News: 2007 Season Passes on sale September 22

I disagree with the point made by Walt above. I wish that CP would take into further consideration the points on this forum, such as about the extra sticker not being safe to post on the windshield, as well as the convenience and practicality factors for those of us who for whatever reasons may not be able to take the same vehicle every time we go to the park. I don't understand what CP's problem is this year but they need to fix it. Rectifying this situation, like I said before, would more than make up for the lost parking revenue with the added revenue into the park and community with the extra visitors coming into the park.

Walt, most people that go to the point does not live as close as you are. I live 4 hours away and i usually rent a car to go on the weekends to keep mileage off my own car.

Distance from the park has nothing to do with this argument.

I never post here but I do come on and read everyday I have been a member for a long time but the parking situation has really rubbed me the wrong way and has lead me to posting hoping that the CP brass will see this thread and consider a change in policy. I live in Ridgeville so the distance is not to big a deal but depending on the trip that my wife and I are taking really does decide the vechicle. If it is a nice evening we go up around 6 and enjoy the park we will take my wifes escort because it is good on gas and the trip is alomost "free" as we only use a few gallons. But we also enjoy soak city and love to go up early in the day and spend the morning in the water park where we will bring my suv a cooler and a change of cloths we then have the option of going out to the car have a snack and drinks and changing then enjoying the evening in the park. Also my wifes cousin and her husband have passes and a 20 month old because we have a parking pass on my id when we all go together they will drive their van and we will "pay for gass" by picking up the parking as they don't have a parking pass.

What will this result in for me and my wife is we will buy the pass it will go on our suv and those 5-10 friday evening trips will go away. Who wins? Not me I love those 3-4 hour trips in the summer to enjoy the night atmosphere. The park? Nope they lost 5-10 trips of eating a snack or two and a few drinks or even dinner at fridays or daves.

So all in all I will buy my wife and self the Maxx plus pass we will probably go to the park 4 or 5 times and skip the little extra evening trips to do something else as I cannot justify the 20 bucks or so in gas it costs us to take the suv over the escort.

Also let me add that this year we had the two park option and made it to Geauga twice we like the park it is just farther for us and my wife loves non looping coaster but upside down isn't her fav but with the "free" parking we went twice and enjoyed our selves we are thinking this sat about going again however we would not chose GL over Cp if it again meant 10 more dollars to park we would just go to CP insted. Again a loss of in park spending and at a park that could use the revenue.
*** Edited 9/10/2006 6:39:58 PM UTC by Curtis***

Walt said:

Bottom line is that the season and parking passes are both tremendous deals.

I don't know about "tremendous," but they're definitely good deals.

However, what Cedar Fair is offering to Cedar Point and Geauga Lake pass holders is CONSIDERABLY WORSE than what they offered last year, and Cedar Fair probably won't benefit (operationally or financially) from the change. They'll only succeed in upsetting customers (as evidenced by this thread.)

That begs the question: WHY DO IT?

If attendance is an issue, and it definitely is at Geauga Lake and Cedar Point, then charging more money for fewer benefits is an odd way to improve the situation.

By the way, if you're looking for an example of a "tremendous" deal, here's what Paramount Kings Island offered last year: you got a season pass good at ALL parks, a (portable) parking pass good at your home park, "Gold Club" perks at ALL parks (which included "ride again" days, early entry, special "fast pass" lanes, etc.), reserved/preferred parking areas at ALL parks, and "rest of year" benefits at ALL parks (you could buy next year's pass in August and use it the remainder of that year.) You got all that for $69.95. THAT'S a tremendous deal in my opinion.

When Cedar Fair offers something similar for Geauga Lake, I'll be the first to join you in calling it "tremendous."

Tremendous, good - just semantics. Getting a season's worth of admission for less than the price of 3 visits would make anyone happy. Except maybe this crowd!

If, as you say, Cedar Fair won't benefit from this move either in operations or finances, why are they doing it? Is it that they don't know how to run an amusement park? I think their track record is pretty good. Until proven otherwise, I think it's best to give them the benefit of the doubt.

*** Edited 9/10/2006 6:55:22 PM UTC by Walt***

With the inability to get a combo parking pass I will certanly be taking fewer trips to Geauga Lake next year. And guess what? I bought something every time I was there this season.

So much for the bottom line.

I for one am really excited about this new pass. Going to school in Cincinnati but living near Cedar Point makes this deal really valuable. To me the parking is not that much money when you are really saving so much by not having to pay admission every time. I never once went to Kings Island this past year, but I can guarantee I will go next year with this great deal.

Walt, companies can make mistakes, even Cedar Fair. Remember their admission to underestimating the draw of the animals to Geauga Lake? They're not immune to making mistakes. Obviously, there are a LOT of people that are not happy with the changes CF is implementing next year.

Dismissing everyone's concerns on here just because it doesn't affect you is pretty selfish.

That's a pretty short-sighted view of my arguments. I think I've made a number of valid points that have nothing to do with my personal situation. Don't mistake disagreement with dismissal.

Yes, companies can make mistakes, but this is hardly the first time enthusiasts have been up in arms about something and thought they had a better answer.

*** Edited 9/10/2006 9:04:10 PM UTC by Walt***

Walt said:

You're paying to park a vehicle, not a person.

That's not the way it was though, and not even standard in the industry. Maybe that's why everyone is upset.

At Paramount (previously,) or even "Über-customer-friendly" Disney, you actually ARE paying to park "people," not a specific vehicle. The parking is on the pass; all are "portable" (the vehicle is irrelevant to them.) As long as the person paid for a parking pass, they park for free.

That's the way it should be.

Cedar Fair takes a giant step backwards here, taking important flexibility away. If they're truly interested in why attendance is bad at Geauga Lake (and dropping at Cedar Point,) they might consider looking in the mirror.

I can point to a number of changes they've made over the last few years which have caused uproars (safety, staffing, ride operation, perks, etc.). Do you honestly think these had NO impact on attendance? This is yet another example of them shooting themselves in the foot, and for no good reason.

Walt said:
I'm still trying to figure out what everyone did before Joe Cool existed.

I think a lot of people here are under the misunderstanding that you had to be a Joe Cool member to get your parking pass on your season pass.

That IS NOT the case.

I still can't figure out why they would allow the Paramount parks to continue to put parking passes on the season passes yet go backwards to the original CF parks. Again, not only can you get your parking pass on your season pass at Paramount parks you also get FREE parking for the entire next year if you renew your season pass before a particular date this year.

Walt, you are definitely making an argument from a local's point of view whether you want to see/admit it or not. Furthermore, the argument about them not always putting parking passes on the season passes is pretty much a moot point since they've been doing it for years for JC members and this year for ANYONE that wanted it. No, i'm not young, but I also haven't been getting a season pass since I was a kid seeing as that I live 2 hours away. It was time for a change and CF saw that some 6 odd years ago, now they want to renig on the precedence that they set forth and of course it's going to make a lot of people upset.

I believe this was an awful thing to do from a company standpoint, especially when your numbers are down. You can argue it 'til the cows come home, Walt, but you're not going to make any points that I would feel justify this backpeddaling of CF.

I don't think this is a local/non-local issue. If anything, the people who go most often would likely have the need for flexibility more often.

Different deals at different parks isn't new. Even before Paramount, Cedar Fair parks had different deals at least to some degree. And it's not the first time Cedar Point has been the one to be different. This kind of reminds of those who argued for Soak City to be free because Geagua Lake and Kings Island had free waterparks.

I must say there is a lot of passion over parking!

Yeah, and we're not even the ones who drive hours and hours to get to the park to find out they owe $9 to park their car. Talk about passion. Some people get violent.

Really I would like to see parking go to FREE and be included in the price of a pass and gate admission. (Add $30 to the price of every pass, $5 to the price of each admission) Then you don't give people the feeling of being ripped off before they ever make it to the gate. We've obviously argued this point over and over.

Also, with the loss of Dual Parking, I will probably not make a trip over to Geauga Lake in 07.

How many season pass holders are going to go to other Cedar Fair parks less just because they have to pay for parking? Very, very few. Walt, has the better argument here. Parking isn't even that expensive.

Have any of you been to a sporting event? Check their price for parking. Sports and amusement parks have always been overpriced. CP is actually one of the only ones who lowered their prices.

I'm surprised no one mentions the admission price went down $5 this season, yet season passes stayed the same. *** Edited 9/11/2006 12:07:28 AM UTC by Gomez***

Yeah, I paid $20 to park for the Lions last year. Again, there's a reason why I am not going to any Red Wings or Lions games this year. (or any other sporting events)

Guess I'm just stingy.

Walt said:

I must say there is a lot of passion over parking!

That might indicate that the economy, or gas prices, or whatever, is causing more people to be on the "fence" about getting passes next year. Those people are certainly going to be passionate about the possibility of having to say "no" next year.

There are others like myself who just think the change is unnecessary (and not even beneficial to the company.) We'd rather see Cedar Fair have a successful year (the more success they have, the better the next coaster will be.)

With poor attendance (and trending in the wrong direction,) you'd think they wouldn't be going out of their way to give people extra reasons to say NO to visiting!

To be constructive, allow me to offer some "saving face" approaches they should seriously consider:

1. If they're dead set against parking on the passes (a mistake in my opinion,) at least redesign the sticker so it's much smaller and offer a second park for only $10 (you pay $50 for CP then buy GL, or Kings Island, or as many other parks as you want for an extra $10 each.)

2. Offer extra car parking passes for an extra $10. If you have 2 cars, you buy the first CP for $50 then get another sticker for the second car for $10. If you want to add a second GL pass, you pay $10 more, etc.

That makes it much more tolerable, yet would still allow them to eliminate parking on passes, which they seem hell-bent on doing no matter how much business it costs them.

bholcomb said:
Guess I'm just stingy.

That sums this up rather well.

how closely do the toll booth people look at the stickers, I would just take a razor blade and peel it off and put it on the windshield of another car with clear tape, i am sure the people at the toll booth won;t care.

It'd be really hard, if it's even possible, to get off in one piece.

*** Edited 9/11/2006 1:10:29 AM UTC by Walt***