News: 2007 Season Passes on sale September 22

I think that it's like $35 for 2007 parking at Kings Island, if you didn't have a 2006 PKI season pass. Renewing 2006 pass holders will get free parking for next year (and the rest of this year) if they renew by October 29th.

Anyone else feel like Cedar Point is screwing us while bending over backwards for Kings Island passholders?

I'm sure a bunch of long-time PKI fans are griping about how the first full season owned by CF, Cedar Point gets a major new coaster and KI apparently isn't going to get anything... and loses its Winterfest to boot. Who do you think really lucked out in this situation?

^ All of Ohio lucked out. I wish any of those parks were down here in Florida.

That's what traveling is for wahoo!! :)

If you buy a kings island pass, dont you get the remainder of this year free?

Yes you do, but the rest of this year is only good for King's Island. If you bring it to CP, you're just going to confuse the heck out of us admissions people (happened last weekend). :)

I have a cedarpoint season pass already for this year, so I would be getting into kings island for free this year if I bought it there.

I have always wanted to check out the halloween event at kings island, so this will work out.

The only thing that I will have to buy at cp, is the stupid parking sticker for 1 of my cars. If cedarpoint reverses the desision on the parking passes, than I will buy my pass there.

I would have never believed this had it not unfolded in front of me.

Went to the park with the family yesterday evening. Got there about 5pm and pulled up to the main toll booth area. There were two booths open - the main booth and one to the right and I picked the one to the right. The car ahead of us slows and then stops before getting to the actual booth. A woman, who had apparently been waiting off to the side, runs in and gets in the front seat. The car moves forward and we see the new front seat passenger show the toll booth attendant her season pass.

We proceed through and both of us turn right, then left, to enter the main parking lot. After entering the main parking lot, the car makes a left and drives over to a van that is waiting.

What you're thinking is exactly what happened. The woman with the parking pass on her season pass got the van in for free, walked back to the toll booth, and got the second car in her party in for free as well.

I hate that some people are so petty and cheap that it causes problems for the rest of us who actually have some semblance of respect for the rules.

I'm assuming that there were at least 6 or more people between the two vehicles, right? So, split the $10 six ways, and its less than $2 each! That's just weak. And sad. And probably the type of person SP holders should be angry with.

ADDED:
Just one more reason to actually scan the pass for parking, in my opinion.

*** Edited 10/2/2006 10:49:28 AM UTC by djDaemon***

If you scan the pass, how do you determine how many times someone can go in and out in a day? Or od you put a period between scans?

Well, a time period would seem to be the most elegant solution. Hell, you could even limit it to one scan per day, and give them a parking ticket like everyone else, right?

Walt, how many different passholders do you think do something like that? 20? 10? Fewer?

Should Cedar Point penalize the thousands (tens of thousands?) who use the pass properly (and appreciate the flexibility) just to stop the 20 who don't?

Penalizing the vast majority rather than going after the few that are a problem is not the way to solve anything. If you're implying this is the reason parking can no longer be on the passes, it's a very weak argument.

I'm implying that situations such as these don't encourage the park to keep such privileges in place.

TTD is sinking too! said:
Walt, how many different passholders do you think do something like that? 20? 10? Fewer?

Apparently it's a large enough number where they felt like they needed to reevaluate the program. I am not saying that my specific example is reason enough to end the option. I think some people doubted that fraud even happens, so I thought a first-hand account was appropriate.

Penalizing the vast majority rather than going after the few that are a problem is not the way to solve anything.

You're looking at this from the angle of, "how does this affect me personally?" - which is fine and understandable. But the park has to look at the big picture and take in all factors, including cost of new technology, percentage of people who actually use the pass option, money lost to fraud, etc. Taking everything into account, this is the solution they've come up with at this time.

If I am not mistaken, Paramount Parks allowed pass members to have parking on each pass that would allow the pass to be scanned ONCE per day. Either the paking booth attendant did not pay attention when the pass was scanned (thinking something was wrong with the scanner) or this person in the van had parking and did not use her pass at the booth, so she hopped into the other car to use her pass as well.

Do you consider this fraud?

How about they just dont charge for parking at all.....

This was at Cedar Point, and they don't scan the parking passes there.

ADDED:
In regard to the attendant not paying attention, I think that is at least somewhat valid. I'm not sure as to the typical procedure when it comes to checking a SP for the parking endorsement, but I'd think that the pass could easily be scanned for both the endorsement and the name in the same amount of time it takes to take someone's cash and hand them a ticket/guide. This simple action would have avoided the guest having been able to use her pass twice.

*** Edited 10/2/2006 1:26:02 PM UTC by djDaemon***

Cedar Point is not a Paramount Park and there are no scanners in the toll booths.

Regardless, abuse is probably a better word that fraud.

My point was that penalizing thousands to thwart the 20 who (might) abuse the current parking pass policy isn't going to net them any benefit. In fact, quite the opposite will happen, as seen by this thread and others.

They might stop the 20 people from cheating them out of a couple hundred dollars, but they'll lose 100 pass purchases for their efforts. That can't be the result they want. Doesn't anyone think these things through?

Hasn't Cedar Point lost something like a half million in attendance in recent years? I think they need to try and win more people over, not penalize them further.

No, the powers-that-be don't analyze any changes that are made at Cedar Point. Its all done by guess, luck and a little bit of witchcraft.