Upcharge Rides and Attractions

Skycoasters, minigolf, paddle boats, Go-karts, climbing walls. These are examples of attractions that usually have upcharges. Many of us have mixed feelings on this but there is usually a pattern regarding the kind of attractions for which an extra charge is required.

Some upcharge attractions such as Skycoasters provide extreme experiences and have a price to match. Others such as Go-karts are more modestly priced and often found in places such as FECs or by themselves. The only real gripes I have with upcharge attractions are when an upcharge attraction replaces an attraction that was included in the POP or park admission or when there are too many such attractions in a park with a substantial admission price. Several mentions of these concerns have been made regarding parks such as Carowinds and SFGAdv. *** Edited 3/19/2007 12:26:33 AM UTC by Arthur Bahl***

Ok...?

You do realize how long the line for a Skycoaster would be if it were included with admission

It would make no sense to run a Skycoaster any other way because of its low capacity. Besides, many people don't want to go on extreme attractions of this type.

Sometimes a bigger version of an upcharge ride is introduced. This happened with the Screamin' Swings. KBF, DP and Moreys had upcharge swings with low capacity. Now there are larger versions at CP, VF, KW, and LC that are included in park admission.

I think that CP did a good job with the Challenge Park

I was mildly annoyed after riding Skyhawk at CP then to not be able to ride the Screamin' Swing at DP later that month unless I paid extra. :( That just seems really bizarre to me.

Its nice to have some extreme experiences for those that want them and are willing to pay for them. It is also nice to have some extra attractions at some of the smaller parks such as minigolf or go karts that can provide more things to do while you are there.

Years ago, some parks ran the low capacity O-Plane rides as upcharges by not including them in the universal ticket system. You had to buy a special ticket for them.

I also remember when the now defunct Crystal Beach park went to POP only admission. They decided to make their biggest coaster, the Comet, an upcharge rather than price admission to include it.

I don't think I would ever pay extra to ride a Screamin' Swing. It's just not "that" good of a ride.

They do at Knotts.

^And at Dorney. I'm just saying I wouldn't.

I would expect the upcharge Scremin Swings will be gone within a few years from the bigger parks although some small parks might pick them up at that time. Currently S&S has an agreement with Kennywood Entertainment not to put any of the larger swings into parks in the northeast until 2008. This was part of the deal where the swings were put into KW and LC.

Most up-charge attractions are not owned by the parks but are independent vendors.

It depends upon the park. Lakemont's Leap the Dips is an example of this as are the ponies at CLP. Many parks, on the other hand, owns their upcharge rides.

^Leap the Dips as an upcharge? I don't remember that from my visit last summer.

Arthur, I just don't get you. You already talked about this in another active forum, so why start another topic? I think you just start topics to talk about Kennywood.

Don't get me wrong, I love Kennywood too, and it's one of the stops on this year's itenerary, but maybe slow down and give it a rest for a little while?

The current topic deals with something involving many parks. I have been referring to parks such as CP, DP, LC, Car, and KBF etc. here. On this thread, I mentioned KW as one of four parks that added the larger Screamin' Swings last year.

I often mention other parks in my home state and in Ohio including a thread that specifically involved DelGrossos. I have also had an ongoing interest in the saga of CLP which appears to now be turning for the better and I am looking forward to the coming of Ravine Flyer II at Waldameer.

As for Six Flags, about which I have some opinions, my last visit to a Six Flags was in 2000 to the now defunct SFAW. My esperience there was a good one and I actually enjoyed the park. The only thing I saw wrong there was the excessive food prices, a problem I also noted in the past at Paramount parks when I was there. SFAW did not have pay queue systems at that time, by the way.

You have probably noted that I sometimes also mention defunct parks in my area such as West View and Idora. These parks had a great history and are greatly missed by many in the area.

Also, what about that topic about HW? It was interesting to discuss possible themed areas that could be added there in the future. *** Edited 3/19/2007 7:50:22 AM UTC by Arthur Bahl***

Pay per experience(PPE) rides mostly piss me off when they replace something free. Carowinds took out the wave swinger and gave us a PPE that I never saw anyone do. It's not there now and last season the area was used for a haunted house during Scarowinds. The park also removed the cowboy comedy show as well as Troubadors Roost where it was located and gave us that virtual reality crap. Most days when you walk by you are harrased by the operators begging you to try it again. Sorry once was enough.

I personally like the way Cedar Point does their PPE with Challenge Park. It's basically a stand alone attraction like a family entertainment center(FEC. I expect to PPE at FEC's.

I've always had a problem with the upcharges on certain rides, and have previously avoided them on principle. I'm rethinking it for this year. ValleyFair offers upgrades to their season passes. $40 season pass upgrades for the challenge park or extreme upgrade with unlimited rides. With Renegade opening this year, we plan on hitting the park alot. I'm considering the upgrades on the season passes this year to get it out of my system. Then I won't worry about it again in the future. I suspect other parks may offer similar upgrades on their season passes, although I've not looked for that specifically.

I don't like when parks put upcharge attractions inside the gates you've already paid to enter. The only time I've ever paid for one of these attractions is at Dorney Park for their Screamin' Swing. I did this the year before CP installed Skyhawk because I wanted to see what it was like. But, if I ever go back to Dorney, I won't pay for the swing anymore.

I do like how Cedar Point set up their upcharge attractions though. Put them outside the park gate and charge them individually. I'm way more likely to pay for attractions when they're outside of the park.

Morey's charges for their Screamin' Swing. I don't really like paying extra but I do like being able to ride without waiting in line. That said, those rides are fun but terribly short. Now that the novelty of the ride has worn off, I'll likely only ride one that's free AND with no line.

I don't mind paying extra if the ride is good. IMO Eruption at Gradv and Skyscraper that used to be at Dorney were both worth the money. Sceaming swing at Dorney was not because its cycle is short.