There was some recent discussion in the Early Ride Time topic I believe warrants additional attention. It's about the Gold/Platinum pass benefits at Kings Island and some other Cedar Fair parks and how easy it is for passholders to find benefits pertaining to their home park.

I am a Platinum passholder and travel quite a bit to the various Cedar Fair properties. One of the first things I do early in the season is to find out what benefits are available at each Cedar Fair park to their passholders. Each park has a Benefits listing in their Season Pass section that lays out general information about the passholder benefits. Unfortunately, a lot of the benefits laid out in that section for most Cedar Fair properties are so general that they don't convey any worthwhile information.

Compare this:

https://www.visitkingsisland.com/ticket-category/2014-Season-Passes

To this:

https://www.kingsdominion.com/images/uploads/file/2014%20Season%20Passholder%20Guide(3).pdf

The Kings Dominion passholder guide is beautiful. It tells you just about everything you need to know in a few pages and explains the benefits in an easy to understand, black and white fashion. You know what rides are open for ERT and when. It tells you when the bring-a-friend days are. It took exactly two clicks to get there from the home page.

Kings Island does not currently have any specifics on their website. I tried to Google for additional info and only came up with the 2013 pass benefits, seen here: https://www.visitkingsisland.com/images/uploads/file/2013%20Gold%20and%20Platinum%20Season%20Pass%20Benefits(2).pdf. We know that Banshee is an ERT ride but that's it so far. We know there are food and merchandise discounts but don't know how much or how we're supposed to identify where those are going to be. When are the bring-a-friend days?

I'm not trying to single out Kings Island here because most of the other Cedar Fair parks - including Worlds of Fun which is already open (and Carowinds to a slightly lesser degree, although it takes a thorough Google search to find any additional info on their pass benefits) - have the same issue. We're four days from Kings Island opening for the year. I just find it really odd that they haven't posted any real specifics on their pass benefits. Passholders want to spend in the parks (really we do!), but we shouldn't have to run through a gauntlet to get specific benefit info.

The benefit is getting into the park without paying $35-$50 each time.

Take it or leave it.

The benefit is getting into the park without paying $35-$50 each time.

Take it or leave it.

That's the benefits of a regular season pass. I want to know what extra benefits I am getting with my Gold Pass that I paid extra for, as well as how to use those extra benefits.

Transmitted from Wild Space via my datapad's DROID brain

The benefit is getting into the park without paying $35-$50 each time.

Take it or leave it.

Then why buy a Gold pass?

If you bought a gold pass in the fall, you got those extra benefits for free.

Doesnt Gold give you free parking over the regular pass?

The benefit is getting into the park without paying $35-$50 each time.

Take it or leave it.

That's the benefits of a regular season pass. I want to know what extra benefits I am getting with my Gold Pass that I paid extra for, as well as how to use those extra benefits.

Transmitted from Wild Space via my datapad's DROID brain

You get to go through the parking tolls without paying on each visit.

Next question.

EDIT: beaten...

I mean... worst case scenario you'll find out what the added benefits are on Friday, right?

At Cedar Point if you have a Platinum Pass you will get at least 10% off their hotels. I can tell you Sandcastle Suites is more that that off.

I mean... worst case scenario you'll find out what the added benefits are on Friday, right?

Perhaps, and perhaps not. I was at Carowinds last Friday. One of the perks they offer according to their season pass benefits page is early ride time. We went to Guest Relations and asked what days their early ride times were. They couldn't tell us. The only way we knew about the bring-a-friend benefit was seeing a sign on their ticket windows. Do most people know you still get 10% off Beagle Bucks with your pass there?

There's simply no reason in this day and age to not have that information communicated effectively. I - or any other passholder for that matter - should not need to make a stop at Guest Relations to see if I can get an explanation of the new benefits at the start of the year or run around asking the same question at every shop or restaurant. If they tell me that I need to shell out $180 for a pass and make that black and white they should be able to tell me what benefits come with my pass in the same fashion. I don't think it's too much to ask.

Although it seems strange that the park hasn't released benefit details less than a week before the park opens, when you consider how big Thursday is for the park, it really makes sense. What better way to sell passes than reveal all the benefits when all eyes are on the park? They get to sell the new coaster to the media and also show people what perks they get when they buy a pass. The new coaster, combined with the ERT and other perk info, will be a great motive to sell more passes, especially since the park still has roughly a month and a half til Gold disappears (assuming it lasts through the end of May like it usually does).

The benefit is getting into the park without paying $35-$50 each time.

Take it or leave it.

That's the benefits of a regular season pass. I want to know what extra benefits I am getting with my Gold Pass that I paid extra for, as well as how to use those extra benefits.

Transmitted from Wild Space via my datapad's DROID brain

Parking. Admission during the fall.

The website says I get a lot more than that. I want details on the "more" part.

Transmitted from Wild Space via my datapad's DROID brain

What do you want to get? For me and my daughters, getting in the park is enough. Everything else is a plus.

I think the main incentive to go Gold is the free parking. When it comes to other benefits, they have been announced over time on KI social media outlets. ERT has been discussed and other Gold events (bring a friend free mainly) have been scheduled.

The extra benefits may not be laid out well, but I think with the situation you have, where you visit many parks a year, your benefit is the fact that you have a pass that will get you into any CF park at will.

What is going in here? Check out the website.

https://www.visitkingsisland.com/ticket-category/2014-Season-Passes

No issues here.

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What is going in here? Check out the website.

https://www.visitkingsisland.com/ticket-category/2014-Season-Passes

No issues here.

Sent from my iPhone using Taptalk

That page has already been linked in this thread, and it is the source of the confusion. What bring-a-friend days? What food and merchandise discounts? How can I possibly take advantage of them if I don't know what they are?

Transmitted from Wild Space via my datapad's DROID brain

If you read it carefully it says bring a friend is on selected days.

Those days are yet to be determined by the park. Food and merchandise discounts in the park. Just look for the gold pass signs. They are located at food stands and merchandise counters in the park. Best if you sign up for the parks newsletter to get all the latest and greatest updates. Here is the link.

https://www.visitkingsisland.com/online-fun/connections

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I already do subscribe to the newsletter. That hasn't helped me. And why in the world should I have to walk around the entire park and ask cashiers everywhere just to find out where and for what I can use my pass?

Stop giving me PR bullcrap and give me a real answer.

Transmitted from Wild Space via my datapad's DROID brain

Call the park at 513-754-5700. I believe they will give you a real answer.

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Every time I've tried calling the park before, I end up on hold for so long that I give up and hang up. And in this day and age, I shouldn't have to place a phone call to get basic information like this. There is no excuse for not having the complete details readily available on the website, especially just three days before opening day.

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Patience is a good virtue. Your information will come soon.

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^^ Specific bring-a-friend information was posted to the season pass page, but it has since been removed. Presumably they're still tweaking the offers.

In past seasons, low priced bring-a-friend tickets have been offered on Mother's Day and Father's Day. Other bring-a-friend offers, typically on Sundays with low crowd expectations and over Labor Day weekend, have been announced on short notice.

The since-removed information indicated a different approach, with a bring-a-friend offer lasting the entire regular season, but with the price varying based on the date.

When announcement(s) regarding bring-a-friend dates and offers are ready, I'm sure they'll be widely released through normal channels.

Could I get someone a nice glass of whine?

I really cant tell if JC is just messing with all of us or he is being serious. This wasnt his topic (started by someone else) and the demands are so extreme. I really think he is just playing a game with all of us.

I understand some of the complaints being cited here. Eating in the park can be expensive, and based on my experience, flashing my Gold Card at the cashier rarely does anything other than leave me frustrated because the food my family purchased isn't eligible for whatever discount is being offered. The posted information is arguably vague at best:

"Food & Merch Discounts: Discount offers on purchases at select locations throughout the park."

Well to be fair, whenever I go to Wal-Mart and use my tax exempt card for things for my school district, the cashier has no idea what they are doing and claim that the item cannot be tax exempted...

In fairness, he is right on here...look at Cedar Point's website, and their platinum pass benefit page. Spelled out, as clear as day...early entry, ride nights, bring a friend days, the works.

I don't know why that can't be done for our park by now...opens in three days.

In fairness, he is right on here...look at Cedar Point's website, and their platinum pass benefit page. Spelled out, as clear as day...early entry, ride nights, bring a friend days, the works.

I don't know why that can't be done for our park by now...opens in three days.

Exactly. And I am being 100% serious here. CP can do it. KD can do it. Why can't KI?

Transmitted from Wild Space via my datapad's DROID brain

I've always felt like Plat perks were an afterthought at Kings Island. Why else do we not get plat passholder ride nights? We have enough coasters to support an hour of ERT when the park closes 2-4 times a year on a specific coaster. I also think they could make the first 30 mins of ERT each day Plat only then allow gold in at 9:30am like they are now. Give us more reasons to get a plat pass if we frequent KI... I know I feel its value @ CP.