Breakers bonfire

Willijs3 said:

...but that's still plenty of money to resurface every lot in the park.

What do you think it costs to resurface 64 acres of asphalt (and thats just the main lot)? Theres a reason you don't see freshly paved parking lots at amusement parks every few years, rather patches of new asphalt. Plus Cedar Point has to maintain 3 bridges that cross water, those are definitely not cheap. And the money from parking might not all go directly back to the parking lots and roads anyway. That money could pay for other capital improvements each year as well, like new sewer lines around property, painting of old rides, buying new company vehicles, etc.

I am not trying to defend Cedar Point here, rather I guess I just understand in this case that the money is used for things and that it is not 100% profit just for the purpose of making money. Sure they have a monopoly on parking, a lot of parks do, but if they just wanted your money then the price would be a lot higher than $15. As others have said, its still a good deal compared to sporting events, city parking, and even other amusement parks. Hell, my option to park at a hotel I was staying while in downtown Chicago was $60 A NIGHT! A hotel I was already paying for, inside the hotels own garage where it was reserved for hotel guests...$60!

Thabto said:

Would it be better if they just added the $15 to the admission price and advertised "free parking"?

Nope, not in my opinion. If I didn't have the pass I certainly would rather pay $15 for my car instead of $15 for each person I have in my car. Lots of things everyday feel like a rip off. Buy concert tickets? There's a fee on top of the ticket price. Got digital cable? They charge you a monthly fee for the box and remote when obviosly you have no choice but to use theirs. My Mom's last phone bills on her residential line before she switched companies had actually started billig her for sending her a paper bill.

e x i t english said:

Again, you've never been to a major city.

I live and work in the city of Cleveland. I deal with people charging for parking every day. When I attend an Indians game (about one every home stand) I take the RTA because it is cheaper than paying for parking Downtown. I've been to Cincinnati, Columbus, Seattle, Orlando, Detroit, New York, Chicago, Boston, Baltimore and a few others. In all of them, I have had to pay for parking. It's an unfortunate fact of life and I am not denying that.

99er said:

The money from parking might not all go directly back to the parking lots and roads anyway. That money could pay for other capital improvements each year as well, like new sewer lines around property, painting of old rides, buying new company vehicles, etc.

You're probably correct. It's kind of like a general slush fund. If something needs replaced, you take it from the slush fund. I've mentioned it before; business is business. And I don't have a problem with that. I say charge for parking. People will pay for it. My only point is that it wouldn't break the bank if they came down to $10 parking again.

Apparently this has gone way off topic, thank you to all who answered my original question!

The problem I have with the "$XX is too much to pay for [whatever is at issue at the moment]" is that it's so often a complaint raised by people who've paid that amount. The action undermines the complaint since clearly $XX was not too much to pay.

Let's not call the Breakers fire pits bonfires. A bonfire is nothing like a gas fueled fire pit and it my give people the impression that they are burning large piles of wood on the beach.

Also, why are most debates here lately about how much things cost and that they should be less expensive? Not only is repetitive discussion boring, perhaps if there is such discontentment about parking, premium seating, Fast Lane, food and other costs, then perhaps CP isn't the place for you.

But... I'm entitled to the Cedar Point I want, not the Cedar Point that is....

99er said:

...the price would be a lot higher than $15.

Yep. Parking at Six Flags Great America is $25, the same at Great Adventure (and $10 more for preferred parking).

A hotel I was already paying for, inside the hotel's own garage where it was reserved for hotel guests...$60!

And they charge that much because most guests pay the price...

Not too many other options either. I opted for the garage around the corner that was not connected to the hotel for $37 a night. Street parking wasn't an option at the time due to snow.

Kudos to you for seeking out a less (relatively speaking) expensive option.

And I do that so Ic an spend more money on the "extras" at places like amusement parks :)

Back on topic a bit... How much does the park charge for the s'mores? I went to Kennywood's Holiday Lights last year and they had firepits with s'mores available, and it was $5 for ingredients for 2 s'mores. I found that to be a bit ridiculous, but I sure did buy them...

There are no s'mores at the Breakers fire pits...

Here's the beach blast info, minus the prices. Banana chocolate boats and peaches and cream cones sound yummy!

https://www.cedarpoint.com/events/things-to-do/events/Beach-Blast?mobile=0

People who don't park at the Green Road station and ride the RTA into Tower City for shopping/eating/sporting events are doing it all wrong. All very wrong.

I was at the Beach Blast Friday for all of 20 minutes or so. Burgers/Hot Dogs were $2, Brats were $3. Beers were $6. I looked for Smores ingredients, but didn't see any available, not that it much mattered, because all the fire pits were taken anyway. We played a game of corn hole and opted for Chet and Matt's around a campfire of our own.

^ Saw the cornhole games going on Friday but they were pretty popular and all taken by the time I arrived.

Josh M. said:

Back on topic a bit... How much does the park charge for the s'mores?

They (along with the banana boats) were available at the middle serving tables) at Beach Blast for $2 for a pair of them on Friday night. They were pre-made but weren't that bad I guess. The seperate Breakers Fire pits were crowded to capacity around 11pm. A nice addition and glad to see the park kept them along with the bar open later that night.