Halloweekends site to be up soon?

Top_Thrill_Tyler said:

...wouldn't most passholders be put off by this?

Given the seemingly ever-increasing crowds at HW each year, I don't think it matters at all.

That said, we always calculate the value of passes based on 2 trips - one in May and another for HW, though we almost always visit more than that. If HW becomes an add-on, we'll almost certainly skip passes for the next few years, and spend our vacation budget on more family-oriented destinations.

Considering I visit more during Halloweekends/Haunt than during the summer, I would seriously consider not renewing my platinum pass. I can get tickets through trade if I really want to.

The thing is the park has already included other value added benefits that would make the passes still attractive without Haunt/HW. The hotel discounts & food /merchandise discounts are huge to some guests, Soak City is the big value to other guests, early entry and premium show seating are important to others.

I can see a sort of Á la carte style platinum pass teiring, with the option for choosing the benefits that best apply to you.
And, as an example, if you needed to add a Haunt season pass, there may be extras including the skeleton key rooms.
An additional cost saving for the park would be if they seperate Haunt from 'summer season' (no longer referred to as regular season) may be the dining plans would not be honored in fall.

Carowinds brands theirs as SCarowinds Halloween Haunt. Looks like this brand separation is to help differentiate between the daytime and nighttime events. It appears to default name for the daytime events across the chain is The Great Pumpkin Fest, though as Noggin pointed out, there is also Snoopy's Halloween Party at Kings Island as well as Knott's Spooky Farm. Some of the other parks might close at 5 or 5:30 and then reopen at 7 for Halloween Haunt events (which require a different admission ticket). I don't see this being feasible at Cedar Point.

screaminkid2005 said:

Hello everyone! I'm planning my first trip to Halloweekends and I was just curious to know if anyone knew why so many rides are closed friday nights? Im spending the entire first weekend at the park so it's not the end of the world, but i was just wondering.

-Kevin

There really aren't that many rides closed. According to the CP website FAQ, these are the only rides that are CLOSED on Friday nights:

• Antique Cars
• Camp Snoopy
• Cedar Creek Mine Ride
• Cedar Point & Lake Erie Railroad
• Corkscrew
• Gemini
• Giant Wheel
• Sky Ride
• Super Himalaya
• Troika
• Witches' Wheel

My initial impression on seeing the website was they were trying to phase out the Halloweekends name (which actually made me kind of upset despite it just being a name), but looking closer I don't think that's it. They do seem to be pushing hard to make sure people know the day and night time stuff is different (more kid friendly during the day and without all the haunted houses) and two different names helps with that. Halloweekends is the general event while The Great Pumpkin Patch and The Haunt are the more specific events. I think you'll probably see that continue and hope that's it.

On separate admission issue, someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I think Kings Island was the same as a Paramount Park. I don't think the normal pass got you in (although the upgraded ones did). If that's the case, I bet it's a holdover from that point and probably not a sign of what's coming here. I know if they did change that, I would not be a platinum pass holder again next year.