Cedar Point guests experience traffic jams, complain on the Internet

Can I pay more for Cbuzz club and get less of you?

You are choosing to feel that way. The pay-to-cut thing is what you make of it. If you want to cry and act like you're being victimized by the system then fine, that's your prerogative. I see people that have the bracelets on a day when it isn't very crowded and think "well, they wasted their money." So it goes both ways. I also like having it as an option in case I can only make a weekend trip, knowing that the park will be crowded.

Referring to the situation as "back of the bus" is melodramatic and attention-grabby, and this is so far removed from times when people really did have to ride the back of the bus that it's actually a little offensive. This is purely a white people problem, and your attempts to make it sound like an utter tragedy and injustice are obnoxious.

I haven't decided whether you're a hater, a troll, or some hideously mutated version of both. Either way, your first few weeks on CB have been unimpressive.

Agreed. I'm glad I wasn't the only person offended by the back of the bus comment.

SnoopyDoo said:
Then why even offer a standard admission if all you are going to get is "back of the bus" treatment?
You might as well get a group together and buy out the park so you won't have to even look at us "commoners".

I've never purchased a pay-to-cut pass despite having the income to do so and I never feel like I am a commoner. *shrug*

I've heard the "commoner" complaint from several sources. It is not totally unusual and should be expected from a small percentage of people.

I am sure the park companies have factored an expected revenue loss from a very small portion of their client base and that the revenue gain from selling the front of line passes more than make up for it.

So many of the posts here suggest pricing be raised to reduce crowd size. All I am pointing out is that it won't resolve the fact that those who can't pay the premium continue to get less and less because they are getting squeezed out by those willing to pay extra. The park is making a significant profit on this snob appeal and is laughing all the way to the bank with it.

*currently reviewing birth certificate for clause that guarantees life is going to be fair*

I don't understand the problem.

There are already people that can't afford to go. Why aren't we worried about the people who can't pony up the current prices? At some point those folks got cut off too.

There's nothing wrong with pricing your product accordingly. It's not charity. It's not a necessity. Hell, it's not even a commodity.

As long as people are paying the prices to keep the profit is where it needs to be, I don't see the issue. If something goes beyond where I see the value in it or I can no longer afford it, I don't blame those who can.

SnoopyDoo said:

Then why even offer a standard admission if all you are going to get is "back of the bus" treatment?
You might as well get a group together and buy out the park so you won't have to even look at us "commoners".
Why didn't you mention Disneyland in California or Octoberfest in Germany as alternatives? They at least have similar offerings, and are about as practical a commute from Ohio.

How is Kennywood not "as practical a commute" as Cedar Point from Youngstown?

Why do you assume that people who are considering a Halloween event at an amusement park aren't also considering a seasonal haunt attraction as well?

Why do you consider going to an amusement park a "back of the bus" experience? And if you do, why do you go to amusement parks? Why not go someplace you'll enjoy being?

If I book a deluxe garden view room ($309) at the Ritz Carlton in Orlando, am I being shown a "back of the bus" experience because someone else booked the executive suite ($659)?

How are people getting "less and less" when they visit a park without buying expedited access to rides? I enjoy the same rides, the same shows, the same opportunity to buy those oh so delicious chili cheese french fries as I always have.

Pay-to-cut - It's a valid argument. Remember how the Kings Island Facebook blew up with negative comments about Fastlane when it was announced a year or so ago? Some people don't like getting less product for the same amount of money than they used to pay before Fastlane.

I went to Ghostly Manor's Fearfest in Sandusky on Saturday (Cedar Point on Friday!) and they were offering pay-to-cut for the 5 of their haunts as well. The lines for two of the haunts were especially noticeably slow. People in the regular "standby" line verbally exclaimed their dislike of pay-to-cut being offered constantly during my 45 minute wait for one of the haunts.

Not everything that makes a business more money is a good thing. I would think that any business would want every single patron to think kindly of their offerings, especially in the amusement industry. Pay-to-cut has turned that idea inside-out.

But you're not getting any less than before.

Also, I make my own pay-to-cut pass at local haunted houses. It's called get there early on a non-peak evening. :)

LostKause said:

Some people don't like getting less product for the same amount of money than they used to pay before Fastlane.

Same net effect as raising prices without actually raising your price. I would think the price-whiners would love it.

I know that I am not their normal customer, but I live in Milwaukee. There are plenty of parks I could choose to go to. The only thing that really works in CP's favor on Halloween weekends is that it is the only park I wish to go to (yes lets just cross SFGAm off the list right now) that I can go to the park on Friday, go to a Notre Dame game on Saturday, and then go to the park again on Sunday (provided I stay in Toledo Fri and Sat night.)

We typically visit 3 or 4 times each year due to the group size and hotel requirements. 5 years ago it was possible to ride at least 6 or 7 coasters on a typical day. Now we are only able to get 3 or 4 of those same rides given FP, and the longer lines ( especially like two weekends ago). The season pass holders really have added to the typical day attendance, and from talking to people in line it seems that they have ridden so many times that they can tell you what every seat experience is like. We leave each year now saying perhaps a single trip to Orlando would be a better value.

And yet you continue to go to the park 3-4 times each year and willingly turn over your money, and complain about it the whole time. And Cedar Point is the one who has the problem?? If I was only able to get in 3-4 rides per visit, I'd be like Cartman.

Everyone complaines, yet everyone still goes. I wish less people could afford to go. As long as I can afford to go and I don't have to deal with as many people, I'm more apt to stay and spend more money.

It's a group decision - and I have voted Orlando for three years now. CP was a much better park years ago and the momentum is swinging my way especially with the "improvements" that have been already announced, and the Columbus Day massacre of late.

SnoopyDoo said:

Simple fix...

Go back to the old way of running a park. No season tickets, no fastpass, and everything has a separate admission charge.

Yes, but..... at many parks, and at Disneyland, the most popular rides required more tickets (or an E-ticket, at Disneyland) in order to ride. The parks were managing the lines for the rides by taking advantage of what various customers were willing to pay.

Also..."It's a group decision - and I have voted for Orlando for three years now."

That doesn't really answer the question: If you dislike the Cedar Point experience so much, why do you go 3-4 times a year? Stay home while the group goes to the park.

Actions speak louder than words. If a customer who complains at length about the park spends of hundreds -- thousands? -- of dollars at the park annually, well, do his complaints really mean anything?

Lord Gonchar said:
You're hung up on the parking thing. I'm not offering a direct solution for the parking thing. I don't care about the parking thing. The parking this is a symptom of the popularity of the Halloween event. I'm solving a larger problem.

If you insist on using the Universal example then I'd say it's proof that it works. They use pricing and ticket structure to keep the crowds at their extremely popular event within their capacity. Hence, no lack of parking or traffic jams.

Did Cedar Point reach its capacity? Did they close their gates? I would argue they are priced correctly, but didn't handle the volume properly. If they had turned people away, your argument would hold more weight.

I keep going to parking, because that is the subject of this thread. "Cedar Point guests experience traffic jams, complain on the Internet." Universal doesn't have a parking issue because the parking garages have a better design, this is a valid argument that Cedar Point needs to adjust its traffic flow.