While we don't provide refunds, I'd be happy to make up for some lost time. I will have four Quick Access Passes for you to use during your next visit. These passes are good for only one ride each up to four riders. Simply take a pass through the exit of any attraction. This wouldn't include the water slides since the dedicated exit is the splash pool, but they can be used on Mammoth, Wildebeest, or Cheetah Chase. If you plan on using them for Thunderbird, you will need to go to the entrance, and then the line operator will show you which line to take for quick boarding." A Quick Access Pass saves folks quite a bit of time, and each member of his family could choose their favorite ride and get everyone on at the same time.
4) The most upsetting of all this is the blackmail that ensued if we didn't provide him with what he wanted. Verbatim, he wrote "I feel that if a refund is not considered then we will need to address the situation with the Better Business Bureau as well as our credit card company and leave appropriate reviews on social media that highlight the ride closures and business practices." To date, he has posted on social media and contacted the BBB. I'm not sure if he has disputed the charges with his credit card, though.
I realize there is conflicting information between the passholder's complaint and our response. If you would like for me to take screenshots of actual email messages, I would be happy to do so to prove beyond a doubt what actually transpired.

Thank you for your time!