KI/CP Gold/Platinum Pass Help

We currently have KI Gold passes (home park) and will renew in some form. We are also planning a trip to CP next summer, and going to do it up nice since we don't get up there often. Spend 4 nights/3 days. Stay at hotel Breakers, enjoy the park, FL Plus, CP shores, the beach, pool, etc. It is very unlikely we will visit any other Cedar Fair parks in 2022.

Some options:
KI Gold Pass
-Upgrade to Platinum later if we like. There's no reason to have platinum if we don't visit any other parks. Is this more expensive then just buying platinum up front?

KI Platinum Pass
-Covers the cost of our CP tickets. Otherwise, no advantage to the gold pass.

CP Platinum Pass
-Covers us for KI and CP
-Free upgrade to FL+ at CP. Even on the cheapest days, the difference of $30/pp (family of 5) would be a $300 savings over two days in the park.
-Hotel discount... what is it? 10%?

If we go Platinum it seems like the CP pass is a no brainer. Anything else I'm overlooking?

Another option would be to buy your Platinum Passes and whatever add-ons through Canada’s Wonderland and take advantage of the exchange rate loophole.

We faced the exact same dilemma, except ours was a Cedar Point Gold Pass, not Kings Island. We ended up going with a CP Platinum Pass for the very reason you mentioned: the FL+ for the price of a regular FL deal, even though we've never bought one before and don't necessarily plan to next year. It would just be nice to have that option.

Oddly, on my CP app it still shows it as a Gold Pass, but on the KI app it shows up as Platinum. I'm guessing because CP is the "home" park, it is essentially the same as a Gold Pass as far as that park is concerned, since all a Platinum Pass does is give you access to the other parks.

Also, if you have a Platinum Pass I don't think it matters for the hotel discount whether it was bought through CP or somewhere else, but you might want to call to verify that.

When I renewed in person at the park a few weeks ago there was a couple ahead of me that was doing the same. They were going back from Gold to Platinum and after the transaction was complete the lady had to ask “wait, you didn’t give me my new pass” and the cashier said “it’s ok, every time you swipe the old one the platinum info will be there.” Well, that was disappointing to the couple, and they insisted on a new pass for each of them. She turned around and explained to me that they had dropped down to the Gold pass for the one season only and they wanted to hold onto it as a keepsake as it had the 150 logo on it or something. Which I guess makes sense, and I’m left to wonder why the park(s) would want to have a bunch of incorrect passes floating around out there.
And Chris- maybe I’ve missed a change, but doesn’t Platinum still carry a little advantage when it comes to early ride time? Like a half hour or something? Or do they not care about that any more?

@RCMAC that gave me an idea, to see if we'd get the renewal price at CP with or KI pass. No luck. Oh well... $6 isn't much of a price break anyway.

When does the price of the season pass usually increase? For some reason I remember KI advertising their deal goes away after Christmas in past years but I haven't been paying attention lately.

You get morning ERT with the Gold Pass. It's an hour at Cedar Point and 30 minutes at Kings Island. However, at Cedar Point I don't believe you can even get through the gate with regular tickets an hour before opening, but at Kings Island you can, and then they just run everyone through a pinch point around the fountain, glancing at your passes as you go. It is by no means a thorough screening, and it would probably be very easy to get to the rides a half hour early without a Gold Pass.

Unless they've specifically announced that they've changed the policy for next season, your platinum pass doesn't need to be from Cedar Point to get the free upgrade to Fastlane Plus.

I've done it many times, including this year, and my platinum pass has been renewed/registered at (at various points) Carowinds, Kings Island, Knott's, and Worlds of Fun, but never Cedar Point.

Another option would be you could just go to Knoebels....

It is on the way...

RCMAC- CP ditched the 30 minutes vs 60 minutes ERT, but the Platinum has access to more rides during ERT.

As far as I'm aware that perk is gone now too. If you have Gold, Platinum or are staying at a CP resort you can get in the gates an hour early and have free reign of everything open. If you are coming in on a regular admission ticket and aren't staying on property you can't get in the turnstiles until official park open. But if you're in, the full park is yours.

I'm happy to hear they stopped that nonsense. I picked up a friend of mine, who lives in Akron, on the way to the park last spring. I had a Platinum Pass and he had a Gold. We went to Maverick during early ERT, and he was denied, and I was admitted. Why do something like that?

Pulled the trigger on CP Platinum passes last night. Which may or may not have been a good idea, as suddenly the thought of a CP trip with a summer full of KI has turned into "hmmmmm... maybe we should make a quick run to Carowinds." :-)

I mean... it's on the way.