Advice after learning about CF's silly platinum pass policies

crazy horse said:
I will say it again...Even if the six flags pass was the same price as a cedarfair pass, it would still be a better deal because you are getting MORE than what you get when you buy a cedarfair pass.

But not a better deal for people who do not live near a Six Flags, and have no intention of going to one. That was the whole point of this thread, that Cedar Point in particular wasn't as good of a deal, and that the company had poor customer service, was going to lose money blah blah blah.

A six flags pass gets me into the water park as well...so what's the differance

Not true. I couldn't use my SFoG pass at SFGAdv's waterpark yesterday, nor at any other stand alone waterpark like the Platinum Passes are good for. Although I could use my Platinum Pass at any CF park AND get free parking, which SF doesn't offer.

Oh, and like I said previously, I have it on good authority that Six Flags passes will not be this cheap for much longer. And that's info that's already been posted on various other forums by people who seem to know what they're talking about. So while you may say whatever you want now, I doubt anyone will be whining about how expensive CF's pass is compared to SF's in the next few year.

^ And you also can't use your SFoG pass at White Water, SFoG's own water park.

Same is true with oT and their Hurricane Harbor and also GAdv. and their Hurricane Harbor (well, you have to upgrade to a two park or three park pass).

Like I said, I am not a waterpark person so the waterpark means nothing to me. I know that the waterpark in chicago is included with the pass.

I know that the regular season pass at knotts does not include the waterpark eather. But again, waterparks don't do a thing for me.

I can see this on both sides.

For Six Flags, it makes sense to offer 2011 while allowing admission for the rest of 2010. People that didn't buy 2010 passes would have the incentive to buy one. People that already have 2010 passes wouldn't obviously take advantage of this.

And we all talk about that in-park spending is where these parks make money so why not dangle a 2011 pass in front of someone that didn't visit the 2010 season and let them visit this years Fright Frest?

For Cedar Fair, I agree the passes they offer are great values and they don't need to add extra perks. I thought SkyRider (who I know personally), thought CF was offering the rest of this year if you purchase a 2011 Platimum pass but decided to change that. Maybe I was wrong on that.

The bottom line is whether a particular pass makes economic sense to the person buying it. In central Ohio, the CF Platinum pass is a great deal. In the DC to Boston corridor, a Six Flags pass is a great deal. In southeastern Virginia, neither makes much sense. A KD pass is $75, and a BGE/WCUSA pass is ~$100. To consider upgrading either to a platinum pass depends on travel plans. For me, it makes sense to upgrade the KD pass to platinum if I expect to two or more visits to CF parks besides KD, the nearest of which is a 6 hour drive. It makes sense to upgrade the Busch pass to platinum if I expect to have some free time in central Florida. A Six Flags pass makes sense if I make two or more visits a year; for me, the closest park (SFA) is a 4 hour drive. I couldn't care less about coupons because I probably wouldn't use them.

I also don't care that the different chains all have different policies regarding their passes. That is how market economies work. It is up to the consumer to decide if a particular purchase makes sense. Caveat emptor.

Does the park have to do that no
But his statement is that they should
Last year I got one of the free 7 day Universal Tickets (from Superbowl promotion)
At Thanksgiving I went with my 15 year old son and purchased him an AP(250.00)I used my free ticket then we returned at Christmas and I purchased Myself an AP (250.00) We have been back multiple times since then(including Harry Potter opening) So would I have gone anyway I am not sure but the added incentive pushed me over the edge.I would not have been able to purchase two Ap's at the same time ( times are tight) I should be able to renew them (at cheaper renewal rate) since they are not in the same month :)

So if CF offers the 2011 AP now (good now to the end of 2011)
would they sell more passes early and book that revenue this year
Probably but they are the ones with the books that show year to year revenue.Should we encourage them to do it (my opinion is yes) More people in the park = more revenue of course that means more people in front of me in the Que :(

I was considering purchase SFOG season pass but Universal is only 1 hour further away from me.I have purchased(2 years ago) SF Ap in sept good thru end of next year and Wild adventure AP(3 years ago before sold when open year round) in Oct good thru end of next year.CF parks are too far away to get AP but may purchase one for my bucket list trip to CP :)

Kevin 38

http://www.cedarpoint.com/public/admission/season_passes/index.cfm

Looks like no free ticket with platinum pass purchase or renewals. Just with the CP only pass.

*I offer the following representing no one other than Team Carrie. Team Carrie is now accepting applications, by the way. Babies need not apply.*

I don't think it's possible to argue what park a person thinks offers the better value. That's an individual perception and judgment as Paul pointed out above. And there's no point to that discussion. If you prefer one park's offering to another, then go to the park you prefer. Problem solved.

It's when you just expect the other park to adapt the same perks you enjoy at your preferred park because you think they should that you lose ground in the discussion. No park can afford to offer perks simply because someone says they want them.

First of all, they couldn't please everyone as has been illustrated by the discussion of water parks and their varied perceived value. And second of all, in the end every person wants everything for free. The park could never accommodate the whims of every guest.

Each chain has good reason for offering what they do. I say just choose what works best for you and go with it. Leave the other one be if you're not satisfied.

I couldn't agree more Carrie. Look at my previous response. I get it. You obviously do too.

kevin38 said:
Does the park have to do that no
But his statement is that they should

For what possible reason? This is not a charity, it's a company so deep in debt that it tried to sell itself. The company is not being hurt by not giving stuff away, but they most certainly would be if they did.

I don't think I'd ever sell a season pass that gives you unlimited visits and free parking. Maybe....if it were priced like Morey's. Still remember Miracle Strip having a deal where you bought a pass that gave you something like half-off admissions throughout the season. Either that, or no parking pass at all, at least generates some revenue for each visit before you get in the gate.

Kinda liking the idea of a "spectator pass" like they had at Adventureland (NY) too. But I doubt you'd ever set foot in my gate for absolutely nothing all day all season after forking over less than a hundred bucks....

CF is priced *about* as high as I think they want to go for the PP, but if/when the economy rebounds, I could see them going *up to* $199. Doubt they'd go higher than that in the foreseeable future of about five years.

Who knows, maybe by then SF will be over $100 at all their parks... ;)

If they do go over $100, no way I'll ever buy one again. I demand the rest of the decade free with the purchase of a meal from Johnny Rockets. ;)

Maybe it's just me, but if SF or CF wanted $200 for a pass, it's still less than I'd be giving them if I paid general admission every time I went, often by over a hundred dollars.

Ok, someone just say it.

CF should be paying us to visit their parks...

..or to eat their food, at least. :)

Yep, they should be paying us to eat their food.

I'll eat their food as long as it's included with my Platinum Pass. Otherwise, I just don't see the value of the pass, or the food, or Maverick.

Disclaimer: I did not reply just for the sake of another "Or Maverick." I didn't even see the opportunity until I was halfway done with the second sentence.

LIES! (Or Fahrenheit)

I think Carrie hit it on the head. I didn't get a CF Platinum Pass this year, or last year for that matter. Last year was my first time getting a Six Flags Pass, at oG, and I used it 3 times, which more than made up for the price (I think I paid a total of around $60 after taxes, etc). And you know what? I didn't use a single perk last year.

This year I got a Carowinds Gold pass and a Six Flags pass. SF is giving even more perks away this year...and I still haven't used them (Heck, I got 2 emails this weekend because I visited 2 seperate parks, but I have a limited time to use said perks, and I don't forsee getting to a park before they run out).

It all comes down to what you want to do, but you shouldn't expect anyone or any entity to just give you stuff because someone else does.

Six Flags & Cedar Fair, though both companies that run amusement parks, are ran completely differently. What works for one doesn't always work for the other.

Jeff said:

kevin38 said:
Does the park have to do that no
But his statement is that they should

For what possible reason? This is not a charity, it's a company so deep in debt that it tried to sell itself. The company is not being hurt by not giving stuff away, but they most certainly would be if they did.

To get more people in the park and make more money.
As I explained further in my post I have never bought an AP
without a incentive that I was getting more value for my money

For you the AP has a high perceived value but some people look for the added value and parks(chains) that offer it get more business .

Reducing prices will mean you sell more (to a point). But it doesn't necessarily mean that you will make more profit (which is the name of the game for the parks). Even if you and all of your friends and family would buy/buy more if the price of a pass, drink, hotel, etc. was $x less, that doesn't mean the park would make more profit by lowering the price to $x. Your increased volume needs to make up for the lost revenue from folks who would have purchased at the higher price point. Ideally, you would have the ability to charge different prices for different people to maximize profits but that often times isn't possible.

No matter what your perception of any given park's management, the concept of reducing prices to increase volume isn't a difficult concept. Based on the fact that each park's management has a lot more info than what we have, I will give management the benefit of the doubt in their pricing decisions. Even though with respect to any given item, I may or may not change my own purchasing behaviors with higher or lower prices.