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Just because something is legal doesn't make it right. And just because something is right doesn't make it legal. Good companies respect their customers and want to do the right thing, not just whatever they can get by with. The customer denied a paid for meal due to a newly imposed time window is not going to remember fondly a "Best day ever." To put it mildly.

I'm sure there is some sort of fine print that says that they can change the terms. I'm sure it's legal it's just very unethical. Especially since most of their target demographic for this product is loyal guests, so many who intended to purchase this product would have purchased it already. Then again, as Terp pointed out, this is the same company that thinks its ethical to sell someone a Jr pass and if the kid grows (as they inherently do) then they have to give them more money mid-season. It's also the same company who, after being offered a drink wrist band by 3 employees that day alone, I was told that if I was caught with one then security would be called. I emailed the head of the foods department asking for clarification. He thought it wasn't important to respond to a guest's concern. That was the last purchase I made from the Food Department at KI. This was in late July. I was going to start over with a dining plan and everything in 2015. Clearly nothing has changed and the dysfunction continues. One thing is communicated and another thing is acted on. Perhaps another year.

How is this really different than going in a fast food establishment, ordering a #4 Combo, paying for it, and the manager deciding to give you less food as the food cost was running too high for the month? You didn't get what you thought you paid for. You bought what was sold, and after you bought it, the seller changed the terms of the deal. It certainly is not a good business practice.

I've been sort of stewing all day about this, and it finally clicked what bothers me so much about it. Years ago (ok, honestly, a couple decades, I'm getting old), when I first had a Season Pass, I felt it gave me sort of a VIP status. Like they appreciated that I sank a large chunk of my entertainment budget into their park that they could count on before the season even started. With things like the passholder's special entrance (to bypass the regular line), they reinforced this feeling. Last year was the first time I've used a pass again in around 15 years. Many of the rules, shortened ERT, and the difficulties I had in obtaining even the small discounts given with the pass left me feeling less like a valued customer and more like someone who was begrudgingly allowed to "get away" with things. Like they feel passholders are people who are already getting more than they deserve for their money, so they have to watch closely to make sure we don't take advantage of them. When all we are doing is using the benefits we thought we signed up for. This rules change on the dining plan reeks of that, viewing passholders as attempted moochers rather than VIPs. Oh, they thought they could just get meals whenever someone paying full price could? We can't have that, better make them wait in long lines to really /earn/ that meal they've already paid for! Think they could choose to have two meals later in the day separated by four hours rather than being at the park when WE say? Got to put a stop to that!

I have been critical to this change after purchase, but it is easy for all of us to take shots at it without being privy to all the information we hope Cedar Fair looked at to decide to make this change after sales have occurred. Doesn't make it right, but we only know the side we see. After several seasons, I do wonder if some of these things "brought on" by Mr. former Disney-exec (money grab Fast Lane, throwing pricing at gate out the window, changing policies after sales, charging a junior pass a full pass in August because such child grew, etc.) are truly in best interest of guest experiences or simply to maximize profit. Many will say he brought Banshee and Cirque, etc. but I tend to say that those types of things would have occurred regardless of who was at the helm - parks of this size need to put in a Banshee-type ride every so-many years or lose relevance. With all that said, I tend to be the type of season pass holder the park likes. I have mentioned before that I think the price of a pass is low, and as such I tend to do my share with in-park purchases to do my part in help keeping the park open with revenue stream. When FUNPerks started, I was rewarded with my spending habits and hated to see it disappear. I am glad that they offer a discount for pass holders as they can then see which are spending and which are not. Contrast that with the pass holder that doesn't spend a dime in the park - that doesn't help the park. Regarding the dining plan, I thought it was a great value last year and jumped at the chance to buy it. Last year, I tended to spend more on other items (fudge, ice cream, snacks), as I thought the dining plan was a great value and since it was already paid for, buying fudge during a visit seemed cheap compared to years prior when I would purchase a meal every time. I tend to reward establishments where I feel I am getting value. Changing the dining plan after I purchased will have a net decrease in my in-park spending this year. It wasn't what I agreed to when I purchased. If I show up at 3pm and stay till close on nights they are open to 10pm or midnight, last year I could get two meals and be inclined to purchase snacks because of the perceived value I was receiving and could still do so with a 4-hour wait window that I agreed to last fall. This year, under the lunch and dinner windows, arriving at 3pm, I only get one meal. My perceived value has been cut in half. In turn, I will be less likely to spend extra.

The part that amazes me as well is why would the parks want to concentrate meal plan customers into what are already the busiest times for food stands, inconveniencing both the meal plan buyers and impulse food buyers? Too long a line sends the impulse hungries to the parking lot or outside the park, with their wallets and nickels with them.

Perhaps you were far from the only one to call this morning?

The time window doesn't matter as much to me as most of my trips to KI are all-day trips anyway. The fact that they're forcing you to get food during peak times is going to be a pain though. The more time I spend in line waiting for food, the less time I have to enjoy everything else the park has to offer. I guess the trick there will be to learn which stands are typically the least crowded at any given time. I do feel sorry for the employees though, as they're now going to have to deal with larger crowds at already busy times.

Just what we need: another amusement park filled with bouncing basketballs and people chasing after stray balls. Not to mention that given the park's location, there's a higher-than-usual chance of people doing something... how do I put this gently... improper with them.

If true, excellent. However, I'll reserve judgment until the season actually begins.

I would even understand it if the new system were that you get one meal during the first half of the operating day (so between 10 and 4 on a normal 10 AM to 10 PM operating day) and one during the second half (4 to 10). No gaps, no forcing passholders to get their food (which will then technically be costing the park money since it's all paid up in advance) and slow the lines during peak hours, and you prevent people like me from showing up at 5:30 and getting two meals. That still wouldn't be ideal for me personally, but it would make a whole lot more sense. Now, that said, SIX has the time windows when the dining plan can be used (or they did at SFGAm this year. I assume it works the same at each park). Their system isn't so different from what is going to be put in place at FUN parks now. Except of course for the important fact that once they sold the plan to the customers, it didn't change.

Eating outside the park....something most did in the first place to avoid high prices in the park. They tried to bring us back in with the dining plan. It worked. For a year. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

<rant> Um... False advertising much? I bought an all-season dining plan that entitles me to two meals per visit at any Cedar Fair outdoor water or ride park, with only a four hour interval between meals. The list of participating locations and meals is subject to change. That's what I bought. No disclaimer that the entire thing is subject to change at the whim of Cedar Fair. Nothing. Nothing was mentioned to me at time of purchase that they may decide to change things after the sale. I bought it with a 4hr wait time and I expect that. That's not too much to ask. As others have said, what if you had every intention to be there at the designated meal time but you missed it by five minutes? Maybe you were in line for a ride that should've given you enough time but there was a brief rain or mechanical delay. Maybe there were too many people in line that it took too long to order. Why would they want to put the stress on the guest to plan their day around meals, rather than stopping for a meal when convenient? I go to Cedar Point to have fun, not to be stuck to a schedule. Not to sound like an overall "entitled" person, as I'm really not, but I paid hard-earned money for the plan as sold and am thus entitled to at least that much. And people blew up when Cedar Point took Midway Market back off the dining plan.. Edit: Oh, and Knott's Berry Farm has been open for a month with the dining plan only having the 4hr wait time. Now they've changed it to the scheduled meal times. Can't wait to see how people feel about having the rules changed on them like that, after having already used it. </rant>

Buy dinner from us, pay now. We will tell you what you can have and when later. And you will be glad to get it.

Hey, at least those of us without the meal plans know when to eat and when not to.

What you're thinking is exactly true. Kings Island didn't offer season passes until 1979 (I think). They were few and far between. It was before my time, but I imagine it was kind of like having a zoo pass. A few have them, but it's not like "Oh, you're going to the zoo? You might as well buy a season pass." There are three main components that make up KI's attendance: season pass, individual tickets, and group sales; with the season pass base spending, by far, the least per capita as part of the mix. The higher the season pass base for the day, the lower the in park per capita spending is. So they spend most of the Fall trying to sell season passes. It's guaranteed Q4 revenue for them. Beyond that, ALL benefits are designed to attempt to increase per capita spending. The benefits work to your advantage, but they're certainly not a gift. Here are how the benefits that I can think of off the top of my head increase per capita: ERT/Early Entry into Soak City - This is designed to entice you come to the park earlier, thus expanding the hours per visit and increasing the the chances of food purchases. 10% discount on food/merch - This is to combat out-of-park spending. A 10% discount adds a perceived value to purchases. Bring a friend days - Your friend will spend and spend and spend and spend money if it's their only visit to KI that year. Plus, if you're with them, you'll likely be spending money that you wouldn't normally spend. Admission to Haunt - Remember when they tried to say your pass wasn't good for Haunt back in like 2007? Then they backpedaled. Then they said, "Okay, it'll be good for 2007, but not 2008." Then they backpedaled. This wasn't a gift. First, season pass holders were used to getting into Haunt (then Fear Fest) so they would feel like there is less of a value to the pass. Secondly, if you don't win October, you loose the entire season. Cash is raked in on an industrial level. What if many of those patrons chose not to go? That would be disastrous, not only for KI, but for the entire company. Kings Island's Haunt carries a lot of weight. I've said it before and I'll say it again: the Kings Island Gold Pass is, hands down, the best deal in the CIncinnati area. Just remember that there's a reason for every perk, "free" things are built into other costs, and you - as a pass carrier - play a specific function within the revenue of the park.

There were no terms or fine print disclosed when I made my purchase. Nothing visible at cedarpoint.com (including web pages and PDF attachments). Nothing at the season pass center at Cedar Point. Nothing printed out with my receipt that says that the product I purchased was subject to fundamental changes at the whim of the seller. Nowhere along the line was any fine print provided. For them to somehow produce something and claim you were bound by it at this point would not only be unethical but (and IANAL) 99.999999% likely illegal.

I'm with Shark. I would not likely have purchased it given those conditions. Will I use it? Probably. Will I be able to use it the way I had anticipated when I bought it? Unlikely. On a typical weekday, I'll get to the park at about 5:30, just after work. I'll eat as soon as I get there and then again one more time later in the day. Even with a four hour window, this was possible (well, not in Festhaus, but I digress...) So now, I paid a higher price than last year for something with effectively half the value. My jimmies are rustled. I'm not going to make a big fuss about it, but it is certainly frustrating that I bought it under a set of assumptions that are no longer valid. And if they don't change it back to a system similar to what we were expecting it to be this season, the odds that I'd buy again in 2016 are very slim, indeed. I ate sandwiches in my car when I visited Kings Island for years. I'm willing to do it again.

And the station building still stands. So far. Terp, who has said....enough.

And there was much rejoicing.

I wonder if the Federal Trade Commission would be interested in a bait-and-switch complaint.

I make a lot of visits to the park each year. Often it's for an hour or so - after 8:00 at times. I was going to purchase this plan this year but it doesn't make sense for me anymore.

I concur with Shark - I would not have purchased meal plan either with the time-frame limitations - 4 hour window is one thing and what was agreed to when purchased and sold as.

Had a few moments to think this over. Would I have bought it knowing these time constraints happened, probably not. I bought knowing there was a four hour window. Not a duel window time frame. So if the the park closes at 8 will lunch be 10-12 and dinner 4-6? When the park is open to 1 am will dinner be later? And man someone is going to be perturbed when they show up at 235 because their watch or cell phone is slightly different than the cash register time ...

How is it taking advantage of something if you used it the way they intended to (2 or 4 hour gap). Never mind that Disney doesn't care if you use all your meals in one sitting or throughout the day.

Anyone see Dining Plan Plus in the foreseeable future?

Probably the same thing that happens if you buy your right sized kid a kid's season pass, and by July he's too tall to qualify...

I don't mean to be a downer, but does anyone else here find it a little frustrating that the rules of this thing keep changing after people purchase them? I appreciate the park organizing this plan and don't mind that there are rules, but I don't understand why they keep changing after purchase. I was more against than for the idea of getting the dining plan this year simply because I realized I only barely eat at the park enough to justify the price, but the part of me that was still on the fence is, for now, decided against it. I like (and do sincerely want) to support the park, but this doesn't work for me. I'll reconsider if the rules (including any possible revisions throughout the season) are communicated clearly and effectively with, for example, signage. Or at least an email clearly defining any rule changes. Given the level of communication that I experienced throughout the Cedar Fair parks I visited last year concerning both all-day and all-season dining plans, I'm not holding my breath, to be frank.

Federal? State? Both? Terp, who does not live in a state, territory or possession of The United States of America, has no voting representative in Congress, but pays scads of federal and local taxes. To quote his license plate: "TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION"

When you sit in class trying to draw the designs of coasters at KI on the back of your paper.

My pass would be lost if I didn't have it in my wallet right now...

LOL

^Mine, nor my kids never left. At least I know where they are. They could be lost by now, if not

I remember last year, at the Skyline on I-Street. My sister and I got in line and when we cashed out almost 30 minutes had passed.

Seeing as they are doing this during "peak" times I wonder if you have to check out within the predetermined time, or just be in line . The later would be almost impossible but the former would depend upon how many people are in line and how fast the line moves. You could get in line with 20 minutes left and check out 30 minutes later, thus having to pay. Seems like someone didn't think this through. It would seem better to offer off-peak hours for the dining plans. It would keep the lines down during peak hours. If a regular non-dining plan user sees a large line at mealtime they may decide to leave the park to go to the arches or bells or skip it entirely. However if the dining plan was used off-hours the lines during peak times would be shorter for those guests who don't frequent the park as much and food would have to be made on a more regular basis throughout the day to keep with the demand. I expect this to change once the season opens if not sooner. The bait and switch thing is kind of wrong, especially to the people who support you the most. I would think anyone who purchases season passes and dining plans up-front would be treated better. Just my thoughts.

Last year at the burger stand near Vortex, I was in line behind a gentleman and the cashier asked if he had a gold pass, he said no. The cashier told him his price and he said no thank you I dont want it because that wasnt the price on the menu (I forget what he was ordering). The cashier asked if I had a pass, I said yes, she asked to scan it and did so giving the guy a discount.... I wonder how many employees will give away free drinks, again this year. Many times its the "no need to scan the bottle" free drinks that happen....

If you're hungry outside meal times, the park would love to sell you a funnel cake, fresh-cut fries, Graeter's ice cream, or a slice of fudge. Since this change is being made after the meal plan operated for a month at Knott's Berry Farm, perhaps there were problems with it cannibalizing snack sales. Goble and disco2000 make excellent points about eating at non-standard times and avoiding peak crowds. Long lines and understaffed locations were problems at times last season. If a line is long, I like being able to skip it and return later. Many people need to plan their meal times around factors other than traditional meal times. Ideally, they would program their POS & ticketing systems to allow existing customers to redeem meals their two meals under either set of rules. That would make the system more complex and confusing, however, so that doesn't seem likely for FUN. More realistically, I'd like to see the new rules sent to existing customers via e-mail and snail mail, along with an apology for any inconvenience and instructions for obtaining a refund if they no longer want the plan. As some customers would be getting less for their money now, loading some freebies onto affected season passes (eg. free RPW fries & a free funnel cake) would be nice.

Goodyellowkorn - it is worth anger for those that purchased such meal plan being told that it was a 4 hour window wait and locations subject to change and are now being told the hours are restricted by a time and such hours conflict with angered individual's "normal" lunch and dinner times that may not correspond with such hours as posted. What's next, are they going to only open the food stands from 11:30 to 2:30 and 4:30 to 8pm - wow just think how much they would save in payroll and utilities by only being open for 6.5 hours instead of 12 hours for a normal operating day I see your point regarding the hour discrepancies on all of the meal plans - but the new plan says dinner time may vary as park hours vary - how is adjusting the hours for meals on days the park hours are not "normal" aiding in making it easier. Making every meal plan 4 hours, regardless of operating hours of park, is a much simpler process. You may not be angered and outraged with it, perhaps you don't have a meal plan or the hours posted are fine, but rest assured, you will get fired up and angered over something in your life that folks will say "but in my humble opinion, so is outrage about it....Not wrong, but not worth anger."

I guess my outrage/upsetness/just aggravated by is over the times. Just silly and stupid imo. I have no problem with the 4 hour break or even a 5. My problem is if I want to eat at 3 I can't. No if ands or buts, unless I want to pay, which I would rather purchase outside the park. Same as if I get there at 9 and need to eat around 1030/11... What if I get there after work and then want to eat at say 8:30? Gaps in time, I get. The set schedule as many have said during peak meal time is sort of aggravating. When you have a little one they tend to eat when they are hungry. Not at a set schedule usually. And I really bought the meal plan as to make my day when I'm there easier. Not worry long about am I in my lunch window or not.

Double post This absolutely upsets me. So I plan on arriving at the park at 1045. Buy a pop and sit down with my son to enjoy pizza by the fountain around 11. He and I then go to Dino a Alive, ride some rides, get some chicken around 3 do a few more things and go home. But now, everything is not that way. Seriously this is such a bad move. I don't even understand the junk. And screw it if I want to save my meal for late and night and want to eat a coney before heading home. Bad move KI. I'll be calling tomorrow to express my disgust.

Wow - just wow. And they wonder why they get negative publicity and profit and all that good stuff is down. Look for the TV investigative report on this come May (will not happen in April as the workers will not be trained yet that the hours are limited ) I purposely avoided those "busy" times and got my food on the meal plan when the lines were down. And I suspect a lot that had the meal plan did the same - everyone I know with the meal plan did anyway. I would typically get my food at 3pm and 9pm. Rarely at the park for the times listed for lunch. I suspect most season pass holders are also in a similar situation of being at the park for differing hours that don't fit this time restriction. If plans were subject to change that drastically, then they should have avoided selling this during their fall REVENUE DRIVE (renewal period) and waited until they finalized the plans. It changed from 2 to 4 hours and I was ok with that. Dining locations were subject to change and I was ok with that. I am not ok with limiting said hours after purchase - that was not part of the fine print. What is next, our season passes are only valid on weekdays before 1pm and after 8pm? Now don't get me wrong, I think the price-point is too low and thought the two-hour wait wasn't long enough and as such the system was probably abused. If making the wait time longer helped stop the abuse and keep prices down, fine. I often wondered why they didn't limit the hours of offering and thought that if they placed a restriction it would be to avoid peak times drive the hours to when the food stands are not as busy, but I didn't expect it to happen after said purchase. So I guess the 4 hour wait is gone or is that in addition to within the timeframes (like cannot eat at 2:30 and 4:30)? I am sure most would have been willing to pay more for the plan without the dining hours restriction. I would have. Will be interesting to see if they rescind this - given their recent PR actions, I suspect not. If this doesn't change, will be my last year of the dining plan, and perhaps the pass - I can take my money elsewhere, or maybe go back to eating outside the park.

Meanwhile, the other, larger operator of regional seasonal parks, who originated this concept in the USA, has clearly communicated rules which, to date, have not changed once purchased.

^Regarding the shot from gorillasdontblog.blogspot.com, that was actually taken one of the days that The Brady Bunch was filming in the park in 1973, hence the buses and equipment scattered around the theater. Here's some additional shots of the theater: 1972, courtesy cheezonastick.net From a 1973 souvenir book. The inset is the interior of the theater. 1974, from an old eBay auction. Excellent shot of the whole structure. 1974, from KICentral user standbyme. The building housed "Make Your Own Kind of Music" this year. The theater was removed after it collapsed under the weight of a heavy snowfall during the (I think) 1975-76 off-season. I could have sworn I've seen a picture of the damage somewhere online, but I've been unable to locate it. Anyone able to help?

The new 2015 map of Alabama's Splash Adventure has now been posted on the park's website, Here.

Dining plan information has been updated for 2015 on Kings Island's website. https://www.visitkingsisland.com/things-to-do/dining-plans?mobile=0 The big change from the fall announcement (when 2015 plans went on sale) is that there are now set times for redeeming lunch and dinner. Originally, there was to be a 4-hour wait time between meals, with no other time restrictions. This approach is simpler for guests using the meal plans as intended, though I'm personally not a fan of having to eat within those hours. I can see some customers being upset that the rules changed after purchasing the plan. EDIT: The original redemption rules for the 2015 season have been restored to the park's website. Several potential issues with the rule change were pointed out in this thread, and KI responded to feedback from concerned guests who had already purchased the plans.

goodyellowkorn182: The thing is, though: is it actually "crystal clear?" Yes, it's spelled out on the park's website, but honestly, if it weren't for this site, how many would actually think to re-check the rules of the dining plan before taking a trip to the park? The new rules don't ruin my day by any means, but I find it somewhat annoying that something that already seems hit-and-miss in execution is going to add designated times for you to eat. In theory, yeah, that's hardly a big change. If you wanted to, you could even eat two hours apart, which is closer than the final iteration of the plan let you do last year. It's more the fact that another layer of complexity has been added onto something that seemed to have struggles already. If the past is precedent, there won't be signage in the park, nor will there be indication (apart from an unceremonious text change in the website) to anyone who's purchased it already that the rules have changed. If past is precedent, food employees may or may not know about the change. Cue angry passholders and exasperated managers attempting to apologize for non-communicated changes. (I could write a book about trying to use an all-day dining plan at Carowinds last year.) I come across way more passionate in this thread about this than I intended to, haha. My feathers aren't ruffled by this. It just feels like more of Cedar Fair's "get a discount when the planets align appropriately, as long as the employees happen to know what the heck you're talking about"-type deals like the Interpreter quote in your profile mentions. It's a little wearisome, and I dislike it enough that I'm not going to rush out and embrace it this year. I'd love to be wrong. EDIT: Not to mention that the Busch Gardens' one-day meal plans work similarly and successfully: one lunch ticket to use before 4, and one dinner one for after. Except the rules are actually printed on the tickets and don't rely on the cashier having successfully received the message through the grapevine. And the plan doesn't have a history of changing after you've purchased it. It's a well-executed program.

This, in my opinion was not the right thing to do. A full refund should be offered to those who are not satisfied. Parents would not allow their children to behave this way. Would other Parks (or businesses) treat their "best customers" this way?

The Rumor has become Reality. http://www.tampabay.com/news/humaninterest/busch-gardens-gwazi-roller-coasters-clickety-clack-goes-silent/2216014

Good points all around. I still want to try this out, but I think the original rules were better. Technically speaking, it's not like you're getting "free meals." You just paid for a certain amount of meals up front, whether you went with the Single Meal, All Day, or All Season dining options. While the windows aren't too grueling and gap between meals can now be two hours -- that is if you eat at 2:30 and then again at 4:30 -- it just seems odd that to pay what you're paying for it, that it becomes so restrictive, which also makes one fearful of future restrictions. Another thing is that not everybody who purchases one of these plans is a member here nor keeps up with every little detail on the official site. So, imagine what's going to happen when people, having seen the original rules when they bought it, show up at 3, starving as all get out, low on blood sugar, and agitated that a 15 year old cashier said, "Sorry bro, you can't use this." I guess the gamble is that person who, in his head, had bought this meal months ago and was, financially speaking, entitled to, will then impulsively buy it. Something tells me, that won't always be the case. (Never mind the fact that, according to that "subject to change" nonsense, he purchased the plan expecting to get Chicken Shack, the Shack could theoretically now deny him that chicken-y goodness without a moment's notice. Though, I suspect that restriction will more likely barricade places like Skyline.)

I don't like changing the rules once the game begins. This should have been disclosed at the time of purchase.