Dick Kinzel's Revenge! (Shot Glass size Free Water Cups)...

Let's quit using the term shot glass. I would guess that term was used to make a point more than to give an accurate representation. In fact the couple behind me that were in line for free water referred to the water cups I just recieved as shot glasses. They weren't happy about the new size either. The new cup is probably 5oz. at most. It is not 8 oz. the old cup might have been, but not the new one.

8 oz used to be plenty of water. But, in the gluttonous society that is now America...with people who aren't satisfied unless they have a 64 oz Big Gulp, 8 oz will seem small.

Upset with ridiculously high food prices? I've got no problem with that. (Of course, have you been to a pro football game recently?) But, if that is your beef then make that your beef. No offense but you are watering down your argument by focusing on the 8/5 oz cup. (Can I get a ba-dump crash for that one?)

And, if you are THAT upset about it then go to Holiday World. If enough people do that then maybe it resonates with the bean counters.

I have few examples of things in life that were common and now are rear or even gone. Many of the younger people here may not know of these. If I sound like an old F... so be it.

First, free water. Until Perrier Water became popular in the 80's nobody paid for water anthose that did were ridiculed. Fast food restuarants didn't charge for a water cup. There was not bottled water ,except distilled gallons which usually wasn't used as drinking water.

Free air at gas stations. now it's 50 cents to a dollar. That kicked in during the 80's too.

Full service at the gas pump. You stayed in the car, the attendent pumped gas, cleaned the windows and checked the fluids.

Free calendars. At Christmas most businesses gave you one. Yes, it had their name on it, but it didn't cost $15.

How about the airlines. Now some charge you to bring luggage.

Recyling and disposal fees for tires etc. That's another one.

Tip jars at every store, restaurant or take out.

The list goes on, but those come to mind right now. All little things you pay now or don't recieve anymore.

Chief,

I think you are missing the point of it all.

1. We are talking water here, not soda or big gulps. Try walking around in 80 degree plus weather on blacktop all day and see if an 5oz glass of water will do you well. I drink more water than that when I walk on the tredmill for 15 min.

2. The whole point of this thread is about the changing of the cup sizes. Food was just thrown in as an example to show how the park is taking advantage of people by charging more and giving less.

3. If I lived closer to holiday world, I would be there.

4. I am sure that the bean counters are or already have seen a decline in guest satisfaction and spending when it comes to people buying food/ drinks.

5. I will continue to ask for the free water...just 5 or 6 of them now.

Clevelandkid said:
First, free water. Until Perrier Water became popular in the 80's nobody paid for water anthose that did were ridiculed. Fast food restuarants didn't charge for a water cup. There was not bottled water ,xcept distilled gallons which usually wasn't used ass drinking water.

Its still free, not sure where that changed.

Free air at gas stations. now it's 50 cents to a dollar. That kicked in during the 80's too.

The station I stop at has free air. Its a Speedway.

Full service at the gas pump. You stayed in the car, the attendent pumped gas, cleaned the windows and checked the fluids.

Go to Jersey. They still have full service.

Free calendars. At Christmas most businesses gave you one. Yes, it had their name on it, but it didn't cost $15.

How about the airlines. Now some charge you to bring luggage.

These I'll agree on. I miss getting the planning calendar's from businesses, it was always a nice touch.

Recyling and disposal fees for tires etc. That's another one.

The fee (cost) has always been there. Its just that now, in an effort to advertise the lowest price, the fee has been pulled out and listed separately. Your $250 set of new tires is still $250, its just now advertised as $199 with small print listing a $50 disposal fee.

Chief makes a good point. When you can go into 7-11 and get a gallon of pop for 1.29, that FREE 8oz glass of water does seem like a ripoff.

ass drinking water? Yuck.

You are a "shot glass half empty" kind of guy. How about all the things they do have now that we didn't?

Free internet. You used to have to buy a set of encyclopedias.

Remote control, 52 inch flat screen plasma tvs with Direct TV, Tivo, Wii, Blue Ray Disc, etc. I was my father's remote for the first 10 years of my life. But, there were only 13 channels so it wasn't so bad.

When I go to my local park (actually...that is really my job) I don't expect the park concession stand to give me free water. I either bring my own water or I go do the drinking fountain.

When I go to Disneyworld I take in a bottle of water and then I refill it in the water fountains. I've visited Disneyworld probably 100 times and I have never asked for a cup of water.

Cedar Point rips you off on the food. So does Regal Cinemas, Landshark Stadium (formerly Dolphin Stadium) and the Burger King on the turnpike.

If I remember correctly we bought kids meals for my children at the Snoopy restaurant and their cups could be refilled the rest of the day. If it wasn't free it was pretty cheap which I felt was a pretty good deal.

That's all nice and dandy, but when they have been giving free cups of water out and then they shrink it down to a cup full of insult, of course people are going to bitch. This once again is why I bring my own drinks into the park now. Cp's loss....not mine.

If I were to run a company, I would lower the prices so I could sell more, and have people leave at the end of the night knowing that they got a good deal. Do that, and most people are bound to return again soon. Cp raises the prices so high, that they only have to sell a few to break even and in the prosses piss people off. I understand that company's need to profit....that's why they are in buisness. But there is a fine line of making a profit and scalping people. Quanity over quality.

I agree about BK on the turnpike. But it is still a much better deal then trying to buy the crap they have at cp for the price.

At disney, I use my snack option to get a bottle of water, and refill it thru-out the day. I have to mask the water with a koolaid single because of the nasty taste in the water down there in florida. Even at disney, if you ask for a cup of water, they give you a LARGE cup of water...not some tiny little urine sample cup.

I do the same thing at movie theaters(sneak in my own water/ snacks). Funny thing is, I would not think twice about buying a drink at the theater or amusement park if they had fair prices.

Even at a movie theater, when you ask for a water, they give you a normal cup.

Here is an example of the scam cp has going on with the food and drink. Take a look at the prices of drinks and food at a counter service location at disney.

http://allears.net/menu/men_db.htm

It's $1.25 cheaper for a bottle of water at disney for god's sake....Since when has it become cheaper to buy food and drinks at disney than at an amusement park in sandusky ohio? Not to mention that the food is tons better at disney than it is at cp. Heck, even a soda is just over $2 at disney....It's almost $4 at cp. I have no problem buying a soda at disney if I wanted one because it is a good price.

Oh, and did I mention the $9 slurpies you can at cp buy if you don't want to drink the water?

Well, I do agree that the food is cheaper and better at Disney. Cheaper probably because of volume. Better likely because you have full time food service professionals in those kitchens vs the seasonal workforce of Cedar Point.

People go to Cedar Point every day and they buy food every day. I guess it either isn't hurting their business enough to justify changing it or they don't mind the business being hurt.

Yet......

You hit the nail on the head when you said volume. Maybe if cp made the prices lower, they would sell more. Just an idea.

I'm not talking that kind of volume. I'm talking "millions and millions" of mouths different.

Four parks, 30K guest rooms, 24/7 operation 365 days a year. Selling water for $1 less ain't going to put a big dent in that separation.

Speaking of Holiday World, man that place makes me mad. The only cups they give you for their free drinks are 16 ounces. Why don't they give me a 24 oz cup??? I cannot believe they have the nerve to use such a small cup.

Exactly....A small park like holiday world can do it, why can't cedarpoint?

I was being sarcastic about how they offer something free in such small cups;). Figured that goes along with all of the complaining happening here about offering something for free is small cups.

Yea, but it also raises other questions as well.

crazy horse said:
Yet......

You hit the nail on the head when you said volume. Maybe if cp made the prices lower, they would sell more. Just an idea.

They tried that in 2006--it didn't work. That's when they took the other route, $ over volume.

BTW, admission is less than it was in 2005--how much is attendance up this year? :)

Complaining about small cup sizes at Holiday World is actually a pretty good comparison.

If I made a list of 100 things to change at Cedar Point, I'm not sure the size of the cup used for free water would make it. While you can point to cost of food or beverage at Cedar Point versus other similar venues, I'd say their free cup of water is pretty standard in (and out of) the industry.

I can't believe we've been talking about the freakin' size of free water cups for five pages.

5 Pages....Must mean something to somebody.

Kind of makes you wonder why park x can give away free drinks, and park z charges more than anybody else .

Update on the "Shot Glass" sized free water cups.

So far, we have recieved an 8 oz cup of free water at Charlie Brown's Cookout in Camp Snoopy and at the "Cheese on a Stick" stand near the Space Spiral. Two locations in the entire park (so far)....

All other locations we have asked for a "free water" have been the 5 oz cups. All of them...

On average we have recieved the 5 ounce cups 9/10 locations.

These 5 ounce cups, when filled with ice are 2 ounces at the most of water. I've never known someone to wait until the ice melts in their dixie cup sized cup first and then drink their water. That's not even funny. When you are thirsty? Come on!

My 65 year old mother made the trip down to CP this past Sunday. At around 8pm she asked me to get her a cup of water so she could take her pills. When I brought it back she laughed and said "Hey those are the same size cups they give you at the hospital to take your pills!"

If they're using 5oz cups, then my issue with this is that I perceive it as an underhanded way to suggest that you should really buy a tall refreshing 22 oz. soda. If that's not their motivation, then why not give a larger cup?

It just feels shady to me, like, "Won't buy the soda? Well we'll show you what we think of that!"