I am a hypocrite. I bought Fastlane.

Not to get off topic, but he's the vice president, and most of us are not. Really, left or right, they're the same than they are different.

While your first statement is technically true, I have problems with the reasoning behind it. But agree we shouldn't get off topic.

Because we don't ever go off topic. ;)

I think we started arguing "fairness" because people who don't have the money to buy (or who don't want to pay a premium) Flashpasses and the like feel it isn't "fair" to them. I think the moral/immoral thing started as business practices being moral or immoral in their gouging or taking advantage of the customer.

But that fair/unfair argument can be made about anything that costs money. If you do not have the money, you cannot buy.

And how are the parks gouging or taking advantage of customers? No one is forced to buy fast pass/lane, etc. No one is forced to go to amusement parks at all.

Another thing that is not being discussed here is the general public's lack of learning about what different parks offer, and parks not really trying hard enough to get their attention. As coaster enthusiasts, we study every factor of the parks, which is why I have been so vocal about the some of the ways parks have gone to to get more money.The average family visiting the parks does not have fastlane, or queue times, on their schedule. They just want to have a good time together as a family. They are less likely to stand around at guest relations and discuss all the confusion over all the different options, nor explore them online as a coaster enthusiast might. So when they see someone walking into the exit to get on a ride, and go "How are they doing that?" It's because they are uniformed. And, to be frank, probably don't want to waste their park time being informed.There was a coaster program on TV a few years ago, with a coaster club, and the club was filmed while riding a coaster, and you could hear the people in line "booing" them. This shows the general feel of how the GP really feels about line cutters. And, I will still say, shame on the parks for cashing in on line cutters. When it used to me against most parks policies.I remember a time not too many years ago, when constant "line Jumping" at Cedar Point was against park policy, and could get you removed from the park. Now they are not only encouraging it, they expect you to pay for it. I wonder if they still have that same cutting in line policy. If they tried to kick me out for line cutting, I would be really pissed, and tell them where they can stick their fastlane.And for those of you who are pro fastlane. I hope they raise the price to $500.00.

If they raise the price to $500, no one will pay it. Not a soul. So basically, it will never happen. Sorry.

Timber-Rider said:

Another thing that is not being discussed here is the general public's lack of learning about what different parks offer, and parks not really trying hard enough to get their attention.

I'm not sure it's fair to regard the general public as some sort of lumbering, unthinking beast. Just because someone is not a coaster enthusiast doesn't mean they don't educate themselves or aren't interested in learning about the park they plan to visit.

And the parks don't really try to get their attention? Really? Fast Lane has it's own page on the Cedar Point website. Every brochure for all of Walt Disney World's theme parks devotes a big chunk of space to Fastpass.

Timber-Rider said:

"How are they doing that?" It's because they are uniformed.

So THAT's the secret!!!

slithernoggin said:

I'm not sure it's fair to regard the general public as some sort of lumbering, unthinking beast.

That's a perfect description for someone else, though.

I can't believe he really thinks that everyone goes to parks as blithering zombie idiots drooling over their families. Seriously, I had friends visit from Seattle last year and they wanted Fastlane. If they knew about it, I'm pretty sure the available options are not a mystery.

Timber-Rider said:
Another thing that is not being discussed here is the general public's lack of learning about what different parks offer, and parks not really trying hard enough to get their attention.

It's not as if Fast Lane is some secret thing that you have to know the password to buy. It's obvious people know about Fast Lane because they are lined up for it before they even walk in the gates.

Timber-Rider said:

And for those of you who are pro fastlane. I hope they raise the price to $500.00.

For those of you that are against it, I hope they raise the admission ticket price to $500 so that the crowds thin enough that Fast Lane isn't needed.

I'm surprised Michigan's Adventure ever gets crowded enough to where Fastlane serves a purpose.

I heard when the parking gets backed up to mid-Timbers, it's possibly a great value.

*facepalm*

Wow... so many responses I don't know where to begin. I see the point to a lot of arguments. Both Pro and Con. I'm not naive enough to not know how money works and how it can get you special treatment. I am, however, a big proponent of fairness. When I was a kid and said "It's not fair" my Dad's reply was always the same... "Life isn't fair." I know that, and yes, my son knows that. Our go-to line when he asks why people are getting away with things is "because people are jerks. But just because they are jerks doesn't mean that we have to be jerks too." Not a "parenting fail" IMO, but an attempt to instill some sort of morals into a rather selfish kid.

In the case of our FL purchase, I told him that we are paying lots of money to be allowed to be jerks. Yes, I see the reasoning behind the FL, and yes, we were the target audience, but nothing will convince me that what we did wasn't jerky.

The comparison to airplane and concert seats is flawed. Yes, there are different price structures, but the end result of all purchases is the same. You get to your destination at the same time, while either eating a steak dinner or chewing on the emergency briefing card for nourishment. At a concert, everyone sees the same show at the same time, some with a better view than others.

To put the Fastlane analogy to airplanes, imagine you bought a ticket on the 12:00 flight. The flight then becomes sold out. Then someone comes in (rich or poor, doesn't matter) but he takes advantage of the airline's new "FastAir" program and buys your seat out from under you for twice what you paid for it. Now you have to wait for the 2:00 flight. That's Fastlane... Someone is buying your ride out from under you, and you have to wait for the next train. Only in this case, the train leaves the station every 1 - 2 minutes.

And to address the other larger sub topic in this thread... Yes, KBF's Fastlane entry system is indeed different than at least CP's. At CP, the FL merges with the normal queue closer in to the station. At Dragster it's where the line splits to front station/back station loading. At MF it's at the ramp to the station. All are accessed via a purpose built FL line.

At KBF, there were no such lines. You entered either through the exit ramp and boarded from the opposite side, directly in front of those waiting at the gate, or up the emergency exit stairs and merged in the station, where the line breaks into individual rows. And you guys are right, it wasn't as big a deal merging there. Most people didn't notice because it normally gets pretty chaotic there as people start searching out which gate to go to.

So Yeah, KBF's and CP's are completely different. I'm sure I will notice more this summer, as we plan on hitting more parks than just CP, since Boogie has finally reached 54 inches.

Tommytheduck said:

That's Fastlane... Someone is buying your ride out from under you, and you have to wait for the next train. Only in this case, the train leaves the station every 1 - 2 minutes.

Um...what about dinner reservations? Where you could be a walk-in waiting 90 minutes for a table behind 20 other people, when a party comes in and gets seated right away because they called ahead? Jerks...and they didn't even pay extra.

When you make a reservation on an airplane, at a restaurant, at a hotel, wherever, you're buying something that's time-specific.

When you buy a ticket to an amusement park, you're buying a ticket to an amusement park. You're buying the privilege to enter a gated area. End of story. You're not buying an obligation by the park to provide you with a ride on an attraction at a specific time, you're not even buying an obligation by the park to provide you with a ride on anything.