Changes to 2015 dining plans (Update: not happening)

[malem]

Dining plan information has been updated for 2015 on Kings Island's website. https://www.visitkingsisland.com/things-to-do/dining-plans?mobile=0

The big change from the fall announcement (when 2015 plans went on sale) is that there are now set times for redeeming lunch and dinner. Originally, there was to be a 4-hour wait time between meals, with no other time restrictions.

During the 2015 season, simply present your pass at any participating locations and enjoy lunch (11:30am - 2:30pm) and dinner (4:30pm - 8:00pm) every time you visit the park! Dinner times may vary as park hours vary.

This approach is simpler for guests using the meal plans as intended, though I'm personally not a fan of having to eat within those hours. I can see some customers being upset that the rules changed after purchasing the plan.

EDIT: The original redemption rules for the 2015 season have been restored to the park's website. Several potential issues with the rule change were pointed out in this thread, and KI responded to feedback from concerned guests who had already purchased the plans.

[The Interpreter]

Dinner times may vary?

This is going to be....interesting.

[malem]

^ Those dinner hours can't work if the park doesn't open until 5:00pm or if it closes at 7:00pm. I would hope that I could eat later than 8:00pm when the park closes at midnight or 1:00am.

Hopefully they get the customer service right to prevent misunderstandings for existing dining plan customers. (Effectively communicating the change, permitting refunds on unused passes sold under the "old" rules)

[Oldiesmann]

I also hope they figure out whether or not to include drinks this year. I had mixed experiences last year. Officially, drinks weren't included, but there were several times when I got a drink to go with my free meal and was not charged for it.

[Sonofbeast2.0]

If the price stayed the same as last year, I would say no drinks but since the season long dinning went up in price, include drinks.

[FEARSOMERIDER]

I don't like changing the rules once the game begins. This should have been disclosed at the time of purchase.

[malem]

I also hope they figure out whether or not to include drinks this year. I had mixed experiences last year. Officially, drinks weren't included, but there were several times when I got a drink to go with my free meal and was not charged for it.

It has been clear since 2015 passes went on sale that drinks are not included with the all-season dining plan. This was the case for 2014 as well, though some customers ended up receiving free drinks.

[TombRaiderFTW]

I don't mean to be a downer, but does anyone else here find it a little frustrating that the rules of this thing keep changing after people purchase them? I appreciate the park organizing this plan and don't mind that there are rules, but I don't understand why they keep changing after purchase. I was more against than for the idea of getting the dining plan this year simply because I realized I only barely eat at the park enough to justify the price, but the part of me that was still on the fence is, for now, decided against it. I like (and do sincerely want) to support the park, but this doesn't work for me.

I'll reconsider if the rules (including any possible revisions throughout the season) are communicated clearly and effectively with, for example, signage. Or at least an email clearly defining any rule changes. Given the level of communication that I experienced throughout the Cedar Fair parks I visited last year concerning both all-day and all-season dining plans, I'm not holding my breath, to be frank.

[The Interpreter]

Meanwhile, the other, larger operator of regional seasonal parks, who originated this concept in the USA, has clearly communicated rules which, to date, have not changed once purchased.

[TombRaiderFTW]

Which is why there's more of a chance of me purchasing one of their all-season dining plans, despite the fact that the park of theirs that I'll visit most frequently this year is approximately 6 hours from my house.

[The Interpreter]

That chain's Gold Pass has also always worked betwixt their parks without fail, until last summer. When I encountered a problem, at their Great America in Chicago, it was quickly, cheerfully and courteously fixed.

[malem]

By the way, I wonder what happens if I get in line at a participating food location at 7:50pm, but the wait to get food and pay is 20 minutes.

[The Interpreter]

Probably the same thing that happens if you buy your right sized kid a kid's season pass, and by July he's too tall to qualify...

[coasterfanatic83]

"Dining Plan participating locations & menus subject to change without notice"

Hmm...

[The Interpreter]

Buy dinner from us, pay now.

We will tell you what you can have and when later. And you will be glad to get it.

[Joshua]

Good points all around. I still want to try this out, but I think the original rules were better. Technically speaking, it's not like you're getting "free meals." You just paid for a certain amount of meals up front, whether you went with the Single Meal, All Day, or All Season dining options. While the windows aren't too grueling and gap between meals can now be two hours -- that is if you eat at 2:30 and then again at 4:30 -- it just seems odd that to pay what you're paying for it, that it becomes so restrictive, which also makes one fearful of future restrictions.

Another thing is that not everybody who purchases one of these plans is a member here nor keeps up with every little detail on the official site. So, imagine what's going to happen when people, having seen the original rules when they bought it, show up at 3, starving as all get out, low on blood sugar, and agitated that a 15 year old cashier said, "Sorry bro, you can't use this."

I guess the gamble is that person who, in his head, had bought this meal months ago and was, financially speaking, entitled to, will then impulsively buy it. Something tells me, that won't always be the case.

(Never mind the fact that, according to that "subject to change" nonsense, he purchased the plan expecting to get Chicken Shack, the Shack could theoretically now deny him that chicken-y goodness without a moment's notice. Though, I suspect that restriction will more likely barricade places like Skyline.)

[jsus]

<rant>

Um... False advertising much? I bought an all-season dining plan that entitles me to two meals per visit at any Cedar Fair outdoor water or ride park, with only a four hour interval between meals. The list of participating locations and meals is subject to change. That's what I bought. No disclaimer that the entire thing is subject to change at the whim of Cedar Fair. Nothing. Nothing was mentioned to me at time of purchase that they may decide to change things after the sale. I bought it with a 4hr wait time and I expect that. That's not too much to ask.

As others have said, what if you had every intention to be there at the designated meal time but you missed it by five minutes? Maybe you were in line for a ride that should've given you enough time but there was a brief rain or mechanical delay. Maybe there were too many people in line that it took too long to order. Why would they want to put the stress on the guest to plan their day around meals, rather than stopping for a meal when convenient? I go to Cedar Point to have fun, not to be stuck to a schedule. Not to sound like an overall "entitled" person, as I'm really not, but I paid hard-earned money for the plan as sold and am thus entitled to at least that much.

And people blew up when Cedar Point took Midway Market back off the dining plan..

Edit: Oh, and Knott's Berry Farm has been open for a month with the dining plan only having the 4hr wait time. Now they've changed it to the scheduled meal times. Can't wait to see how people feel about having the rules changed on them like that, after having already used it.

</rant>

[RollerNut]

I am just not sure my wife & I eat roughly $175(cost of two dining passes roughly)of food in a season. We have made a habit of splitting one meal at the park, and to my understanding under the all day dining pass would have resulted in ejection from the park.

[TTD-120-420]

As a person who eats at weird times (first meal of the day was at 8:15pm) this would not work for me. I wouldn't have bought it anyways, as I probably won't make it to KI this year.

[Joshua]

Anyone see Dining Plan Plus in the foreseeable future?

[PKIVortex]

It looks like this change is Cedar Fair wide, as the information on Cedar Point's website is the same.

[disco2000]

Wow - just wow. And they wonder why they get negative publicity and profit and all that good stuff is down. Look for the TV investigative report on this come May (will not happen in April as the workers will not be trained yet that the hours are limited )

I purposely avoided those "busy" times and got my food on the meal plan when the lines were down. And I suspect a lot that had the meal plan did the same - everyone I know with the meal plan did anyway. I would typically get my food at 3pm and 9pm. Rarely at the park for the times listed for lunch. I suspect most season pass holders are also in a similar situation of being at the park for differing hours that don't fit this time restriction.

If plans were subject to change that drastically, then they should have avoided selling this during their fall REVENUE DRIVE (renewal period) and waited until they finalized the plans. It changed from 2 to 4 hours and I was ok with that. Dining locations were subject to change and I was ok with that. I am not ok with limiting said hours after purchase - that was not part of the fine print. What is next, our season passes are only valid on weekdays before 1pm and after 8pm?

Now don't get me wrong, I think the price-point is too low and thought the two-hour wait wasn't long enough and as such the system was probably abused. If making the wait time longer helped stop the abuse and keep prices down, fine. I often wondered why they didn't limit the hours of offering and thought that if they placed a restriction it would be to avoid peak times drive the hours to when the food stands are not as busy, but I didn't expect it to happen after said purchase.

So I guess the 4 hour wait is gone or is that in addition to within the timeframes (like cannot eat at 2:30 and 4:30)?

I am sure most would have been willing to pay more for the plan without the dining hours restriction. I would have.

Will be interesting to see if they rescind this - given their recent PR actions, I suspect not. If this doesn't change, will be my last year of the dining plan, and perhaps the pass - I can take my money elsewhere, or maybe go back to eating outside the park.

[Italian Job 2005]

Eating outside the park....something most did in the first place to avoid high prices in the park. They tried to bring us back in with the dining plan. It worked.

For a year.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[malem]

Another potential issue: if I visit on a Friday during Haunt, presumably I can only redeem dinner. Existing customers were promised both meals each time they visit the park, provided they wait out the required interval between meals.

The way I see it, more restrictions on the dining plan make sense in a way. The stated purpose is (and always has been) to provide lunch & dinner each visit for one price, not to eliminate all in-park food spending. Showing up at 6pm and expecting both "lunch" and "dinner" isn't exactly right.

Some guests had trouble keeping track of the 2-hour interval last year; I could see the 4-hour interval causing even more problems. Standard serving times are easy to remember and easy to communicate.

I just wish that they had either finalized redemption rules when dining plans went on sale or refrained from mentioning them at all. Now that the change has been made, hopefully they work out the potential issues before Opening Day and handle it well from a customer service perspective.

[FEARSOMERIDER]

This, in my opinion was not the right thing to do.

A full refund should be offered to those who are not satisfied.

Parents would not allow their children to behave this way.

Would other Parks (or businesses) treat their "best customers" this way?

[jcgoble3]

The way I see it, more restrictions on the dining plan make sense. The stated purpose is (and always has been) to provide lunch & dinner each visit for one price, not to eliminate all in-park food spending. Showing up at 6pm and expecting both "lunch" and "dinner" isn't exactly right.

To offer a different perspective, not everyone eats "lunch" and "dinner" at the traditional times because sleeping schedules vary. I'm getting ready right now to go to Taco Bell, and will consider that "lunch" because I rolled out of bed at 3pm this afternoon. I will probably eat "dinner" around 2am or 3am tonight. Another person might commonly eat lunch around 6 to 7pm and dinner around midnight. That person, having previously purchased a dining plan, would reasonably expect to be able to show up on a Haunt night and get lunch and dinner, as defined by his schedule, around 7pm and 11:30pm respectively.

Forcing those who have oddball sleeping schedules (and few people freely choose to maintain such a schedule, instead having it imposed on them by their job and/or a medical condition) to conform to traditional meal times is not good. In the best-case scenario, some of these people will choose not to purchase a dining plan and will eat outside the park instead. In the worst-case scenario, there is the slim possibility that a person with an actual medical condition could file a lawsuit under the Americans with Disabilities Act. (Insert "I am not a lawyer" disclaimer here.)

[jsus]

Honoring the product offering that was sold to customers months in advance should be offered. I don't want a refund; I liked last year's dining plan as it was (other than being CP-only) and was okay with the 4-hour wait time.

Is that too much to ask? Cedar Point apparently did allow those who purchased the dining plan when Midway Market was available to keep eating there. This is kinda the same thing. It was part of the plan when we bought it.

[shark6495]

How is it taking advantage of something if you used it the way they intended to (2 or 4 hour gap).

Never mind that Disney doesn't care if you use all your meals in one sitting or throughout the day.

[shark6495]

Double post

This absolutely upsets me. So I plan on arriving at the park at 1045. Buy a pop and sit down with my son to enjoy pizza by the fountain around 11. He and I then go to Dino a Alive, ride some rides, get some chicken around 3 do a few more things and go home. But now, everything is not that way. Seriously this is such a bad move. I don't even understand the junk.

And screw it if I want to save my meal for late and night and want to eat a coney before heading home. Bad move KI. I'll be calling tomorrow to express my disgust.

[bkroz]

I get that the switch is off-putting and that folks don't like that they signed under the fine print. I see that it's a frustrating thing to have happen. But the old plan was a four hour break. The new plan is, at most, five hours. 11:30 is the earliest lunch. 4:30 is the earliest dinner.

Is the opposition that you can't get food between 2:30 and 4:30? I can understand that. Better to have them cement that now than halfway through the season when one of us arrives at 3:00 and is unceremoniously turned away by clueless folks behind the register who aren't sure what's included and what's not, etc.

Frustrating. Odd. Unfortunate. Irritating. I suppose the right thing would be for Cedar Fair to accept returns of unused passes or the refund of unused Dining Plans added to passes. In principle, changing the rules is groan-worthy. But in my humble opinion, so is outrage about it... Not wrong, but not worth anger.

Most of us were absolutely bamboozled by the different "breaks" between meals required by the different plans. We were stumped as to how the general public could remember which had a 90 minute break, which were 2 hours, which were 4 hours, etc. Many of us thought the schedule was downright silly and incomprehensible, be it to us, general public, or even cashiers! Now, it's crystal clear. If signage in the park follows suit, this will be much simpler and more straightforward for guests. "You get lunch and / or dinner. Lunch is between the hours of x and y, dinner is between a and b." *shrug* The fact that it changed is annoying and frustrating, but you must admit this could be simpler if it's done right.