2017 Platinum Pass Benefits

^^See you had to pay ###,### dollars to pay for that thing. and have the storage space to keep it. Housing in Cincinnati does not have that capability ;)

Plus, I don't want to be that guy towing one of those going 10 under on an on-off ramp that causes a good line of traffic behing them with people yelling at their windshields...Because I already do that to most people hauling a camper :P

DSShives said:

Rippin said:

The perk of having a house on the causeway less than a minute from the park is also nice. :)

Having a boat in the marina might one-up that. :)

Love the marina for easy access. Plus, other than the cost of the boat, compared to the hotel, its much less expensive over the course of a summer.

Shane Denmark said:

Our trip is gonna be a multi-stop journey. Rochester, NY to Arlington, VA overnight to visit friends. Then on to Myrtle Beach, SC for a few days including the solar eclipse. From there we are going to Carowinds, we will stay there two nights to have a full day in the park. On to Kings Dominion, 2 nights again to allow a full day in the park. Then home to Rochester, NY. That's 4 campsites to set-up/tear-down, plus loading and unloading the camper at home.

That's quite the rig you have there! What do you pull that monstrosity with?

That would be a lot of set-up/tear-down. I'd probably still do it though, I love trips with the camper. It takes me about 15 minutes to set-up, a little longer to tear down. Plus, we take our boxer everywhere we go and finding decent pet-friendly hotels can sometimes be a challenge. That will be a fun trip though, the beach, Carowinds and Kings Dominion; you'll be beat by the end of the trip.

We pull our monstrosity with a '15 F350. It was quite intimidating when I first picked it up, but now I find it enjoyable to tow. The camper really makes my truck look small in this pic, but I have no issues dragging it around.

thedevariouseffect said:

^^See you had to pay ###,### dollars to pay for that thing. and have the storage space to keep it. Housing in Cincinnati does not have that capability ;)

Plus, I don't want to be that guy towing one of those going 10 under on an on-off ramp that causes a good line of traffic behing them with people yelling at their windshields...Because I already do that to most people hauling a camper :P

You're right, if someone would have told me 5 years ago that I would have 6 figures wrapped up in a new camper & truck just for summer fun, I would have said they were crazy. But here I am and I've done just that. We enjoy it though and we spend half the summer in it, it's a mini-vacation every other weekend. You're right about the storage space too, if I couldn't have kept it at home with me, I probably wouldn't have it at all.

I try not to hold anyone up on the on-ramp, my truck has plenty of giddy-up and go, so I can get up to speed and merge pretty quickly. You do gotta slow down for those off-ramps though, especially the sharp curvy ones. She's pretty heavy and you don't want her rollin over on you. :)

Slowdown for turnpike exit #110 for sure, motor home doesn't take that off ramp very fast either.

But who cares, once your at the #110 exit you're almost home :)

djDaemon said:

The pass discount has for at least a couple seasons been limited in both when and where you could use it. I suppose phasing certain properties out completely is the next logical step.

Though I would much rather see the price of the pass go up significantly than to see the lodging discount go away.

I would have to disagree with that. There are quite a few pass holders (myself included) who already live fairly close to the park. We have no reason to use any on site lodging and would never benefit from that discount. I have nothing against djDaemon personally, but I don't really want to pay significantly more for my pass holder access to the park (with effectively no additional benefit to me) -- just so that you can continue to get a lodging discount.

However, people staying on-point are also MUCH more likely to spend more money both in-park and out-of-park during their stays. In addition to the premium prices paid for lodging on-point; dining and drinking, extra-curricular activities, clothing/ souvenirs, supplies from stores on point, upgraded tickets, etc...

The inherent value to the park of lodging guests is substantially more than off-property or day visitors. Which is why I think its great they've been upgrading the resorts/cabins to make them worthy of the premium prices. A discount for pass holders is nice, but if the room sell through is high enough I can understand them phasing it out. It looks as this maybe a test phase of a phase out (as they did with Lighthouse point), as its still available but not promoted. Maybe they could offer a multi-stay (distinct different stays, not multiple days in a row) discount instead of the pass discount or alternately offer resorts guests discounted Platinum Passes.

We travel from Wisconsin 4-5 times a year and stay on point, we stay at the cabins whenever available so there's not been a discount for years. Sometimes we stay at Breakers, so the discount is nice but not imperative.

One more thing, from a revenue perspective out-of-park revenues have been the major growth for Cedar Fair. The in-park revenue and attendance have been pretty flat the last few years. Which is why there is interest for the park to develop lodging at Carowinds and other parks where they have property space.

6 Flags sells an add on to passes to get discounts at the parks. Cedar Fair could do the same thing rather than raising the prices of the passes for everyone so that only some will save on hotels.

Rusty said:
There are quite a few pass holders (myself included) who already live fairly close to the park. We have no reason to use any on site lodging and would never benefit from that discount. I have nothing against djDaemon personally, but I don't really want to pay significantly more for my pass holder access to the park (with effectively no additional benefit to me) -- just so that you can continue to get a lodging discount.

And I don't want to get less value from my pass so that you can get even more value from yours, simply by way of your proximity to the park.

The only perk they need to offer to get me to buy a pass is the ability to enter the parks. I don't need anything more than that to get value from it.

I completely agree with that sentiment. I love the free parking, and the 10% discount on food in the park.

But, all you'd ever really need to tell me is that if I buy the pass, I'll be getting into one of my favorite places in the world for much cheaper than gate prices if I go a minimum of 3 times.

Sold. Where do I sign?

Right Thabto, because you live near the park.

What Rusty and Zoug (and you) are basically saying is that you don't want others to get better value out of the pass, even though you already get better value than those that live further. If we're playing that game, they should charge more for locals given the inherent value you guys get from the pass versus those who aren't so close. :)

I mean, I don't really care that much, because the pass is a good value regardless. But it's annoying when locals are so oblivious to others' scenarios, and to what benefits the park.

I'm not oblivious, what you are paying for is the ability to get into the park. Anything else is just a bonus. Sure, the food and merchandise discounts are great along with ride nights and early entry, but they don't need to offer them. The fact that lodging discounts are disappearing tells me that either they are filling rooms and don't see the need to offer it (they don't offer any at all during peak times) or that they are trying to encourage people to stay at the top-tier option in Breakers. I'm not close to the park, but 1.5-2 hours away. I stay on-site during Coastermania and they usually offer a discount to anyone attending.

Yeah, I understand the transaction. I'm not talking about the transaction. I'm talking about value.

djDaemon said:
If we're playing that game, they should charge more for locals given the inherent value you guys get from the pass versus those who aren't so close. :)

Doesn't Disney do the exact opposite? I think they charge less for Florida residents?

Thabto said:
I'm not close to the park, but 1.5-2 hours away.

That's close! If I lived 1.5-2hrs away I would be there all the time during the early season, probably wouldn't shy away much during the main summer season, and would be a permanent fixture on Fridays & Sundays during HalloWeekends! I'm 330 miles away (4.5-6.5hrs depending on who's with me). Know what perks got me to step up to a Platinum Pass this year(usually we get regular Season passes)? Fury 325. I-305. Volcano. Intimidator. Afterburn. Granted the free parking and the little discounts last year during HalloWeekends didn't hurt, either.

For however many people there are really using the lodging discount with the platinum passes regularly there are I'm sure just as many people who are local and won't use them at all. It would make no sense to create a better value for one group and lessen the value for another because obviously the park wants both to continue buying the platinum passes. While being local has definite advantages this year with the closing of Wildwater Kingdom I only have 2 parks the platinum pass gets me into instead of 3 within easy driving distance so my value for the season is already in theory lower than it was last year. I certainly would not appreciate a price raise just to keep lodging discounts that I won't use. Do any of the other Cedar Fair parks have the on site lodging set up like Cedar Point with platinum pass discounts on lodging or is the situation there unique?

djDaemon said:

And I don't want to get less value from my pass so that you can get even more value from yours, simply by way of your proximity to the park.

I'm not quite sure how that logic follows. Are you saying that you are somehow penalized because I am able to go to the park more often than you? The price of the pass is the price of the pass whether you go to the park 3 times or 30 times. It is up to each passholder to decide how often they make use of the free park admission and whether it makes more sense to buy a season pass or just buy standard admission tickets.

I don't deny that I am lucky to be able to go to the park often and trust me I recognize that advantage and don't take it for granted. But unless I have misunderstood your point, my proximity to the park doesn't devalue your season pass just because I am able to go more often. It may increase the value of my pass - I'll give you that, but it doesn't penalize you (unlike your proposed scenario which does penalize me.)

djDaemon said:

What Rusty and Zoug (and you) are basically saying is that you don't want others to get better value out of the pass, even though you already get better value than those that live further. If we're playing that game, they should charge more for locals given the inherent value you guys get from the pass versus those who aren't so close. :)

I mean, I don't really care that much, because the pass is a good value regardless. But it's annoying when locals are so oblivious to others' scenarios, and to what benefits the park.

Forgive me, but that is absolutely NOT what I am "basically saying". Your proposal increases the pass cost for everybody, for the benefit of the few. It has nothing to do with me not wanting you to get a better value or in some way imposing a local bias on out of towners. Just because I am a local doesn't mean I am oblivious to you or your scenario. Last summer I took the family on a vacation to Ocean City, MD. The cost of lodging was astronomical as I was painfully aware. But did I expect the people who live in Salisbury or Baltimore to pay more money on their multiple beach visits so that I could get a hotel discount? Of course not! Okay - that analogy isn't perfect because they don't sell season passes to get onto the ocean beaches, but the principle is the same. Just because I am opposed to your unfair hotel subsidy doesn't mean that I am an oblivious local.

I want EVERYBODY to get MAXIMUM value from their passes. Just to be clear, it wasn't my idea for Cedar Fair to take away the lodging discounts! If I had a vote, I would vote for them to remain. Hell, I'd even go so far as to chip in a $5 increase in my season pass if it meant you keeping your discount! I'm not a bad guy! :-) But I AM opposed to paying a significant increase (your original characterization) in order for those discounts to remain in place. That is not me being oblivious to you - it is simply objective fairness.

Rusty said:
I'm not quite sure how that logic follows.

That's because it's not really a logical argument, in the same way that not wanting a lodging discount at the expense of a pass price increase is not a logical argument.

Forgive me, but that is absolutely NOT what I am "basically saying". Your proposal increases the pass cost for everybody, for the benefit of the few.

Don't focus on price alone. Focus on value. Removing a benefit from the pass without a price reduction is effectively the same as a price increase without adding benefits. It's a devaluation.

Also, you're assuming it benefits only the "few". Unless you have something to back that up.

My only point was that removing the lodging discount devalues the pass in a way that dis-proportionally affects those not local to the park.

I want EVERYBODY to get MAXIMUM value from their passes.

But I AM opposed to paying a significant increase (your original characterization) in order for those discounts to remain in place. That is not me being oblivious to you - it is simply objective fairness.

Those are conflicting statements. Someone local to the park can achieve a certain amount of value far easier than someone who lives 150 miles away. Travel time alone means that for every trip from out of town "costs" ~4 hours of park time versus someone local. So for every visit, someone local gets a half day more value out of their pass. A discount on lodging helps to balance that value.

If you're whining so much about not being local, then you can change jobs and move. Nothing is stopping you.

Rusty said:

djDaemon said:

And I don't want to get less value from my pass so that you can get even more value from yours, simply by way of your proximity to the park.

I'm not quite sure how that logic follows. Are you saying that you are somehow penalized because I am able to go to the park more often than you? The price of the pass is the price of the pass whether you go to the park 3 times or 30 times. It is up to each passholder to decide how often they make use of the free park admission and whether it makes more sense to buy a season pass or just buy standard admission tickets.

I don't deny that I am lucky to be able to go to the park often and trust me I recognize that advantage and don't take it for granted. But unless I have misunderstood your point, my proximity to the park doesn't devalue your season pass just because I am able to go more often. It may increase the value of my pass - I'll give you that, but it doesn't penalize you (unlike your proposed scenario which does penalize me.)

djDaemon said:

What Rusty and Zoug (and you) are basically saying is that you don't want others to get better value out of the pass, even though you already get better value than those that live further. If we're playing that game, they should charge more for locals given the inherent value you guys get from the pass versus those who aren't so close. :)

I mean, I don't really care that much, because the pass is a good value regardless. But it's annoying when locals are so oblivious to others' scenarios, and to what benefits the park.

Forgive me, but that is absolutely NOT what I am "basically saying". Your proposal increases the pass cost for everybody, for the benefit of the few. It has nothing to do with me not wanting you to get a better value or in some way imposing a local bias on out of towners. Just because I am a local doesn't mean I am oblivious to you or your scenario. Last summer I took the family on a vacation to Ocean City, MD. The cost of lodging was astronomical as I was painfully aware. But did I expect the people who live in Salisbury or Baltimore to pay more money on their multiple beach visits so that I could get a hotel discount? Of course not! Okay - that analogy isn't perfect because they don't sell season passes to get onto the ocean beaches, but the principle is the same. Just because I am opposed to your unfair hotel subsidy doesn't mean that I am an oblivious local.

I want EVERYBODY to get MAXIMUM value from their passes. Just to be clear, it wasn't my idea for Cedar Fair to take away the lodging discounts! If I had a vote, I would vote for them to remain. Hell, I'd even go so far as to chip in a $5 increase in my season pass if it meant you keeping your discount! I'm not a bad guy! :-) But I AM opposed to paying a significant increase (your original characterization) in order for those discounts to remain in place. That is not me being oblivious to you - it is simply objective fairness.

Agreed. There's not a lot of utility to a 10% discount on an expensive hotel room (for me). I will visit 6 times this year and stay @ the Best Budget Inn. It's inexpensive, close, and sort of clean. The WiFi is dodgy and breakfast is a joke however.

I enjoy the park and make use of my season pass/dining option.

I think the reason the lodging discount was removed is very simple. After the Hotel Breakers renovation they are filling rooms without the discount. And, non pass holders are more desirable anyway as they will probably buy a ticket package with the room.