Pay-to-cut: Not Fun For Everyone

Speak for yourself, I'm not old!

Gonch..You may very well be right. But if they do move to that type of system...they sure better "program" some flexibility into the system. What kind of vacation is it if the entire thing is pre-planned?! I don't know if I can successfully schedule my bathroom visits days/months ahead of time. Maybe I can just send my virtual clone to the bathroom for me ;-)

Not to mention rain.

You have your entire day planned, weeks (even just days) in advance... and on that day it is nothing but torrential down pours and thunder storms.

This happens all the time even now. Someone made the mention of school field trips. I know when I was in grade school, my mom was that "one parent" who got all caught up in the PTA and she went so far as to organize our "Year end trips" to place like Cedar Point. She basically had everything down to the minute and would had out iteneraries to everyone, and I'll be darned, but she actually *did* have allowances in there for potty breaks, general "Foul Up" time.

Not suprisingly, things went rather smoothly as everyone knew where to meet up and when.

BTW: This is a bit like visiting a Sea World park. The major attractions (the shows) are all scheduled, yet no one seems to really feel restricted in their visits.

lata, jeremy

I often thought a good side business would be to buy up a bunch of Disney season passes (10 or so) and then offer to go into a park with a couple/family (for a fee of course) and walk ahead to obtain fastpasses as they leisurely enjoy their day. You can assure them little to no wait on any of the major stuff if done correctly and with enough “tickets” to hold multiple fastpasses at once. As a bonus, you could probably get some rides in on your own. They always say to find a way to make money by doing what you love…

I’ve spent many a Disney day running ahead to the next land and fastpassing my parties tickets so we can get to the next land and get the “biggie” out of the way.

It sure would be nice if somebody did this for me…

Gonch, I agree that plan your day is coming, but I do not think that this will be the end. People do not like to have their day planned for them. It is human nature to do what you want on your own schedule. For example, how upset would the rich guest who got the planned day be if he missed his opportunity time for Test Track at Epcot? For this reason, I believe the future will head more in the direction of my “market” system. Though I do not deny the planned day will be a step on the way.

One thing I never understood, though I guess coupons and Q-bot sort of do this, is why parks don't fluctuate admission with demand. Charge more on weekends and mid summer when lines are long to encourage people to come during the week. People are going to come in droves anyway because of their work schedule, but presumably you'd push a fair amount of your attendance off onto a less expensive and less crowded day. Dorney sort of does this, but that's more about WWK than anything else.

I suppose ultimately, that's what the q-bot does (you gotta pay more for the same experience on a crowded day) but this would do it without all the other sillines.

They already do.

Not with the admission price per se, but the discounts. Early-season Pepsi can discounts, anyone? How 'bout starlight admisisons?

-'Playa

*** Edited 6/1/2005 10:00:22 PM UTC by CoastaPlaya***

Yeah and if you have AAA, you get a four dollar discount on tickets every day except Wednesdays, when it is TWELVE dollars off. That 'sort of' is pushing a weekday at a lower price...

Andy: the major resorts do this through hotel pricing, rather than variances on admission. A hotel room in Cedar Point is much cheaper in May; at Disney World, it's much cheaper in September. In other words, exactly when the crowds aren't there.

They also give you more hours for the same price when they are more crowded.

But why not just upfront, at the ticket counter say "$50 for a Sat., $45 for F or Sun, $40 M-T"?

I like that idea, Andy.

Forgive me if someone mentioned this already in the previous five pages (it was rather lengthy), but here is one reason why using a virtual queue is not the same as waiting in line... virtually waiting is not as physically taxing as actually waiting. And that makes a difference.

Q-bot users are paying to reduce their time spent queueing. In theory, if you spent 45 minutes sitting on a bench, eating, buying souvenirs, or anything besides slowly shuffling ahead in a line, then you get into line with only a 15-minute wait, you're going to have a better experience than the person who spent 60 minutes shuffling in that line. Q-bot isn't just holding your place - it's improving your park experience.

Now, should parks be offering the opportunity for guests to pay extra for that theoretically better experience? It's really not different from first-class travel, is it?

I think what irritates most people is not the issue of right or wrong, fair or unfair. I think what irritates people is that some Six Flags parks are basically charging more for a theoretically better experience, and aren't amusement parks about everyone having a good experience?

Some parks (like Six Flags and Disney) will continue to go down this route, just like the air carriers that have first-class seats. Some parks (like Paramount or Cedar Fair) will aim for the more egalitarian route, like Southwest. And some parks will pamper all their guests (Busch Gardens) for a higher overall ticket price, like Jet Blue.

I don't think people should be dismissed for wanting an egalitarian experience at amusement park. We don't go to an amusement park to experience economic reality in action. We go to escape that.

Olsor, you've hit on the reason the market pricing scheme described in this thread is unlikely to catch on unless some park figures out some way to do it that doesn't make the customer feel like he's being dinged to death all day long.

Parks went to POP so that they could increase their revenue and cut their expenses. Why does POP cut expenses? Ask Kennywood how much they aren't spending this year on handstamps, wristbands, ticket sellers, ticket takers, ticket counters, and the hassle of moving ticket cans all over the park, not to mention the vandalism that results from the handstamps (notice that the Jack Rabbit station pillars aren't covered with "DOOW" in blue ink anymore...). Why does POP increase revenue? Because it increases the length of stay, and in theory at least encourages people to ride more, to stay longer, and to spend money on other stuff in the park since they aren't getting nickel and dimed to death on ride tickets. Furthermore, it's easier to convince someone to pay $50 for a full day of fun than it is to get that same person to pay $3 for a ride on the Scrambler. Figure it out sometime...how much are you really paying for a ride on a POP plan?

(My Kennywood visit on Sunday came out to about $2.65/ride; Conneaut Lake was more like $2/ride. That seems awfully expensive, to dish out $2-$3 for every ride, but $30 for the whole day seems cheap by comparison.)

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

I'm on page 1 reading this and I saw this...

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As far as the 'free' systems like CP's Freeway and Disney's FastPass - those people ARE cutting in line. The times are handed out at random without knowing what the line may or may not be at the time assigned. No one is virtually waiting for anything. It is simply a reservation to ride at a certain time. When that time comes, those folks are allowed to cut towards (or to) the front of the stand-by line and ride.

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I totally agree...those people are cutting in line, but they are doing it for free on a first come first serve basis that people who brought 50 dollars to the park for spending money or 5000 dollars to the aprk for spending money can both use. It's a system designed to allow upper and lower class people equal oppurtunity and I don't know why you object it? It's free and if you wanted it....you could get it for free....just be there first.

I’ve tried these priority line access systems in the past. I don’t use them. If I did, I’d be a hypocrite. I don’t want it “done” to me, so I will not do it to other people.

You are a hypocrite....no offense...you can't try something and not use it...once again I'm on page 2 now! ;)

Another idea I had while on page 2....If Q-Bot was created so people would spend more time in gift shops and restaurants and stuff...whats the points of a line in the first place? After all.... wouldn't it make more sense for everyone in the park to be at a shop or restaurant...while reserving there place in line....well I guess that would cause lines at the shops and restaurants....its a revolving cycle that can't be stopped. :)

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Just another way the 'free to everyone' setups are a joke while the pay systems are fair and equal waits for all.

(note: CP's Freeway stops this by using the handstamp and limiting each guest to one handstamp per hand and no double stamps for the same ride - so it lands in middle ground in this aspect, but still randomly chooses people to randomly toss to the front parts of the line)

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A trip to the wave pool will wash that handstamp right off!

I'm not talking about opinions here. I'm talking about right and wrong. If something is wrong, like murder, then someone's opinion doesn't matter, it is still wrong. The same thing if something isn't 'wrong'. You're disagreeing opinion doesn't make it wrong. You try to make a grey area out of something that truly is black and white.

I know this is far back but I am sorry....

Murder is wrong to you because you've learned that its wrong and thats how you have been brought up. What if you murdered someone because they raped a family member or close friend of yours? Is that morally justified or not?

Some religions sacrifice people and animals? Is that right or wrong? Depends if you believe in the religion...get what I am saying? :)

Sorry for double post...but the irony of all this is that the park is essentially screwing themselves by having qbots when it's specifically stated in their rules...that THEY believe that the concept of leaving the line and coming back is wrong. Tekno you may not believe that is wrong which is fine...because I don't believe it is wrong either...but Six Flags does...which I find ironic and somewhat humorous.

wow I'm finally done reading the whole thread....6 posts in a row...I'm sorry lol ;)