Now Six Flags "hates poor people?"

Nope, we all make choices.

Gunkey Monkey:

I hope everyone recognizes this season pass “strategy” is exactly the same strategy under the Burke/Story leadership years that sank legacy Six Flags into bankruptcy. The strategy at the time was to flood the parks with as many customers as possible hoping and praying that sales of food, beverages, merchandise, and games would make up the gate/parking right-off. It’s really disappointing to see leadership and board members, all of whom are supposedly “business experts,” go down this road again.

I don’t think they had meal plans back then did they? If not, this strategy is even worse this time around because season passholders don’t spend much when they buy the meal plans. They eat as many meals as possible off of them.

OhioStater:

Married with children?

Don’t let anything distract you from the fact that 55 years ago today, Al Bundy scored 4 touchdowns in a single game while playing for the Polk High Panthers in the city championship game.

Lord Gonchar:

But isn't this lack of corporate greed a good thing?

I know you're being (kind of?) puckish - or Gonchish - but it depends on what's being sacrificed due to the lack of "greed." I want to pay less for airplane tickets, but not if it means they're going to forget to check the engines. I want to pay less for rollie coasters, but not if they're going to fire the woman who does the morning safety check or the guy who's in charge of maintaining freezer temperature on the burgers - or, less perilously, if they're going to let in so many people that the experience is ruined.

Sometimes you want to see a free concert in the park, and sometimes you're willing to pay for U2 in that weird eyeball in Vegas.

I had some more thought on corporate greed, and I suppose it boils down to this. I suppose it depends on the industry. I suppose it matters how much of a requirement it is to interact with. Take Disney, their prices suck, I’ve discussed their suck prices, but I suppose I’m ultimately not too concerned with it either. Let’s compare this to the food supply, grocery stores for example, they should be priced to pay employees and maintain the business and nothing further. No stock buybacks, no shareholder dividends, no worrying about making the stock price increase. Just supply the good at the cheapest possible price while covering overhead and reasonable wages for all employees. I suppose corporate greed boils down to do I require this service to exist, and if so then profit and shareholders should not exist in that industry. Restaurants? You want to start a chain and make profit and pay out people who don’t even work for the company? Sure, go for it, I don’t have to eat there. But, utilities, healthcare, food, housing, no thanks, no greed, no shareholders.

Touchdown:

I’m guessing it’s 15-25 days. I suspect most purchasers go that amount of times.

I will take the under. I do not care what the odds are. You are in no way representative of the average guest.

I know I’m not normal, but the locals who live near these parks (with the exception of Cedar Point which is not near a major metro area) I bet go that often. If a park is open May-October 15 times a year is only 2-3 visits a month.

I'd take the under at 10 and I might take it at 5.

Touchdown:

the locals who live near these parks (with the exception of Cedar Point which is not near a major metro area) I bet go that often.

Let's put it this way.

The people who actually set the prices know what a typical passholder does. They'd be batsh*t insane to price a pass at $100 if the average guest shows up even 10 times in a season, let alone 15.

Well, we are talking about Six Flags management

GoBucks89:

I'd take the under at 10 and I might take it at 5.

If we're talking mode and not average, I'd take the under on 3.

I’m an enthusiast and passholder. And these days I only go to my home park 3-5 times a season.

If I am paying attention to socials for GAdv/Dorney/KD/BGW... I'd say a lot in the season pass holder groups for those parks have crossed 10 visits so far at least this year. The locals to a park truly use the park like a second home and get 2 meals if they have meal plans. They are getting their money worth. I already am over 12 visits at parks with meal plans and 4 at BGW with their pass discount on food or the sampler cards for events. I'd say I am almost definitely at a point where all my future days lower the per day visit cost to me down below the lowest per day price point that can be found.

I think the last time I owned a season pass for any park, I was single. Been married since 2004.

I suspect I am in the minority of season pass holders at my home park, I go little and often but I do spend quite liberally when I am there. I would much rather eat at the park than get a takeaway at home, for example - especially if I'm home alone.

I am in a WhatsApp group of fellow season pass holders and when they're not discussing where they can safely sleep in their cars overnight, they're discussing the cheapest place to get a meal on park.

I am certainly in the "don't spend any money" with a pass club. I can't remember the last time I spent a dollar at Cedar Point for example, maybe around the time new new Breaker's renovation was done and I bought beers at the bar there?

I go for a few hours and just refuse to pay what they want for the food they have. I almost bought some of the doughnuts up near the front of the park a few weeks ago until I saw the insane price tag. Hard pass.

I'm not cheap by any means, I'm just against spending $18 for a cheap beer, $25 for a burger and fries from Sysco, etc...

Only time I spend money at my home park is on bottled water and other drinks.

Only if I visit out of town parks will I spend money on food and souvenirs

The_Orient_of_Express:

I’m an enthusiast and passholder. And these days I only go to my home park 3-5 times a season.

This was my initial thought. Given the shear number of typical parkgoers that likely buy a pass for a single visit because of the price and never visit again, there is no way in hell that the average number of visits per passholder is more than 5.

Someone just posted this on the "In the Loop" Facebook page. Just for a walk down memory lane...

Along with his comment:

Cedar Point released their 2026 pass prices. $99 for a gold pass.
Here’s my receipt from my 2000 (yes not a typo, 25 years ago) pass. An equivalent pass would have been $145 (combo pass plus parking). Adjusting for inflation that would be $271 today.
That is a 63% decrease in price over the last 25 years.

We have Prestige passes for Cedar Point, with the all-park, all-season dining, and all-season drink add-ons. We will typically go to Cedar Point 10-12 times per season, once or twice to Kings island (2 visits each trip), and possibly a 3rd park. This year it was Canada's Wonderland.

We will eat our 2 meals and get 4-5 drinks per visit. We absolutely get our money's worth. We have already paid for our meals and drinks, and the all-park passport has paid for 3 admissions so far this year.

We have also taken advantage of the stupid cheap renewal this year. This years passes with the add-ons ran $1400. We renewed for next year and got everything we have now. $850.