The Interpreter Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 Should those who cannot afford admission or a pass get the same privileges as those who can? After all, would it be fair for some to enjoy Kings Island while others with less money cannot? Equity demands equality in park experiences regardless of ability to pay, no? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avatar Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 GYK, thinking this topic should really be locked until we have experienced even one full Saturday with the system in place. As it is, no one here has any idea what role this thing will ACTUALLY play, and we're all just grasping at straws and masquerading our moral questions as care for the consumer. I believe the park wants this discussion, so no closing of this thread. I admit a few post have been edited or removed for and against the new Speed Lane. I believe this discussion is good to have so we may be able to better understand all sides of the issue and I am sure Kings Island wants to hear the differing opinions too.(keep it respectful) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upstop Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 I never had to wait too long to ride anything at Kings Island. That was always a part of the anticipation. These new line jumper tickets are effective from noon until 7 to ride as much as you want, out of the line and back into the line. Hmm. I guess I'll wait until after 7 to go to Kings Island because the "standby" or "second class" lines will be impossibly long during that time. Money talks I guess, or perhaps that should be money rides..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongliveKingsCobra Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 While I don't think this is a good idea (price wise), we can't complain, never mind we can complain....still you get my point right? It's not really skipping in line...well it is, but its a sanctioned version. If it makes you that mad, then simply buck up the 50 bucks and you too can skip the lines....Or don't, and enjoy your time in line with your friends....or don't, and just not go to the park...it's your call people. I for one will not buy one, but I will still go to the parks...(Now if CP made one well then i would def. use it up there...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 Would that be the same kind of money that bought you admission or a pass while those who cannot afford to get in the park do not get in, for the most part? In the old days, those who could afford the most ride tickets could ride the most. How is this different? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Titan Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 It just more money the park and Cedar Fair has to do stuff. Which can be a plus and a negative. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 And the more you pay to park, the closer you can park, for the most part. Preferred parking, preferred guests. It has been ever thus. This is just more open about it than often was the case in the past. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongliveKingsCobra Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 I was going to edit my post to include this but since terpy commented: I never had to wait too long to ride anything at Kings Island. That was always a part of the anticipation. These new line jumper tickets are effective from noon until 7 to ride as much as you want, out of the line and back into the line. Hmm. I guess I'll wait until after 7 to go to Kings Island because the "standby" or "second class" lines will be impossibly long during that time. Money talks I guess, or perhaps that should be money rides..... Or you can simply go to the park on days when you KNOW you woln't have to wait in lines no matter what. You yourself said at the begining of about mentioned post that you have never had to wait too long...well there you go. You either were extreamly lucky OR you know when to go to KI so you don't have to wait... And I agree with you terp. If you can afford the New I-phone-294213984 then you can get, it and have it. For others who can't afford that I-phone they don't get to get it, and have it. If you can afford a new laptop, then you get the new laptop. If you can't well your SOL... Are we going to start claiming its unfair that CEO's whom can afford top of the line cars, simply because we can not afford those said cards. Life is not fair people. This is just something we'll have to put our big boy/girl pants on and call it day...IMHO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avatar Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 Last summer my family and I went to Sea World for a day after several long days at other Orlando theme park visits. Needless to say our feet were very sore and the thought of standing in line was daunting so we looked at possibly using their Quick Queue which was cheaper as it was the off season, we did not care about riding tons of rides over and over but more worried about standing. We debated for a bit and decided to use our hard earned money to go to the Hawaiian Lual Sea World offered at closing. We made the right choice for us but it was tempting especially seeing some go ahead of us while our feet ached. The thing is we never thought of ourselves as second class citizens or that others were made of money but we made or decision which was best for us and they made theirs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongliveKingsCobra Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 EDIT: Never mind Jessie my random acts of Dislexia happened and I had no clue what that word said...now I realized....never mind.... And I agree. There shouldn't be a feeling of second class people, or as one poster put it Have's and Have Nots....I think it just should be exactly as you put it. A Choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr_humor Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 And the more you pay to park, the closer you can park, for the most part. Preferred parking, preferred guests. It has been ever thus. This is just more open about it than often was the case in the past. I'll chime in here. The problem with this issue, and why it is hitting such a nerve, is because one's place in line for a ride is the most sacred of issues. Hence, being line-leader in 1st grade was a big frickin deal. The other thing to consider is that virtual queuing at Disney is free and it works....very well. So, you have two systems that both work to achieve the same goal. One, however, costs the guest a significant amount, while the other is free. So which is better to use? I guess it depends on how much you care about your all of your guests' experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanna Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 Interestingly, I am a gold pass holder, and I am thinking of springing for this once. Reason: I like Firehawk, I hate the agonizingly slow queue the ride builds that seems to be 60-90 minutes even on a slow day. $50 for some quality time on Firehawk, FoF, and Diamondback with a few other rides thrown in sounds like a deal. I think none of the rides except maybe WindSeeker and FoF are merging througj exit, which will help mitigate the power rider a bit Just don't hate me when I'm on my ninth Firehawk ride as you are just getting your one. No, I'll think of you every time I see a full bank of working lights on a ride. How's that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dvo Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 Just think... 10 years from now we'll be talking about the good old days, when Line Jumping was NOT a sporting event at Kings Island. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magm&MForce24/7 Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 I think the system would be kinda useless to be free for a business standpoint. Kings Island is looking for revenue and this is a easy way to find it. I think this will in turn help the park as the money can be used for additions or improving of the guest experience. I believe this could also bring some people in to Kings Island for people that want to ride a lot but little time, compared to other parks for the persons drivable distance. You guys might think I'm crazy but some people will LOVE this small improvement/ disimprovement however you like to look it. With every discesion some people are going to happy and some will be mad, but that's just how it goes. It's impossible to make everyone happy, but it's not hard to boost the amount of peoples enjoyment through small things like this. Hope that's not confusing -MagmMForce247 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
standbyme Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 In the old days, those who could afford the most ride tickets could ride the most. How is this different? Because if you didn't have a ticket you wouldn't be standing in line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flat Freak Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 We were there today and NEVER would have noticed Fast Pass had it not been for the signage. Granted, it was a Tuesday, and I'm sure it will be more significant on a Saturday. No comment (for now) on the appropriateness of offering such a perk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RingMaster Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 I'm not surprised that most of the rides listed would have the Speed Pass installed. Delirium, Drop Zone, Backlot Stunt Coaster, Boo Boo's Blasters, and The Blockhead's Race For His Life were the five attractions that were utilized in Paramount's very own Speed Lane back in 2004-2005, as they (still) have their own separate queue that was never removed. Diamondback already has/had a single-rider queue, so no surprise there. Firehawk has a fairly wide wheelchair access bridge from the entrance to the station. Beast and FoF are the only ones I have a question of how a separate lane would be installed. But I mean if one were to really, REALLY, look at this Speed Lane situation, Saturday is the only day a pass of this caliber would be necessary. Lines are at their longest on the weekend for painfully obvious reasons; thus, a way to bypass a majority of the big lines on the busiest day of the week is simply AWESOME SAUCE. ....I just kinda hope that if a Speed Pass is made for the Haunt, it won't cost the same. Spending $100 on a lackluster event is really pushing it, even though it means being able to get through all the houses in one night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaptorGuy Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 The comments that have been brought up about the old days, the more money you had, the more times you got to ride. No, it wasn't fair that someone who only had one quarter only got one ride on The Coney Island Cyclone, when someone who had $10 worth (If that was possible during the Great Depression) got to ride 40 times! Things are not the same today. Most parks, not all, but most have a pay one price admission. That is suppose to allow unlimited rides for that one price. I have been aggrevated a little with Kings Island since they put in Skyflyer, and Slingshot, and charge exhorbitent prices for them. Then they added Dinosaurs with the 3D film and made an upcharge for that. Those are minor points, and I really don't care, but I felt worth mentioning, because it's suppose to be a pay one price admission. With this new system, it's going to be a pay 2 price admission. It really is paying twice for one day. It's similar to gas prices. $3.60 a gallon is 3 times what gas really costs. Gas should only cost $1.50 at the most, so $3.60 is paying for 3 tanks, but only getting one. The same thing applies here for this fast pass. You are paying for 2 admissions, but only receiving ONE! I don't know who would actually do this, if they realize what they're doing. It's $54 to get in, and this thing is $50, so it's basically paying twice for one. That's what makes it really an unfair system. I don't want to hear the life is unfair scenario, because it doesn't apply here. Everyone should have the same chance to ride the rides once they get into the gates. I am not even in favor of the single riders line on Diamondback. The recourse I have on that is, most of the time, it's a longer line than the regular. The GP believes its an express line, and big groups go in thinking they are getting ahead, and it's funny when I pass them in the regular line. Still, everyone should really wait in the same line. I told GR way back in 2001, after visiting some of the parks who had these things, that it wouldn't be a good idea at KI and begged them to not do it. That was 10 years ago, and 10 years later, I am still against a fast pass. I didn't like it at Cedar Point, either. It never worked there. You ended up waiting 45 minutes for Dragster to get a handstamp, and 20 minutes to use it. So, I saw no benefit to it there. They finally realized it wasn't working and stopped it. Why have they not learned from past mistakes? Why are we repeating the same ones over again, only in bigger fashions? I just don't understand these people anymore! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkroz Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 There's ranting, and then there's ranting. No one forces you to buy this, and I personally promise that if you don't choose to partake, you will notice virtually no change in the day to day experience at the park. If you go on a Saturday, yes, you may encounter a dozen or so people who choose the Fast Lane option while you're in line for a ride. But AGAIN, we're talking an additional 2-3 minute wait for you, and the park is making BUNDLES of money which WILL come back to us in the end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AintNutinElse2Do Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 Just saying if anyone wanted to kill the "Fast Lane" flash mob style it might be easy but expensive. Get you and at least 61 other friends to purchase the Fast Lane and create your own ert session on Diamondback on a busy Saturday. As soon as you get off get back in line. Theoretically I guess you would actually need 4 trains worth of riders so bump that to 128 people. No doubt that would show the major flaw in the system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamesv7 Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 I was at the park today and i did not see anyone use the Fast Lane pass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muppetfan1999 Posted July 20, 2011 Author Share Posted July 20, 2011 I have been aggrevated a little with Kings Island since they put in Skyflyer, and Slingshot, and charge exhorbitent prices for them. Then they added Dinosaurs with the 3D film and made an upcharge for that. Those are minor points, and I really don't care, but I felt worth mentioning, because it's suppose to be a pay one price admission. I know this is off topic and I just want to mention this real quickly but, you say don't really care about something like the Dinosaurs Alive film upcharge. Allow me to refer you to an earlier post from the topic about said up charge. This is by far the WORST decision Kings Island has ever made in its 40 season history! I don't know who is making these boneheaded decisions, but they need to be fired and blackballed from ever working in the amusement industry ever again! The whole dinosaur thing is completely out of line and ludicrous! Who in the world goes to amusement parks to see stupid crap like this? I wouldn't pay 7 cents to see either of these stupid things, much less 7 bucks! And then they won't let you watch the stupid movie for just 2 bucks, but then say, you can see it for just 2 bucks extra if you pay the 5 to see the rest of the malarky back there! What a stupid idea this is! I am giving Kings Island a HUGE "SHAME ON YOU" for this! This will be the worst year I've never had at Kings Island now! Thank you, for RUINING my summer! Admins if you feel this post is out of line in any way feel free to delete it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pat Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 Why not add $50 to the admission and everyone get the Fast Pass? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 Be careful what you wish for...remember some of the articles had Mr. Ouimet saying gate prices would be increasing. As for the Pay One Price argument, parks have been gravitating away from that for some time, in many ways... from the many discounts online to upcharge rides to additional charge attractions to virtual queueing to VIP experiences. It should be noted that Cedar Fair was really the last hold out on POP in many ways, and that the Kings Island version is doubtless a test. What you see now may be adopted chainwide, tweaked or even quietly abandoned. The first two options seem far more likely than the last. Pricing is a difficult issue and both an art and a science. It's all about costs, revenue, perception, etc. There are even those who think, for example, as we have seen here, that $3.60 is three times $1.50. The costs here are not s major driver. The perceptions of other guests are a major factor at a park with as high a percentage of season pass holders as Kings Island. That was probably a major reason for testing this at KI. This is no doubt only the first of many major changes coming to Kings Island and Cedar Fair. As Mr. Kinzel exits, so will many of his business methods. Some changes will be welcomed by many. Others, not so much. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
windshawne Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 There's ranting, and then there's ranting. No one forces you to buy this, and I personally promise that if you don't choose to partake, you will notice virtually no change in the day to day experience at the park. If you go on a Saturday, yes, you may encounter a dozen or so people who choose the Fast Lane option while you're in line for a ride. But AGAIN, we're talking an additional 2-3 minute wait for you, and the park is making BUNDLES of money which WILL come back to us in the end. Bundles of money that will come back to us in the end? That theory hasn't worked with the current situation we are in today with this country. If they want to fix the parking lot or whatever, great. I noticed the cost for that has gone up since the start of the season and its still a sinkhole out there. I stand by my opinion of not liking it. It delayed the regular folks being able to get on the ride. I remember during the Paramount year I was right up to beast and had to wait 3 cycles for these fast passers to get on. I'll admit, I was honked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowman Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 I'm all for this. An enjoyable part of our experience is people watching while in line. Most guests are happy and having a good time, but every once in awhile you'll run into an impatient family with bratty kids complaining about waiting in line as their parents ignore them and play angry birds on their phones while swinging their uber coolers around hitting anyone in a 6 foot radius. A flash pass will hopefully get these Hoovers (people with a sense of entitlement who suck the energy out of people around them) away from us and will let me get back to convincing first timers on FoF that they should look out for the fire jets at the end of the launch tunnel. I have no issues with elitists Jesse, heck I get a kick out of watching them desparately cling to their jewelry as DB comes to a stop. It's also fun to send them all the way back to WS for the Grande Iced Mocha Latte Foo Foo Freackin Frappacino Stand. I like elitists....They always let me know who I shouldn't vote for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
standbyme Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 GYK...I just wanted to say that I always love reading your posts...and usually agree with most of them...but I do have to point out contradictions in these two: Consider how few people will actually pay an extra $50.00 for this. Really consider that. But AGAIN, we're talking an additional 2-3 minute wait for you, and the park is making BUNDLES of money which WILL come back to us in the end. (I added the bold face type for emphasis.) Which is correct? In your opinion is the park going to be selling a lot of these or not? Secondly...I don't EVER EVER want to see you complain about high prices for food or anything since it is your belief that all of the money the park makes comes back to us in good ways...and not just to pay for golden parachutes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarketingExpress Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 I fail to see how this perk is much different from a perk offered to a season pass holder. Pass holders pay a high price for their pass and in return get ERT, discounts on merchandise, food, and games. Not to mention bring a friend for $9.99 days, free parking, and sometimes evenings open exclusively to season pass holders in the spring (or is used to be that way). http://www.visitkingsisland.com/public/admission/passes/gold_pass_discounts.cfm Now KI is offering a $50 ticket to allow John Q Public (including season pass holders) to access the park’s more popular attractions through a Fast Lane and some are up in arms despite the fact that season pass holders have been given the royalty treatment for years yet no one is upset over the perks they receive. Why should season pass holders get a discount on a game or when buying a t-shirt at one of the shops and not everyone else? Am I not entitled to the same benefits; after all I paid $35-$50 to enter the park didn’t I? What makes them more of a valued customer than me? Could it be the fact that individual pass holders made the personal decision to spend additional money for a season pass which allows them to take advantage of such perks? How dare they. They must truly be an elitist if they can afford a season pass (sarcasm). How is that different from John Q Public having the ability to make his/her own decision if they want to partake in the Fast Lane or not? If they choose not to, then they really can’t complain about other people taking advantage of the opportunity as that same opportunity was available to them at the same price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flightoffear1996 Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 I actually didn't get a season pass this year first time in 20 years and wasn't even planning on visiting the park at all this year since I really can only go on weekends but this fastpass actually will get me into the door. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZ Kinda Guy Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 If nothing else, this thread reveals to me the people who "get it" and the ones who don't. Sadly only a handful of people "get it." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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