Winter Chillout 2023! More days, different ticketing

I figured we could start a new thread on WCO instead of resurrecting the post from 2020 (but feel free to delete this post if we prefer to keep the old post).

So, new format this year. Winter Chill Out is spread over two days, which will accommodate way more people. But it is also moving to a lottery system, so it doesn't help to be first to the site anymore. As much as I don't want to miss this, I like the idea of having a lottery. Folks can sign up at their leisure and depending on demand, most folks will be able to attend.

If I don't get a ticket, I'm expecting y'all to post a full report with photos!

The stack of complaints each and every year with this and other events is that the system used to reserve a spot just doesn’t work. People are left out because of some on-line failure and the event sells out while deserving potentials are sitting at home banging on their keyboards. And then there’s a week of discussion with many screenshots of failed attempts. The recent Holiwood Nights ticket sale is a good example. At least this procedure has the best chance of guaranteeing everyone an equal shot.
Pity those who’ve never won a raffle, though.

The good news is that if you are not able to purchase tickets you don't need to win a lottery in order to donate to A Kid Again, the charity it supports.

I'm 100% sure that, before posting a complaint on Elon Musk's ****ty website, anyone left out will remember what it's all about.

I realize those who have the luxury of making sure they can be at their keyboard at a very specific time will be disappointed, but for our family, who don't always have that luxury, this is a welcome change.

Critics of this system are already posting how unfair it is going to be. Brandon, I suppose your family or group fits into the "limit of 4 tickets" category. Many are complaining that they have over 4 and and will possibly be omitted or split up. It would suck if all the Duggar family was planning to attend.

I get that a family of 5 would be bummed about the limit, but there has to be a limit for each group obviously, and honestly how many families of 5+ enthusiasts are there? That is, a family of 5+ who would all want to have a behind the scenes tour of the park in the dead of winter?

Last year, they made over $78K at $50 per ticket. That's 1560 tickets sold. 3120 if they double that over 2 days this year. Wonder if they're keeping the same capacity this year. Do they have the flexibility to change the capacity based on the early warning of the demand.

They can't just randomly select 3120 people with the party size being variable, so there needs to be some kind of logic to the selection criteria. Maybe select 1 entry at a time and subtract the number of tickets until they're all gone. Anyone done this kind of distribution before? What's the most fair method?

Wonder if the Taylor Swift/Ticketmaster thing getting government attention had any effect on this decision. Maybe this has been the plan since they saw the issues last year.

Mentally, there's the feeling of loss of control, if you didn't get a ticket, previously, it was your own fault you just weren't fast enough. Wonder if this raffle is being run from within accesso, or outside it. Have there been any improvements to the ticketing to support other large events in the future, or are we likely to see more raffles.

I'm not trying to argue one way or the other, just a bunch of random thoughts.

I think some level of vetting should be included on the lottery application, that way those who really want to be there can still go. Questions like:

-Do you think the rides will be open?

-Are you bringing kids under the age of 6 with you?

-Are you expecting customer service to be open?

-Can you go greater than 3 hours without using the restroom?

-What is your favorite color?

The second one might be a stretch, I'm sure some kids would enjoy the tour, but there's no way I would have brought my kids to Chilly CP if they were still in a stroller.

jimmyburke:

Critics of this system are already posting how unfair it is going to be.

It's literally the opposite of that. Do they not understand how fair works?

This is where I remind people that this is a charity fundraiser.

HeyIsntThatRob?:

What is your favorite color?

What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?

African or European?

Airspeed velocity of a seagull might be more appropriate.

Depends, did someone throw a french fry on the ground?

Then it would be carrying a French fry, and no longer be unladen.

Are you suggesting French fries migrate?

Well... they came from France didn't they? Maybe they go back during the offseason.

Pretty sure fries are non-migratory.

Hudson:

Last year, they made over $78K at $50 per ticket.

Weren't the tickets $65 per last Feb?

Jeff:

jimmyburke:

Critics of this system are already posting how unfair it is going to be.

It's literally the opposite of that. Do they not understand how fair works?

This is where I remind people that this is a charity fundraiser.

Exactly this.

I remember one year when I worked at MF that a certain group of “thoosies” were mad because they didn’t win the last ride of the season on Millennium. They made a big issue about it. The same group would also try to skip the line by coming up the exit with food or drink to bribe ride ops to let them on through the exit throughout the season. I don’t want to hear some grown adults boo hoo-ing about what is and is not fair. The lottery is literally the most fair way to do it.

Those last ride assholes have been doing that since the late 90's when I first started going to closing days. That was probably the point where I wanted to be part of the community while still keeping it at arm's length. People often cite the "bad apples" argument, but I think it's always been worse than that.

Who has ever said to someone “wow you got to ride that last you’re cool”