disco2000

If they sell 12,300 more gold passes than they did this year, they would have that money LOL

Haven't you learned by now that it only gives you access to the facility and they can do whatever they want (cross threading)

They had way more than they do now. A prior owner sold a lot of it off. A lot of the undeveloped land they still have left are steep ravines and protected stream corridors, so the actual acreage they have that they could develop on is even less.

Sadly it has been like that most of the year. There is plenty they could do - staff the entrance to not allow non prestige in, better signage and fencing, and don't direct people from other lines over. Simply another broken benefit. Why even offer it at this point.

I am sure many people will be interested in that episode!

They would have known that before 2024 passes went on sale...

Glad to hear you had a great time!

At least Haunt isn't being trashed anymore

You must be in the legal department for Cedar Fair with how much you defend them Just because it doesn't meet the legal definition of "bait and switch" and would be considered a frivolous lawsuit doesn't mean it is ethically and morally right to do. However, it could potentially fall under the definition of bait and switch regarding the bottled drinks being taken away and telling the passholders they should just go ahead and buy the drink plan, which then is considered an "upsell". However, just because legally they are meeting the letter of the law doesn't mean they are not employing some of the other psychological persuasion techniques companies do to persuade consumers. In psychology, "bait-and-switch" is a term that is often used to describe a persuasive technique in which an initial promise or offer is made, but the offer is later withdrawn or changed in some way even if it legally allowed per terms and conditions. Sounds like what happened to Prestige to me... They feel emotionally/psychologically that they already have the consumer and with the exception of a few like you that speak with their wallet, the rest will simply continuing opening their wallet every year and buy whatever the park offers the following year. I am sure that they eliminated the platinum pass in hopes that people would move to the prestige pass because of the psychological selling effect that someone that has had platinum for X number years doesn't want to drop to a mere gold pass LOL. But alas you will disagree, so this is simply one of the many times that folks here will have to agree to disagree with your take on the subject LOL.

They would rather tick off the Prestige "we already have your money" passholder than tick off a daily admission by telling them they are in the wrong line and need to move down. At this point, what's one more thing to add to the "bait and switch" tactics that the Prestige Pass has become. They will just keep checking the items off the list until there is no benefit other than someone being able to say "I am a Prestige pass holder" and are willing to pay a premium simply for that. It will simply become a status symbol of wealth and sadly some would still purchase LOL

It is up and running and that is all anyone cares about

Prestige passholders have been complaining that the 2-hour preferred entry benefit wasn't being monitored and they simply would let anyone come thru that entrance and many times that was the slowest line to get into the park because it is so close to guest services that people went thru the Prestige line after coming out of guest services. I have heard from several people that complained that said supervisors told them they don't monitor/enforce that line because it isn't fair to have a long regular line and nobody in the Preferred line and that they would probably do away with that benefit. With that mindset, do they wave the regular line over into the Fast Lane line if nobody is in it LOL I am hearing that they didn't have the preferred lane set up for Preferred entry this weekend. Any early Prestige holders here to confirm that? If it was gone, was it intentional or an oversight?

Says the guy that quit getting passes because they devalued the ERT perk by letting more passholders have access to ERT

Come on a day with rain in the forecast...keeps the crowds away they say....line to AE lol

The weather doesn't appear to have impacted attendance like one would think.

Just because it isn't illegal doesn't mean it isn't a bait and switch either. Perception is reality and if a customer believes they bought something with the expectation of receiving a certain benefit that is listed as a benefit of said purchase and then it is removed, in their eyes that is a bait and switch. OK, so you spoke with your wallet and said that once they devalued the platinum pass you had by allowing more passholders with lower tiered passes access to ERT you quit renewing. You said "We place a lot of value on Early Entry" and that de-watering/devaluing of that benefit was your reasoning for not renewing. So you would have simply accepted mid-season if they did away with Early Entry all together? You wouldn't come to sites like this and wouldn't go to guest services to express your dissatisfaction of a benefit promised when you purchased and simply would have chalked it up to "Season Pass benefits subject to change without notice." and remained totally silent and simply just not renew the following year? Well be glad you don't have a Prestige Pass with your extreme value of Early Entry. One of the said benefits of the Platinum Pass is a Preferred entrance for the first 2 hours of park opening. This is a tremendous benefit to those that get at the park for ERT or during the morning rush. EXCEPT - the park doesn't enforce it and lets everyone come thru that entrance. Many times Prestige holders coming as a group will split up at the entrance as a game to see who gets thru first. Sadly those in the Preferred Line are usually the last to get in LOL. Many people clog that preferred entrance up because they also think it is a guest services line. Prestige Passholders have complained many times to the on-site supervisor and expressed it in writing that they are not providing a promised benefit. Supers have told Prestige passholders they don't care and are unwilling to enforce that line prior to people getting in that line and will probably eliminate that benefit next year. Since you are big on a pass simply provides you access to the park and nothing else, The Platinum pass is to provide them preferred access to the park and they can't even provide that. You speaking with your wallet but not providing any input to the park as to why isn't really speaking. One would hope that being an active paying customer like many people are here and making complaints to the park in writing about issues would carry more weight as the park hopes to not lose them as a customer. But sadly, as you, I, and others here have pointed out, as long as people continue to renew regardless, they really don't have an incentive to improve. And then they are many that don't get to the park early and never take advantage of ERT and think it is silly someone wouldn't renew simply because they let more passholders in for ERT.... To each their own. What you put value on someone else doesn't and vice versa.

Maybe you are the irrational enthusiast that gets butthurt over one thing and then quits going to the park because of it Even with all the issues, fun and value is still had at the park by most of us. Nothing is perfect. Nothing is pure black or white. If we wait around for perfection, we are sitting in mommy's basement because it ain't happening. Such is life. Or, as you see us, we are not as intelligent as you because we haven't spoke with our wallets and continue to go to the park because it doesn't meet every one of our expectations At the end of the day, we each decide how to spend our entertainment dollar and are free time. You have decided to not spend it at the park and spend your time trolling those that don't accept your viewpoint LOL. Look, you make some great claims and points that many of us agree with (plus many we think you are wrong LOL), but you appear to not be willing to listen to other peoples ideas and opinions and maybe change your opinion based on what is presented to you. Many of us have said and agree with you that "there's no business case for catering to finicky complaints from customers who will purchase what you're selling regardless." It appears that is the business model going forward until metrics tell them to change. As long as people show up regardless, there is not a lot of incentive to improve. One area were we disagree with you is "no one is "promised" anything, and no one "deserves" anything beyond what's spelled out when agreeing to a transaction." and your refusal to accept the changing conditions of the Prestige pass. This isn't the only time that the park has used "terms subject to change" clause in the season pass, but this one was so blatant, obvious, and many "promises" that Prestige passholders "deserved" as it was spelled out as the benefits to the the Prestige pass that were then silently removed and many have screenshots showing what they agreed to at the time of the transaction. I guess because of the "terms subject to change" clause in the passholder agreement we should expect that you will never purchase a pass again because they may change the terms of something that you feel you deserve and was promised and agreed to at the time of the transaction.... Most of us though acknowledge that even with that clause, there should be an expectation that we should get what we paid for and agreed to at the time of the season pass transaction, and have to use our past history, experience, and reputation of the company to determine how much of the agreement they will hold up on. But if their model continues to be bait and switch, then we will start to see more people speak with their wallet. The question is how much bait and switch will it take for it to make an appreciable dent into the metrics for them to take note and make changes?

Keep in mind that he admitted in another thread that he has spoken with his wallet and hasn't been a passholder for who knows how long, so he has no skin in this fight and apparently refuses to think that the very reasons that caused him to discontinue getting a pass hasn't got worse....things have got much worse and the Prestige Pass bait and switch gives a glimpse into what they may do as times get worse. Since he isn't an active passholder/park visitor going thru these issues personally, his opinion doesn't carry the same weight as those that are.

Let's hope we never find out! But we see a watered down Haunt every year and people keep coming. People said we cheapened out getting Zamperla rides and a single instead of double seater Sol Spin, yet people keep visiting the park. Maybe it isn't 10 years, but the point is they don't need a record breaker or major improvement every year or other year and people will continue to renew the passes and add-ons because they represent a great value. I think we may see CF stretch the years and lower the budgets on attractions and see what impact it has, especially if the down year continues. Sure they lose passholders every year that say "they haven't done anything new so we are skipping", but if for every 1 passholder than doesn't renew, they gain 7 new passholders, they are coming out ahead.

That is exactly my point said in a different way. There are many passholders that haven't ridden any of the new rides built in the last 10-15 years and will continue buying passes and going to the park as long as it represents a good value to them. They go for the atmosphere, the shows, the meal plan, taking family that do ride the rides, etc. Now new attractions do contribute to the atmosphere and as you said maintain the attendance base. But at the same time they could stretch the years out a bit and not put in the latest and greatest and most expensive attraction and still maintain the attendance base. I mean look what a fresh coat of paint and rename can do. Hanks rarely had a line. "Sales" are exponentially higher this year and many times the line is out the door all because of a paint job and rename lol. Now obviously some of that increased foot traffic is attributable to Adventure Port being right there, along with picking up the Skyline customers with the removal of one of them in favor of the rarely busy Grain & Grill.

I mentioned blog because people keep bringing up Chad hasn't done stories and stories are best suited for blogs, along with pointing out that KI posting frequency there and other social media platforms is roughly the same as other CF parks (I did mention that too LOL) so maybe it is a CF thing and not a personnel thing...it was simply one of many areas people are knocking that department on that I was pointing out KI is comparable in posting frequency... Again, the point was whether CP went all out and invited every enthusiast and their family to the announcement (which they didn't lol so many think it was a dud as there wasn't all the hype about it - just simply a random statement that the next morning plans will be revealed long before park opening without guests being invited) or they did absolutely nothing, people are going to visit the park regardless. The only ones not visiting due to how the announcement was made will only be the completely irrational enthusiasts that got butthurt they were not invited to an announcement so they boycott the park LOL.

Exactly, It usually takes a lot of turnover before a previous culture is wiped out.

You are saying exactly what I have been saying in other threads LOL. People come to the parks whether the parks are marketing or not. You missed the point entirely if blog frequency was all you got out of that wall of text regarding job performance LOL. But that doesn't surprise me either LOL. It is one tool in the marketing tool box. But as you said, looking at the stuff where people are going...the fact that the frequency of posts to Twitter, FB, Instagram are roughly the same for each park is probably more an indication of the corp policy rather then the personnel in those roles. I am sure many in those roles would like to be more frequent and maybe be more active in interacting with guests but can't because of corp policy. And apparently to many, the frequency with which KI posts to those media is not sufficient enough.... There you go with metrics again LOL. Marketing doesn't always have defined metrics that can be assigned to it, but let's not go down that rabbit hole again. Regardless, the fact of the matter is whether CP did a huge marketing blitz about TT2 or not, people will go to CP next year to see what they did. CP could have done zero posts on social media and zero marketing about TT2 and simply word of mouth and all the "influencers" posting about it would drive attendance. Why spend on marketing when dozens, if not hundreds, of sites talk up your park for free and doesn't cost you a dime....

That book would be a best seller! Everyone has an opinion or heard a rumor why and people are interested to hear the real story and see which rumor was the closest lol. Although it would be better if it were a live stream with Q&A to ask the curiosity thoughts we discussed tonight. Or maybe that would be another chapter in the book on how that job and role has changed since he first started.

You as well! I know we both agree that Don left some huge shoes to fill and looking at that job description, that will be tough to fill at that pay as well. I feel for the person getting that job!