WOW - Fast Lane is getting expensive

Why not go back to the old school method of just selling a strip of tickets to be used on the attractions and not charging admission at all?

The al-la-carte method of purchasing only what you want would simplify everything, it would be a lot fairer to the oversized/underheight/past-their-daredevil days, and the lines would be shorter everywhere as their ATM card reaches it's daily withdrawal limit.

SteveH said:
Why not go back to the old school method of just selling a strip of tickets to be used on the attractions and not charging admission at all?

The al-la-carte method of purchasing only what you want would simplify everything, it would be a lot fairer to the oversized/underheight/past-their-daredevil days, and the lines would be shorter everywhere as their ATM card reaches it's daily withdrawal limit.

Every system has it's pros and cons. Ticket systems generally encourage maximum capacity (to redeem as many tickets as possible) and have shorter lines because riders have to specifically choose the attraction to go on it. But there's drawbacks, most notably in the number of people you need to staff rides to make it go smoothly. Also, complex rides with potential maintenance issues don't fit into the "ticket taking" system well simply because the threat of not being able to make money on them is too great.

Rugrats2001 said:
My point is that it is important for the well being of Cedar Fair to make sure it continues to be affordable to its customer base, even after reasonable increases.

Do you honestly think that's a safety tip the company doesn't already understand?

Please stop posting untrimmed posts. I'm going to just start deleting the posts entirely.

Jeff said:

On respect: What you're talking about has nothing to do with respect. You're talking about entitlement. Amusement parks are a business, not a charity. They don't owe anyone anything. They set the prices and the market decides if they're in the right spot by either showing up at the gate or not. As someone else mentioned, the results suggest they're showing up.

Thanks for summing everything ive said up in to a simple clear paragraph. Hence why I haven't found a need to post in this thread again. Well said.

A couple of thoughts about things I've heard here so far.

Back in the day (of the "new" Cedar Point", were talking '62/'63 here) the park had different pricing tiers depending on the day of the week. There was POP available, but only midweek, like, Tuesday and Wednesday. Other days there were ticket books available and I seem to recall that there were A, B, C, etc attractions similar to what Disney was doing at the time. And trust me, there were those that complained about POP running two bucks a person, or whatever it was. And the books were limiting.

I'm not sure where the notion that Cedar Point has been a place that caters to poor, working class people comes from. CP has always been noted, since 1870, as a fine resort. The bathing beach was the best on the lakes, the hotel was a world class seasonal place to stay, the grounds were immaculate, and to top it off, most visitors arrived via steam ship or train, yet another thing those well dressed people had to purchase.
Company outings could be found there, sure, but most were at more convenient and cheaper places like Euclid Beach, Geauga Lake, and Puritas Springs Park.

Cedar Point, or any amusement park for that matter, is not affordable for everyone and never has been. While through the years parks have marketed themselves as affordable family fun, the truth is they are expensive places to maintain, staff, and keep fresh, and as with all businesses, profitablilty is toward the top of their mission statement. So, there are only certain ones that feel like they can or would afford it. Some folks never see a Broadway show, never play a round of golf, never stay in a hotel, never fly, never shop at Macy's, and never eat at a restaurant more expensive than Taco Bell. And yes, never make it to a theme park. This is because they choose to spend their money on recreational and leisure activities according to what they feel they can afford to do. And so be it.

To think that amusement parks have an obligation to price themselves so everyone in the country has an opportunity to visit is ludicrous.

I think people consider CP as a "working-class option" (whatever you take that to mean) is because everything is relative. For example, the epitome of most American family vacations would be something like Disney World, and comparisons are drawn from that. Even with cost cutting and scouring for deals, to take the family for a few days at Disney can be multiple thousands. You can take the same family to CP for much less than that.

This is why in a down economy places like Disney can falter while CP does fine, because people aren't willing to shell out thousands for a Disney vacation, but can afford a sub-$1k vacation to CP.

I like how it has been awhile since anyone against FL has posted anything, but all the pro FL keep posting and trying to start the argument again. By start the argument again I mean state things that support their argument even when the argument has ended. We all know will those comments will get a response about how it is not right to have FL and start another 5 page long banter back and forth about how it is fair and how it isn't fair. I would have thought by now that everyone would understand that you aren't going to change anyone's opinion or win any argument. Can we just let this thread die and wait an hour or so for FL to be mentioned in another thread to start this war again?

P.S.- I know if it bothers me I can just not click on this thread but, I find it so interesting how people cannot let one comment on this topic go without telling them how they are wrong.

Edit- Damn that post that beat me by a minute or two completely discredits my initial observation. Let the flame war continue

Scottyf, a few days at CP can run into the multiple thousands also, depending on what room you get. A Breakers Horizon Suite for 3 nights is around $2000. Even a Bon Air room for 3 nights will be around $600 or $700. Then add tickets, food, drinks, etc. and it can add up. The biggest difference in cost between Disney and CP is transportation. Most people drive to CP where it is common to fly to Florida. But the park (food, drinks) and accommodation cost is similar, though admission to CP is less than Disney. But, if you're talking about a vacation, the lower admission is not that significant when you add everything else up. I think maybe you meant 1 day at CP compared to a number of days at Disney, but a 1 day trip is not a vacation to me. You have to stay a few days to make it a vacation.

You're right, but I wasn't speaking to the end all be all of CP vacations. I do think, however, that on a daily basis, the average family is going to spend about 2-3x when it comes to tickets, food & everything else at Disney compared to CP.

As for the transportation, I was also talking about CP's major demographic, which is what, 2-3 hours distance? Those folks have a choice between CP and Disney, which of course would factor in transportation costs.