Survey this morning - All Season Drink Bottles

Pete said:

Please, please, please, get rid of the refillable cups and tie the drink program to season passes like the meal plan. Double the price if you need to, just get rid of the awful leash that is the souvenir cup.

I totally agree, refillable cups suck. I emailed the park about it last summer and got a standard answer.

I personally am a fan of the souvenir cups, but my reasoning likely puts me in the minority and I can understand the opposite opinion. We have one non-thrill rider in our family, so she always sits when we ride the big rides and she is able to hold all of our cups while we ride. If we had to pay for lockers every time we rode, I would not be happy and I certainly understand the frustration of others who face that prospect!

I also like the lid and straw which makes the cups easily portable as we walk through the park. We can take them on the train and not have to throw our drinks away. I like the detachable handles and often loop my cup handle through a belt loop and then re-attach it to carry my bottle around hands free. I cannot do any of these things with a paper cup.

But as someone earlier said, those souvenir cups CAN be difficult to clean (by the latter part of this season, we had to replace two of our straws due to mold spots, even though we wash the cups after each trip - it is still difficult to keep the straws clean. And my daughter and I went to Kings Island the last week of the 2016 season, without our designated non-rider cup holder. We had our cups with us and experienced the dilemma of what to do with them when we wanted to ride.

Lots of considerations, no doubt. There is not going to be a clear solution which makes everyone happy. But as the plans evolve and change, hopefully the park will continue to seek out user feedback.

Souvenir cups are not going away, no matter what dreams enthusiasts have. The General public doesn't see it as a problem in slowing 'capacity' and no matter how many pleas too Tony or the park... it's not going away.

This was just posted at CP Rundown:

Sounds like a season pass plan with disposable cups could be happening.

Sorry to double post, but I just checked my email and got that same survey this morning. I just filled it out and said I would be very likely to purchase such an add-on.

I'm sure we'll see both options in the future. And why not? Allow pass holders to choose which option they want and day visitors will still be around to buy the bottles. I personally would pay the exact same cost or slightly more to have it tied to my pass, even if I got a smaller portion like a 12-16oz cup.

Thabto said:

Sorry to double post, but I just checked my email and got that same survey this morning. I just filled it out and said I would be very likely to purchase such an add-on.

I got that survey this morning also. At the end I was asked if I would be interested in getting more email surveys. I can't remember the exact wording, something like an advisory panel of pass holders. Did everyone get that?

Chris

Yes I did and I chose to participate in that.

While I like the idea of the disposable cup plan, the time between refills limitation is annoying. We use the souvenir bottle for 2 or 3 of us to stay hydrated. Assuming the disposable cups aren't the same size as the souvenir cups, we would likely need more than one cup to get everyone refreshed.

I mean, I totally understand why there's a time limitation, but if they're going to charge the same price as the souvenir bottle, they're not offering the same value as the souvenir cup for our situation.

^ Another potential downside for your group or others, depending on how it's arranged, with the bottle you can let those going to the park bring it, whereas the disposable option would require the guest who bought it on their pass be present (presumably).

If you got that survey email, there are places where you can give your comments about it. That would be something you can tell them. Otherwise, if you always have a non-rider in your group the souvenir bottle may be more ideal for you. I'm sure when they bring this out, there will be some adjustments made based on customer feedback. I would buy this plan without a doubt. Even better would be that it could be used at all parks.

I would also buy it, and I seldom buy drinks at amusement parks. It's nice at Kentucky Kingdom cause they already have a program like this. At Six Flags, they give me a bottle as part of my meal plan. They don't seem to track them though, like CF. In fact, at Great America, they weren't even monitoring the Freestyle machines, so I could have filled up whatever I cup I wanted.

We won't use the disposable cup option as we don't drink soda in the park. There are water fountains freely available throughout the park for hydrating and they don't have long lines.

The souvenir cup program works ideal for us and we get them every year.

If the CP Rundown post is correct, thank you CP! This will please many, many people and probably increase sales because the hassle of the refillable cups is solved. I don't like the cups for a number of reasons, primarily because of the hassle of carrying it around and washing it out when done. Also, I never did like the straw, too thick with a plastic taste.

And if their idea of a disposable cup happens to be a Kinzel Cup? ;)

I actually responded in the survey that I hope they offer smaller cups too, perhaps on a different pricing tier. I don't need a half gallon of pop every time -- I just want a drink now and then to keep myself hydrated, like I do at Holiday World. I listed myself as someone who doesn't normally buy drinks at the park (I go for the Dixie cup of water), but would very much be interested in this plan. I also suggested either making it available chain-wide or offering a 'platinum' tier for that purpose.

birdman said:

I actually responded in the survey that I hope they offer smaller cups too, perhaps on a different pricing tier. I don't need a half gallon of pop every time...

Can't you simply not completely fill the cup? ;-)

He DOES have a point, there, BRID.

Or throw out what you don't want to drink?

Or give what you don't want to drink to a stranger passing by?