Fast Lane prices just increased

Not a lot more but a few dollars. They are now $55/ticket (+5 for Saturdays) and go as low as $40/ticket for groups of 4. No additional discounts for groups bigger than that.

That's a start but I still don't think it's enough.

Guess i better go buy mine now before they keep going up. Im not going until Sept.

Good thing I bought mine in advance so I've already paid my $30 : )

This actually sounds about right to me. I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner.

Right before I purchased them! :/

I believe it was only increased at Cedar Point though. I don't think it was raised at the other Cedar Fair parks.

No matter how much they raise it, people will still buy them. People would do anything for a moment to get right on their favorite coaster anytime, without waiting long hours. Also newbies who want to hit everything in one day, etc.

OMG, now they have figured out how to upcharge an upcharge item!

Jeff, when are you going to wack us $5 a post or for bad spelling?

I think the true test of the Fast Lane system are actually at two ends of the spectrum: places like Valleyfair, Worlds of Fun, Michigan's Adventure on one end and Cedar Point and Canada's Wonderland at the other. I'm incredibly curious to find out if Cedar Fair will decide to drop prices for the smaller parks and institute further (or initial) price hikes at the Point and Wonderland.

The value proposition at the smaller parks is way out of whack compared to the relative value you get at Cedar Point. 10 total FL rides at Worlds of Fun cost you about the same as 20 total FL rides at Cedar Point. If Cedar Fair continues to hold the line on the Fast Lane pass at the smaller parks I would be shocked if further price increases aren't coming to Cedar Point's version.

The value proposition isn't the number of rides, but rather the wait time you avoid.

All other things being equal, if the longest wait time at Park A is 20 min, while the average wait time at Park B is 2 hours, then FL is a better value at Park B regardless of the number of rides accepting FL--you save more time skipping 2 hour lines than you would by skipping 20 min lines.

I agree with you on the value proposition of FL at WOF & VF vs CP, but because the lines at those parks are usually shorter than at CP, not because of the number of rides accepting it.

I think it's perhaps a combination of the time you're saving, the number of rides, and probably most importantly the specific rides for which you're saving the time.

Hershey's cut-the-line system is really going to test out that theory and I'm very curious to see if they decide ultimately to include the two rides that it would be most beneficial on (Skyrush and Fahrenheit aren't included in their skip-the-line once on every ride for $50 plan). If you cut out Maverick, TTD, and MF from the Fast Lane rotation I would imagine that demand for Fast Lane would instantly go way down if you kept the prices level with where they are now.

The other side of that coin is best illustrated by an example. Let's say that Maverick is the only ride running in the whole park. How much is a Fast Lane pass worth it to you at that point? It depends, right? It depends on (a) how many Fast Lane passes they're selling and (b) how much they're charging for it. If they sell each of the passes for $1 and there's a pass available for every person in line then you'll have problems. If you sell the passes for $500 each and there's only two available then you'll also have problems.

I do think that there's an easy way to find a balance between satisfying the Fast Lane user and the non-Fast Lane user: variable pricing with a bit of a twist. If Cedar Fair is looking to maximize revenue, why not go all out Here's how I would propose this...

For Fast Lane sales in advance:

Have the same system that's in place now but provide a small discount with the per person prices (perhaps $5 off per person). I would do this to encourage sales of the passes in advance with the tradeoff being the uncertainty as to whether they'll need it because of low crowds, bad weather shutting down rides, etc. There's also the flip side to them getting lucky and having a super busy day where they're paying much less than the current market rate. If there's a high demand early simply raise the prices accordingly.

For Fast Lane sales at the park:

Stock market style! I'm guessing that most of the Fast Lane sales currently generated are being done the day of visit so it's important to have a handle on current conditions. Use historical data to set a base price for any given day (i.e., a weekday in May will have a lower base price than will a July Saturday). After "X" number of passes are sold (and how quickly they're sold...this accounts for people buying Fast Lane during the day after seeing the crowds in standby lines) you raise the price incrementally for each "X" number of passes sold in each level. Don't cap the amount of passes sold (it's not like they do anyway now for all intents and purposes). If someone is willing to pay $150 per person, why not let them? Let the market decide.

The only thing that surprises me about Fast Lane is that it didn't happen sooner.

I really think that the price should be more dependent on the expected crowd levels. CF no doubt has a LOT of data to draw meaningful conclusions on crowd levels, and adjust FL prices, accordingly. For example, on a HW Saturday they should be considerably more expensive. On an early June tuesday, they should be cheaper.

Without making it too complicated, I think they could easily roll out a price structure that creates a situation most likely to maximize profit on a given day. By that, I mean they should probably be close to selling out.

Like any hotel, if you want to know the price for a one night stay, it's not simply "$90", but you have to go on their website, enter the date of your stay, and then see the price.

Perhaps offering a discount for advance reservation would be a good tool as well, since they could sell some FL passes that otherwise would not have sold (ie bad weather)

According to the CP website, it is now $65 to buy a FL wristband solo on a Saturday and as low as $50 if in a group of four or more which seems more appropriate for a Saturday. The additional "Saturday surcharge has increased to $10 from $5 previously. It is nice to see that CP management realize the increased value of a FL wristband to bypass lines on a busy Saturday merits a bump in price. It makes one wonder what the FL price will be for Halloweekends Saturdays?

I suggest they keep jacking it up until they get the balanced satisfaction from both Fast Lane buyers and non Fast Lane buyers. Wouldn't it be a perfect world if a certain percentage of Fast Lane income could be directed towards local charity so it doesn't appear as if CP is milking the customer.

You do realize CP already donates to local charity, right?

arw84 said:
It makes one wonder what the FL price will be for Halloweekends Saturdays?

It seems to me that there's a huge opportunity for HW Saturdays. Have two FL passes - one just for the standard FL ride lineup, and another that includes the rides as well as all the haunts. Price the latter 75+% more than the standard FL, and rent some dump trucks to start hauling money to the bank.

They'll likely do what Kings Island and Canada's Wonderland did last year. There will be a Fast Lane pass for the rides and a "Fright Lane" pass for the haunts. Separate charges but a similar pricing scheme for both if I remember correctly. Limit 1 time per haunted attraction though.

Bigmal said:
so it doesn't appear as if CP is milking the customer.

Because a $14 footlong at Subway seems fair? May be a surprise to some, but Cedar Point has been a business long before this Fast Lane. And after seeing three movies over three weekends, my wallet can attest that they're not alone.

^To my knowledge the $14 footlong comes with condiments. Doesn't seem so bad when you think about it.

ChrisC - I'm assuming you're being sarcastic?

Ffej said:
...similar pricing scheme for both if I remember correctly. Limit 1 time per haunted attraction though.

So, close to double the price? Even better! Under those circumstances, I might actually visit the park during a (non-BooBuzz) HW Saturday!