How could the park extend its operating season?

The park could extend its season if it had a better weather policy and made other changes. No one is saying open year round, just make better use of the infrastructure of the park that sits unused most of the year. Regular admission prices would be discounted to non-peak rates. Platinum pass prices would increase due to more ride availability.

1) Open in mid March and go until mid to late November. Make a weather policy that allowed for bad weather days. Refund, rain checks, other discounts (be creative).

2) Hire more full time year round staff. This would most likely be in the form of skeleton crews to staff the park at much lower levels than non peak times during the year. During non-peak times park operations would be much smaller. Maybe only run 1 or 2 trains on coasters or only half full, less food service and merchandise stands open. The parks staffing problems aren't that they can't find people to work. It's that they depend so much on seasonal workers. If they had more full / time professional staff dealing with customers it would improve customer service and satisfaction. Those full time staff would serve be managers of their areas during peak times when seasonal help arrives. You may have to pay the full time staff during times the park was closed but you could compensate by making them salary like school teachers. This would be an added expense but would be made up for by the extended operational days.

It would work if done correctly and would make money for the park. It still is located in Ohio. No one is saying it can be run like a warm weather park; but, it would be a better way of making more revenue than constantly raising prices.

And where would the paying customers come from?

Would parents take vacation days in March and have their kids skip school to bundle up and experience 120mph wind chill (TTD) on a 50 degree day? You know, the normal March day in Ohio.

You might have "extended operational days" but would they be profitable ones? The fact that no other "cold weather" park--even those located closer to major population centers--does it probably provides the answer.

The same would probably apply for the same crowd that comes to CP in late August, September, and Halloweekends.

Ok...let me get this right. You are suggesting that extending the season by 3 months which increases operating expense, adding more full-time staff that increases expense and reducing the gate price would increase the net income? On top of that you want to throw in refunds and rain checks?

Sounds like a great business decision to me.

There are too many reasons to list as to why this will not happen and is not a good business decision.

Yes, they would come if people found good value in cheaper prices, less crowded conditions and possibly shorter waits, even taking kids out of school would happen and you still could have additional weekends. Obviously the problems is the unpredictable weather in early spring and late fall in Ohio. You probably would close the park on bad weather days, that's why you would have a flexible weather policy to issue rain checks. What would be profitable are the 70 and 80 degree days we had this year in March and April.

You could also cross train the new full time employees to do light maintenance, cleaning around the park or other odd jobs to improve its appearance.

DSShives said:

There are to many reasons to list as to why this will not happen and is not a good business decision.

Will raise revenue if done properly and doesn't increase prices during the peak season. That is good business.

Do you realize how many thousands of dollars that park costs to run a day? It may not increase costs during the peak season, but I see almost no way it could turn a profit during March & April. That peninsula is miserable in the winter and early spring for that matter, and the weather is way too unpredictable. You've been complaining about how the park handled the weather this past Sunday, why would you want them to open during the months you're 10 times more likely to have Sunday-like weather?

Likewise, the off-season is already so short they almost can't finish all of their off-season rehab. If you make it much shorter and you'll have rides closing before closing day for off-season rehab or they'll be opening after opening day.

Actually, the park only opens on the weekend in Sep & Halloweekends.

Moreover the calendar works against you: In the fall the weather will only get colder, so you should go now. In the spring it will get better, so why not wait until May/June/etc to visit?

If "they would come if people found good value in cheaper prices, less crowded conditions and possibly shorter waits," how come the park isn't jammed in June, which has fewer crowds?

I agree 100% that the beautiful 70 degree weekend days are gold for a park. Unfortunately, you can't predict very far in advance when those days will come. Even if you closed the park "on bad weather days" how do you think a family that drove out from Cleveland or down from Detroit would react to arriving and finding the park closed?

Will raise revenue if done properly and doesn't increase prices during the peak season. That is good business.

So will this raise revenue or increase net income?

If the weather is bad on a day and not enough people come, close the park and issue rain checks. No operating cost because the park is closed. During nice days, the park stays open with a fraction of the staff to handle the smaller number of people in the park during a nice day. I don't remember the year; but does, anybody remember the last day of the season a few years ago when the temperature was like 82 degrees at the end of October. The park was insanely crowded. I'm sure they more than covered their expenses that day. It could be the same when there are patches of nice weather in late May or April.

The new full time staff would be cross trained to prepare speed the off season rehab. They wouldn't be working on critical parts like wheels and motors, but they could assist with painting and cleaning and such.

DSShives said:

So will this raise revenue or increase net income?

Net income. If you over staff you will lose money yes. If you open on a bad weather day you could lose money. If you open on weekend in April when it is 80 degrees you will make enough net revenue to make up for other bad decisions.

Construct or modifiy a coaster that can operate in average winters in December and have a Xmas/Holiday event and a Easter/spring break event in April. I would go any time of the year except the super coldest. I don't see people crying cold while flying down the ski slopes in the snow and cold so they may be able to draw a crowd if done right. Unfortunately the coasters were not designed for colder weather.

We did get to ride Thunderhead at DW a few years ago when it was 37 degrees and snowing. The ride op said one more degree colder and they would have to shut her down. We had a blast getting pelted with giant snow flakes while riding!

Yesterday morning I think it was in the upper 30's and nothing was running. We got our first coaster ride on BS at 10am because all the others were either still warming up or not running. We went back and luckily Maverick was running so we took a few spins on it and got a trimless ride on MS (which was a blast).

The PointGuru said:
If the weather is bad on a day and not enough people come, close the park and issue rain checks. No operating cost because the park is closed.

So the people issuing the rain checks are working for free?

The PointGuru said

You could also cross train the new full time employees to do light maintenance, cleaning around the park or other odd jobs to improve its appearance.

Obviously you have never worked in a union shop, which Cedar Point is. Other than cleaning which the seasonal employees have done since the days of George Roos the rest fall under the responsibilities of the carpenters, plumbers,electricians, heavy equipment operators or mechanics, all of which are represented by a union.Cross those thresholds and you'll have a nightmare on your hands.

But there would be operating costs associated with extending the season and not being able to open: food spoilage costs (think non frozen items such as lettuce/tomatoes/etc), increased insurance costs from increased liability exposures, electricity (which is probably a significant cost to power up rides and run test runs and lighting), etc. You run the risk of operating costs in the slower times cannibalizing the overall profitability of the park. Remember, they have to make it count during the good times to carry the park thru the off season tasks/expenditures.

The current operating calendar works well enough -

Union contracts can be negotiated. Opening the park longer would likely create more work and maybe even more jobs for union positions. It is unlikely the unions would object to more work and eliminating some of their more menial task.

"The current operating calendar works well enough"

But it is such a short season for a coaster addict who can't afford to go to Florida or California. How about an at your own risk additional cost off season pass for nut cases like me that don't care how cold it gets, just crave the coasters. They would only open when weather permitted and the cost would come from the off-season pass. I'll brave the cold. I dread the off season every year. :-)

The current calendar may work well enough, but it's still a few weeks too long. With the extending the season to Halloween (which if the weather holds up is now a license to mint money), they could easily for go opening the park before Memorial Day weekend.

The PointGuru said:
Union contracts can be negotiated. Opening the park longer would likely create more work and maybe even more jobs for union positions. It is unlikely the unions would object to more work and eliminating some of their more menial task.

What world are you living in? You've just made my point that you have never dealt with a union shop.

Smitty Werbenjaegermanjensen said:
Construct or modifiy a coaster that can operate in average winters in December

How many people would drive out from Cleveland or Detroit to ride Jr Gemini?

Smitty Werbenjaegermanjensen said:
and have a Xmas/Holiday event and a Easter/spring break event in April.

King's Island, which is NOT on a windy peninsula and IS much closer to major population centers, tried it. People didn't come

Smitty Werbenjaegermanjensen said:I would go any time of the year except the super coldest.

Let's see, at $7.25 an hour the park could take your Platinum Pass $$$ and hire how many employees to staff the park? Oh yeah, NONE. Your pass means you get in free. So the park pays staff to open the park for how many thousands of people, most of whom are probably season passholders. This seems more like the policy that put SF into bankruptcy.