New ReEntry Policy for Season Pass Holders

[CedarPointer]

Don't worry, KD has no idea how to handle employees from other parks, either.

[PKIVortex]

I renewed my existing platinum pass back in February on visitkingsisland.com. My pass was scanned at the gate on Saturday as a 2012 pass. Had to over to GR and give them my confirmation number, and they pulled it up see it that I infact renew for 2013. However it took them 10 minutes to figure out how to apply my renewal to my pass. I know I wasn't the only one who had this problem. Funny thing about this is, my friends Cedar Point platinum pass which he also renewed online worked just fine. I wish they would fix these issues once and for all with these passes. I just hope I don't have any other issues this year with it, esp when I go to CP.

[mullimann]

Mine and kids passes scanned fine with the renewal, but the wifes would not come up with her pic, or scan, while it did at the tolls. The gate employee typed her pass and could see it was renewed and active, but never did show picture. I'm sure we'll be at guest services in the next visit or so.

I wonder if each park has their server on site, or if its cloud based.

Has anyone tried to use thier iphone passport for the pass? Will they accept it?

[RadioRiders]

Hmm I like it.

[CedarPointer]

Mine and kids passes scanned fine with the renewal, but the wifes would not come up with her pic, or scan, while it did at the tolls. The gate employee typed her pass and could see it was renewed and active, but never did show picture. I'm sure we'll be at guest services in the next visit or so.

I wonder if each park has their server on site, or if its cloud based.

Has anyone tried to use thier iphone passport for the pass? Will they accept it?

"Your Pass ID card is required for admission at all times." is on the back of the pass, so I'd assume it's not really recommended.

[XGatorHead 8904]

I think this make sense to see who is coming back in the park and when. It gives them data if pass holders are leaving the park for lunch/dinner.

...which is one of many reasons I'll use a handstamp.

I for one want the park to know that I'm leaving to have a parking lot picnic, or to visit a restaurant down the street. No more FunPerks, and if the service we got at Bier Garten (and the service friends got at Reds Hall of Fame Grille) on Saturday is any indication of the way they will be running things in Food Service this year, I'll be taking spending my money elsewhere, be it Kroger to pack a lunch or Taco Bell, Chipotle, Burger King or one of the other nearby establishments. (Yes, I realize it was opening day and am willing to give KI Food Service another chance... one more.) Maybe then they'll actively work again to keep my money in the park. People gotta eat, but not necessarily in the park.

[The Interpreter]

All they would know is you re-entered the park, not when you left. You could have left to bring a son or daughter, go take a bath or a nap, for a job interview, to drink in the parking lot, or to retrieve a forgotten item from the car--or drop one off.

[violakat03]

Just got off the phone with the park (754 5700) yes the computers are set up to let season pass holders in as many times as they want.

But she said it doesn't hurt to get your hand stamped???

I have had my hand stamped hundreds of times. Not once has it hurt.

I just feel I need to add my two cents into this - because it has for me. I'm highly allergic to the blacklight ink. I'm ok with it on the back of my hand, but anywhere else, especially the inside of my wrist, is a huge no-no as it will rash immediately. It's a fight every time I go out the gate at most parks, especially Cedar Point, which insists on stamping the inside of your wrist. I used to have to re-enter through the gate in GR. Last season they started implementing a wristband policy, which wasn't difficult to get from GR, but none of the admissions people knew what it meant coming back in. KI was never a problem with the non-blacklight ink because they stamp on the back of your hand and I'm not as allergic to normal ink, but I'd still rather not get a handstamp and just re-scan my pass. I spend time in GR every visit anyway because either mine or dare-to-fly's pass won't end up working, so if it doesn't scan it's nothing new.

So, I for one, am very glad to not have to fight over a handstamp anymore. I'm hoping this is true at other Cedar Fair parks as well because I really get sick of the fight at Cedar Point.

[The Interpreter]

And fight is the right word. For some reason, many of Cedar Fair's admissions people are the grumpiest, unfriendliest, bordering on nastiest people I have ever dealt with in a service industry. It isn't that way at Busch, Six Flags or Disney. This is one area where FUN needs work. The whole front gate experience leaves a LOT to be desired, in my view, whether at the FUN parks or on the web.

[violakat03]

Surprisingly, Six Flags admissions, which is usually a giant GR nightmare, is rarely an issue. The only time I remember it being a problem was at SFKK when I asked her to stamp the back of my hand because I'm allergic to the ink, and she said "sure, no problem" and then aimed too high and got my wrist. I was not happy as I had to use sunscreen (one of few ways to effectively remove the blacklight ink) to get it off and have her restamp. She actually felt really bad when she saw how badly it rashed that fast because it was bright red where she'd stamped the first time. Holiday World they usually just tell me to come back to that particular person and they'll remember me. Never once been an issue.

[CedarPointer]

It's not like getting a hand stamp is that big of a deal, but this is just one of the hundreds of things that Cedar Fair can do to make a park visit incrementally easier, so I wouldn't knock it.

It's easier to just walk out of the park. Game changer? No...but one tiny brick in the wall of technological ineptitude the chain was trapped in under Kinzel's leadership.

Surprisingly, I don't think it was technological ineptitude. I'm pretty sure it's been a function of their ticketing system for a while- remember when you could use your pass multiple times for parking? I'd assume that was handled the same way that park reentry is now.

[OldieButGoodie]

Indelible.

They finally get decent ink again, and now you don't need it....with a pass.

Terp, holder of a Kings Island Platinum Pass (wonder if it will work at Kings Dominion...or even Carowinds? I may even try other parks, and still force the issue! It's not VooDoo! Some say my Cedar Fair passes are possessed).

Mine did Terp - both places! I have had a bad experience GETTING my pass (the year CF took over from Paramount), but beyond that it has worked flawlessly. We even tried the turnstile at the pass parking area at KD and it worked. (we stayed in the Best Western Kings Quarters - which was much better than expected and we could walk to teh front gate faster than the shuttle could get us there)

[OldieButGoodie]

I have had issues with my Platinum pass both this year and last year at Carowinds and Kings Dominion. The Kings Dominion issue occurred on their opening day, where they could see that I had renewed my Platinum Pass, but its effective date ended in December of 2012. Twenty minutes of waiting in line at Ticketing/Season Pass services at Kings Dominion, the issue was fixed. You would have thought that such a simple thing would be fixed. Its not like we are buying a cheap KI pass. I shelled out over $150 for my Platinum Pass.

You'd think they'd have this all set - but I wonder if it was due to their opening days being before the park where you bought/renewed? Just bad IT in the end... No reason that should happen when the up-front cash is so big.

[kblanken]

Today was the first time that Cedar Fair gave me the 'terpy turnstile treatment'.

My renewed Cedar Point Platinum pass didn't work at the parking gates. The nice lady (all of them were nice today) told me to go inside the season pass building and get it fixed.

In there, I showed my card and the confirmation report that I printed off. It took three people to figure it out, and an additional computer, but they finally switched to something that showed I was good. They told me it will work at the gate.

At the gate, it flashed a big X. They asked if I had already been in today (no), if it was a platinum(yes), and they had me visit guest services.

In guest services they ended up finding my info and matching it to something, and gave me a new Kings Island platinum pass to replace my old CP pass.

The new KI pass worked after that, but I won't be surprised if I get to visit the Cedar Point guest services in a few weeks.

My pass still says a hand stamp is required for re-entry...it also states that I cannot get into Kings Island FearFest. I'll probably be getting a stamp any time I plan to do a re-entry.

[jcgoble3]

I used the new re-entry policy today without any problems. Went out to the car to reapply sunscreen, came back, and the pass scanned again with no problem.

As for the "Terpy treatment", I've only ever used my platinum pass at one other park: Cedar Point, during the week I spent there in 2011. I had no problems then; it scanned once at the parking toll booth, once at the Hotel Breakers check-in desk, five times on five days at CP entry gates, once at the Soak City entry gate, and twice at the Skyscraper ticket booth, all without a hitch. We'll see if I run into any problems next month when I do CoasterMania.

[malem]

My pass still says a hand stamp is required for re-entry...it also states that I cannot get into Kings Island FearFest. I'll probably be getting a stamp any time I plan to do a re-entry.

The platinum pass I obtained from Guest Services last season is identical, and it's given me no trouble at all. Apparently they have a stack of old cards in there.

Do this year's freshly-issued KI passes include the text about hand stamps?

[The Interpreter]

I MAY try to use my KI Platinum Pass at KD soon. Or, given the past, I may just go to Great Adventure or Busch Gardens Williamsburg instead.

[cholderfield]

No handstamp required yesterday! My wife and I left the park for a few hours and came back for night rides on The Beast and Diamondback.

[Thrill_Biscuit]

Looks like somebody finally figured out how to filter the date field in the Passholder Attendance database. Hooray!

[dare-to-fly]

Today was the first time that Cedar Fair gave me the 'terpy turnstile treatment'.

My renewed Cedar Point Platinum pass didn't work at the parking gates. The nice lady (all of them were nice today) told me to go inside the season pass building and get it fixed.

In there, I showed my card and the confirmation report that I printed off. It took three people to figure it out, and an additional computer, but they finally switched to something that showed I was good. They told me it will work at the gate.

At the gate, it flashed a big X. They asked if I had already been in today (no), if it was a platinum(yes), and they had me visit guest services.

In guest services they ended up finding my info and matching it to something, and gave me a new Kings Island platinum pass to replace my old CP pass.

The new KI pass worked after that, but I won't be surprised if I get to visit the Cedar Point guest services in a few weeks.

My pass still says a hand stamp is required for re-entry...it also states that I cannot get into Kings Island FearFest. I'll probably be getting a stamp any time I plan to do a re-entry.

I would not be surprised if you did in a few weeks. I've visited that Guest Relations office on numerous occasions, and usually they are a pain, but manageable. It sounds like you had a frustrating experience at KI, but it also sounds like they took good care of you. They always have for me as well.

"Terpy Turnstile Treatment" is much worse though. I'm not sure it's my place to say what happened there...but it was not that simple.