Wild Card

Randomly scrolling through the resorts portion of the app when I noticed a new offering for the start of the 2019 season...the wild card.

Basically you can get a room package that includes a “wild card” good for unlimited admission to Cedar Point May 11 through June 30, 2019.

It doesn’t include parking beyond your initial hotel stay, Cedar Shores admission or any discounts, but seems like a cool offering and great deal.

This sounds like something Six Flags would do (not in a bad way). Stay at a hotel with a one-day ticket, then upgrade your ticket to a half-season pass for $15. I'm not sure how many people would take advantage of the offer, considering it's only until the end of June when crowds are relatively light, but it sounds like a very good deal to take advantage of.

This was confusing to me. I was looking at resort prices and just wanted the room only option because were going Run and Ride weekend and our admission is paid for. But under the room only option, it listed Wild Card in the list of things that are included with the room along with ability to purchase discount tickets. There was also a separate Wild Card option though.

Sounds like there was a meeting about this with key personnel involved on how to increase revenue, so this is what was hashed out in the meeting and or meetings and they are giving it a try.

By the looks of it, I don't see it succeeding that well. This is purely a move designed to increase revenue at the park during a time of the season where the hotel rooms are no where near capacity.

What Cedar Point needs to do is scrap this, go a completely different direction...….

Cedar Point does very well with school trips in the month of May, however what they are missing out is, overnight trips.

Let's face it, Hotel Breakers is empty during the month of May, I think everyone can agree with that. So lets fill it with school groups. Discount the rooms to the schools, come up with some type of promotion, and turn it into a learning event.

Business 101 with the power of amusement parks and 13 and 14 year olds. It is a winning combination and solves a lot of problems. Instead of 8th graders going to Cedar Point for a day, make it an educational experience with fun.

A group of schools checks in on Monday and checks out on Wednesday. Another group of kids checks in on Wednesday and checks out on Friday.

Start out the day with an early breakfast at the Lakeside Pavilion, say 6:30 A.M., then split the groups up the first day after breakfast 1/2 of the kids go to location a and the other half location b until 9:00 a.m., then let the kids go have a blast till 12:00 noon, lunch time.

Then after lunch when all the kids are gathered up, learning time again, split the kids up and have a teaching lesson for an hour, then let them go have fun. 5:00 P.M. dinner time, after dinner have another lesson, then let the kids have at it again.

The next day reverse the classes and bam.

You do it for the month of May, every parent is going to give their kid an average of $ 50.00 to spend in the park on top of price for this trip.

In time, this event will get so popular, Cedar Point wouldn't have to do any type of marketing for this. There will be a waiting list for schools to get on this program.

The big kicker is to give each student a free ticket to come back into Cedar Point over the course of the summer. At this point, most parents will say, you went to cedar point this year with your school group, I'm not taking you this summer. This will force parents to at least buy a ticket to take their kid to Cedar Point over the summer. Even if they just drop them off at the front gate, they at least have to give the kids money for food and drink. Another $ 50.00 spot.

Your filling empty rooms.

So you give a discount on the hotel when it is empty, big deal.

Yeah that would be an educational experience alright. Sex Ed.

As for your return ticket (and this Wild Card deal), beware giving away the gate. Once you start to do the deep discounts it’s really hard to get people back at regular pricing.

Are the CP hotels cheaper in May and June than from July on? If they offered a discount for those months (not just for students as mentioned above) I’d be much more likely to stay on their property. We go in June for Run and Ride and don’t need the perks that come with a CP room like parking and EE. So we are annual June visitors who don’t stay on property. I looked at Breakers prices and it’s just insane how expensive it is.

Brendan71388....are you aware that Run and Ride does a discount for staying at a hotel during your event. It happened to be at the Express...but at least it is a bit more affordable that Breakers....granted, it's not as convenient as staying on point

Still hate to spend money on a hotel when you need to leave so early to make it on time....but, it's better that leaving soooo early (we have about 2 hour drive)

It looks like the code Return is working again too. Book early for early in the season and save. We book in February to go in May.

Ooooh, good to know. I plan on booking soon as I get my tax return. I know it's not looking to be the most exciting year in Point history, but hey, a trip north to coaster heaven is exciting enough on its own.

I see a season pass flash sale on the Hotel Breakers rooms with the code PASS today

Stacys, we come from Indy so we make a whole weekend out of it and need a hotel for a few nights. Express was already full for those nights of race weekend.

Just Coasting said:

What Cedar Point needs to do is scrap this, go a completely different direction...….

Cedar Point does very well with school trips in the month of May, however what they are missing out is, overnight trips.

Let's face it, Hotel Breakers is empty during the month of May, I think everyone can agree with that. So lets fill it with school groups. Discount the rooms to the schools, come up with some type of promotion, and turn it into a learning event.

On behalf of hotel employees past (and I suspect present)...might I just retort with a..."HHHHHHHHHHHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL NNNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

I could only imagine what Breakers would look like after a month of high school age kids staying there. Might as well turn it into a Motel 6. Not the resort type of place the park wants.

In terms of schools staying at Breakers and other Cedar Point hotels it is something that already happens. I have friends who do an overnight when their school goes up every year. Not sure how popular it is though but I know that it is something that some schools do.

Mostly under-supervised school aged kids running amuck at Breakers in large quantities? What could possibly go wrong? (Dripping with sarcasm)

Underage drinking

Drug Use

Sexual Assaults

Unintended Pregnacnies

STDs

Gang Fights and Batteries/Assaults

Drowning

All of the above would make headlines about under-supervised minors on CP property and would make for publicity nightmare, some on a nationwide scale (Tony might even quit his job if he had to deal with that).

Oh, not to mention the overall physical damage to the property (it's not the kids credit card on file for incidentals).

As a senior in high school I'm going to defend school groups. Schools that would do overnights know what they are doing most of the time. They wouldn't approve something if they didn't. I come from a school that has lots of overnight school functions for various clubs, sports, and other school functions. In fact, I am heading to Disney World next week with my schools Orchestra for a multi-day trip. While sometimes these unfortunate events do happen often times the schools are one step ahead. I know for my school everybody is given curfews that are often quickly after arriving back at the hotel and the school either tapes students into the room (A piece of tape across the door on the outside can't be resealed by someone inside if they sneak out and so if peeled tape is discovered the next morning students are promptly sent home), as well as often having security guards on duty to make sure students are staying in their rooms and behaving (Not being too loud, running around, etc.). Yes not all schools are as good with this kind of stuff but I think people would be surprised how many are, especially if it's a school that has the money to send students to Cedar Point for multiple days.

As a hotel manager by trade I would tell you your school is the exception not the rule. Groups of students or church members or anything involving groups of 10 or more kids are usually a pain.

On a side note, kids have no imagination...its easy to get past the tape trick.

The tape trick?

That One Coaster Guy said:

In fact, I am heading to Disney World next week with my schools Orchestra for a multi-day trip.

I'm not sure what's cuter; the fact that your school has an orchestra (which is wonderful, by the way), or the fact that you haven't yet figured out a way around the adorable tape-trick.

That said, if I had a hotel, I would love to have you as guests.

You're an outlier.