I drove by the park Saturday and my son noticed the Gold Pass parking is gone. Is that a thing of the past now or are they putting up new fencing?

Well special parking is not listed as a perk anymore on their website, so it is anyone's guess.

With any luck, they are making it a larger area.

It's on here:

http://www.visitkingsisland.com/season-passes

I see where it says we get free parking.. but not reserved area parking. I guess I could just be missing it though.

I see where it says we get free parking.. but not reserved area parking. I guess I could just be missing it though.

Good point. I wonder how many are assuming the same thing as myself.

Not that the "special area" matters. I'll take the free parking & walk with no problem.

Gold pass parking will be located at The Beach Waterpark in 2012

^ Seems fitting

I see where it says we get free parking.. but not reserved area parking. I guess I could just be missing it though.

Good point. I wonder how many are assuming the same thing as myself.

Not that the "special area" matters. I'll take the free parking & walk with no problem.

I have to agree.. Cedar Point does not have special parking for Platinum Pass holders. You just get in free and park with the commoners. I'm fine with this.

It had to go sometime, plus it makes everyone get a shot at pretty close parking.

I would be more than fine with this arrangement for several reasons:

* much easier in and out access to that part of the parking lot

* eliminate the need for the season pass checker (it's not as though they were out there much after the first few hours anyway)

* eliminate the bottlenecks out of that part of the lot at the end of the evening. I'm betting that more people will use the north exit now so exiting traffic should improve

I used the north exit quite a bit last season, even when parked in the gold pass area (and even though I live south of the park) simply because it was faster than waiting to get out through the main/south exit.

Is it just me or does it seem that many gold pass parking spots are further away than the normal spots?

There are some gold pass spots that would be further away than some non-gold pass spots.. but usually when parking in those spots that are further away then the few spots in non-gold pass parking.. non-gold pass parking is out in the parking area where close to the north entrance

Another aspect people are over looking is the new Soak City expansion is taking away a sizable chunk of parking spaces. And as it has been noted above, Kings Island gives Gold Pass season pass holders free parking for the season, and does not state it also receives a special parking area this season. I can only think the park took into consideration the parking spots lost due to the Soak City expansion and reverted the access of daily parking to a first come, first serve basics for all guests.

I doubt that means ALL guests. Premium parking will doubtless be available at a higher fee. And parking for guests with disabilities will continue to be nearer the entrance, as the law requires.

I never saw the point in paying the extra money for the close parking. Your going to be walking around all day anyway.

Psychologists would probably have a lot to say about that.

In particular, I bet clinical psychologists would say that premium parking is foolish, while industrial/organization psychologists probably invented it!

I think most people think that way at the beginning of their day. Imagine the money the park could make by somehow making that walk to your car at the end of the day a little shorter or easier "somehow"...D'oh! I shouldn't be giving them ideas!

I can understand why you would not but many others have great reasons to do so. The reason we do from time to time is we just pay the difference from the regular price and the VIP price. here are just a few reasons why we do; 1. Go into park for ERT but I leave shortly before waterpark opens to Gold Pass folks, 2. leave change of clothes, personal items and towels in car instead of renting a costly locker. 3 So we can drop off items in the car quicker and not just carry them around, 4.Wife likes to smoke in car in the air conditioner while me and daughter ride, 5. past few years my wife leg acts up and gets painful for her so she will go out to the car and rest, she likes to be closer as in case it gets to hurting a lot and this way she is closer to the gate. 6 since I like to ride with my friends on last ride of the night the wife likes to go to the car and wait, so she feels safer and more comfortable being up closer and more near the bathrooms. These are a few reasons why we sometimes opt to pay a little extra and I now when i pull in that area there are a lot of others who have their own reasons on that day too.

ever once have we parked in the VIP section because we said "hey we got extra money to throw around so lets park in the VIP lot" because we don't have extra money to throw around. We make that choice as if it is worth it to us for that day and sometimes an almost necessity.

When I went into work the other day the sign was still up at the tolls with pricing for regular or vip parking ...I will look again when I go in tomorrow.

Psychologists would probably have a lot to say about that.

In particular, I bet clinical psychologists would say that premium parking is foolish, while industrial/organization psychologists probably invented it!

or... we use them because it allows us easy access to spend our dollars on better food off site

The gold parking and preferred parking signs are still up....

There's also still "Boomerang Bay Parking" signs still up (as of last time I was down there, anyway).

The gold parking and preferred parking signs are still up....

If it was a few days before opening this might be a good argument, but there is still plenty of time to take those signs down (including the BB signs). There are higher priority items to be taken care of before the parking lot signs.

Today's newsletter says all parking spaces are available first come first served this year.

...except parking for the disabled, to be sure. Else the DOJ and who knows whom else will come a callin'

I don't find this devasting news...Gold Pass parking lasted longer than I thought it would.

I smell me some preferred parking upgrades in the future...

(rereads Kifan1980's post)

...or are they getting rid of that as well?

I smell me some preferred parking upgrades in the future...

...or are they getting rid of that as well?

Yeah right...YOU should know better than that...I can see them adding a Preferred preferred parking lot (at a higher price) before I could see them eliminating the preferred parking area.

Interesting to see that there's no ERT on Beast this season:

http://www.visitkingsisland.com/season-passes/gold-and-platinum-pass-benefits

Early rides include: Diamondback, Invertigo, Eiffel Tower, Flying Ace Aerial Chase, Woodstock Whirlybirds, Boo Blasters on Boo Hill, Linus’ Launcher, Great Pumpkin Coaster, Charlie Brown’s Wind Up and Surf Dog.