Cedar fair now offers a "all park parking pass".

According to that last sentence, it would have your photo on it.

Let's take a look at cost breakdown, shall we? I have listed the amounts that we spent this year at Cedar Fair parks. Then, I listed the amount we will theoretically spend if the "Platinum Pass" pricing will become reality for Valleyfair, as well.

For 2007:

$180 -- (2) Regular Valleyfair Maxx Pass @ $90 each

$35 -- Season Parking

$10 -- WOF Parking

$10 -- KI Parking

$9 -- GL Parking

$20 -- CP Parking

$264 Total for 2007

For 2008:

$280 -- (2) Regular Valleyfair Platinum Pass?

Doesn't look like that much of an increase, right? Wrong. Now, every pass has to pay for the unlimited season parking. If a group of two does not visit at least 5 other CF parks, then you have spent considerably more than you would have compared with the Maxx Pass. If you have to buy more than two passes, that difference only increases.

Hopefully, the platinum pass will not be rolled out here. I know of one family that would have purchased Maxx Pass style season passes for 2008 for all 6 family members (~$600 with season parking). With this new pricing, I am pretty sure they will not be interested ($840 for a family of 6). $240 is a lot of extra money for parking.

- Coastin' In MN *** Edited 8/30/2007 5:48:39 PM UTC by Coastin' In MN***

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Doesn't look like that much of an increase, right? Wrong. Now, every pass has to pay for the unlimited season parking.

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Very good point. It's pretty much what I've been saying about park amissions that include freebies (like parking and/or drinks) all along - for us, we probably end up paying more when these things are pre-charged and included for all.

With that said, I still think the Maxx pass is a stunning deal - especially considering the pass pricing at most parks.

The only ones who still seem to undervalue their season passes is SF. Get with the program, Six Flags!

It's stunning if you live a couple hours away from a sister park.

If the next closest park is six hours away, it can only leave you LOOKING stunned.

-CO

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Coastin' In MN said:

$280 -- (2) Regular Valleyfair Platinum Pass?

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You are assuming that VF can upsale $55 for sister parks. I don't think they can, but we have to wait and see.

Who's running CF? Gary Story?

I've heard whispers that CF is planning on this pricing assault as a *Universal* policy at all parks...

Personally, I think there's money lost whenever a company decides on pricing things "equally" across the board. 20 bucks to someone in the Industrialized Northeast just doesn't have the same VALUE as 20 bucks to someone in, say, Kansas City...

By the same token, a half-hour of someone's TIME in the Northeast is worth more than a half-hour to someone in Kansas City...

P.S. I am NOT intending to pick on K.C., it was just the easy example of a CF park in an area where dollars dont come as easily. Mighta picked Muskegon... ;)

Think of the people at PGA (KGA, CFGA, whatever)...their park is nowhere NEAR Knotts, in terms of quality or distance, but they should pay the same price as someone who lives a mile away from Knotts?

Clearly, one size does NOT fit all...

We haven't even seen the prices for other parks yet. Obviously there were different prices this year for the MaxxPass, so maybe the Platinum Pass will be priced differently in different markets.

You say you got your Valleyfair MaxxPass for $90, while at Cedar Point, that same pass would have cost $125 and parking was $70. (Total $195)

So the price of the platinum pass ($140) will be much cheaper than the MaxxPass + Parking pass was this year.

Having all the water parks included in the Platinum Pass may get me to come to CP during the summer to spend some time at Soak City.

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CoastaPlaya said:
It's stunning if you live a couple hours away from a sister park.

If the next closest park is six hours away, it can only leave you LOOKING stunned.

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Yeah, but people still pay $175 for a HP/DW pass or $140 for a HW pass or $150 for a BGE/Water Country pass or $31 a visit to KW because they still don't offer passes.

Aside from the SF passes, I don't think there's a season pass available that gets you as much for less.

As much what Gonch? Coasters, Rides?

All Im concerned about visiting a park is having fun. When certain policies these parks have take away from that.

Thats where my view comes from.
Chuck, who thinks the end is nie for some of these corporate parks.

Mark Small: One small flaw in your math. I purchase one parking pass, but three season passes (you might wanna check my user information). So why am I paying parking for two girls too young to drive? Not a bargain, is it?

Gonch: Apples to oranges comparisons. I don't see $15-20 million rides (BGE), wavepools (Water Country and HW) or Kennywood (speaks for itself) in my backyard. Give me any of those parks, I'll shut right up and pay.

-CO

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Charles Nungester said:
As much what Gonch? Coasters, Rides?

All Im concerned about visiting a park is having fun. When certain policies these parks have take away from that.

Thats where my view comes from.
Chuck, who thinks the end is nie for some of these corporate parks.

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For what it's worth, I have as much or more fun at the CF's and SF's of the world as I do at any of the parks I compared them to.

Gonch, who thinks Chuck has one of the most twisted views of the industry. ;)

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CoastaPlaya said:
Gonch: Apples to oranges comparisons. I don't see $15-20 million rides (BGE), wavepools (Water Country and HW) or Kennywood (speaks for itself) in my backyard. Give me any of those parks, I'll shut right up and pay.

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-I'd take Renegade over Griffon, if that's what you mean.
-We are generally not a waterpark family, so that's just another case of having to pay for 'includeds' that I don't want.
-KW does indeed speak for itself. All I know is that they'd have gotten a lot more of my business with a pass offering.

I'm not actually arguing that it's a better value than it was. I'm right there with those who are stuck paying more for things I may not or won't utilize, but compared to the industry as a whole, $140 for the platinum pass is a very good deal in my eyes.

Then again, everytime I complained/argued in the past that you're being forced to pay more than you normally would for these 'includeds' at other parks, I was reminded that it's about perception of value, so I guess I have no choice but to remind everyone that the perception of value is greater with the new pass scheme than with the old.

And as far as the cost for what's in your 'backyard' angle - it's still a deal if you're the type to travel beyond your backyard...and if you're not, then a cheaper 'backyard' alternative is available.

I guess in the end, I'm arguing two almost-opposing views at the same time - that the pass does indeed increase the cost for most at the expense of trying to create that perception of value that so many other parks gets raves for creating, and at the same time the pass itself is a good value compared to pass cost/benefit ratios across the industry.

2006 DP chain wide pass $95 x 3 = $285

2007 DP maxx x $110 x 3 = $330

parking free

2008 platinum pass (including free parking) $150

I'm sorry, I don't see %50 additional rides and park improvements so what am I asked to pay for? a used coaster? no thanks

HersheyPark 2008 season pass (including parking) $130
HP a much longer season with off season activities included.

Knoebels no season pass, free parking and rarely do I spend more then $20 on ride tickets per visit. and more importantly I enjoy the feeling of not being ass raped by corporate greed when I leave Knoebels.

Not confirming or denying anything, but don't you think it's appropriate to see what they're doing at other parks and how it all shakes out?

Whatever the old system is replaced with, can't we all agree that it should be easier to understand? I mean, my CP pass this year had an "MX" and "OP" on it, and some also have a "+" and a "Joe Cool." That's ridiculous.

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Then again, everytime I complained/argued in the past that you're being forced to pay more than you normally would for these 'includeds' at other parks, I was reminded that it's about perception of value, so I guess I have no choice but to remind everyone that the perception of value is greater with the new pass scheme than with the old.

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really? 2 years ago the pass got me into 8 parks around the country if I desired for no additional cost. Now it looks like it'll be %50 more for that perceived value.

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alfundo said:
and more importantly I enjoy the feeling of not being ass raped by corporate greed when I leave Knoebels.

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Win.

I kind of disagree with the new passes. I'm not into water parks much, so I don't like having to pay for something I'm not going to use. The only water park I've visited besides my home park's is Kings Island's Boomerang Bay, and that was only because it was free. I would never go out of my way to visit a separate gate/admission water park.

The free parking is nice, but I'm also paying more for my pass. Add 3 more passes on top of that for the rest of my family, and parking isn't so free anymore.

I would love it if Cedar Fair could just have one simple season pass for your home park and be able to use it at other parks in the chain, like Six Flags does with their passes.

Once I pay hundreds of dollars for a special pass for four people, pay ridiculous prices for sub par food, have to experience long lines in unshaded queues with rowdy swearing teenagers and crowded and unshaded pathways.... Meh, I'll stick to parks like Kennywood, Hershey, Busch Gardens, etc. *** Edited 8/30/2007 8:17:43 PM UTC by highlo***

Yeah, I definitely agree with Jeff that waiting and seeing is really the best strategy on this one....

I know a major complaint it seems is that for people who usually *only* attend their "home park" that the increase in Platinum Pass price is a lot higher.

However, for people that visit multiple CF parks frequently then this pass is more of a deal since you get free parking everywhere, access to all separately gated water parks, and some park-specific perks like *some* (maybe not all) Joe Cool perks.

Well, I think the bottom line is that CF noticed a significant increase in cross-park visits, and I can confirm this based on my own significant increase in the number of CF parks I attended this year, based on the sign-in log of people using other park season passes seemingly always being a vast spectrum of different parks, based on people I've talked to and TR's, and based on an expected better-than-expected attendance figures from CF once 3Q results are released.

While this evidence is all anecdotal, I think CF's end-game is to continue to increase cross-park visits, and the Platinum Pass would continue to help achieve this!! Of course, as Jeff has pointed out in the past, this could also be viewed as CF once again being very Ohio-minded in their vision since Ohio people have the OH parks and are not ridiculously far away from Dorney, MiA, and even CW and KD to a certain extent... *** Edited 8/30/2007 8:23:25 PM UTC by tigellinus***

Because I feel that this point of view is not being shown:

2007 CP Maxx Plus/Joe Cool October Discount Price-$150

2007 Ohio Parking Pass-$70

2007 Total: $220

2008 Platnum Pass (at a park that had its Maxx Pass price the same as CP this year: ) $150.

Alls that I have to say to that is: wohoo!

I still like Six Flags pricing from a consumer standpoint. I paid $60 for a season pass and went to three parks over the course of a season.