Six Flags 25% off season passes

That would be Universal. They are promoting "year of the ride" here in socal, and it's buy a day get a year free, about $65. So SFMM has undercut Universal by a small margin, 60 buck for the basic play pass when not on sale. Universal also runs many discounts over the summer, frequently in the Sunday LA Times they have coupons, fast food promos with Burger King, as well as soft drink promos. They are very aggressive with the discount programs for USH.

A 1 day sale, or $15 bucks off, isn't going to break the bank at SF.

Right, and Universal is a "second choice" park in a Disney market. The Florida Busch parks have done something like this in the past, as well, for the same reasons. They are hoping to convert a single day visitor who might be planning to spend more time with the Mouse into a repeat visitor.

Is Bush considered 3rd choice in FL? I have a feeling that SFMM for instance might be 4th/5th choice for tourists after DL, DCA, Knotts (proximity to DL), Universal, and then SFMM.

I got my $37 SFKK pass last night. I love this sale (sorry Gonch ;)).

I got my $62 Great America pass last night. Odd how a renewal costs more than a new pass. anyways. It was only $5 more than a 1 day ticket before tax and shipping. O.o

^It's not odd at all. I don't think you can print and go with a renewal. The reason is because they send you the pass through Fed-Ex, or another service. They have your picture, and you keep that same picture as from last year. If you get a new pass, than you can do the print and go.

On opening day, you probably give them the print and go ticket, and than you have to wait in the agonizing line to take your picture, and be done with it. So, it costs more because of shipping I think. ??

^Yup. I much as I would actually like a new picture on my season pass, I would rather not wait in line. I've had the same picture for 2 now going on 3 years.

Theres more to that SFMM play pass then I remember. They are trying to push it right now and they are saying if you buy now its good for the rest of 2007 (similar to a season pass end of season promotion). Plus now it seems to be good at all Six Flags theme parks, and you get your bonus coupon book including free tickets to SFMM and HH. As an added bonus if you purchase before 2008, you get a free sports bottle good for $1 refills all season long.

All the benefits of a season pass always at the price of one day admission. They are like Bizzaro Six Flags. But if you want to spring some cash and pay what you would for a season pass at a Cedar Fair Park (just for that park), you can get the Xtreme pass.

It's a play pass that gets you free parking and flash passes every visit. Plus 25% off all food and merchandise.

I know SFMM has become the red headed step sister of the chain, but you can't beat those prices.

^MM the red headed step sister? Well I'd vote for Great Adventure. I've been to that park about 5-6 times, and half those times, I couldn't wait to leave. No joke. Once I got there real early and left before noon. So much was closed, and Rolling Thunder only had 1 train. Nitro was new, but I've been on Raging Bull.

I've heard SFA is pretty dumpy. How pathetic is it that we have to talk about how bad some parks are? SFGAdventure really takes the cake in my eyes. The place is so regarded as a thrill park, but there are always just way too many 'problems' when I go there.

Last time I went, the combined wait of Toro and Ka was 5 hours. Crazy. The paths are deadend, and it was like none of the employees knew where the bathrooms were. At one point, I couldn't even find a water fountain. Soda stands were either closed or had 20 minute lines. This park has never did it for me.

I do admit, they had one of the best steelies I've been on - Chiller. I only rode Robin (Batman was closed), but golly gee, I rode the hell outta it that day - no lines!

It will be many years before I even think about going back to that place. Kings Island is another one that simply isn't fun anymore. But it's way ahead of Great Adventure. And the park has so much potential (like MM).

I'm so happy to have Great America as my home park. We got alot of classic rides too, and flats. And the best woodie, hands down, in the chain.

Hands up, you mean :-)

Of course. I guess u can do that on B&M's. Beemers. Man, talk about control. You rode one u rode em all...

See, I completely disagree with you on that point. B&Ms may have a similiar engineered smoothness and finess due to such commonalities as wheel assemply and track design.

But there are huge differences between Bull, Apollo, Nitro and Silver Star; between Batman The Ride, Montu, Silver Bullet, Top Gun, and Raptor; between Riddler, Iron World, and Chang; between Air, Tatsu, and Superman Ult Flight; between Kumba and Wildfire; between Scream, Kraken, Dominator, Hydra and Superman (Madrid); and between Oblivion and Griffon.

So after all this discussion, has it been determined how (whether) this does anything to improve either the Six Flags parks or its financial situation? Or even got it PR points-- it's a given that come June or July, somebody in here is going to forget how they bought a season pass for slightly more than a pack of smokes, and b**ch about the cost of parking or soda.

Is the company thinking-- or hoping, or assuming-- that because people will be paying next to nothing for admission, they'll spend a lot more on other things once inside the park? The past few years they've increased their per caps slightly, but not enough to make a sizable dent in their debt.

^^I disagree twice with you. Try Goliath at SFOG, and than go on Raging Bull at SFGAm. There is a huge difference. I don't agree with Viper being the best woodie in the chain. It think it's quite tame for a wooden coaster. You get one major pop of air.

I guess if you don't like B&M's, they all seem like the same thing over and over again. Hey, I think of Huss as a relaxing company no matter what they make. I don't think Huss is all that bad, but I that's what I think of them. They make the Troika, Top Spin, Giant Frisbee, Condor, Swing Around, Frisbee and more I haven't been on.

My favorite woodie in the chain is Screamin' Eagle, and the second one is the Georgia Cyclone. Of course, I haven't been to every Six Flags park.

^^Yowza! Georgia Cyclone? When it opened (still without paint in spots) the thing was outta control and smooth. Nearly every hill had air, and the first 2 drops and post turn drop were downright wicked.

I rode it again in '93, it was braked heavily, rough and had been reprofiled. Again summer of '07. Downright falling apart. I mean potholes, grindy, comparable to Predator.

Screamin' Eagle is quite good, I'll give you that!

Have you ridden Viper at night? Or in seat #3. Every single camel bump has air there. It's a front seat/car ride. It's fast as hell, the curves have laterals. It's much better even than when it first opened.

Well, I haven't ridden many B&M's that do much for me. I was VERY suprised with Great Bear, love that one. The Mega coasters are fine, people love them, they usually have good capacity (not at SFOG, thanks to a horrible crew) and they look nice. But they just don't do much for me. Raging Bull and Nitro are pretty darn similar to me. Yes, diff layout, less brakes, but they just feel the same to me.

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RatherGoodBear said:
So after all this discussion, has it been determined how (whether) this does anything to improve either the Six Flags parks or its financial situation?

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The only way I see how (and this is a bit of a stretch) is along the lines of the 4th post in this thread:

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Andrew Seibert said:
The only way I could possibly see justifying this is that they feel they've significantly improved their operations and are ready to show this off to as many customers as possible. In a sense, they're trying to win back customers that have previously been alienated.

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In that sense, I can see the logic...kind of. If they feel they've improved things enough to win people back, you have to get them back in the park to win them over. You give away the gate now and once people want to return, you get the appropriate price.

Kind of like taking one step backwards in order to continue forwards in a new direction.

I mean, you have to get the people into the park in the first place to win them over.

Another idea is one Jeff tossed out on this week's podcast - padding the 2007 numbers. I'm not sure how much impact something like this would really make, but it's another angle.

Falling a little short of that bottom line you wanted? A big, stupid-cheap pass sale will add some revenue.

I suppose the third angle that comes to mind is the one you spell out, RGB. More people in the park more times means more opportunity to sell $4 drinks. I suppose that's logical as well, but I favor the opposite approach - make them pay more to get in in the first place.

How many $4 drinks do you have to sell to make up the difference of someone visiting 5 times on their $40 pass and someone paying $60 at the gate per visit? I don't see how that's even possible.

The truth is probably a little of all three. :)

Still seems to me like passes should be up in (or above) the CF range - $140 or $150 is still a ridiculous bargain for those things. Giving away a season of visits for a few bucks more than a POP RAD at Knoebels (even just for a day) looks suicidal.

Then again (again :) ) - it was only one day. Did so many people buy on that one day that would have otherwise that the results really affect the numbers significantly? Probably not. But once you give them the $40 pass, even a still-ridiculously-cheap $80 suddenly doesn't feel so good. Conditioning the customer goies a long way and all this did for a segement of visitors is make them expect unlimited visits for $40. I don't see how that helps down the road.

Feels like a less than great move no matter how I try to dissect it.

^Totally with you there Gonch. Even the most expensive Six Flags pass is dirty cheap, for what your getting. Assuming you don't want to eat or drink that is.

For the life of me, I dunno why Six Flags is so content with babysitting all the 'burban kids (thought you might like that!).

Even the most expensive Six Flags pass is dirty cheap

...and you get what you pay for! ;)

^In the "I have more money than you" corporate world, yes. But in the 'new world' you get much more value for your buck - Holidayworld, Indiana Beach, etc....

Again, back to all filler and no killer. Looks great from the outside... very flashy...

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J7G3 said:
^In the "I have more money than you" corporate world, yes. But in the 'new world' you get much more value for your buck - Holidayworld, Indiana Beach, etc....

Again, back to all filler and no killer. Looks great from the outside... very flashy...

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Honestly, I feel like I get more for my money at the big parks than at a HW or IB or the like.

And to further make people say, "WTF!?" - I feel that smaller places (FEC's, the really little parks, etc) are a better value too.

Places like HW and IB fall into a 'worst of both worlds' spot for me. I pay almost as much to get in ($40 and $31 respectively), but get 1/3 the coasters, none of the aforementioned 'flash', none of the larger-than-life feeling the big regionals can give for the same price.

On the other end of the scale, the smaller places might only have a coaster or two and a stunted collection of rides and/or attractions, but they're charging me far less for access.

The big places offer me a lot for a low price in comparison. The small places offer me fun on the cheap. The middle of the road (in terms of size) places seem to offer me just a little more than the smaller places, but want to charge me almost the same as the big places for access to it.

Just me. YMMV. (or should that be YMWV :) )