Bennett Posted June 29, 2012 Share Posted June 29, 2012 I, for one, would never spend my hard earned money on something like the Fast Lane. I simply choose to go on days where the park is not crowded. It just seems that the park needs to find a much more equitable way to integrate the Fast Lane users into the que without causing undue backups for the peasants who either can't, or won't, spend the money to cut the line. Universal has it dead right, as when I went there, I didn't even notice their upper crust riders causing longer wait times, as they integrated them into the line at a far earlier time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KI-ORIG-EMP Posted June 29, 2012 Share Posted June 29, 2012 If there are more and more guests desiring to purchase the Fast Lane and guests start to complain about them hogging the lines, then there is one thing that will fix the increased demand: Raise the price. The greater the demand, the greater the price. Adjust the price until the demand equals the supply. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongliveKingsCobra Posted June 29, 2012 Share Posted June 29, 2012 This topic (in my opinion) should just be closed. No one will ever agree. There are those of us that think: Fast Lane is okay if you are wanting to pay for it. Then there are others that think it is a sin. Perhaps you should picket the park? Peaceful protest? I have a dream....that one day my children will wait in line with all the other children, and none of those children will skip the lines with their rich parents Fast Lane passes... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpongeBob Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 Everyone should wait there turn just like everyone else. It's sad to see something like this at Amusement Parks. Get in line, and wait like the rest of us! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Titan Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 Well then they might as well take out box seats at sporting events, because it's unfair to everyone sitting in the bleachers! They should also stop producing red crayons now, because it's unfair to the people who don't like that color! And don't even get me started on those platinum pass holders! It's so unfair that they can visit all the Cedar Fair parks and gold pass holders can't! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCrypt Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 If there are more and more guests desiring to purchase the Fast Lane and guests start to complain about them hogging the lines, then there is one thing that will fix the increased demand: Raise the price. The greater the demand, the greater the price. Adjust the price until the demand equals the supply. Or lower the quota... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homestar92 Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 I will pitch in one more thing. I think we can all agree in the irony of this photo I took earlier this summer at Carowinds: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jzarley Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 Personally, I have never had an issue with perks associated with revenue enhancing programs like this. (Hence the reason I spend the extra $ to stay at an onsite Universal hotel.). My issue with Fast Lane (@ CP & KI anyway, I haven't seen it operating at the other CF parks) is that it seems so much more poorly handled from an operational standpoint than similar programs at other park chains. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkroz Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 But to be fair, were you there during the inaugural year of those programs at any of the other parks? Have you ever been to a park where it's done without computers, scanners, gadgets, timers, etc? Have you ever been to a park where the "unlimited" front of the line pass is the only pass? I haven't... Test and adjust isn't just for new rides! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 The primary testing and adjusting were both at Kings Island last year, and, even now, the program is subject to tweaking, substantial change or even being discontinued. I doubt that last happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jzarley Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 ^^ no, I haven't been to a park that did not have the technological infrastructure to support a "fast pass" type system...which quite honestly, was sort of the point of my post :-). My comment was simply is that operationally it doesn't appear to be handled nearly as well...a consumer's observation more than a judgement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkroz Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 And it'll change day to day - on lightly attended days, you might see only a few people with the wristbands. On heavy traffic days, you may see 50% of a ride's capacity dedicated specifically to Fast Lane users. You're right that there's no system for even distribution of "return times" and no virtual queueing that ensures that everyone waits, just maybe not in line. Changes can happen at any time, and the Fast Lane system almost requires that to be true. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 I mean changes to the program itself... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkroz Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 I did, too, in the post above yours. In my most recent, though, I was talking about changes we'll see on a daily basis in response to jzarley. Basic operations will need to change often to meet the varying strengths and needs of the system. Grand overhauls may or may not occur, but this is still the first year of the chain-wide implementation, and bugs are sure to spring up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jzarley Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 I think the beauty of those programs where it has been implemented well is that it becomes almost invisible to everyone. Hopefully, if the revenue opportunities warrant it at the CF parks, those type systems will be invested there eventually as well. I will agree that it may not be fair of me to expect CF to have deployed that same sort of operating technology at this point in their program...after all, they're still only about a year out from a CEO who believed Blackberries were "toys" as opposed to a legitimate business tool :-) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkroz Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 One other point I've tried to make is that if the park were to suddenly install a program on the scale of Disney's Fastpass (with computers, return time displays, distribution machines, etc), the price of a ticket to Kings Island would have to raise accordingly. Disney's "free" system requires computer maintenance, extra employees, extra signage, machine maintenance, tickets, ink, etc., and that is all doubtlessly factored into the price of a ticket. So on a Saturday in July, we might think it was worth it to pay $65 for a one-day ticket to Kings Island since we could all use that free Fastpass system. But what about on a Wednesday in May, when the park is nearly empty, but the machines, tickets, ink, etc must still be paid for, and tickets prices must stay high? Few people would use the system, but they'd still be paying for it. Of the cheaper "priority access systems," I can only think of SeaWorld Parks' (which closely resembles Cedar Fair's, but offers once-per-ride and unlimited options). Depending on where you see it, the Q-bot system can get expensive pretty quickly, and protecting the costly little pocket devices is tricky... They want my ID as collateral? Then I guess I won't buy that $7.00 beer... Whose loss is that? I guess I'm saying, there's a balance to be struck when it comes to these systems not just in the way they handle guests, but on how they're integrated into the park. Technology isn't always better. And Cedar Fair is making a killing on Fast Lane, I'm sure, since their only expense was some new signage and blank wristbands... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Titan Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 I like the Fast Lane system, but I do agree that it can be handled differently. When I was in line for BLSC a group of people who had the wristbands had gotten off the ride, walked down to the end of the exit and then walked back to the gate. The ride op who was assigning seats then let them back on the ride, without even worrying about the people in the actual line. Me and a few others had told him what they had done and he said, "Sorry we have to let a certain amount of people with Fast Lane wristbands on first." I can't remember the exact number he said but I think it was around 15, unless there is no body in the FL line. This made me pretty mad. I don't have a problem with somebody using Fast Lane, but when it comes to crap like this it irritates me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCrypt Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 When I was riding The Beast on Thursday (yesterday), I saw the guy who lets in Fast Lane at the back of the station (not to be confused with the seperator) writing down the numbers of people walking in on an hourly basis (ex. 7:00-8:00-- 27), so every time Fast Lane would come in, he'd erase that number and put the new number (ex. 7:00-8:00-- 2735). On a related note, the seperator for Viking Fury agreed that Fast Lane was stupid for this ride, and that he'd rather operate the ride than stand doing nothing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KI-ORIG-EMP Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 What about the Fast Lane wrist band having a bar code that only allows X number times to cut in front of the line? Have the ride op have a scanner and scan the bar code. The problem might be they are selling too many of them in regards to the crowd in the park. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jzarley Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 I totally agree with your logic about there being a balance between the cost & effort of operating a program and the revenue it produces. (I have spent the better part of the past few decades making precisely those types of calls throughout my career.) My comment was simply one of the perspective of a guest. And, my perspective is that what I have observed from the program, it did not seem to be handled well. Maybe I have observed "off" days, or my experience is not the norm. But, that's not really the point...the point is that I walked away (as did the others I was with) with a negative opinion of how the program was operating. There's not really a "right" or "wrong" slant to that (nor am I really trying to argue that my opinion is any more valid than someone else's perspective)--it's purely the opinion and perspective of a group of paying guests on a particular day. I'm not trying to be unfairly critical of Cedar Fair (or, act as an apologist for them either...). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homestar92 Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 To answer someone's question a few posts ago about how other CF parks handle Fast Lane, I can say that Carowinds is a lot like KI was last year. They only have a handful of rides, and typically they only use it on rides that already had the infrastructure for it in place. It's worth noting, however, that crowds the day I was there were ridiculously light, with most coasters being one-train operation and still walk-ons. As such, I didn't see many takers. I had actually put aside money to buy Fast Lane since I was only spending one day there, but since it was so light, I went with a snazzy Afterburn T-shirt and a souvenir cup instead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongliveKingsCobra Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 I had actually put aside money to buy Fast Lane since I was only spending one day there, but since it was so light, I went with a snazzy Afterburn T-shirt and a souvenir cup instead. And this Ladies and Gentlemen is why the Fast Lane is here. For those visiting us/other parks for only a day or so and would like to do everything. Wabam. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homestar92 Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 ^It's worth noting that at Carowinds in particular, I can see no justifiable reason to get Fast Lane. Hardly any of their popular rides are in the lineup. Perhaps they too are in testing to see if the system could work at their park. Quite unlike KI where literally only like 3 rides are not part of the program, and only one coaster. I know CP's Fast Lane features most of their popular rides. I know little to nothing about any other Cedar Fair parks. And is it just me, or with the water park overhaul, do I see potential for them to add a program called Splash Lane (or something just as cringe-worthy) in the near future? EDIT: I'm tempted to file a trademark for Splash Lane now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongliveKingsCobra Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 They'd have to add new lines and stairs to get people up to the top of the Slide. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcgoble3 Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 And is it just me, or with the water park overhaul, do I see potential for them to add a program called Splash Lane (or something just as cringe-worthy) in the near future? I might be interested in that. They'd have to add new lines and stairs to get people up to the top of the Slide. Or just widen the existing stairs slightly (which wouldn't even be necessary on the Zoom Flume) and add a railing splitting the stairs. One side of the railing is for the regular line, the other is for Splash Lane. (And yes, I do kinda like that name, but then again, I like "Dragster H2O" and I know what you guys think of that. So don't ask me to name anything. ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maverick00 Posted July 1, 2012 Share Posted July 1, 2012 Cedar Point has it on most of their rides. The rides on their website aren't even half of them, those are just the "most popular". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CedarPointer Posted July 1, 2012 Share Posted July 1, 2012 I will pitch in one more thing. I think we can all agree in the irony of this photo I took earlier this summer at Carowinds: Ha, because purchasing an option that the park provides like Fast Lane is totally the same thing as line jumping, right? Right? Oh, wait, it's not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCrypt Posted July 1, 2012 Share Posted July 1, 2012 Many slides have a line splitting. Maybe implement something like Universal's idea, but the reverse? Wait in the regular line, then halfway through, walk right up to the station? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homestar92 Posted July 1, 2012 Share Posted July 1, 2012 I will pitch in one more thing. I think we can all agree in the irony of this photo I took earlier this summer at Carowinds: Ha, because purchasing an option that the park provides like Fast Lane is totally the same thing as line jumping, right? Right? Oh, wait, it's not. It is essentially paying the park to allow you to skip the line, so actually there is a lot of similarity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CedarPointer Posted July 1, 2012 Share Posted July 1, 2012 One is allowed by the park, one isn't. Is Fastpass at Disney line jumping? How does paying make it different when both are allowed by the park? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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