Now Six Flags "hates poor people?"

MDOmnis:

It's that the experience has been watered down and I feel like their answer is "well too bad get a Fastlane."

While I don't feel parks deliberately water down the experience to sell fast lanes, I do want to reiterate this point to those who feel the gate price is too cheap these days: the value of the standard admission has indeed been eroded by fast lane passes. On a busy day the regular queue is going to go 20-30% slower due to fast lane insertion. You pay less (than you would with inflation) but you get less than you did in the past.

At Cedar Point, on the headliners, the regular lines are moving 50% slower due to Fastlane (because they literally split it 50-50 at the merge point and in some cases, even slower than that due to slower operations than in the past. On less in demand rides, it might be 10-20% so it is not as noticible.

The $99 pass at CW (with the stipulation that you must process it there) seems like it's an attempt to hit an attendance target after what has probably been a very poor season thus far. It seems like Cedar Point has been reasonably busy, but I have seen a lot of reports of poor attendance at various parks across the chain. Great Adventure for sure, but also KD, Carowinds as well. It has been hot as hell this summer for many weeks straight and I am sure that will be blamed. Perhaps offering some indoor Live E/food or water/dark rides would be appropriate. But they seem to eliminate them far more than they add them and don't hesitate to open them late and close them early to save a few bucks on staff.

If they use this same pricing strategy across the chain, I am just going to go out on a limb and say the company declares bankruptcy in 2027 or 2028 because it's absolutely insane and I say that because doing the same thing over and over is literally the definition of insanity and we've already see Six Flags use this strategy and fail.

Cedar Flags need to raise the gate and bring back great customer service and experience.

but yea, their attitude seems to be “provide a cheap gate, and you get a cheaper experience”

MDOmnis:

the company declares bankruptcy in 2027 or 2028

Maybe that’s their plan.

The_Orient_of_Express:
bring back great customer service and experience

I can’t be the only one that is like this. I buy the pass and barely spend any money in the park. I get there early and duck out mid-day to hit a brewery or some other local spot. When CP had Melt and they started paying attention to quality with their themed restaurants I spent more time and money in the park. If all you’re going to offer me is below average food for above average prices I’m going to pass and spend elsewhere. These executives need to get their asses in the parks as a guest. Would they feel good paying what they’re asking for that product?

eightdotthree:

I buy the pass and barely spend any money in the park. I get there early and duck out mid-day to hit a brewery or some other local spot.

I did that even on my recent trip to BGW... I had time to burn since I have the season pass and was there multiple days. I ended up hitting most of the breweries around and the meadery.

I do think that there is something in a large percentage of people dropping $99 on a pass on the basis that "it's cheaper than two visits" - had they not bought the pass, they perhaps would have only gone once and spent half as much.

The fact that it provides 'free' entry to 39 other parks that they'll never go to is here nor there.

The disconnect for me is where in park prices have gone through the roof alongside entry/season passes being bargain basement. If you're trying to attract people to come frequently by offering a season pass, they will be more price sensitive to spending £15 on a crappy burger and fries.

If something is a once a year visit, you might suck up the crazy in park prices (like at a concert etc) and by the time next year rolls around you've forgotten about it and do it again. If you're going to the park once every couple of weeks, you're not going to blow big money on small quality consistently.

We went to the cinema last night for the first time in over a year or 18 months (F1 movie - was actually better than I expected) - we dropped £25/$30 on drinks and snacks and I was OK with that. If we went every week, we'd no doubt be smuggling all sorts in and not spending that kind of money consistently.

I think the typical regional park goer is closer to you are in terms of movies than is the typical person on this site in terms of park attendance. Less focused on power-riding, the headliner attractions or length of lines.

I thought the consensus was Cedar Point food had gotten better?

My wife and I saw Superman over the weekend. Was $21.75/ticket (with online fees) and $20 for popcorn and 2 waters. We only go to a couple of movies a year though. And based on the previews, doesn't appear that will change anytime soon.

Yea I have a season pass to my local SF park. I go 2-4 times a year. And I typically don’t spend much on food/beverage/souvenirs.

When we had the old Platinum Pass we used it to to bounce back and forth between KI and CP...but we also lived in Columbus which is right in between. Once we moved to NE Ohio we have only been to KI once. Also in those years We used it to visit Kings Dominion a couple times, but that was only because it happened to on the way to and from our real destination; Sandbridge, VA. Aside from KI we never used it to plan a trip do a different park, but we're spoiled with CP being so close.

And the food is better. It's also been more consistent this year. Just had a "chicken philly club sandwich" yesterday at a jam-packed CP Shores that was really good. What we typically do if we're going to be there all day is get 2 all-day dining bands ($70 total) for the 4 of us. New meal every 90 minutes. More than enough food for us and there is enough variety to not get bored with the selections. That's a great amount of food all day for 4 people. Go to a restaurant anywhere once and you're well over $100 for 4 people.

Annecdotally about food at parks.

I have heard people compliment the food at Granny's and Yum-Yum Palace at Great Adventure online. Yes that's the two places with the new menu from the park chef. Even though it's really the same as Grain and Grill and the newer chicken tenders at KD or KI. So it'll be interesting to see what happens if they reopen Best of the West with the barbeque from those locations eventually.

Of course as word of the improved food at those locations spreads lines get long when the park is busy. Which by most reports isn't as often as it was since most regulars and holding serious grudges about Kingda Ka and the Sky Ride being removed with a few citing Parachute drop and Green Lantern(which I instantly laugh about).

Jeff:

TheMillenniumRider:

My first trip there which was 09 or 10 I believe, carousel was $1, bumper cars were $1.25, and Phoenix was $2.50.

What year was that, and what is it adjusted for inflation?

It was 2009 or 2010. Anyway.
Carousel - $1.00 in 2010, $3.00 in 2025. 2025 rate with inflation - $1.48.

Skooters - $1.25 in 2010, $3.50 in 2025. 2025 rate with inflation - $1.85.

Phoenix - $2.50 in 2010, $5.00 in 2025. 2025 rate with inflation - $3.70.

Jeff:

Why does there have to be a middle class? What if we just did a better job at providing for the lower class?

No disagreement with the lower class being provided for, but good luck with that. This country is more concerned with giving billionaires more tax breaks. As far as no middle class, that looks an awful lot like an owner slave mentality. Let's have the select few own and have everything, and then those are the same people who decide how much to give away to the worker (slave) class. What could possibly go wrong there. Sure regulation, but who is going to actually make that happen. The government is more concerned about penises and opening American Auschwitz.

Jeff:
I know, socialism or whatever, but the onset of the industrial age, the Internet age, and probably the AI age change the work landscape in unintended ways.

I had this exact conversation with a colleague the other day about the effects of AI on the job market and long-term outcomes. It boiled down to him saying his vision after AI is refined and implemented was, watch the movie Elysium, this is what he believes might be the outcome. He is working on his PHD that is based in AI and health. So not just a rando who goes, hurr durr, I can make memes with chatgpt.

On food:

Oy, this is a frustrating thing. How hard is it to provide a good product? Burgers, let us build a quick class on grill safety and usage to go along with the food service training, slap some workers in the class, give them a thermapen, put some charcoal grills along the midway, make burgers and dogs, stick them on a bun and serve. There, I just elevated your ****ty frozen flavorless burgers 1000% for a minimal upfront investment. Frozen burgers cost more than ground beef, so I just saved you some money per item as well. There is just no effort past lets build a ride in the parks right now. This all reminded me of Ouimet's post the other day about people existing outside the realm of I want to ride the biggest and fastest, and that when all you have is a hammer then everything starts to look like a nail.

TheMillenniumRider:

There, I just elevated your ****ty frozen flavorless burgers 1000% for a minimal upfront investment. Frozen burgers cost more than ground beef, so I just saved you some money per item as well.

Actually some old Cedar Fair parks used the following company as the provider for Burgers at some places.

https://schweidandsons.com/

I know the Miami River Brewhouse used them when the guy who was the Reds chef took over at KI.

They also added chefs to some of the legacy Six Flags Parks so I wouldn't say they aren't trying to improve the food you just need to look for it.

TheMillenniumRider:

This country is more concerned with giving billionaires more tax breaks.

I don't think this country is, but definitely the party currently in power.

I'm annoyed that they can't figure out how to fix social security. Uh, lift the annual taxation cap? You know you're doing OK when they stop taking out SS tax before the end of the year.

60% of this country voted (a vote withheld is a vote for and not against) for the current regime. Therefore they enjoy billionaire tax breaks and rape and fraud. It’s not like any of it was a secret.

They know how to fix social security, they don’t want to fix social security. That helps the poors.

A quick reroute of funds from the DoD, closure of tax loopholes, a huge increase on the top 1 percent, and an increase on corporations would rapidly fix the budget. It’s basic math, it’s not hard.

I was going to say the same thing about social security. It's not that they can't figure out how to fix social security. They don't WANT to fix social security. The 1% who run this country don't think it is a good investment because it doesn't directly benefit them. But they don't realize that if it benefits the same society that they rely on to make them wealthy, than it DOES benefit them.

They use our tax dollars to make themselves extremely powerful, and then won't even consider giving back to society. It's not only selfish; it's evil.

Rip Ride Rockit > talking economic/tax policy on a coaster site.

Don't worry, once Zamperla jacks up another major installation we will have plenty of cosater stuff to argue about.

GoBucks89:

Rip Ride Rockit > talking economic/tax policy on a coaster site.

A fork in the scrotum > talking economic/tax policy on this coaster site.

Honestly, I prefer the rectum, and a little wiggle upon insertion. :)

Either > RRR