Please help settle an argument between my wife and I...

[Stephen]

She is saying that at one time with a Gold Pass you could skip the line. I do not believe that was ever the case in park history. Can anyone advise us as to who is right?

[xXDrummerKiDXx]

Can you please get in to more detail with "you could skip the line".

[Titan]

No, Gold Passes do not allow you to skip the line. However I'm not sure how it was in the past....

Edit: Yeah my post was pretty much pointless.....

[LordSkippy]

Didn't they have a double-ride program involving Gold Passes in the Paramount days?

Could that be what your wife is thinking of?

[coasterfanatic83]

Can you please get in to more detail with "you could skip the line".

Well the way it reads to me is that... ya know, you could just kinda... skip the line

I don't really remember, but didn't there used to be a separate line at BLSC for gold passholders? Or something like that?

[Fire-Beast-OF FEAR]

They had double ride Tuesdays in certain rows only and were the Fast Lane line is now there used to be a gold pass line were you would show the greeter your pass wait in a shorter line on Italian Job in its opening season.

[Stephen]

By skip the line I meant use it like a fast pass.

[Elkman]

You could use it as a fast pass, but you had to get a ticket underneath from a booth near the Eiffel Tower. I used it once or twice, back in 05, 06??

Double ride applied to more rides and I think it lasted longer.

[Delirium13]

The only thing I can recall as being a "Fast Pass" type deal is the separate line they had for Gold Pass holders on IJST/BLSC when it first opened. I don't recall any other rides having a skip the line option, I also don't remember the Gold Pass line being utilized very often.

[BoddaH1994]

She's right. Under Paramount, they had "Walk on Weekends" and later "Walk on Wednesdays" which acted like a fast pass system on certain rides.

[UnrealNightmare]

We were just talking about Two for Tuesdays tonight in line for The Beast.

[Stephen]

Darn it I don't want to tell her she was right. But only half right since it was only on the weekends or Wednesday's.

[BoddaH1994]

Yeah, it wasn't all the time. Plus it wasn't like you could flash your pass and walk up the exit. In the past the park had a handful of guest services booths and you could stop by one and receive a special ticket to skip one of a small selection of rides, but you could only do it once per visit.

[The Interpreter]

And it was a test for a Fast Lane type program. Kings Dominion tested it more extensively. Paramount Parks decided not to implement such a system. Cedar Point was testing Free Lane about the same time. It allowed a limited number of guests to get a pre-assigned ride time on one or both of two rides. You had to line up to get a handstamp with your assigned time for Millennium Force and/or whatever the second ride was that day.

A limited number of stamps was available foe each of rolling times throughout the day. Some guests abused the system and Free Lane soon was no more.

[upstop]

Didn't they have a double-ride program involving Gold Passes in the Paramount days?

Could that be what your wife is thinking of?

That is correct.,,, it was "two for Tuesdays"....

[The Interpreter]

I'm so old I remember the ultimate fast queuing system--pay per ride. Lines were much, much shorter. Oddly, seldom were you allowed to pick your seat or wait for the front or back, even though you were paying by the ride. In many ways, premium queuing is just a way of getting a premium experience by rationing the most rides to those who pay the most.

[upstop]

I'm so old I remember the ultimate fast queuing system--pay per ride. Lines were much, much shorter. Oddly, seldom were you allowed to pick your seat or wait for the front or back, even though you were paying by the ride. In many ways, premium queuing is just a way of getting a premium experience by rationing the most rides to those who pay the most.

Amen to that! None of these yungins will ever remember having to......duh duh duh....pay for each ride!!???!!!

No matter how much Fastlane brings in moneywise it is simple a setup for a ride class system... and I expect there will be a ++ and +++ in our future.

[The Interpreter]

At Dollywood they could easily charge for the shows. Their Q-Bots are primarily used for premium seating at said shows.

[jackparanoia]

I don't care what they charge, just as long as they keep the wristband thing going.

I hope you guys never get these because I hate them.

[ohiocolts]

I miss Double Ride Tuesdays... Even though somebody waiting in line would get mad, and I would show them the sign. I believe it was replaced by ERT.

[kjkjkj]

That calendar they sent out the one year that had the "Two for Tuesdays" and "Walk on Wednesdays" was awesome. I remember it had one of the original park maps on one of the months.

[dwitb]

There should be a Fast Lane season pass or give it to platinum pass holders on certain days, IMO.

[The Interpreter]

There should be a Fast Lane season pass or give it to platinum pass holders on certain days, IMO.

That would defeat the purpose on many levels. It's not a lot different than saying the park should have Bring a Friend Free days. They learned that lesson.

Then again, I'd not be against a Fast Lane Season pass if it were offered for, say $3995. And no, I didn't leave out a decimal.

[LordSkippy]

The Q-Bot system is probably the least exploitable fast queuing system around, which is why I like it. Both FastLane and Disney's FastPass sysem seem ripe for exploitation, although FastPass has vastly improved over the past few years.

[silver2005]

In 2005, gold pass holders could get a ticket, which had a time on it, to skip the line of Italian Job (which is now the Fast Lane line). I also remember in the early 2000's they had double rides set up on a few rides where they had select rows on rides marked for pass holders to use that option.

[The Interpreter]

Yeah...on Wednesdays or weekends. That was up there.

kjkjkj and BoddaH1994 posted it...

[Kat]

I remember a gold pass only line on Invertigo. I don't remember much more than that, though, as it was several years ago....

[Rustbucket]

Gold Pass speed lane tickets also existed. Like someone said before, you had to get tickets in the mornings. They had specific time when you could ride them.

[YoungStud]

And it was a test for a Fast Lane type program. Kings Dominion tested it more extensively. Paramount Parks decided not to implement such a system. Cedar Point was testing Free Lane about the same time. It allowed a limited number of guests to get a pre-assigned ride time on one or both of two rides. You had to line up to get a handstamp with your assigned time for Millennium Force and/or whatever the second ride was that day.

A limited number of stamps was available foe each of rolling times throughout the day. Some guests abused the system and Free Lane soon was no more.

Is that the same as freeway?

[XGatorHead 8904]

At Dollywood they could easily charge for the shows. Their Q-Bots are primarily used for premium seating at said shows.

That's exactly why we get the Q-bot every time for our yearly visit to Dollywood's Smoky Mountain Christmas. The lines for shows can get insanely long, so it's very nice to be able to reserve a seat ahead of time. Their shows, particularly their Christmas ones, are excellent and worth the five hour drive down there.

Typically the rides have short lines when we go in November, and the Q-Bot's not really needed for that, so it's just a nice bonus to have to see the wait times and reserve a spot for a ride that's on the other side of the park, just in case!

I can't wait to see what they do with "A Christmas Carol" this year. We loved "Babes in Toyland", and the ice show was a poor replacement for that.