Memberships

The next trick is to auto renew but charge full price for you to keep it after year 1 like United does now, non savvy guests will be duped into continuing at the higher rate. Additionally they could hide service charges and make memberships more expensive then season passes by advertising them on a monthly basis and not disclosing the full yearly costs. I hate that everything is moving towards memberships I prefer to just pay once at time of purchase.

No where did they say you had to convert to a membership plan. They still offer the pay the flat out price at the start of the year but that is a one year pass. Will need renewal the next year.

Memberships are monthly charge after the first initiation fee. They have raised the monthly fee on these during this season for the legacy memberships so I would expect them to do that going forward for these new memberships. I've heard anywhere from $2-$8. Yes you can do add ons to memberships.

I just did a quick look at Dorney Prestige pass is 14 a month, 2 Meals is 11 a month, Fast Lane Ultimate is 45 a month. Looks like drinks have to be one shot payment for 55 and there is a 20 up front initiation fee. For a total cost yearly of $915

That same season pass straight purchase is Prestige $155, 2 Meals Plan $119, Drinks $55, Fast Lane Ultimate $499 for a total of 828. So a small savings for the pay all at once option.

I don't get the fascination with season pass vs. membership that FUN seems to be on a course to implement but whatever, they are scrambling to secure every single dollar they can to meet stated financial growth goals that Wall Street is now expecting. Unfortunately, it's not going to be enough to stave off the inevitable bankruptcy unless they can offload additional parks at premium prices (think Knott's, Cedar Point and the like for hundreds of millions if not a billion for a single park that is considered a premium park.)

What I see happening at FUN is they are trying to target the coach-class consumer (to use an aviation metaphor) who are suffering from the 4% inflation economy leaving little left after payday to splurge on "fun" when the real money is with the business class and premium economy consumer. As Bozman commented, the type of park guest has definitely changed at some parks and for those with the financial resources, they will choose other options like a Dollywood, Disney, Universal, etc. if the vibe in the park descends, as sad as that may be.

The only differences between the new membership and previous payment plans are the is the Membership does not need renewal whereas the old pay x per month until the pass is paid off needed to be renewed the next year and the membership is 12 month of payments whereas the payment plan differed on months paid based on when you bought it during the season.

Jeff:

OK, but WTF is "membership" for parks that are open half the year? That seems exceptionally stupid. It's not Hand & Stone where you can get a massage every month.

Once the $40 one-time fee is paid, memberships are cheaper than season passes. For example, Kings Island gold passes are currently $150 whereas the membership is $10 a month. Assuming that these prices hold in the future, is getting a guaranteed $10 a month in revenue worth losing $30 a year in annual pass sales?

I wasn't asking about the company's intent, it's the consumer's benefit I'm asking about.

With the previously adopted regional pass model, almost everyone has access to a park with a year round event. I think that is the perceived benefit to consumers that could justify a membership model. The exclusion of Knotts and Wonderland is interesting though, wonder if there were some operational considerations there.

CBuzz: "Six is giving away the gate! The passes are way too cheap!"
Also CBuzz: "Those dirty Six Flags people are trying to gouge us with Memberships!"