Shapiro at it again?

Word of mouth DEFINITELY plays a stronger role in, say, PA...patrons have a variety of parks to choose from, and none really "stand out" by having a dozen thrilling coasters or some such idiocy.

I think it stands to reason that GAdv, or SFoG, or SFoT, are in a VASTLY different situation. I'll go with NJ, since it's what I know...neighbors tell you that got bled dry at GAdv and went on five rides in ten hours at the park, a typical response might be "where ELSE you gonna go".

At this point, there's a 1% chance your neighbor might suggest Dorney, Hershey, or some other park that I won't name that starts with a 'K'. That means there's a 99% chance that the neighbor will say "yeah, but the kids love GAdv". Damn that Gonch! ;)

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At this point, there's a 1% chance your neighbor might suggest Dorney, Hershey, or some other park that I won't name that starts with a 'K'. That means there's a 99% chance that the neighbor will say "yeah, but the kids love GAdv".

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Admit it. I'm coverting you. ;)

Stronger role? Sure. But 2 times nothing is still nothing.

^Then you tell the kids to spend their own money for parking, tickets, food, games and souvenirs and see how they feel at the end of the day. :)

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Lord Gonchar said:]Admit it. I'm coverting you.

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I think we're in agreement about how things ARE more than we are about how things SHOULD be...and that's OK.

But how does the wife feel about you "converting" me...and will I still respect myself in the morning? Most importantly, does Moosh know about this... ;)

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I think we're in agreement about how things ARE more than we are about how things SHOULD be...

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Ahh, that's a perfect summary.

As far as the rest of the post:

Fine, probably not and he doesn't have to know. :)

All this covert coveting aside, I checked out the Great Adventure website, and it said the online rate is $49.99 WITH the $10 discount. So Joe Sixpack will have to figure out whether all the additional stuff GAdv offers is worth $15.49 more per person. (You think people checking out both websites will say, Hey Knoebels says that have free parking, is Six Flags free too?)

BTW, Gonch, you can keep the house and the car. Kids too (I prefer handing kids back over to parents after I get them full of sugar and all wound up).

That's the wrong way about it, RGB...

Hand the kids back after you scored the CREDIT LAP on the "family" coaster...ROFL! ;)

But in my case, the credit wouldn't be worth the embarrassment of the park having to call in the Jaws of Life to pry my ass out of the train. :)

Now you also have to compare that SFGAdv price with HP as well. (You can probably get some kind of discount there, to0, off of their full price which is about the same or a little lower than the new SFGAdv online price) Maybe the HP coasters aren't as big but there are plenty of them and the waits might be more managable. Also there might be a feeling that the park cares more about you having a good experience in return for what you spend there.

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RatherGoodBear said:
All this covert coveting aside, I checked out the Great Adventure website, and it said the online rate is $49.99 WITH the $10 discount.

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Wow. You're right.

Then they bumped up the discounted tickets for this season. That should give everyone something to complain about!

$50 to $34 does even the playing field a bit, but I still think 9 out of 10 choose SF.

Although that should be really interesting for the upcoming season's numbers - in the past the listed gate was high but once you ordered online and all that crap SF was often a cheaper option. Now at $50 discounted they're far and away the highest priced park to get into.

Mark Shapiro must have the biggest set of balls in the world. :)

Interestingly, I was looking over the PKI site thanks to the Gold Pass thread and PKI's online tickets are only $29.99 this year. That's a drop isn't it? (someone has to know)

Even more interesting is that the 'value' parks that keep getting mentioned are now listing gate prices that are as much as or more than some of the bigger parks. (SF excluded in many cases, of course)

-Knoebels is showing that $34 number.
-Holiday World is showing $38 with varying discounts (from nothing to $7) depending on when you visit.
-Kennywood is showing $31
-Indiana Beach is showing $30 for both sessions
-Lake Compounce at $34

In comparison we have:

-PKI at $30
-CP is $42
-Carowinds is $35
-SFKK is at $35
-Hershey is showing $46
-BGE is $55 online (!?)

Assuming gate or online price (whichever is lower) and desire for unlimited riding. Still quite surprising. Line those up in order from least expensive to most and it looks nothing like I'd have guessed. I'd like to nose around park admission prices some more...there's some changes being made and the differences in gate price really aren't far off between parks in most cases.

Not sure if this has been posted, but I just found a interesting story on Shapiro. Right here...

http://www.funworldmagazine.com/2007/jan/features/competitiveEdge/compedge.html

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RatherGoodBear said:
All this covert coveting aside, I checked out the Great Adventure website, and it said the online rate is $49.99 WITH the $10 discount. So Joe Sixpack will have to figure out whether all the additional stuff GAdv offers is worth $15.49 more per person. (You think people checking out both websites will say, Hey Knoebels says that have free parking, is Six Flags free too?)

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And since the safari is no longer included with admission that's an additional $9.99. So last year $39.99 got you into the park and Safari, this year it's $59.98 for both a $20 increase if someone goes to both the park and the Safari

I wonder how much of the reason for the low KI online price is associated with the SOB problems. Apparently some people are associating KI with "damaged goods" for now because of that. I was always of the belief that KI had no need to discount themselves any more than they have done in the past because of their solid attendance levels. Of course, a year ago they didn't have that negative publicity that SOB caused either.

Regarding those high Six Flags admission prices (even with discounts), they compound the matter of the $15 parking, the outrageously high food prices, the Flashpasses, the poor operations, and the possible no-reentry policy.

I do concede that BGEs price is high but I also feel that Busch has been successful in positioning its park as a true "upscale" park. The excellent theming, the immaculate cleanliness, the beautiful landscaping, the good service and operations, the better than average park food: these all reinforce this image. Maybe this is what Six Flags is aiming for but they clearly have a long way to go to build this kind of image.

One can get a HP ticket from GIANT grocery stores for $24 off season and $29 busy season, I believe.

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Lord Gonchar said:

Hell, it (word of mouth) doesn't even work among our incestuous little community here. Overwhelmingly, we agree that SF sucks in general, but how many of us still visited a SF park recently? Even guys like rablat (one of the most anti-SF dudes around here) still visits the park and admits to doing so yearly. You've done it yourself, Dex. You talk about visiting every couple of years.

If knowledge and word of mouth really kept people away, then there shouldn't be a single SF trip report in the forums...but instead there's tons...and we know better!

If first hand experience isn't enough to turn away people who already know about the overal suckitude of things, then do you really think word-of-mouth scares the average potential guest?

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You do have a very good point there. Why do people keep going to SF? I really don't know, except for the monopoly thing, why the parks seem so busy every time I go.

I disagree with your theory that word of mouth isn't a factor. I don't think it affects coaster enthusiasts as much as the regular Joe because a lot of us are willing to put up with the "overall suckitude" (lol) in order to get us some coaster credits. It's our hobbie and we like to ride the newest and biggest coasters, even if they are at SF. If they did what every other successful park does with regards to operations and such, I truly believe that word of mouth would help them to sell more admission tickets.

And yes I do visit SFGAdv once every 4 or 5 years, but I visit other parks a lot more frequently. If I had not had such a lousy time there every time I go and if I had felt that I got a good value for the money, you'd see me there as much as you would at the other parks such as Hershey and CP.

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2Hostyl said:

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Barry Williams said:

When the day comes that my selection of a park is based on the costumed characters inhabiting it, I'll know I've been involved with roller coasters for too long. . .

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I guess Disney is way off base with those character dining options huh?

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I don't even know what "character dining options" are. That's something too scary for me to even contemplate.

You don't eat them, do you? The characters?

"Uhhhhm, yes, I'd like a Yosemite Sam on whole wheat, please. . .hold the mayo, with some diced Tweety on top."

Barry Williams said:

I don't even know what "character dining options" are. That's something too scary for me to even contemplate.

You don't eat them, do you? The characters?

Actually a little barbecued Piglet and a cold Bud sounds pretty good right about now. :) Mmmm...

My tastes are somewhat exotic, maybe a little roasted Pumba wouldn't hurt either...

I go because it's the closest park to where I live, and also because I have yet to have a "bad" experience. I tend to eat before I go through the Gate, so food prices don't bug me that much. True, the only SF park I've been to is SFA, and maybe I'm willing to let some things slide that others might not, but I enjoy my trips there. Has a SP last year, and I'm getting this year's sometime before opening day.

And how about a nice little Chocolate Mouse for dessert?

Somehow it feels we've lost track of the main point of this topic. It wasn't about the perceived value and overpricing of the food at Six Flags parks, but that this no re-entry policy will FORCE people to either buy in-park food, go hungry, or go home. The debate over value and comparable quality and value vs. other amusement parks is valid, but the concern I have is for people who have been given the freedom of CHOOSING between park food or outside food up until now and are now FORCED to eat in-park food if they don't want to have to go home. Leaving the park for an hour to eat the picnic brought from home or the nearby Taco Bell or Subway is not that big of a deal for most families. You have to take time out of your day to eat anyway, so if you are spending 6+ hours at the park the extra time getting to and from the car is not that big a deal for most families.

I've already stated that I feel this is Snyder and Shapiro's way of trying to eliminate unwanted teenagers who don't spend much money in the park, but I believe this will affect more working class families. The way I see it is that if people feel they HAVE to spend their money in the park they won't come back. Yeah, Six Flags makes the same amount of money on my season pass whether I visit once or ten times this summer. But if I leave when I get hungry because I don't like being FORCED to eat their food the park's per capita spending goes DOWN, not up. The majority of one-time visitors eat in the park anyway, so it's the season pass holders who will just go home instead of being FORCED to eat in the park. I think this plan will backfire on Snypiro.

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Rob Ascough said:

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dannerman said:

You are correct that because people are used to it doesn't make it right. On the other hand, just because YOU happen to be on a budget doesn't make it wrong. It just makes it out of your budget.

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I don't go to any park with a budget. I simply spend when compelled. If something looks good, I'll buy it. If I know it's going to suck, I'll pass. That's my budget.

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My apologies if I wasn't clear. I didn't mean you have a budget to the amusement park (i.e. "I'm going to spend $200 on the trip") I mean overall budget. Everyone out there has a budget.. whether it's in Quicken down to the penny and updated/readjusted almost daily for the swing in gas price and fluctuations of the price of milk (OCD? ;) ), or just a matter of "gee, the cash in my wallet is getting thin, better hold off on spending for a little while" --- it's still a budget.