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The Curious Case of Water Country USA's Unlimited Splash Pass
A Confounding Dive into Busch Gardens Williamsburg's Weirdest, Most-Broken Membership Offering
By Nicole Posted in Editorials on May 11, 2020 0 Comments 4 min read
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DISCLAIMER: The chances that this pass will act as advertised are essentially zero. Good luck arguing your case at Guest Services—you’re unlikely to prevail. You’ve been warned.


BGWFans has discovered the deal of a lifetime and we are sharing this opportunity exclusively with you, our loyal readers! A deal like this can’t last long, and once it is gone you will have to wait until the next time Busch Gardens overlooks a massive mistake on their website (so, possibly next week, who knows).

So, what is this once in a lifetime opportunity? The Unlimited Splash Pass! Yes, on the Water Country USA website there is an obscure, one-park membership that claims similar benefits to its Busch Gardens Williamsburg siblings.

“Why would I want a pass that only gets me into the water park?” I hear you ask. The answer, my dear reader, is simple: according to the WCUSA website, Unlimited Splash Pass members get many of the Busch Gardens Williamsburg membership rewards.

We found this bizarre loophole in two seperate places on their website. If you click the link for “Benefits and Monthly Rewards” on the Splash Pass purchase page, it takes you to the standard rewards calendar.

That means that if the parks were open right now, the Unlimited Splash Pass members should, theoretically, be entitled to one free Food & Wine Festival item per visit, access to the Summer Nights Live! Sneak Peak Members-only showings, and savings of 25% on select tours and Busch Gardens Quick Queue Unlimited. (Ironically, if the parks were open right now and we were not researching the current membership structure for our article on the new COVID upgrades, it is likely that neither Zachary nor I would have discovered this amazing little product. So thank you, deadly global pandemic!)

Yes, yes, we know that is probably the result of some poor communication with the web developer or a similar technical error. But, if you look at the official chart showing the benefits at each membership tier, IT SAYS THE SAME EXACT THING! In fact, their little table even tells us that Splash Pass holders are entitled to first rides on Pantheon and admission to both Howl-O-Scream & Christmas Town!

It seems logical to us that to access these excellent rewards, holders of this odd membership would have to be granted entrance to BGW on the days listed in the rewards calendar. So, essentially, with this loophole, the park is offering a free Basic BGW Membership with your $101.99 (taxes and fees not included) purchase!

What is the catch? (There is always a catch.)

Despite a ton of fine print about the rules and regulations for EZpay, the Unlimited Splash Pass must be paid in full; there is no monthly payment plan.

But, if you are willing to pay $101.99 (taxes and fees not included) RIGHT NOW (because who knows when the website will change), you theoretically could get a full COVID season (whatever that looks like) at WCUSA plus all of the rewards of being a BGW member! Alternatively, this is all probably a big mistake, the park won’t honor any of these advertised benefits, and BGW should probably hire a technical editor…

If anyone has or buys a Splash Pass and tries to access BGW member benefits, please let us know what happens! This is important stuff!

This article does not constitute a recommendation to buy any other product or service sold by SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment, especially their dubiously-marketed Unlimited Splash Pass. Furthermore, nothing on this website is intended to provide tax, legal, or investment advice and nothing on this website should be construed as a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any investment or security or to engage in any investment strategy or transaction. BGWFans does not represent that the products or services discussed in this website are suitable for any particular consumer. You are solely responsible for determining whether any investment, purchase, or related transaction is appropriate for you based on your personal entertainment objectives, financial circumstances, and risk tolerance. You should consult your business advisor, attorney, or tax and accounting advisor regarding your specific business, legal or tax situation.


Did you enjoy our snarky take on this story? Do you hope we never do something like this again? Either way, let us know by reaching out in the comments below, on our forum, ParkFans.net, or by joining us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

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