Cedar Point Dropping Admission Prices

I agree, but what value was lost. CP is going through a struggle, but the park as a whole hasn't changed much in the past 4-5 years.

The value that was lost was the near 100% uptime on the signature rides, an unbelievable throughput on their coasters and minimal stacking. Then along came TTD, and the year after that, the seatbelt crap with Intamin.

I definitely perceived a drop in value; I only hit the park about 8 or 10 times this year, compared to 25 or more in previous years. It was simply not worth the drive to stand in line for rides running poorly.

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Brian Noble opined:
I'm Not a Businessman (snip) Dropping prices to chase lowering expectations sounds like a sucker's game to me.

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You're contradicting yourself making good business sense after starting with *that* line... ;)

Then again, I'm in the public sector too.... :)

edit: Following SFI's business model....well...'nuff said there... ;)
*** Edited 11/2/2005 2:59:50 AM UTC by rollergator***

As a business man, Brian's logic is a sound business principle.

To me, this is a very interesting case study. I do find it interesting that this thread has several thoughts about poor service. No one is really ecstatic that CP lowered their prices. This normally would indicate that there is a problem somewhere, such as service, however, this group involved is a non-standard customer. We are all enthusiasts, at some level or another. To better gauge this move on CP's part, ask your non-enthusiast friends what they think about the drop in price to $39.95. Are they excited by the move, or the price point?

This would be a better gauge of how the public will perceive it. To be honest, I would be willing to bet that CP market research shows that the price is the problem. It isn't likely that a large corporation would lower it's price on it's main item without doing ANY research.

I am not saying that service is, or isn't, a problem at CP. CP management believes, however, that price is.

I too wonder how well the price change is going to affect profits. One thing for sure is that the park certainly got great promotion in today's Plain Dealer.

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SVLFever said:
It isn't likely that a large corporation would lower it's price on it's main item without doing ANY research.

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*Everyone* collects data....not very many people seem to know how to really INTERPRET what the data is telling you.

Anyone hiring a data geek? ;)

Your right rollergator...if it's not interpreted properly, or if the question isn't presented properly, the info can be very easily skewed.

All I am saying that in order for them to LOWER the prices....something must have indicated that would be a proper move in their eyes.

It'd have been nicer if they would have dropped the price of a 2-day Ride & Slide ticket.

Those are the tickets where the majority of out-of-towners probably get. It'd be nice if they discounted them a couple bucks or so, because they have been going up & up year after year a dollar here & a dollar there.

If 2 day-tickets wind up cheaper than a ride&slide, I'll stick with that & just say the hell with the waterpark.

They did cut prices on the ride and slide. from 67.95 to 64.95.

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All I am saying that in order for them to LOWER the prices....something must have indicated that would be a proper move in their eyes.

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This article (registration required) suggests they've done exactly that, and seen an increase in guest median income.

The new pricing moves sound to me as though they are wiling to sacrifice some small portion of the recent gains in in-park per-cap in exchange for better attendance numbers. It stands to reason that if you are going to chase guests with lower incomes, they're going to spend less while they are there.

Someone else compared this to the Six Flags strategy, but there is at least one important difference---CP has the resorts side of the business to continue to cater to (and extract profit from) high-margin customers. I would expect at least an "average" room rate increase on the resorts side next year, possibly hand-in-hand with increased resort guest perks to continue to drive value.

On the other hand, I took note this year that I typically spent more for a counter service meal at Cedar Point than I did for one at Disney World---and the food at WDW is generally MUCH better, served more quickly, and in a better environment (often with indoor seating). And, my per-day admission costs weren't much higher than they are at CP---its about $27 per day for a seven-day visit. So, it is certainly possible that CP needs to rethink their pricing.

*** Edited 11/2/2005 2:11:19 PM UTC by Brian Noble***

Coming from my personal experiance at GL. It doesn't matter if it costs 39.99(SFWoA), 34.99(04 @ GL), or 24.99(05 @ GL) if one ride is closed people will complain and throw how much they paid to get in into the complaint. For some reason most GP won't realize the price and how much they actually saved when their favorite ride is closed for the day, or even for a few minutes. A park the size of CP could charge $5 to get in and if TTD is closed for the day people will complain about their hard earned money being wasted to get in the park.

However, after the rant, I do believe lowering prices in the current economic state of the country and the midwest is the right move for the park.

I'm sorry: free cotton candy does not equate the industry-leading-standard of this idea: free soft drinks @ Holiday World. Still, one of the coolest and most guest-friendly gestures ever perped at a park.

I'm not even sure I've even had cotton candy since I was 4.

BJW

Don't forget the free soft drinks at Lake Compounce too. (at least in 2003 they were free... not sure about now)

What they are not telling you is this... Cotton Candy is 25cents... "Wet Wipes" to clean sticky little hands and sticky little faces are $10 a piece.

lol @ SLFake

Well, CP has also frozen or lowered all food prices for next year, which will help with the value of a visit for many families.

SLFAKE: ROFL!!!

Yeah, and they'll be moving to the old-fashioned "put the coin in the slot" bathroom stalls before long as well. . .

I was recently at SFSL and had a very interesting experience at the front gate prior to entering the park. There were some park employees waving people down to sign up (no obligation) for a Six Flags Credit Card. By so doing, you were awarded a really nifty red tote bag with the Six Flags logo on the outside. My biggest concern, of course, was what I was going to do with it once inside the park.

The exchange went something like this:

"Uhhhhhhhhhhhhm, I don't mind helping you with the promotion and I'll sign up for the credit card but what can I do with the bag once inside the park?"

Girl's reply: "Oh, there are plenty of cheap lockers just inside the gates."

My response: "Are you sure? Because I don't want to have to fork out ten dollars to check a red tote bag and I plan on being here all day."

Girl's reply: "No, really, I think they are fifty cents or something."

So in we go. . .and. . .the cheapest locker in the park was $8.00. There were also the more fashionably "uptown" lockers for $10, if you so desired.

Well, needless to say, I took mine and my friend's, shoved them into these hedges we found, and left them there until we decamped at 8 pm that evening.

Somehow I don't find the concept of being lied to at an amusement park very. . .well, amusing.

BJW

That tote bag story reminds me of my experience at The Great Escape.

It was June 2003 and it was a very hot day for that time of year. At the gate employees and security were stationed checking bags and telling people that they could not take food or water inside the park... fair enough, those are the policies I understand.

But what was amazing was this... people who had bottled water... single bottles mind you, not in bulk or anything... were forced to leave their waters in the garbage cans at the gate. The reason "We can't be sure that you have water or alocoholic beverages in it" (Hint... SMELL it!). On the opposite side of the gate, just inside the park, were carts filled with ice and selling, you guessed it... Bottled Water (for either $2.75 or $3.00 a pop). Hmmmm... concern about "alcoholic beverages" or a money making racket? You decide.

It was kind of funny in a strange head shaknig sort of way. People being forced to throw away their bottles of water on one side of the gate, but then being able to buy a new bottle of water on the other side.

Granted... I know rules are rules... but at least it make your money making schemes a bit less obvious. *** Edited 11/2/2005 9:44:20 PM UTC by SLFAKE***

The one thing I will say to the good of the Paramount Parks system is that they do offer cheap lockers at the front gates of their parks. I think a PKI locker is, unbelievably, still only fifty cents.

When an "amusement" park becomes a "gouging" center, then we really need to rename the enterprise for what it is.

This business of these parking fees going up every year. Oy-vey! BTW, I always park at the Ramada across the street from SFSL and walk over. That's one way of escaping the exorbitant $10.00 fees that these parks have gotten so comfortable in extracting from their loyal clientele.

BJW

I'm sure the brass @ CP have studied this fairly extensively, but it would seem that a lower price on 20oz soda would result in dramatically higher sales. I know on a hot day, most people will pay the $3, but I have a strong moral conviction that prevents me from paying that much, except when totally necessary.

Wouldn't a $2 20oz result in dramatically higher sales? I would think so. $2 is reasonable, considering most 'civilian' machines charge between $1.10 - $1.30, depending on your location. Heck, I'd probably buy 9-10 pops on a July day if they were $2. At $3, I'll buy maybe 3-5, depending on the circumstances.

Using my habits as an example, and the fact that CP makes $2 more profit per soda over outside vendors, @ $3 they would make $6-10. At $2, they would make $9-10 and would increase my percieved value, which is one of their main goals of these price changes.

Just my $0.02.

This is even news in India and North korea.

http://story.northkoreatimes.com/p.x/ct/9/cid/dd8845aa60952db2/id/a674557621cb3cca/

http://www.newkerala.com/news.php?action=fullnews&id=46923 *** Edited 11/3/2005 5:35:34 PM UTC by supermandl***