Does your attitude to visiting a park change with a season pass?

I've not had a season pass for anywhere for a couple of years but since I came to Aus there have been great deals on passes for both Dreamworld and the Village Roadshow parks (Movie World, Wet n' Wild, Sea World) it made no sense to buy individual tickets.

I love visiting parks with a pass. One day visits to parks are often pretty tiring and also can be pretty stressful when you're looking after kids etc. With a pass, all the rush to get on each ride is gone, and the demand to hit every attraction is negated.

I'm not trying to make visiting parks sound like a stressful experience, the mood is just totally different for me when visiting a park either with a pass or a comp ticket.

I can even wander round one of the parks if I find I have a couple of hours free during the day, take a couple of pictures - if I see a short line I can jump in and do a circuit on a coaster.

Passes are good!

With me, a season pass almost forces me to spend most of my "parking" at one park , in lue of sharing the wealth with others. In other words, if I have a seasons pass for Great Adventure, I will be less likely to go to Dorney, Hershey, etc, since there is more of a financial reason to keep using the pass.

The exception of course is the "end of season" specials that a lot of parks seem to be running now. On Monday, I am going to go to Splish Splash (first time time summer) and I will get the 2011 pass - which will give me the rest of the year free. If I go once this year and once next year I will break even.

Six Flags has a deal now where you buy one day at the regular price and you get the rest of the year gratis. That might anger those who paid full price for their passes, or it might not.

It does breed loyalty though.

It definitely changes my attitude. Since I live relatively near a lot of Cedar Fair parks having a season pass is the only way I go unless I don't plan on travelling at all. :)

In other words if I didn't have a CF season pass I probably dream of paying gate price at a lot of them when I am used to getting in for "free." ;)

-Tina

This year we have 4 different season passes. For the parks that we go to often CP & KI it does make it a lot easier to skip over thing and just enjoy the park compared to visiting an out of town park for the day where we want to cram in as much as we can.

I keep saying that next year we are going to slow down, but it is like an addiction. Now that my wife is riding coasters she is wanting to go back to all the parks that we went to where she took photos instead of riding.

Sure it does. Having a season pass changes the way I think about when I should go, with whom, what I do there, and how long I stay.

Because I have a Cedar Fair pass I can spend as much (or as little) time as I like and not be concerned. Because I'm 85 miles from KI it's nothing for me to head down after work, snag a few rides, eat some chicken and come home. Some people I know look at me like I'm nuts, but I love it, and for a half tank of gas I get to indulge in my favorite hobby.

Because of my season pass I can book a few nights at a hotel at Cedar Point (in the spring when it's cheaper) and spend the better part of a week at the park, something I probably wouldn't do if I had to pay for admission and parking for those days.

Because when I travel I can use my pass at other CF parks - so far this year I've taken advantage of Kings Dominion, Dorney, and Carowinds - Labor Day weekend we will be in Minnesota for the state fair and plan to visit Valleyfair for part of a day- these are visits I woudn't necessarily make if it weren't for my pass. Plus, if something should happen, like the total rain-out I had on one of my Dorney days, I don't feel bad about it because I didn't spend anything that day to get in.

I love the season pass.

Let me tell it from the other side of the coin:

The past 2 years, I haven't held a season pass anywhere (I have a BGW pass that I haven't used, and probably won't be using, however - different story). I don't feel compelled to make use of my investment, since I didn't make one, though there have been times when I missed it a little bit.

So far, I've taken the time and money I would have invested in passes, trips, gas, hotels etc... and remodeled my kitchen, bathroom, painted all of our accent walls, installed a new front door, poured/laid a concrete stone patio, landscaped flower beds and installed landscape lighting. I've also invested in another small hobby of mine, and beefed up my home theater system with some new components.

I did make it to CP this year for Coasting for Kids, and I do plan on getting back for Halloweekends, as well as a couple of small trips like PPP, but that's nothing unusual.

I feel that, without a pass, and without hanging around every weekend - visits to the parks feel special to me again. It's like being in high school, and taking the yearly youth-group trip to spend the day at CP. I have no problem walking around, taking photos and seeing shows. When I was at CP, besides the event, my main thing was that I wanted to get back on Maverick because it had been a year. I also wanted to try out STR if it was open. I was able to accomplish both of those things, as well as take photos and try some of the quirky food offerings (Chippery, etc.). I went home early in the evening, and I went home satisfied.

Then, there's summer concerts - if there's one thing that brings a good time to the table, it's a kick-ass live band. I've spent a fair amount on concert tickets this year, and last, and I'm not done yet - again, when I leave a concert, I feel satisfied and like I got my money's worth.

So, that's a breakdown of my life, as a recovering season-pass holder.

I much prefer having a season pass, and yes, my habits/attitude changes quite a bit with the pass. I've had a season pass for at least one park/chain every year since 05 (05-09 Cedar Fair, '10 Universal Orlando AP, and of course my Disney ID which is almost equal to the new Premier Pass). My visits to the parks are either shorter and/or more casual and relaxed than when I visit a park for just one day and know I won't be back that season or longer. When I had my CF pass I just walked around the park (CP) hopping in whatever line I felt like, or spending my day at maXair. KI was a little different, but then you can do the main rides in a day pretty easily, so the visits were still much more relaxed knowing that I would be back. Having my Universal AP and living right down I-Drive from the park, I've made trips where I have been in the parks for less than 2 hours (usually days Potter didn't soft open, but still, the point stands), or I will go and wander aimlessly, usually with my camera, and maybe get on 2 or 3 rides over the course of a 6 hour trip (not waiting more than a half hour for any of those rides, mind you). My virtual Disney AP has created such a ridiculous park habit for those parks I still can't believe I do it. I will walk in, look at the tip board, and if there are no unexpectedly short waits either go visit a friend at an attraction or just browse a shop for a few minutes and leave. I don't think I have ever been in one park (Disney or Universal) from open to close since I've been here in February. My trips to the Orlando parks have almost become exclusively visits to friends or just to "smell the roses."

At a park I have a pass for it's rare for me to spend more than 4 to 5 hours. If it is a park I will only get to once a season or once every few years I will stay a lot longer. It also leads to a lot of past minute trips. I might be bored one day and decide to drive over to a local park.