Major Chain Considering Free Parking and/or Free Drinks?

Lord Gonchar said:
...spend my day doing all the other things that make a day at the park a valuable thing to me.

Like what would that be? I'm just curious. But my experience is the number of rides you can get is all that matters. What else are you going to do? Wander around the midway? Whenever I go to a park, I consider stopping to eat an unavoidable delay. I would never consider going to a show - that feels too much like wasting time. Of course, even when I worked at CP, I still never saw the shows - just didn't occur to me as something to do.

LostKause said: I am not cheap.

Yes you are. And easy, too! ;)

decil76 said:
Like what would that be?

Pretty much everything else - hanging out and soaking in the atmosphere, games, shows, shops, waterparks, taking photos - that kind of stuff.

Trust me, the average family going to the park isn't power riding. Quite the opposite.

Of course, even when I worked at CP, I still never saw the shows - just didn't occur to me as something to do.

I'm almost exactly the opposite.

Hell, we go to parks and don't even ride all the coasters. For example, I've lived 45 minutes from KI since 2006 (and have had season passes every year since) and have been visiting since 2004. I've been there for enthusiast events and media days and early entry and just as a regular visitor and still haven't ridden all the coasters there.

The big telling point for me is that I have photos of about 100 or so more coasters on my website than coasters on my track record. It's just not an important aspect of the park value proposition for us.

But my experience is the number of rides you can get is all that matters. What else are you going to do? Wander around the midway? Whenever I go to a park, I consider stopping to eat an unavoidable delay. I would never consider going to a show - that feels too much like wasting time.

And that's all fine and dandy for you, but realize that you are in a very small minority. And parks cater to the many, not the few.

^Gonch said that much nicer. When he said it, I thought.. ooh good point. When you said it I just thought... that was mean.

Trust me, the average family going to the park isn't power riding. Quite the opposite.

True, and when I go with my family, I do spend more time doing stuff like shopping.

RatherGoodBear said:
How many people cut a trip to the park short because they're hot and thirsty, and don't want to pay $3-4 for one drink? Include the beverages in the price of admission, and the family stays around for a bit longer, and maybe buys dinner in the park instead of leaving to go to a local fast food joint.

I have done that. If the food is reasonably priced and/or decent tasting, even more likely to stay and spend more money. Not to mention the indirect benefit of properly hydrated families are happier,less stressed, and more likely to leave satisfied.

How was what I said mean? I had no intent behind it, I was simply stating a fact, while acknowledging what you do is, indeed, fine and dandy for you if that floats your boat.

But my experience is the number of rides you can get is all that matters.

That's not an "experience". That's a value system, or a preference. Even here on cbuzz, nominally a "roller coaster enthusiast" site, I'd wager that most people would not agree with you. It's *certainly* not the case that the "general public" does.

A park---even a straight amusement park---isn't just a collection of rides. It's an immersive environment. In addition to riding things, there sights, sounds, smells, etc. and all are a part of the package. Hanging out and enjoying the kinetic landscape is all part of the fun for most people. For example, a lot of people will tell you that it is possible for a park to be "too empty". More importantly, doing those things with friends and family is all part of the fun.

Even when I'm solo, I like to get a flavor for the park---not just the rides, but its vibe.

For example, a lot of people will tell you that it is possible for a park to be "too empty".

*coughGeaugaLakecough*

One of the best times I ever had at a park was at Knotts on Veteran's Day back in 1999. The park was jam-packed...there were hour lines for the restrooms, LOL. My two friends and I sat on a park bench and talked for hours. We didn't ride anything that day.

July 4 at Carowinds, I rode 2 rides. I ate, sat around, talked to people, took in the atmosphere. Took pictures and video. Loved it.

I've had a couple trips to the Point! this year where I rode nothing. Photos, food and people watching were my reasons for going. Yes I said food was a reason I went to Cedar Point. Some of their new offerings this year are quite tasty. The Cheese Curds*, Bosco Sticks and Funnel Cake Fries just to mention a few.

*Curds were added mid season last year, but I didn't try them until this year. I like them even more than Cheese on a Stick.

Cheese curds are great. Not sure about CP's. One thing I wish Carowinds would get, well, 2 things, are boysenberry juice and cheese on a stick.

Cheese Curds?

(Do they come in pepper-jack?)

no

I don't know if I'd agree that the GP doesn't care about how many rides they get on. Usually it's more a complaint about how long they stood in line. But I've heard many "regular" people say something to the effect of "I'm not going to pay 50 bucks to go to (Hershey and Cedar Point seem to be the two names most mentioned) and get on 3 rides all day." It's the usual follow up line in this region to "why I prefer going to Knoebels instead of any other park."

And the GP is not going to pay that amount only to people watch, or eat cheese curds, take photos, and just walk around soaking up the atmosphere. Those are things that only people who've been to scores of parks and have ridden hundreds of coasters do*. I think many people here are at the point where they can say, "yeah whatever" if they ride 20 rides or none at all. A family spending 200-300 dollars for a day at the park still expects something more than they'd get watching a show about coasters on the Travel channel, then hitting Red Robin for dinner and Dairy Queen on the way home.

Maybe they can't tell you the exact number of rides they were on, but they'll be able to list what rides they were on, how long they waited for the really long lines, and what rides they didn't get to ride for whatever reason. It may not be high on statistics or analysis, but there will be a gut feeling whether they got value for the money they spent.

* Either that, or you're over-the-top geeky, way up in the dorkosphere, or you overloaded the nerd meter. :)

RatherGoodBear said:
Maybe they can't tell you the exact number of rides they were on, but they'll be able to list what rides they were on, how long they waited for the really long lines, and what rides they didn't get to ride for whatever reason. It may not be high on statistics or analysis, but there will be a gut feeling whether they got value for the money they spent.

Since I recently re-read the book, here's a shout-out for Blink by Malcolm Gladwell. We know what we know long before we know why we know it....if we *ever* even bother to learn why we know it.

The "dorkosphere" effect comes into play when we decide what subject matter interests us enough to specialize...or something. ;)

P.S. On a good day at a park, or after an ERT session, I couldn't tell you exactly how many laps I got on a coaster.... don't be "that guy". Besides, on a really good wooden coaster or your favorite powerful steelies, one is too many and a thousand not nearly enough.

RatherGoodBear said:

And the GP is not going to pay that amount only to people watch, or eat cheese curds, take photos, and just walk around soaking up the atmosphere. Those are things that only people who've been to scores of parks and have ridden hundreds of coasters do*.

I couldn't disagree more. Almost every "GP" person I've ever been to a park with doesn't want to ride and ride and ride. In fact, they're usually afraid that that's what I'll want to do. They want to get on a few rides, see a couple shows, eat some junk food, sit on a bench and people watch, browse a few shops and check out souvenirs - make a day of it.

I pretty much can't name anyone I personally know who goes to an amusement park just to ride rides.

And having been traveling on a regular basis for the past decade to visit the hundreds of parks I have, it seems (from my casual observation) that it's a pretty standard pattern for most people.

From scads of first-hand experience, I just can't believe that a majority of people go to a park just to ride or base the value of a park visit based on the number of rides alone.

Maybe I just know more interesting people than most? (or boring, depinding on how you look at it ;) )

^I think it may depend on several factors.

Let me use this example: I went to SFGAm last August. I got there just after lunch on a Thursday. I got ride after ride after ride in during the first evening alone and didn't even need to stay until close. Being as I don't live anywhere near there and thus can't really frequent the park, I'm going to live it up riding while I have the chance. Coasters are what draw me to a park, and seeing as I'm still capable of power-riding (and what's more, enjoy it), that's exactly what I'm going to do. Now, I noticed the characteristics of the park itself as well, but I do like riding coasters (and lots of different and even similar ones at that) more than anything else at a park.

Conversely, I have Six Flags America just under 40 minutes from my house. In the summer of 2004, I believe, I was there A LOT. That being said, given that SFA is a park I am capable of frequenting (and obviously did), if I had to miss some rides, that was OK with me. Superman and Roar were about the only ones I really, truly loved, and given that I had a season pass, I easily got the value I wanted out of it without going psycho by power-riding things on every visit. I still rode a lot, though, because there really isn't much else there to appreciate, but YMMV.

I think the conclusion to that example is what it boils down to: did I get my money's worth out of my admission? For me, as stated above, it depends on what I rode for what I paid. If I have the season pass and go alot, my needed per-visit ride count drops and I've got no problem stopping by to smell the roses now and then and just relaxing somewhere other than my living room or an airport terminal.y

Frankly, I think ride count is a perfectly acceptable value system, and in an identical way, so is simply taking in the whole experience. It's all in personal preference, and I don't begrudge those who don't feel like power-riding. It's not for everyone, and not everyone is capable of doing it, and that's fine.

Ditto Gonch's statement. When I was growing up, we went to theme parks and rode a few rides, watched the shows, went to the waterpark for a while, ate, sat and watched people. And when we went, it was usually my extended family, so that was something like 20 people, plus we'd take friends of the kids too.

People may say this or that about getting their money's worth, but in the end, the park shouldn't have to charge a different admission for people that don't get to ride as much as they want because the park is there to provide different opportunities for entertainment. That's what the gate price covers, the opportunity, not the guarantee that you'll get to experience everything you want as many times as you want.

Lord Gonchar said:
I pretty much can't name anyone I personally know who goes to an amusement park just to ride rides.

I can. A ton of people, actually.

I'm going to have to go with RGB on this one, Gonch. However, the visitors I usually frequent parks with are in their more youthful stages of life...so that might factor into the equation. (Not to say that you and your acquaintances are old, or anything. ;))