blueangel04 Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 Was just wondering if any one else has had a problem with a Jr. platinum this year with a kid that is right at that 48" mark. Our youngest kid who was not 48" at the time of processing is now right there and we are now being told we have to upgrade his pass mid season. We even asked when we had them processed and were told it would be good all season even if he reached 48". Some of the supervisors we talked to are saying that this is a "new policy" others said its a Cedar Fair policy. Any info that any one might have would be appreciated. thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkroz Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 I don't have any info, but your pass should have a whole lot of fine print on the back. If it's not there, there is doubtlessly an associated contract of your rights and responsibilities and Kings Island's that would be available online or at the park. The trouble is, most of those contracts have fine print within the fine print that says policies are subject to change at any time. One thing we see an unfortunate amount of here is miscommunication, where guests are told different things by different folks. The people trained to process passes, for example, understand things differently than those who work admissions. Take your issue to guest relations, and you may hear either one of the answers you got at processing and admissions, or even a third option! All you can do, unfortunately, is work your way up the pole and calmly, kindly, gently ask for supervisors and superiors. Ultimately the answer you may get is, "Yes, unfortunately, you'll need to upgrade," so be prepared for that. Whatever the result, request (kindly) that the park be more clear about that in the future, and ask that all employees who work in admissions and processing be trained on the way that that works. Because honestly, that's not some isolated issue. I'm sure that happens to many kids every season. Honestly, I'm surprised that you were stopped at the gate and questioned about it to begin with. Someone was really into their job if they sincerely took the time to check your child's height. I guess that's the right thing to do given the information they apparently had (that the day they reach 48 inches, a child's pass must be upgraded immediately), but I'm still surprised it happened. I wish I didn't have to tell you to "get to the bottom of it and let us know," but I'm not sure what else to say. Calling guest relations and speaking to one of the lovely folks there will provide you with an answer, but it doesn't mean you'll get the same one next time you try to enter the park. The only definitive answer will come from someone salaried, I imagine, and even then you may experience problems at the gate unless that person takes it upon him or herself to make the policy clear to everyone. Once in a while, Don is active here. He might have an answer. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoddaH1994 Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 You could also try calling the park for clarification of the rule. 513-754-5700 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dtk1376 Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 From the KI website under the "View Details" screen on the season pass purchasing section: "Jr/Sr: Ages 3 & up; under 48" tall / Ages 62 & up. Guests purchasing Jr/Sr tickets but not meeting these qualifications will be required to upgrade to the appropriate pass type." 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
electricsun Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 I'm interested in the response you get if you call the park. My youngest nephew is right at 46.5". During our last visit, my sister was stopped at the gate and told that he would need to buy the full pass next year because he would be too tall. We took it as a heads-up to prepare ourselves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbum123 Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 Once they move out of Planet Snoopy and into the bigger rides, its time to pony up and pay the price. Try buying Platinum's for a family with 5 kids. Luckily there was the payment plan! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upstop Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 My nephew was above 48 inches when he was a kid. He was too scared to ride the adult rides because of his mental age and couldn't ride the kiddie rides because of his physical size, therefore that year was a waste of money all the way around. He immediately lost interest in Kings Island. In fact after that year he never came back and hasn't to this day. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malem Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 Someone was really into their job if they sincerely took the time to check your child's height. Fun fact: the new front gate entrance podiums serve as a 48" measuring stick. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medford Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 interesting. While different people have different budgets and for some buying passes in the fall the season before doesn't work into their budget as well as buying them later (even though the cost goes up), I believe the gold pass when they are first issued in August are lower or perhaps equivalent to the lowest prices offered for a season pass. While a 40" tall kid won't take advantage of the free parking (unless going with another family who doesn't have gold passes) like an adult can, that gold pass will be good for the fall portion of their operating calender. I believe the jr passes stop working when the summer season ends (labor day weekend???) anyhoo, something to consider for people that know they'll have kids in the 48" and under crowd heading into next season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XGatorHead 8904 Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 I can't speak for current Cedar Fair policy, but during the Paramount era the rule was clear: everything was based on the time of purchase. If your kid was 3-6 years of age or under 48" when the pass was purchased, they could get the child pass. If they were 7 or older or over 48", the adult pass was required. There was a line painted on the frame of each ticket sales booth that indicated the 48" mark. No upgrading in the middle of the season was needed. Many people benefitted by buying in the fall when their kid was 47" and grew over the winter to be 48". Note: The above reflects the policy of the park's previous owners and may or may not reflect the current policies and practices of Kings Island and its parent company Cedar Fair. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhantomTheater Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 CF policy requires the admision form to be upgraded immediately. A person above 48 inches can not enter the park with a junior ticket or pass. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dtk1376 Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 My best guess would be that policy changed because you don't have to get a new card every year which would be the logical time that they would find out if you are at or below the 48" mark. Or it could just be a way to make some extra money... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcgoble3 Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 I believe the jr passes stop working when the summer season ends (labor day weekend???) That's regular passes (both adult and junior) that are no longer valid after Labor Day. Junior Gold Passes are good through the fall. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiamondAceExpress Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 Sounds exactly like what happened to my friend and her daughter a couple of weeks ago. She was stopped at the entrance because her daughter was too tall for the Junior Pass. When she went to get the upgrade, which I guess was a new adult pass with her new picture, however, she was not charged anything extra. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medford Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 ^^^ is there such a thing as a junior gold pass? I thought all gold passes were just gold passes. Perhaps that is in the fall when renewing, I thought I looked when we got our son his first season pass a few years ago when he hit 3. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcgoble3 Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 Yes, all pass levels (regular, gold, and platinum) come in adult and junior/senior varieties. The fall sale in previous years has offered them at such a deep discount to begin with that a further discount for being a junior is unnecessary. After that sale, junior passes are cheaper than adult passes at all levels, but still more expensive than the fall sale price. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueangel04 Posted July 9, 2014 Author Share Posted July 9, 2014 So a update on what I have found out today with many phone calls. I started with Cedar Point and just as I thought it is there policy that when a pass is processed it is good for a season know matter if you get taller or not. They also stated that the Cedar Fair policy is the same. So I told them what had happened at Kings Island and they offered to get to the bottom of it for me. In the mean time I called some of the other parks and apparently they are doing the same thing as KI. So I had a manager from Cedar Point call me back and when they called Kings Island and even the supervisor at Cedar Point got the same attitude from the supervisor at KI when she tried to explain the policy to her and basically blew her off. I also told her what I have found out about the other parks. So at this point it has been passed on to another manager that is going to take it to corporate and find out why the policy is not being followed across all parks. They also told me that Kings Island has reported his pass stolen and cant be used at any of the parks. They are also willing to upgrade his pass for him at no charge but I have to get up to Cedar Point to do it. They told me to expect a phone call back from them tomorrow and let me know what the outcome is when all the managers get together and find out what exactly is going on. When I get more information I will let you know. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoddaH1994 Posted July 9, 2014 Share Posted July 9, 2014 Clearly there's some sort of miscommunication. I'm glad that CF is in the process of helping you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombiejane Posted July 9, 2014 Share Posted July 9, 2014 We bought lil'zombie's 2013 pass in the fall of 2012. He was 46" when we bought it. He was teetering between purple and the colour below it for a month (depending on who was manning the measurement stations, it was crapshoot of which band he'did get). Halfway through the season he was consistently 48" and we didn't have to upgrade his pass until we got his 2014. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombiejane Posted July 9, 2014 Share Posted July 9, 2014 *teetering between purple and the colour below during the 2013 season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spectrum91 Posted July 9, 2014 Share Posted July 9, 2014 Sounds exactly like what happened to my friend and her daughter a couple of weeks ago. She was stopped at the entrance because her daughter was too tall for the Junior Pass. When she went to get the upgrade, which I guess was a new adult pass with her new picture, however, she was not charged anything extra. As jcgoble3 mentioned, the price of the pass is dependent on when you bought it. Many park visitors purchased a junior pass when it was discounted to the same price as a regular pass, meaning that there would be no charge for the upgrade. It's just a slight hassle for the guest, who has to stop at pass processing and get a new pass either before they leave or on their next visit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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