Platinum Pass

Hi everyone!

I decided to buy a Platinum Pass for the first time the other day. I bought it through Cedar Point's website, and I signed up for the payment plan. In order to get my Platinum Pass, do I actually have to go to Cedar Point and scan the QR code they sent me, or will they send it through the mail? I have looked through many websites and forums and I have not found any information on this. Thanks!

You’ll have to get it at the park. If you upgraded from a season pass, it’s a quick & easy swap. If this is your first pass, you’ll have to process at the Season Pass Center...

Thank you! Can I get it at any CF park, or does it have to be from CP, since that's where I bought it.

Used to be you had to process at the park you bought it through. Ive heard conflicting reports lately. I DO know that any sale perks (free fall visit, bring a friend, FL+, etc) are only valid d at the park you bought the pass from.

Platinum Passes can be obtained from any CF park. Two years in a row we purchased ours technically through CP, but processed at Kings Island due to events and the earlier opening day. It was no problem.

I don't really think it matters. I don't live anywhere close to any Cedar Fair, but when I bought my pass, I arbitrarily bought it through the Kings Island link, because that was the first park I was going to for 2018. It looks like all of the perks and abilities that you get from a pass are completely universal and not limited to the home park. Prices are the same from each park for a premium to my knowledge if you buy online. To be on the safe side, maybe plan to buy the pass from the park that you'll visit first, but again I doubt any of this matters.

Incidentally, it seems like its pretty rare for non-enthusiasts to even buy Platinum Passes. Most GP tend to never travel for parks and only visit their home park (KI/CP may be an exception because they're so close and people in Ohio tend to be more coaster positive than other states, but even then, you need to go to three different parks to make a Platinum make sense). When I was buying something from Canada's Wonderland at a retain store, the cashier mentioned that this was the first time that she had ever seen a Platinum Pass.

Your obsession with enthusiast impact making the amusement world go round and anecdotal experiences completely cloud your thinking. There are tons of perks to the platinum pass that have nothing to do with visiting multiple parks. If it were all that rare for non-enthusiasts to purchase platinum passes, they wouldn't offer them for sale.

I purchased my Platinum Pass from Kings Island website but made it to Kings Dominion first and had no trouble getting the voucher processed. I agree with bigboy that plenty of non-enthusiasts are going to buy Platinum Passes b/c of the perks. It was a very pleasant surprise to find that I got a discount on food as a result.

I think there are quite a few platinum passes at CP. Entry to the second gate, free parking, and other perks can drive those sales.

How often does one have to visit a park and for what reasons until they fall into the “enthusiast” category, anyway?

Don’t the non-Cedar Point parks offer a Gold Pass that is the same as a Platinum Pass without the Cedar Fair all-access? I know I see Kings Island, Kings Dominion, and Dorney Park all push Gold Passes while Cedar Point pushes Platinum Passes.

Make sure you are aware of this... You can only use the Platinum Pass at one park for the remainder of the 2018 season. Make sure you purchase the pass from the one park you plan to visit this year. It will be good for all CF parks next year.

I've been looking into this because I am going to Kings Dominion next month, and I am going to get the Platinum Pass, so I'll have admission to all the parks next year.

I had a Platinum Pass a few years ago, but only got to use it a few times. It was worth it to me though, because of all the other perks I got with it. Because I couldn't afford to go often, and because at the time I was driving an old gas guzzler, I didn't want to renew. Now I have a pretty good car with great gas mileage, so I think I'm ready to get a pass again and try to get to some parks next year.

At least at CGA, there is a standard pass (no parking, no Gilroy Gardens, no Haunt, no Winterfest), a gold pass, and a Platinum Pass (all CF parks), though they don't advertise the Platinum pass at all.

I've been getting platinum for quite a few years now and this summer was the first time I travelled to a CF park outside of my immediate area. Between parking, Shores being separate admission from CP and the discounts it is still worth it to me to go platimum even if I never use it anywhere but Sandusky.

bigboy said:

Your obsession with enthusiast impact making the amusement world go round and anecdotal experiences completely cloud your thinking. There are tons of perks to the platinum pass that have nothing to do with visiting multiple parks. If it were all that rare for non-enthusiasts to purchase platinum passes, they wouldn't offer them for sale.

My obsession? Well don't we all have obsessions here? Mine is with coasters, at least. I'm not sure what yours is with. I'm not sure if I agree with you saying that I'm obsessed with any of that other stuff that you mentioned though.

But I mention this because the parks other than CP to my knowledge give you all of the same perks with a gold pass as a platinum -- the only difference is that one is universal and one is for one park. So as I was saying, its really a pretty cut and dry decision. You have to be visiting at least three different CF parks for the Platinum Pass to save you money vs. just buying a Gold for each park. And as I was saying, not many non- enthusiasts are going to find themselves at three different CF parks in one calendar year.

As far as I know - only the former Paramount Parks offer gold passes - because that's what the locals have been accustomed to for however many years.

You can't get a gold pass at Cedar Point, and I'm pretty sure you can't get one at Knott's or Dorney or World's of Fun or Michigan's Adventure

I believe that you can’t get a Gold Pass at Cedar Point or CW. I know Knott’s has gold passes now, and I assume that the rest of the old CF parks followed suit.

CP and CW are their most popular parks attendance wise of their seasonal parks, they don’t need Gold Passes to get people in the door there.

Well I'll be damned. I just looked that up. That's interesting.

Dorney Park has the Gold Pass, too. I’m pretty sure Cedar Point is the only one that doesn’t have it. (yep just checked)

3 parks for a Platinum Pass to make sense, you say? Challenge accepted.

Cedar Point SEASON Pass $137 (no extra perks)
Kings Island Gold Pass $99
Total- $236

Cedar Fair Platinum Pass $195

Ok take Cedar Point out of this because they aren’t a Gold Pass or of course they are more expensive or whatever.

Kings Island Gold Pass $99
Kings Dominion Gold Pass $99
Carowinds $105
Dorney Park $115 (Seriously?!?)
Worlds of Fun $102 (!)

I dunno. I guess if you’re gonna visit Canada’s Wonderland ($75 USD), Valleyfair! ($77), or CGA ($80) plus one of the above (or 2 on the cheap list) then you’re right.

Wow. I'm out of the loop, and I guess the Gold Pass was a viable thing for them to expand to other markets.

Oh, and Dorney's huge draw is the waterpark, right? That could explain the $115 price tag.

I'm 1:15-ish from CP and just under 3 hours from KI - I've used my Platinum Pass to go to KI less than a handful of times in the last few years. Aside from WinterFest, there probably isn't much I'd be missing out on if I were able to just get a CP Gold Pass.

In all seriousness, they would likely get more money from me because with a Platinum pass, you have to add the platinum dining plan on, and I rarely eat at other CF parks because I don't go that often so it doesn't make sense for me to buy it at all.

Touchdown said:

CP and CW are their most popular parks attendance wise of their seasonal parks, they don’t need Gold Passes to get people in the door there.

Well, what kicked this thing off was my anecdote about how I was at Canada's Wonderland and a cashier looked at me in wonder and remarked about how that was the first time she'd ever seen somebody use a Platinum Pass before and she'd been working there for a while. And then somebody accused me of hating on the GP for making that comment. But I also do think I remember them advertising the Gold Passes at CW when I was there (it was May). I didn't realize that CP didn't do the Gold Passes, but if you're not looking out for it or thinking about it, its hard to notice that a park doesn't do something.

Or maybe I'm just thrifty and love my 15% discounts, and Canadians as a people just tend to forget to claim their discounts with their Platinum Cards.