All Season Fastpass

I have noticed that a majority of the Cedar Fair parks have tried an all season fast pass for the 2017 season. Now for the 2018 season it is happening again but at King's Island as well. Could this be heading for Cedar Point next? I certainly hope not. Giving you fast pass every time you visit for a very high price is not only annoying but just dumb. If you have a pass you should be able to go multiple times a year. This gives you many chances to get on all of the rides multiple times. Having an all season fast pass would just make longer fast pass lines and make it so people who can afford it have an advantage over people who can't.

People who can afford a one day fastlane already have an advantage over people who can't. Deja vu...I think we've all argued over this point before.

I'm just gonna say if they do it had better be REALLY expensive so less people are inclined to buy it.

"LET'S MAKE A DEAL" I would make the Fastlane during the Week $150, and the Weekends it should be $250. Fastlane Plus will be a little higher in Price. People that will buy it will have the MONEY. The Guests that don't have a lot of Money that can't afford it that have to wait over hrs on the Coasters & Thrill Rides will waste time at the Park, and they can only go 1 or 2 times during the season will get Ticked Off. Many people asked me about it, and I said to them; "DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY". They all agreed with me. FASTLANE and FASTLANE PLUS is taking money away from people's pockets!!

I Think a nice thing for passholders would be to get a pair of FL passes to be used once in the same day at a day of our choosing during the year. My gf comes with me once or twice a year but isn't a passholding regular like me. This would make for a lovely day at the point. Just a thought. I would never pay to have a year long fast pass since, as stated above, I can go multiple times a year and pick what to ride based on lines.

Platinum Passholders get a FL+ for the price of regular FL.

I'm going to throw a concept out there, based on how I watch people spend money.

Giving Platinum Passholders the discount on FL+ will get a small increase in sales, because those people made their purchase for the pass months ago and don't usually want to spend the extra money.

Selling FL+ on a Season Pass may actually encourage more passholders to purchase the FL option, as it's a one-time sale for the whole year. In reality, those same people may never consider purchasing FL while at the park, and certainly wouldn't buy it often enough to pay for the season-long FL option.

Then, you have a small group that buys the Ticket+FL option for a few visits per yer as they don't go often and want to make the best of it. This group now has that option to include more visits if they are able.

So, as much as I have never been a fan of the FL system, offering the season-long FL option is a brilliant move for marketing. I just wish it was clearer how many FL guests can move into the queue per standby guest. Even at 1:1 at least I would know what to expect. The inconsistency drives me nuts.

Mr. Cedar Point said:

FASTLANE and FASTLANE PLUS is taking money away from people's pockets!!

I wound up at Carowinds on a Saturday night for Scarowinds a couple of weeks ago. It was the same night as their Christian music festival, and it was Cedar Point Columbus Day Saturday crowded. Traffic backed up for a mile on I-77. The money my Fastlane Plus took away from my pocket allowed me to have an enjoyable night at the park and get several rides on each coaster despite it being one of the most (if not the most) crowded day of the operating season for Carowinds. It's a decision I made to maximize my time in the park. Don't like it, don't use it. But it's not causing walk on wait times to turn into two hour waits as some suggest.

^^ As for your first point, I’m the opposite. I’m a Platinum Pass holder and I’m more likely to spring for the FL+ when warranted. I’m enticed by the discount, plus I know I spent my money on CP last fall.
But I’m not the type who gets a season pass just so he can avoid spending money while at the park. I must be their ideal customer- I arrive with cash in my pocket and expect to, or don’t mind spending it. Perhaps subconsciously I know that my entry and parking was “free” so I’m already at a certain advantage.

I’ve always thought that CP must be the park with the least amount of Platinum Pass sales. Parking and access to a separate-gate waterpark would be enough to convince the enthusiast/frequent visitor crowd, but I somehow see the once a year day-trippers from Cleveland, Toledo, and So. Mi. making up the bulk of their visitors.

Then you have your multi-day resort guests. They may save money on a long stay by buying a standard season pass for everyone in the family if they’re there for the better part of a week, and maybe even Platinum because they get the waterpark. For on-property guests parking wouldn’t be an issue. Even people who stay in town for multiple nights and motor in to CP everyday might take advantage of it.

So.... why is CP the holdout? Even Canada’s Wonderland with similar attendance offers a season FL option.
Least likely would be to avoid having to hear crying from the standby line. I’m pretty sure the extra cash up front would be fine with them plus it might encourage day visitors to purchase one just to put themselves at the same advantage as the pass holders.
Most likely is to gauge how other parks in the system fare. Let’s work out the logistics, fix the bugs, and come up with a price point that is satisfactory for the park and the customers as well.

Btw, this is something I would absolutely do, no question. I make enough solo visits to make it worthwhile, and if I’m there with a friend I might be willing to split the cost of theirs so we can all have an easy-breezy day on all the rides.
I’m in Columbus, so did I get it for KI? No. In spite of the fact that’s it’s closer I make fewer visits to that park and never darken the door on a busy day. (Once KI gets their giga I may change my mind about that. Or not.)
And if I spend upward to a thou on Platinum
Pass, Meal Deal, Drinks, and season FL+ you better believe I’m gonna get my ass to CP as often as I possibly can.
I’m not a math guy, but if/when it should come available I’d also sit down and try to pound out the break-even point to all this, just to make sure my habits justify the overall cost, but I can’t imagine it wouldn’t be worth my while.

CP Maverick said:

So, as much as I have never been a fan of the FL system, offering the season-long FL option is a brilliant move for marketing. I just wish it was clearer how many FL guests can move into the queue per standby guest. Even at 1:1 at least I would know what to expect. The inconsistency drives me nuts.

What is their official policy for associates on allowing fast lane in? Sometimes its mixed, other timed they do an entire station fill cycle with just one group or the other. Maverick is where it seems to make the most difference in wait time.

I always admitted an even split. When I worked Valravn for a bit last year, I would admit a row's worth of Fastlane, and a row's worth of regular and then use whatever is more convenient for grouping to fill my last seats. I have seen some people so a platform's worth of each on Valravn which still works out pretty well as the trains are so small. For Magnum, and Millennium, I would admit 15 of each on an even bias (give or take a few depending on how groups fall) so it would be even.

Mr. Cedar Point said:
FASTLANE and FASTLANE PLUS is taking money away from people's pockets!!

Um, isn't that kind of the point of offering products to the public?

So far this year I've spent somewhere around 600 on fast passes. And I'll assume closing weekend will add another 200-300 depending on how much Saturday will run me. So even at a high price point for an all year I would more than likely fork over the cash. Although this year I got lucky with weather so that will definitely vary year to year.

During labor day weekend there was a clearly burnt out employee from a long season working the MF fast lane. She was pretty much asleep or on her phone and didn't say a word to anyone. Forcing the FL people to pick when they would cut in front of the regular line. Talk about awkward haha

Fast lane is rude and snobby as it is. "Oh I paid more money than you so I get to cut you in line." Not to mention making the line move slower for the rest of us. All season fast passes is just ridiculous. You're exactly about not needing a fast pass if you have season tickets. You have plenty of time to ride all the rides. This all season pass only exists so they can make even more money from the super well offs.

You’re about six years late with that old argument, but ok.

Cedar Point is mean and snobby as it is. "Oh, I paid more money than you so I get to cut in line in front of guests buying tickets at the gate."

I'm surprised they don't offer one for sale... I'm sure they'd charge more than the other parks do, but even at $500 if you sell a few hundred that's a nice chunk of change for very little work on the part of the park...

A few hundred??? You think the park operates in those terms?

I really couldn't begin to guess as to how many they'd sell, so any number I'd give is just me pulling a number out of my ass...

That reply didn't make much sense noggin.

Apologies. I did leave out I was referring to season passes.