Six Flags Season Pass Prices

SFMM had it signposted yesterday that the current deal is only good through April 19th. They have been known to extend their season pass deals, but I wouldn't bank on that.

--Robb

One of the reasons Six Flags is in such trouble, IMHO, is the fact that their season passes are too cheap. $49.99 is ridiculously low for a full years entry to so many parks.

There are some parks where a single day admission costs more than that...
*** Edited 2/28/2005 10:16:22 PM UTC by Richard Bannister***

^ What about Universal Hollywood? They've been running the "Buy a day, get a year free" for years now! Same thing with BGT and the "Fun Card."

It's a very low percentage of people who actually use thier pass at other parks. In fact, when Elissa was in charge of the Season Pass program at SFMM, most people weren't even aware that the pass could be used at other parks even though it's printed RIGHT ON the pass!

--Robb

SF figures that the average passholder makes three park visits a year. So for every dork that visits twice a week, there's several who will spend the money once and never come again.

There have been recent seasons where even CF parks have had passes that cheap. Didn't sink the chain.

Giving passholders discounts on anything and everything? Dumb. Free concerts? Dumb. Four coasters in one season? Dumb. Adding rides without nudging up the gate? Really, really dumb. But the pass price in and of itself? Not so dumb. Just sorta dumb.

-'Playa

^ Yeah, I mean we just bought our Knott's passes over the weekend for $59 each, and we plan on using them at several Cedar Fair parks this year.

Of course, we're certainly NOT your 'average' park consumer, but the fact remains that we just renewed our pass for $59.

We also just recently renewed our USH pass for around $50 and that deal included 18 months!

--Robb

Robb: does USH discount the single-day gate by more than a few dollars? If not, then this strategy is easier to see, since most people probably won't even come back more than once or twice.

The park I can't figure out is the above-mentioned KBF. They offer ridiculously cheap season passes with a little planning. They also significantly discount the single-day gate; the recent deal with a BBQ lunch plus single day admission for ~ $30 sounded like a great deal. On top of that, every day I've been there (admittedly during off-season) the place has seemed positively empty, the obvious exception being Haunt. I've not been there in the dead of summer yet, but still...

^ I think to get the year for the price of a single day admission at USH, it has to be a full price admission, but I'm not 100% sure.

The coupons we had for KBF were from last year which didn't have an expiration date on them. I haven't seen them do the $59 deal in a while, but I think they did a $79 or $89 pass deal at some point this year.

But yeah, you can get rediculously cheap 1 day tickets for the park. I know our company store has $18 adult tickets and $15 kids tickets, which seems to be the norm for the 'corporate discounts.'

--Robb

Yet somehow KBF turns a profit...

The giving-away-the-gate argument comes up a lot with SFI. I don't think that's what makes SFI unique, as others (like KBF and USH) do too, but somehow they make money. I also don't think it's overpriced food and merchandise, because nearly every corporate park in existence is guilty of the same thing. Heck, I just dropped nearly $90 on *breakfast* for my family of two-adults-two-kids at WDW last week, and would gladly do it again.

(Eating in the castle really is that much fun, even though our Snow White was strongly reminiscent of Lily Tomlin---not exactly a beauty queen given that she is a Princess. I am a sucker for Mary Poppins though, particularly in that white dress with the long button-up boots...)

So, why is SFI losing all this money? Or, what makes SFI different from all of the other park operators that are practically printing money? One difference (as Playa mentioned) is that they tend to invest all-at-once, rather than slowly and over time. Another difference is that some of them (but certainly not all of them---SFFT is a good counter-example) give you the impression that your visit is a hassle rather than a welcome event.

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Legendary said:
Don't you mean Labor Day weekend for WoF's announcement?

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A little OT there JC? No, the reports I have been getting from the park is that they are going to put out what we call a "trailor" Memorial Day Weekend. Put that together with the ACE News tidbit about B&M building a custom ride in the Midwest for 2006 and you got yourself a wildfire of rumors ;)

Don't you mean a T(al)ON of rumors?

Just wondering.

PS Yes, I love the OT!

PPS I am getting free season passes to SF this year because A. I won one at the ACE thingy at SFoG closing day last year and B. becuase I have 15,000 pts on my SF credit card. Talk about giving away the gate! :)

Hey Joe, you're getting PRETTY close to that line right there...;)

bill, just KNEW he shoulda gone to SFoG closing day...there's NO way Joe coulda beat me outta a SP...:)

Joe - Yes a meant a T(al)ON of rumors. :)