Fastlane Pass

Yeah, but there would be a lot of backlash from having Millennium Force part of regular Fast Lane for years prior. I agree that GateKeeper will likely be the first one dropped to regular Fast Lane when a new attraction comes.

I would imagine Cedar Point probably wishes it could go back and redesign the queue for Millennium Force to better accommodate Fast Lane. Over the years, I've come to think the section right after the merge point is really the worst in the park. On a hot day, there is no shade whatsoever, and on a rainy day, you are going to get soaked.

I've been to parks with MUCH worse waiting areas though, so it's really not the worst thing ever. I guess it shows how good of a job they do on most rides with the queue design.

They had the Fast Lane queue right to begin with, when it had it's own entrance that went right up to the station. They just need to use that again.

I much prefer the rides that merge FL & standby before the station (MF, TTD) as a standby rider. It allows everyone equal opportunity to be assigned the front or back row on Valravn.

There already is equal opportunity on Valravyn.

^ Not when I was there in June, it wasn't. They always let First Class into the station first, which would fill the first row. When they let us Steerage folk in the station we would always be in the middle or back rows.

But it's ok. When they were sending out trains half empty for night ERT at CoasterMania! we got a bunch of front seat rides.

It's always odd whenever people classify Fastlane people as privileged or higher class than them, especially when they're holding on to A platinum Pass which allows them exclusive benefits such as ERT.
There are literally millions of people that cannot afford a platinum pass or take time off work/family to enjoy ERT or Early Entry.

It's really about perspective and taking the time to actually enjoy the perks you have in your own life.

I was joking about the first class & steerage thing...

What XS said. I usually raise an eyebrow at someone protesting that Fast Lane is too expensive or out of reach of the average customer given the complaining person has sufficient resources to buy a ticket into the park.

If anything I think it should be expensive. If you want to jump ahead in line be prepared to make sacrifices.

I'm not sure if it's about making sacrifices, I'd say it's more about how the value proposition stacks up for different people. I would never pay for FOTL access because I'm a cheapskate. For others, it's a reasonable value.

It should be interesting to see what happens with Fast Lane next year and if Cedar Point offers All Season Fast Lane Plus as an add on to a season pass. Dorney Park is currently testing it similar to how Kings Island first tested Fast Lane before the other parks got it and there is Six Flags offering all season Gold Flashpass this year as well.

I saw that Dorney started offering that a few weeks ago and am very interested to see how it works out for them. I'd be very interested in the option at CP but I'm not sure if we'd see it expanded there. I am not familiar with Dorney so I was wondering if they were using this as an experiment for other parks, or simply trying to boost FL sales there this season.

noggin said:

I'm not sure if it's about making sacrifices, I'd say it's more about how the value proposition stacks up for different people. I would never pay for FOTL access because I'm a cheapskate. For others, it's a reasonable value.

I mean in the sense of financial sacrifices that make you question its value. It should not be something easily in reach like a meal at McDonald's. There should be a cost that makes you think good and hard about what value it has to you before you buy it.

I think we're actually in agreement here: I think Cedar Fair is pricing these passes at a point where some people question the value proposition while others aren't concerned. I encounter this at the theater I work at: some people balk at our $99 premium seats and $150 VIP seats while others just toss me their credit card to pay for them.

I've said elsewhere that I've been spoiled by [classified] decades of enthusiast events. I'm not interested in rides I have to wait more than 20 minutes for. So my take on this may be skewed.

I do not care to wait a long time for rides at CP either, especially when I have been there and they were walk ons. The only difference for me is that there have been a few occasions where we were planning on being at the park and really wanted to ride that day, thus the reason I have ponied up the money for the FL. I personally see a value in that although I can understand entirely how others do not.

I agree thoroughly with the points Paisley, Noggin & JUnderhill have made here. I have ridden everything so many times that I rarely will wait more than 15-20 minutes for anything.

The week we stayed there in July the park was open 9am-11pm/midnight, thats an insanely long time to be in the park. So we did the park in increments throughout the day and enjoyed the other activities that CP has been putting so much effort into and went in to town and Cleveland on the Friday.

Enthusiasts here know the best times to ride what areas of the park, I don't get the hating on people that get to the park so rarely that FL passes are a good investment in their vacation. On this site and in this thread, there are people that haven't been to the park in a few to 15 years or more, let them and others that don't know the enthusiast park-hacks enjoy the park to their fullest. And also take some pleasure in knowing that every FL pass is helping with capital investments at the parks a lot more than that one Platinum Pass is.

I'll throw cash at 4 all season Fast Lane Plus if it ever comes to Cedar Point. That's cash I normally wouldn't give them because we don't buy it at Cedar Point, but do at their other parks because we live too far away to go often.

Just bought it two days in a row at Kings island last weekend. Love their direct fast lane line into the stations for their coasters. Makes it so worth the cash. It was so damn hot and humid that even bypassing a 15 minute line was worth just getting onto the ride and not having to suffer in the hot sun for that long

JW, we were there last weekend too and yes it was so worth it to not stand in the lines in the heat. I was always against putting more money out for fast lane but due to the fact I now live 6 hours from Cedar Point it's worth it for me. Although I will say I liked the merging at Kings Island better, where you get right into the station. I will reassess my opinion on Cedar Point's fast lane once I go there in Octoberand have a chance to ride everything.

XS NightClub:...

...I don't get the hating on people that get to the park so rarely that FL passes are a good investment in their vacation.

The impression I've gotten over the years is that there are those folks who object to paid FOTL passes on the basis of economic unfairness. Somehow, spending hundreds and hundreds of dollars on getting to Sandusky and paying for a hotel room and paying for food on the road and buying tickets into the park is okay, but paying a few hundred more dollars not to stand on line is discriminatory.

Agreed, that is the same mentality that makes people think burger flippers should get $15 per hour of work.