SFGADV Raises Parking Price

maXairMike said:You and others seem to be saying that there exists parking options even closer to venues than, say, the Geico Garage at the Amway Center (connected to Amway, public parking [$20], right across South St.). My experience is in large part with venues such as the Amway Center, namely large arenas in downtown areas or large cities in general.

So the closest parking right next door to the Amway center is $20? Parking at SFGADV is $22.

You just comfirmed my entire point.

But still...

And yeah, after attending major events/destinations in different (and different sized) cities, I still can't believe you've encountered "normal" parking prices much above $20 (Super Bowl and such excluded, because it is far from "normal," see renting out living rooms in Indy for hundreds or thousands of dollars, definitely not normal) for events.

Right across the street from Paul Brown Stadium for a regular season Bengals game. Literally across the street. It's $40. See the parking lots to the east, northeast and northwest - the lot we parked in was the one to the NW and it cost $40. If you look at the Bengals parking info they mention that parking north of Third street is $20. (check the google map - those lots are 2 or 3 or 4 blocks away)

I haven't been to PNC Park in 6 years, but back then I seem to recall the closest lots (again, directly across the street from the stadium) were in the $30 range then. Again, notice the large lots literally across the street to the north, northwest and west.

And yes in both cases much cheaper (or even free) parking can be had further away.

The most recent event we went to was at the Nutter Center. There was a $3 parking fee added to each ticket, so our total parking cost was $12.

2: Again I'd argue that if you're staying at one of the above mentioned places you're either A) not paying for all or most of the expense, your job is; B) we're looking at a once-in-a-life vacation type situation/honeymoon/etc.; or C) you make enough that $45 a night plus several hundred a night isn't even a blip on your radar.

I'd say you're arguing wrong. :)

That's a judgement call on all counts. I don't think Holiday Inns and Hyatts are exactly high end fare. You'd be surprised at who is paying for these hotel rooms. On the same note, I'm often surprised by who is paying for the skeezy $59 rooms too though.

I see it this way - 4 tickets to SFGADV is going to cost you about $165 and parking is $22.

In comparison if I wanted to stay at the completely middle-of-the-road Courtyard in midwestern Columbus, Ohio tonight, the room would cost me $149 and parking would be $19.

Seems like everything is right in line to me.

So what does all that have to do with SFGAdv? Beyond the fact that its now higher than any regular event/destination parking I've heard of or seen, I don't really know.

You need to get out more. ;)

Parking costs money. NY/NJ costs more money. Entertainment like amusement parks cost a lot of money. Six Flags charges on the high end.

All of that adds up to a $22 parking fee that people will continue to pay no matter how many examples of parking situations any of us cite.

F it. I'm going to Knoebel's.

I don't have the time right now, but it'd be fun to dig up some of the old threads from 05/06 when SF first bumped their parking to $15 and the discussion was pretty much the same as it is now.

My guess is that we'll have this same conversation again in another 7 years when it hits $30.

Gonch, no we won't. The world will end by then because a mutant bedbug/mosquito hybrid carrying the genetically altered Superflu will have killed off most of the population and turned them into zombies. I would imagine parking would be free at that point.

I bet we won't have to wait seven years to hit $30.

Can we get an over/under on that?

I wouldn't be surprised if it went to $25 by Fright Fest or the for the beginning of next season.

Or maybe they will raise parking just for Fright Fest. They did that with Flash Pass a couple of years ago where the prices increased but instead of lowering them at the beginning of the next season to the pre Fright Fest pricing, they kept it at that pricing for the whole season.

After paying well over $100 to see Janet Jackson at Radio City Music Hall last year and deciding to drive after getting a new car, I can tell you that when I paid $36 for secured parking in Times Square (non-event pricing), all I was worried about at that point was getting to the show. Stuff is expensive when you want to have fun. It sucks but that's just the way it is.

Lord Gonchar
I haven't been to PNC Park in 6 years, but back then I seem to recall the closest lots (again, directly across the street from the stadium) were in the $30 range then. Again, notice the large lots literally across the street to the north, northwest and west.

The only trouble with using a sports arena such as PNC Park as an example is that there are other choices if you're willing to walk or take a train. You can park for $5 in downtown Pittsburgh and be a five minute walk from the stadium, or if you are really lazy you can take the "T" for free from downtown to the North Shore. Most amusement parks don't have that option so while their prices are in line with other venues the competition is not.

That said I have no doubt that if alternative parking existed very few people would use it. Kennywood sells plenty of $6 parking spaces when a free alternative exists that is just a little bit farther away.

eightdotthree said:

The only trouble with using a sports arena such as PNC Park as an example is that there are other choices if you're willing to walk or take a train.

Yeah, we covered that a couple of times.

You can most certainly trade time and/or convenience to save a couple of bucks and that's not always an option at the parks.

But if you want to go to the venue, park as close and conveniently as possible - it costs what these parks charge...usually more.

It all brings to mind the stories of people parking at the nearby Wal-Mart to visit Geauga Lake.

So maybe it was Wal-Mart that deliberately caused the demise of Geauga Lake, and Cedar Fair was innocent all along. Those bastards!

Lord Gonchar said:

It all brings to mind the stories of people parking at the nearby Wal-Mart to visit Geauga Lake.

Been there. Done that. :-) Though, I parked by Circuit City. Wal-Mart is way to far away. ;-)

Jason Hammond is the reason GL closed!

Not to go too far afield, but one piece from GL went off my radar. I know where most of the rides ended up, but I have fond memories of a day (around 2004-ish) when we discovered what was one of the better sets of bumper cars in the US. I had bruises from the shoulder straps for a week afterward, and was surprised they were running that way at a chain park. Does anyone know where those bumper cars ended up - sure hope it wasn't the scrap heap!

The Dodgems were removed prior to the auction. So, the 2 possibilities are that they sold them before the auction, like the Beaver Land Mine Ride. Or, they kept them for parts at other Cedar Fair parks. I'm assuming it was the latter.

Someone from Philly or NYC, (where SFGA is drawing most of their customers from) isn't going to blink an eye at 22 dollars to park. That's what it costs to park in the city.

I actually agree with something Bill says. :) I made a similar comment earlier in the thread. I think its almost cheaper to park there than it is most places in NYC.

Lord Gonchar said:

bjames said:

All I know is that I don't get charged for parking at Target or Outback Steakhouse or Best Buy. Why don't people question this BS?

Yes you do. Owning and maintainting that space costs those businesses money. They make that money in the prices they charge you for the goods they sell.

Nothing is free. Businesses have a total expense cost. They remain successful by making sure the top line is greater than the debit line. The cost of offering that parking is figured into the expenses to run the business.

Amusement Parks also include parking in their costs, just as those businesses mentioned that charge nothing. They are simply charging for parking to make huge amounts of extra cash on top of what they have already figured into their operating costs, and the price of an admission ticket. I'm sure they probably even figure in how much money they lose on parking if the lot isn't full every day. Even when they are making a profit from it.

I laugh when I hear the numbers. Oh boo hoo we lost 5,000,000 which is 15% of our yearly profit. But they don't talk about the 85% success. Always trying to get that loss down to zero. Yet they make it impossible to ever get down to zero percent, because everything is counted as a loss, and not as a gain. I wouldn't call an 85% profit margin bad. But they will.

This from a company that has annual sales of 2 billion.

You're an idiot.

Those greedy bastards, trying to make money and stuff.