Dick's best quote ever

Disney *never* discounts their gate.

Not quite true. Several resellers exist that will chop 5-10% off the bill, depending on the ticket you are getting. Undercover Tourist comes to mind as one of the more reputable (and one that offers a slightly better deal.)

Disney also has group rates on tickets, especially for youth groups.

But I think it does matter. Any business's pricing decisions are aimed at maximizing profits. If they discount admission prices, Disney will get more resort business (higher profit margin folks) but also more single day and go home visitors (lower profit margin folks). If they discount lodging/meals, they get more higher margin folks with no increases in lower profit margin folks. Profits are maximized by discounting things other than admission tickets. If Disney didn't have the ability to do that (ie most of their visitors were not looking to stay overnight for multiple nights -- like most other parks), I think you would see discount admission tickets.

And what do you call multiple day ticket pricing? Under premium pricing, shouldn't a 7 day ticket cost 7 times the price of a single day ticket?

To me, the no discount = premium product view is more theoretical than it is real.

Lord Gonchar said:

TerraCoaster said:
So including parking, admission, food, and games, the average person only pays $40 for a day at the park. Wow.

Exactly. Am I the only one who understood this?

It should be as simple as:

per cap x attendance = revenue

That's the way I always read it, except
total revenue / total attendance = per cap. ;)

Don't forget that the attendance includes season pass holders, group sales, junior and senior admissions, and twilight admissions. All of that brings down the curve on admission price.

Per capita spending does include the admission as far as I know. I'm pretty sure we've argued over this before, but I think it's important to realize that Cedar Point's per capita spending number is most likely MUCH higher than the $40.60 that you see in the annual report.. A park like Michigan's Adventure Might have a per capita number of $25 or something like that. Valleyfair might be $38 or something. Geauga Lake's Wildwater Kingdom might be under $20. They don't break it out on a per park basis and I pulled these numbers out of my rear end, but, but I'm betting CP's is probably more like $50-60 or more based on what it costs to get in and what it costs to eat/drink and buy crap in the park.

I think this is probably the worst thread I have ever seen on this message board as long as I have been visiting this site. Trashing a man that no one here personally knows, not knowing a large percentage of the deals or descions he has done, its just rediculous. Everyone here thinks they could do a better job, maybe some of you could, but you have to pay your dues to get that opportunity.

Is that better than condemning an entire thread and everyone who posted in it due to a few comments that were made? Just saying.

Some of the people who are talking about their concerns are unit holders, too, so remember that they have a vested interest in every decision that is made. Besides the fact that I didn't read anything that could be characterized as "trashing" the man.

You know what's the worst? People who can't spell ridiculous.

Whether or not he's a swell guy doesn't mean a hill of beans. He's the CEO of a public company, of which I own a significant enough number of units to care that he doesn't suck at his job. Whether or not any one of us can do better also means nothing.

Dick eats babies! :)

There, Carrie, now I have made an idiotic comment that is irrelevant AND trashed the man. Now OhioCoasterFan9 has the basis for his "rediculous" comment. ;)

Thanks, Gator! Both gross and poignant... well done! :)

Rediculous = to diculous again?

Oh, maybe. I thought it was a type of iculous, though. Like Blueiculous or Greeniculous....

My bad.

This whole thread is misunderdiculous.

Call me crazy, but if I'm reading the worst thread ever, I stop way before page 4.

Just sayin'

If only you knew how micro-managed each Cedar Fair park really is...they can't do anything without Falfas's approval...and well most of the things he wants them to do, only really work at Cedar Point. (and I'm not even so sure they work well there)