DispatchMaster

Yes, per the now-public details. The only caveat is that Prestige (which includes "preferred parking, a single-use Fast Lane with each visit, access to the VIP lounge, and so much more") is only available at CP, KI, and CW. If any of this is confusing to anyone they shouldn't be left alone with sharp objects. Or even dull ones.

I guess I don't understand what's confusing or convoluted about the reduction of 5 passes to 3, with the sole complexity being whether or not to add access to other CF parks. I'm honestly trying to wrap my mind about what's so confounding about fewer choices being more confusing. Like, if I'm shopping for a car, and there are 15 cars in my budget from 3 different manufacturers, each with their own warranty policies, etc., I'd have a lot to consider. But if there are only 4 cars to choose from, all from 1 manufacturer, I have quite a lot less to think about. What am I missing?

It's one thing to suggest that the new pass lineup is confusing to you, I get that. I disagree, and think this is a pretty clear example of people complaining about change, because change is scary or whatever, but I get that you find it confusing or whatever. But it's quite another to suggest that your confusion is shared by others, and even more absurd to suggest the "vast majority" of people find it confusing or that there's a wave of outrage due to this. They have effectively gone back to the old, simpler pass strategy of offering two passes, one of which includes early entry and the like, except now you can extend either of those passes to other CF parks. Or if you want a super basic pass, there's a third option in the Summer Pass. It's really not confusing, and I'm kind of astonished why anyone thinks it is. Different, yes, but at the end of the day it's fewer pass options which is a simplification.

Citation needed. Enthusiasts complaining about something on the Internet is not, and has never been, indicative of how the "vast majority" feels.

I feel like I'm missing something, because to me this seems like a simplification. Currently, there are (I think) a whopping five passes available (at CP anyway), all providing various levels of access and benefits: Summer, Gold, Platinum, Prestige, Prestige+. Going forward, that gets distilled down to three passes: Summer, Gold, and Prestige. Using the mathematical process known as "subtraction" I have concluded that three is fewer than five (someone please check me on this). Having fewer passes seems less confusing than having more passes, but, you know, YMMV. The only additional detail is the Passport, but that seems pretty straightforward in that it extends your pass (along with any add-ons) to other participating CF parks. But understanding what the Passport provides seems more intuitive than trying to compare Platinum, Prestige, and Prestige+ to determine which pass provides access to other parks, which pass includes add-ons, etc.

Yes, Cedar Fair is secretly and systematically worsening the experience at KI in order to benefit the other parks, because they care where their revenue comes from. /s

They've never been competing parks. It's true that all regionals were in a dumb "arms race" during the "coaster wars", but parks weren't competing for revenue, they were competing for bragging rights. And yes, Paramount invested more heavily than CF, but that's because KI was a less mature park in terms of ride offerings. I mean, CP invested more heavily in itself before it became CF and before the Paramount purchase, because the 90's and early 00's saw massive investment in the industry. It had and has nothing to do with competition between individual regional parks that draw from different regions. Again, if KI and CF could make a business case for Ride X, they would build Ride X, plain and simple. It's not some emotional or territorial issue, it's just business.

This is just complete nonsense. They are both regional parks and do not compete, since each draws almost all of their guests, and therefore revenue, from their respective regions. And even if that weren't the case, it still utterly nonsensical, since CF makes money regardless of whether a guest is going to CP or KI.

Ride rankings are meaningless, and unless you've talked to a statistically-significant percentage of KI's annual patrons, so too are those conversations. Line length, as you allude to, means nothing without further context. Orion may have better capacity than DB, which would result in shorter lines. So long as the ride performs at the ridership and cost/rider metrics the park aims for, that's all that matters. If KI and CF could make the business case for a ride, they would install it. It's not more complicated than that.

First, it's still true that $30 million today buys less steel than it did in 2014, and there's no indication that's changing anytime soon. So should they wait twenty years? Fifty? Second, these parks have access to data that you don't. And it's apparent their ridership data supported that Orion would please the vast majority of guests at a reasonable cost per rider, even if a insignificant number of insufferable enthusiasts complain about its similarity to DB. What percentage of KI's annual attendees do you think complain about the similarity? The overwhelming majority of guests don't think the way enthusiasts do, and thank goodness for that. "Exceeded" by what metric? Cost? Definitely not, because CF has thankfully learned that it's fiscally irresponsible to spend that kind of money on a roller coaster. But I can guarantee that if KI could make a clear, compelling business case for a taller, faster, longer, or whatever-er coaster CF would absolutely greenlight it. Fury 325 is proof of that.

It's also worth noting that between June 2014 and June 2019 (around when Fury 325 and Orion, respectively, were being fabricated), steel prices increased by more than 30%, which is not trivial. Parks have budgets, and like it or not those budgets drive cap ex decisions. Would anyone honestly prefer they not build Orion at all because they couldn't fit a Fury 325 clone/equivalent into the budget?

Yes, I get that you feel you're entitled. That's the problem.

So, in other words, Orion is right in line with every giga built by Cedar Fair with the exception of MF. Orion is a good, high-capacity, reliable B&M roller coaster, and you consider it a "poor man's" investment? My goodness. I have second hand embarrassment at the spoiled entitlement.

I mean, it's obvious even from an occasional glance at the park cams that what you're saying isn't true.

Whatever issue was causing downtime early on has apparently been resolved, as it's been running almost nonstop for some time now.

Since when is happiness relative to other people's happiness? That doesn't make sense. If I'm happy, someone else also being happy doesn't make me less happy. Regardless, I think you're missing the point, which is that any company would prefer lower variable costs (low attendance) if they can maintain profit margin. The ONLY reason this isn't feasible in KI's case is because there's not a market adequate to support that business model, and/or KI simply isn't high end enough to attract those customers. Those people are going to Disney. But the point I was making is that it's nonsensical to suggest KI should forgo revenue at the expense of the "regular" guest experience. If we assume daily attendance at $50/each is 15,000, the park would prefer instead to entertain 5,000 guests per day at $150/each. That would result in roughly 67% less time waiting in line, therefore a better guest experience, and an equal if not better profit margin given lower variability in consumables cost.

From a business perspective, it's always better to sell one item at $1,000,000 profit rather than 1,000,000 items at $1 profit/each. In other words, amusement parks should be aiming for the highest-spending guest as much as possible, even if it inconveniences the "regular" guest.

If you go back further than the POP days, guests purchased tickets to get access to rides. The more tickets you could afford, the more you were able to ride. People getting more by paying more is not a new thing by any stretch of the imagination.

The bottles aren't going anywhere. This would be an option in addition to the bottles.

LOL Cedar Fair has spent more than $60 million going back only to 2009, and this includes only major cap ex, including literally the longest invert anywhere. And that number jumps to more than $70 million if you include Mystic Timbers. Given where KI ranks in terms of CF's overall existing and projected revenue, that is perfectly appropriate.