Browntggrr Posted August 1, 2007 Share Posted August 1, 2007 More ERT's, bring a friend free day (or half price), meal discounts, special events. BaFFD is just as bad, if not worse, than a speed lane. ERT's, get into the park a hour earlier, meal discounts, parking discounts, discounts for pay-per-ride, before season preview day, discount ORF, are all great ideas for a "Gold" membership. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markr Posted August 2, 2007 Share Posted August 2, 2007 I can only speak for myself but my experience with my Maxx pass has been very positive. I don't know how many people are aware of this but if you purchased your Maxx pass at KI, not only do you get the gold pass perks at KI but CP has extended the early ride time on M Force, Raptor, Top Thrill Dragster and Maverick to all Maxx pass holders from all Cedar Fair parks, including KI. I purchased my Maxx pass for 125 plus an additional 40 for the all Ohio parking pass since I renewed my pass before the end of the 2006 season. I really have gotten my money's worth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TOPGUN1993 Posted August 2, 2007 Share Posted August 2, 2007 There is no Top Thrill Dragster early ride time. MF, Maverick, Skyhawk, Raptor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted August 2, 2007 Author Share Posted August 2, 2007 And Kings Island Maxx passholders apparently get that early ride at Cedar Point time though their pass is from KI. Cedar Point Maxx passholders, even those who paid for Joe Cool membership to get that early ride time at Cedar Point, do NOT get the gold pass benefits at Kings Island, such as early ride time. And at Cedar Point, even if you had a Maxx pass from another park with free parking, they charged you $75 for Ohio parking when you exchanged your Maxx pass to get Ohio parking that you tried to BUY online with a Maxx pass from out of state. They even charged for any difference in price between the Maxx pass you had and a CP Maxx pass, even though you lose your "free" parking you had gotten at the park where your Maxx pass came from (Carowinds or Kings Dominion, for example). You get NO credit for the lost "free parking " at what was your home Maxx pass park, and you get to pay $75 for Ohio parking PLUS $15 more for early ride time (Joe Cool). Meanwhile, someone at KI who bought a Maxx pass last year gets Ohio parking for a bit over $40, gets Cedar Point early ride time for $0.00 (while the CP passholder pays $15), and gets gold pass benefits at Kings Island (while the CP passholder gets NONE at parks other than CP). Yep, very simple, easy to understand, not arbitrary and reasonable. NOT. What's underneath all this? Cedar Fair wants its other parks' passholders to come to Cedar Point, and treats them like royalty; while it treats passholders from Cedar Point as a revenue source to extract every possible dime from. Once the company is more integrated, there will be more pricing integrity, and things like so-called "free parking" (giving it to passholders at the Paramount Parks later last fall before this season started was in effect a price reduction on the passes) will go away. Put another way, and less kindly, in the future passholders at former Paramount Parks can expect to be treated like passholders at Cedar Point: paying from $50-$70 for season pass parking, not getting perks at the other Cedar Fair parks, and perhaps even having to pay extra for waterpark access (though I doubt they will try to pull a Soak City story that bad at the once Paramount Parks). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erniebald57 Posted August 2, 2007 Share Posted August 2, 2007 Their season pass integration has been overly complicated to say the least. My wife and I purchased '07 maxx passes last year from KI and got the temp cards. We were renewing from Gold '06. I can't say that we've ever had a problem with parking or anything like that, but another little strange quirk. If you go to Cedar Point with your Kings Island maxx pass, it doesn't swipe at the entrance booth. You have to go next door, sign in, have your hand stamped, and then go through the turnstiles. It's not really that big of a deal, but it's a little example of how things have been overcomplicated. I think that the former Paramount parks still have their little system, and the Cedar Fair parks have their little system, and they haven't properly integrated them yet. The ticket takers haven't been properly educated about the whole thing. The parking thing should be like this for every park. You get free parking at your home park, and you have an option to upgrade to free parking at all parks. They did the Ohio thing because they knew that the majority of maxx pass holders were from Ohio and they would use the pass at all three Ohio parks, but just make it simple and do all parks. Educate the people that the park they are buying the pass from will be considered their home park, and there won't be any confusion about the parking. If they buy the pass at Geauga Lake, they get free parking there. You could even institute an option for the guest as to which park they want to consider their home park so they get the choice of where they want the free parking. Keep things like the Joe Cool club, but perhaps institute them at all Cedar Fair parks. They have a little work to do in the admissions department. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markr Posted August 2, 2007 Share Posted August 2, 2007 I think Interpreter does have a good point about reciprocity. If KI Maxx Pass Holders get early ride time at CP (Although these are not complete Jool Cool Privileges they certainly are the most significant.) then Maxx Pass holders from CP, including Joe Cool members should have Gold Pass Privileges at KI. Fair is fair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delirium33 Posted August 2, 2007 Share Posted August 2, 2007 Hopefully last year was a transition year and this year the pass situation will be much simpler. All they need is a sticker or symbol on the Maxx passes that indicates parking passes and/or gold privileges (with the home park name). And they need to make the Maxx passes universally the same at all parks so that they scan easily. I think all of this will be sorted out for next year. At least, it should be. The simplicity and pricing of the passes will determine whether my family gets just a KI pass or a Maxx pass next year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markr Posted August 2, 2007 Share Posted August 2, 2007 It seems like management did not really promote the Maxx Pass heavily at least at KI. For example the television ads only promoted the KI only gold pass. There was no mention of the Maxx Pass at all. And if you bought a Maxx Pass it seems like management did not give you much guidance on exactly what the pass covered. For example, as to the early ride time at CP I had to call CP to find out that my Maxx pass did cover early ride time. Hopefully Cedar Fair will be more open about the terms of the Maxx Pass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coastergirl Posted August 2, 2007 Share Posted August 2, 2007 The GP does not know they will have to wait longer. They expect to wait in line as long as everyone else. If everyone that gets a season pass upgrdes to "gold" that really kills the park experiance for those who really look foward to it once a year. Make the perk a ERT, early or late, but don't hurt the average guest. And sure it will hurt the family that comes one a year. Once they get burned by it, they will go to another park next year. Which in the end hurts KI, and us as well. Less revenue=less "high experiance" rides. I really could do without another IJ or TR;TR that is not kept up. I like the early ride times much better and I agree to a point about the speed pass. I feel uncomfortable using them, but I have also heard people in line say "that's cool, maybe I'll buy a season pass next year so I can do it too". Friends of mine bought season passes this year for the first time (7 total maxx passes) after I told them about the perks that came with them. So it could bring in more people after they see that you can jump to the front of the line. The speed lanes I always feel bad using are the kid rides (Scooby Doo and Log ride). Kids have such ahead time waiting anyway and then when you keep getting people jumping in front of you, it takes twice as long. We only used the speed passes once this year and that was enough for me. I think I rather just wait my turn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Browntggrr Posted August 3, 2007 Share Posted August 3, 2007 There is no Top Thrill Dragster early ride time. MF, Maverick, Skyhawk, Raptor Even though TDD is not on a regular daily ERT, they have many times this year opened TTD when one of the other rides were not available, especially earlier this summer with the start-up issues with Maverick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
House Posted August 4, 2007 Share Posted August 4, 2007 I have a Maxx pass from KI. We went to CP on the 26th and 27. We were surprised to find out that we got free parking, then we also go the early addmission to the park at 9:00. We had went to KI on opening day but did not get free parking. Does anyone know if the Maxx pass lets you get by the ropes before 10? When we were there on openning day there was a huge line of people that the security guard was letting through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upstop Posted August 4, 2007 Share Posted August 4, 2007 If they use best practices to determine if the gold pass works for KI, they may extend gold pass options to be used as park only options at the other parks and perhaps offer a Platinum pass to all parks. They could then drop the max pass. I found the name change to equally as confusing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted August 24, 2007 Author Share Posted August 24, 2007 If they were to offer something like a platinum pass, it should include parking at all their parks...and discounts on purchases in the gift shops/restaurants. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cstrwomann Posted August 26, 2007 Share Posted August 26, 2007 I like the way the passes are this year. I purchased a Maxx Pass Plus last Fall at Kings Island because they offered free parking and I bought parking vouchers for Geauga Lake and Cedar Point which I had to return and get reimbursed for by the parks because they went to All Ohio Pass which I am glad of. I hope they do this for 2008. I wish they would institute Gold Pass perks at all the parks not just KI. I hope that they offer a variety of options for season passes like they did last season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoddaH1994 Posted August 26, 2007 Share Posted August 26, 2007 There will be changes to the pass program. Likely the same template will be used, but things will be 'simplified'. More details on that as they develop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted August 26, 2007 Author Share Posted August 26, 2007 Hallelujah! The current program has too many gotchas and is too complex. They are listening. I will reserve judgment about next year's program until I see it, but I will say that it is likely anything they do will be an improvement. And cstrwomann didn't just return those vouchers from Geauga Lake and Cedar Point because of the Ohio parking pass program. You see, it was determined AFTER they were already selling them to people without a season pass from the park where the parking was that you must have a LOCAL season pass to buy season pass parking. There was no Ohio parking option when they offered the parking passes to other parks, and I was assured by no fewer than three different people (in charge of the programs at the time) that there was no requirement to have a season pass from the park where the parking pass was purchased. And then, by opening day, they changed their mind. And at first, they weren't even going to give refunds. Sigh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cstrwomann Posted August 28, 2007 Share Posted August 28, 2007 I noticed on Canada's Wonderland Website that they are selling season passes for 2008. They only have regular passes however. Are they going to add the Maxx Pass and Maxx Pass Plus for next season? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoddaH1994 Posted August 29, 2007 Share Posted August 29, 2007 I noticed on Canada's Wonderland Website that they are selling season passes for 2008. They only have regular passes however. Are they going to add the Maxx Pass and Maxx Pass Plus for next season? Although there will be some changes to the program, I assure you that there will still be 3 passes similar to this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hauntguy Posted August 29, 2007 Share Posted August 29, 2007 ^ So no Gold Pass right? I see, CF.. pay more, get less! NO THANKS! -Hauntguy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Browntggrr Posted August 29, 2007 Share Posted August 29, 2007 ^ What is the real advantage for the park to offer a Gold Pass? It could very well become "Joe Cool" and offer daily ERT as well as special ERT events. But none of us have any idea what is going to transpire for the 2008 season pass. It may not be as bad as you think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoddaH1994 Posted August 29, 2007 Share Posted August 29, 2007 Gold Pass was something that Paramount did to try to get you to purchase your pass early, thus you would visit earlier in the season and have more overall park visits per year. Let's be honest -- Gold pass is expensive to maintain and it's kind of lame. I use the Gold Parking every time I go, but other than that, I haven't used any of the benefits this year. I mean, the walk on passes have been nice in years past, but that's not really a deal breaker for me. I have NEVER used the food package discunts, I'm too might of a night owl to do the ERTs, and I only go to Boomerang Bay about once every two years. I mean, I know that having the ability to do these things is kind of nice, but I'd trade them in a heartbeat for maybe a 10% food discount or something of that nature. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted July 9, 2016 Author Share Posted July 9, 2016 If they use best practices to determine if the gold pass works for KI, they may extend gold pass options to be used as park only options at the other parks and perhaps offer a Platinum pass to all parks. They could then drop the max pass. I found the name change to equally as confusing. Very prescient. And for gold pass holders, things have gotten better. Far better. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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