Cedarfair Season Passes--Cheapest Place to Get Them At This Point?

Had thought recently that I would be doing a lot of Cedarfair Parks this year and that a Season Pass would go a long way towards helping out on expenditures. Of course, as it is mid-April, I figured that they were going to be pretty near peak pricing for the season.

Do any grocery stores get involved in the sales of Cedarfair season passes the way Kroger's and some other stores do for Six Flags?

Let me know what you talented coasterphiles have unearthed in your never-ending quest to corner the market on procuring inexpensive season passes to ALL PARKS ON THE PLANET!!!!

Thanks a lot!

Barry J.

Topps markets in ohio is the only grocery store I know of in my area. you can pick up a GL season pass For 75 instead of 80, and add CP for 40. However if you are in the western states, your obviously better off getting one out there since you do not have to do the add on.

Worlds of Fun is still the cheapest CF season pass ON THE PLANET, with the park pass at $64.95 and the combo pass for $94.95.

VF's been holding the line at $79.95 this year and will jump to $95 (highest ever) in a few weeks.

-'Playa

CoastaPlaya--thanks for that info!

But, just to be clear--I can buy that pass online but I would still need to go to THAT PARK and redeem it first, right?

I live in Northern Kentucky so a quick 9-hour jaunt over to WORLDS OF FUN (actually a park I've never been to before!) might be just what the doctor ordered!

But, I couldn't redeem the coupon at Cedar Point first, right?

Thanks for your help. I need all I can get these days!!

All the best and warmest regards,

Barry J.

It's my *understanding* that you can renew last year's SP (from whatever park) via snail mail....at least that's how I'm getting my Knotts pass renewed (since I spaced and forgot to do it at Solace, LOL)...

If you are getting a NEW pass, then you need to show up at THE park of purchase to process the pass...and get your photo, etc...

I believe that these two items are true for all of "the big 3" chains, SF, PP, and CF.

Also with regards to the WOF pass, you can get it even cheaper at the area PRICECHOPPER™ shopping centers. Also remember if you buy the "Ride&Slide" pass you can get into any of the CF:LP water parks as well.

Drawback is that the Season Passport (remember we have "world" theme) processing line at WOF has to be the SLOWEST line in the world.

-D

Swoosh, some of the peeps at SFMM getting passes processed on the day after Solace were waiting 1-1/2 hours or more...."How about I slide my DL and my CC into your little scanner and credit card machine and be done in about 30 seconds, mmmmmkay?" ;)

NEVER can understand why getting a SP has to be such a hassle at some parks, took us a while just to get *directed* thru the maze of charges and vouchers and such at SFMM, LOL... ;)

2 hours waiting thru useless lines: Not much
Getting to go to SFoT, SFGAm, SFoG, and all the GOOD parks that SF has: priceless...:)

I personally though Dorney's wasn't to bad especially if you live in Western New York like I do and it could potentially be the cheapest that I could get to. It;s like what around 90 something. But I'll be taking a toll on the wallet cause I wont be visiting Dorney till July. I'm going to GL opening day and I'll be visiting CP at the end of May. So I'm going to have to suck it up and pay the outrageous like 125 to get the CP add on from GL's sp.

Speaking of SFoT, the quickest we have ever had a pass processed was there. In and out in less than 5 minutes. Stand here, smile, here's your card.

BTW: The line opening day stretched to 2 hours at WOF.

My SFMM SP experience was the fastest I've had for a long line of people.

Quickest ever: VF Saturday. Rainy morning, five employees, three of us.

Longest ever: Tied between VF and BGT. But then again, BGT had 8000 spring-breakers picking up passes...so I'd have to give VF the crown. If it's any consolation, the longest waits were pre-MacKenzie.

-'Playa

Quickest were this past weekend at BGW. They don't snap pics anymore and the whole thing can be done from a kiosk.

3 minutes. It woulda been faster, but we had to punch in addresses for me and Alicia.

Still, bonus :)

Longest ever line I have ever seen is SP processing at La Ronde the first 2 weekends... 2-3 hours wait on average. What makes it worst is the park doesn't open for purchases or processing any time before that.

That's why I'm going to SFNE to pick up my SF season pass!

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Barry Williams said:

But, just to be clear--I can buy that pass online but I would still need to go to THAT PARK and redeem it first, right?

---

Not necesarilly. In the past they have allowed you to enter another Cedar-Fair park by just showing the certificate and an ID. I know someone who went almost an entire season just showing a certificate before he finally got his pass processed. Earlier this year when I had contemplated buying a WOF pass, I was told by Knott's that they would accept the certificate at the Solace event.

To actually get the pass processed, you will need to go to the park that is named on the certificate.

Jeff:

That is really an interesting nugget about the friend who kept getting admitted with just his initial piece of season pass paper! Hysterical! Maybe one could always claim that the lines were too long to get it processed and that the person only had a limited amount of time at the park!

That might work through late June, huh?

Of course, you could always claim that you had been moved across country with your job, family emergency, etc. Still, I find it interesting that there is so much wild fluctuation in season pass prices from park to park and from region to region. I mean, on the surface of it, different markets bring different prices, but the fact that I was able to procure a Six Flags season pass for $38 and will probably use it well over 20 times in the coming summer, you gotta wonder why there isn't a "uniformity" to it all?? One price, one franchise--same price everywhere!!!

Still, thanks for your input. It helped a lot!

BJW

^Why are there different prices everywhere? You said it yourself- different markets and different prices.

The average consumer in California WILL NOT seek out a Worlds of Fun pass because it is cheaper. Heck, you'd be hard pressed to find anyone in CA who has ever heard of the place. :)

They don't really factor in the tiny minority of enthuasiasts that travel and use them all over the country. I bet that most people that buy a pass rarely, if ever, use them at another park besides the one they buy them at (unless the parks are close together).

I guess I should clarify: this person was using the certificate at parks other than the one listed on the certificate. (I forget which one, but it doesn't matter). I'm pretty sure that once you present the certificate at the park you bought it from, you are expected to process your pass that day.

...and, I wouldn't *count* on being able to do this. It's nice if it happens, but the fine print says you can't.

However, I've found the folks at Knott's particularly easy-going about the rules. My son turned three right at the tail end of the '03 season, and we visited Knott's in winter of '04. Because he turned three after our Halloweekends visit, we never had to buy him a pass at Cedar Point. I figured I'd just have to buy him a child's admission, but there was no harm in asking the park. So, I called the folks at Knott's, who called the folks at Cedar Point to confirm that I had bought him a certificate for the '04 season, and they comped him in.

I guess you should disregard what I posted earlier. I was just informed by a friend of mine that the envelope that held his WOF certificate clearly states:

"Only processed 2005 Season Passport ID's will be accepted at other Cedar Fair Parks and will only be valid between April 1, 2005 and March 31, 2006. Unprocessed Season Passport certificates will not be accepted for admission to other parks."

That is in complete contrast to what they have done in the past, and in complete contrast to what Knott's told us earlier in the year. Perhaps they were willing to make an exception for the Solace event.

I actually bought my Geauga Lake SP last November and got a great price on it - $69.95 Includes all CF Amusement Parks Except CP of course - As of now I'm not sure where the cheapest price is - always a good idea to get them while there cheap.

Well, yeah--I paid the same on my VF passes. Considering I gotta buy three, I absolutely have to get them early. But the question on the floor was, where are they cheap now?

-'Playa