super7

Kings Island doesn’t even have the best Winterfest. The lights are better at both Carowinds and Kings Dominion and Carowinds has a better ride lineup.

These parks have a horrible pricing structure. if one buys a season, pass and dining plan with drinks and uses it a lot, it’s cheap entertainment But if one goes a single time, it’s ridiculously expensive. I think they gouged the people that go one time to make up for the small profits on all these season passes. it would be much better just to have decent pricing on everything and not give away the house with these season passes And i’m on a season pass. I spend as little over that as possible at Cedar Fair Parks, because of the way they treat their customers and their employees. I don’t think the merger is going to fix anything. Out of the two companies Cedar Fair (as bad as they are) is actually the better one and has nothing to gain from being involved with Six Flags. Cedar Fair is all about cutting cost now and will probably just continue to degrade the customer experience until it’s like a Six Flags experience.

The seats are the most uncomfortable that I have ever experienced on a flat ride. The hard plastic digs into my hip bones as soon as I sit down and the entire ride. I am 34 waist size so not unusually wide or large. It’s very painful. I’ve tried the ride twice and given up on it. I am 6 ft 3 and have to contort to get under the restraints since they only rise up even with the top of the seats. Chalk it up to poorly designed Zamperka junk. They couldn’t even get this thing ride to tilt full 90 degrees.

Previously, the large trees in front of Festus were just up, lit. It was such a waste of large trees that could have spectacular lighting. This year they actually lighted them! The other area I noticed more lights is the walkway between international Street and Planet Snoopy, between the enchanted voyage, building and the first aid building. They all those trees are wrapped in blue and red lights, and I think previously they were just mostly up lit.

Carowinds is enforcing their chaperone policy for Winterfest. ID required to get in there.

Staffing issues = we won’t pay enough to attract workers. Back to Dollywood again! I went on WEEKDAYS in Sept and now there this week on weekdays Fully staffed. ALL rides open except seasonal water rides and of course Lightning Rod is down. Huge live entertainment lineup. But get this. ALL restaurants, food stands and shops are open All rides fully staffed. Running trams. But cost cutting Cedar Fair can’t “find” workers in a huge metro area.

That price is dishonest. Another Cedar Fair trick. I know they aren’t the only one but it’s still not the real price. They add a “processing” fee for doing absolutely nothing for a self serve online purchase.

It was also out of the control of the customers. It wasn’t their fault. I personally was happy with the extended 2021 pass as many people were, but there were people that could not use a pass in 2021 and they deserved a refund if the pass was unused It’s just not high ethics to keep someone’s money without providing a service or good.

Btw. An ethical business offers refunds (even prorated is ethical). Keeping people’s money when they don’t get what they expected is NEVER good business in the long run. just like 2020. They did not give refunds when they could not provide what was expected. They carried it over to 2021 and some people may not have been able to attend that year

It's also worth mentioning that Dollywood is operating DAILY Jan 1 to Jan 7 2024 for the end of their Christmas event. I saw some posts online about how much people thought a CF/SF all park pass should be? They were giving prices like $250, which is only slightly more than a Dollywood, Hershey, etc one park pass. The customers that CF and SF have decided to cater to with their virtually all-thrill-and-kiddie lineup of attractions is bringing the kind of customer that wants everything for nothing...... I have a 2024 CF all park pass with meals and drinks that i paid appx $375 for through Canada's Wonderland. I don't attend these parks as much as i used to, but i will get my money's worth out of it with at least 10 visits. However, that is ALL that i will spend at a Cedar Fair park in 24 because of the unethical way they do business (namely ghost weather closures for low attendance) and because of their current philosophy to cut cut cut. I am in driving distance of Dollywood and will probably spend $1,000 plus there next year. $234 for the gold pass, eating every time i go, even merchandise (i found a great wallet there last visit). They don't mysteriously close due to low attendance and blame the weather, so i know i will get to do what I am planning when i go there. I will gladly spend money there because they provide a great product. Their employees are VERY friendly. When a park can provide a full working schedule 10 months of the year and treats their employees right (back to the ghost weather closures which cut employee hours), they can retain good employees and enough of them to keep everything open. I visited in Sept on weekdays and the ONLY thing closed in the ENTIRE park was ONE restaurant ONE day. It's also wonderful to be able to visit a park on Spring, Fall and Winter weekdays. I find that Dollywood attracts a diverse crowd that comes for the shows as well as the rides. On these off season weekdays, half the crowd is there for the shows and there are no lines for the rides. Quality experience because they are smart enough to appeal to a more varied, higher spending crowd. They have obviously figured out how to use their facility 10 months of the year while Cedar Fair and these other chains leave them sit empty the majority of the year. I think CF, SF, and SEAS are very BAD investments right now if one if playing the stock market, because they have NO long term growth plan. Only milking what they can out of current customers through cost cutting to meet their short term profit goals. Cedar Fair was initially a great thing for the Taft parks but the wrong people have moved up the ranks and have no idea how to grow a business. This merge is a desperate last attempt at cost cutting (it will eliminate jobs so it is also pure greed at the expense of the employees). CF is not a well managed OR ethical business.

Dollywood also does not offer a cheap meal plan as well.. In fairness, you get what you pay for. This is one reason that Kings Island and Cedar Fair Parks are being run so poorly these days. I have said this before. The company has sold these cheap season passes and these cheap meal plans so long that now their low spending customers expect it. Plus, they came most of their attractions at this low spending market. So their only solution to make money is to cut cut cut since the revenue is not high enough. Cutting services and benefits. It’s just leaving to further attendance increases. It’s a downward spiral that started with their low season pass, and meal plan prices. I personally would rather pay more and get a better product and treated better. The cheap season passes is the reason that a Cedar Fair thinks they can pull antics like closing the park early for low attendance. Their thought process is that the season pass holders are going to renew regardless of how they treated because of the low price It’s obviously failing shown by the lower attendance

https://hfe.widen.net/s/hm2pjhbzhb/24dw_opcal_festivals Dollywood has posted their 2024 schedule. They are operating almost daily except for five day weeks in April and August. There are only 21 days that they are closed next year between March 8 and New Year’s. And 3 of those are Thanksgiving/Christmas. Their shortest operating day is nine hours long now This is an expansion over the 2023 schedule where they were operating at least five days a week and the shortest day was it eight hours it sounds like they’re doing something absolutely right to grow their schedule while these other mismanaged theme parks are cutting their schedules. They run their business with ethics towards the customers and employees.

Boy Cedar Fair/6 flags has it all figured out don’t they? Cut cut cut operating hours and days. But somehow Dollywood can stay open almost daily from March until the end of December. Maybe because they cater to customers other than Thrillseekers that can attend when school is in session. They also seem to know how to treat their employees much better than Cedar Fair. I’m not cutting their hours with ghost mystery weather closures.

This event has had almost the same exact (BAD) entertainment since its inception in 2017. I don’t mean the performers. I mean the production. Almost every show is low production value of high school quality. They did add the parade at one point and added the (bad) Swinging show last year to replace the (bad) Peanuts Spectacular They are dropping several of their low-quality in investing in this about to make it grow Most likely because it’s just regurgitating the same season pass holders from summer This is my favorite time of year to go to the park. Definitely not because of the shows but because of the lights Hopefully they don’t continue to cut and kill attendance until this event doesn’t exist anymore Cedar Fair’s financials were not good this quarter. They are losing attendance. They brag about their profits because they’re cost-cutting. But that’s just a downward spiral. That will continue to decrease attendance. It’s a shame this company has got to this state because they were doing things so well in recent years I actually used to make a point to spend money at Winterfest every time I went because I enjoyed the event so much. But Cedar Fair has prove themselves unethical, so I will not spend a dime over my season, pass there. I’m sure they put a bad taste in other peoples mouth with some of their antics. Their per capita spending is down as well But one should not expect a lot from an unethical company, that does not treat customers AND employees with respect

I don’t believe Cedar Fair has any concern for shade coverage. They often don’t even fully shade their queue line to make it miserable to wait in line on a hot day. even a Kings Dominion, which is absolutely gorgeous because of the tree cover they have been cutting down trees, one by one each year and not replacing them They also just leave stumps. It is not that expensive to have someone with a stump grinder come in. As many trees as they cut down they should have their own stump grinder.

Plant trees in the barren inner park. There are trees surrounding the park but not many left in the park.

Mystic Timbers effects are VERY low tech. It does not take much effort to maintain those. That tells you how much effort they put into maintenance of theming. It’s a shame because they have been doing a rather good job with theming. That’s good the Mystic Timbers truck headlights are out though. They used those contemporary super bright bulbs that are not only blinding, but also out of theme. Although the entire truck is out of theme being a 60S truck

What are they supposed to do? Operate as scheduled and give their employees. They’re scheduled hours. Again they aren’t closing because of torrential rains or tornado warnings, etc. They are closing for low attendance and using the weather as an excuse. It has stopped raining anytime this has happened to me. Dollywood does not do this if it rains they stay open in Dollywood closes is dangerous weather such as a snow storm That’s because Herschend has ethics, and knows how to treat their employees. Cedar Fair is an ethical. There’s a reason that person can operate almost daily 10 months of the year. They know how to treat their customers and employees

They change their operating hours on the same day a LOT. They have done it repeatedly, a Kings Dominion and Carowinds They get some rain (not enough that in the past would not have stopped operations). Then they close the park, because attendance is low and blame the passing rain how is it obvious that it’s for low attendance? Because when this happened to me the rain to stop in plenty of time before the scheduled closing time I have been a victim to this multiple times after traveling to those parks. Weather forecast was fine, rain appeared, attendance was low, and they closed the entire park in fact, a Carowinds whats in November it was 50° all day and they close the park four hours early with not a cloud in the sky They offer rain checks, but they do not reimburse travelers for the travel time at hotels. A rain check does no good for someone that’s travel distance. Any company that cuts employee hours on the same day is not a good company to work for This company does not operate on ethics. Today they announce the Kings Dominion and Carowinds will not be here around anymore. Months after they started selling 2024 season passes. They knew their attendance (and losses) from last winter when they started selling six 2024 season passes, but they sure did not disclose that they are cutting two months off the operating schedule until now Cedar Fair is an unethical bait and switch company. I personally make a point not to spend a dime more than the passes at this park since they operate the way they do

Have you learned by now there are some people that will defend the unethical practices of Cedar Fair on their customers AND employees, no matter what they do? Including nitpicking the definition of bait and switch. I also consider their early closings bait and switch. They advertised operating hours than they did not provide the service. And they only INTEND on providing the service.If the day is profitable to them. An ethical business Takes its profits with its losses and does not screw the customer AND employees on a bad day. Cedar Fair advertises a product, they get the peoples money, then they change the because they have a tiny disclaimer It’s legal, but it’s unethical People keep repurchasing season passes Not because they are being given a great product or service, but because they are relatively a cheap form of entertainment, if one goes enough. So the end result of these cheap season passes is a company who does not stand behind what they advertise uses a disclaimer to get out of it I know I continue to buy the passes for the above reason. They are low cost entertainment. Personally, I would rather pay more and get exactly what is expected. But I do know this, I would never work for Cedar Fair because of their clear lack of ethics

Any business that advertises a product, then has a disclaimer that they may not provide the advertise product, is an unethical business. Period. an ethical business provides what is advertised and does not use disclaimers to fool customers.

I’m not a fan of lights on formed frames. I prefer them in the trees and in the buildings. they are not going to do this because of the labor cost but imagine the train ride with lights in the high trees…..

They need to separate the vocalists and the animals. For BOTH of their sakes.

No. Even though meals are “free” eating more of the mediocre food there is not worth the price. Eating isn’t a hobby for me, so 2 meals are sufficient. I think the meal snd drink plan are appx $180 of my season pass package. That’s about 9 meals with drinks to bear even. I go at least 20x a year. Eating just one meal a visit would be appx $400 spent. Even if I was buying the sweets on the side, there is no way it would be $220 worth. I will say this for the season dining pass though. The food at these parks is not anything outstanding. So they probably do encourage people to eat at the park that would not eat at the park at all.

Got it. So it’s believed people spend more during the season because of the meal plans. Personally the meal plans have probably cut my season expenditures in at least half of not more.