Kings Island suspending payment plans

[coaster sally]

Dear 2020 Season Passholder: As we all continue to navigate this unprecedented situation, we want to thank you for your continued patience and support of Kings Island.  Our team would like nothing more than to open our park and welcome you back.  Clearly that is not an option for us right now, and our priority is to keep everyone safe --- our valued guests, our amazing associates, and our cherished communities. Given the uncertainty around our park opening, we want to share that for 2020 Season Passholders participating in our Easy Pay Program, we have automatically suspended monthly billing as of April 8, 2020, and will continue to do so while the park is closed. Once the park has opened for the season, billing will resume. Passholders will need to be current on payments in order to receive 2020 Season Pass admission and associated benefits. This is a very unusual time for all of us.  Our Season Passholders represent some of our most loyal guests, and we again thank you for your understanding and loyalty to Kings Island. Sincerely, Mike Koontz Vice President & General Manager Kings Island

[LuckyluvsKI]

Wish there was an option to continue paying. That’s nice and all of them don’t get me wrong just really was OK being done in July instead of who knows when now.   
 

[coaster sally]

Feel like they dropped the ball and did not announce passes be good through 2021.  

[flightoffear1996]

4 minutes ago, coaster sally said:

Feel like they dropped the ball and did not announce passes be good through 2021.  

They haven't missed any operating days yet. When it gets to be so far along and the park is still closed they will likely extend them to 2021. The park is obviously still holding hope for a 2020 season. 

[King Ding Dong]

33 minutes ago, LuckyluvsKI said:

Wish there was an option to continue paying. That’s nice and all of them don’t get me wrong just really was OK being done in July instead of who knows when now.   
 

There is.  Sign into the portal and make a payment manually if you wish.

[coaster sally]

23 minutes ago, flightoffear1996 said:

They haven't missed any operating days yet. When it gets to be so far along and the park is still closed they will likely extend them to 2021. The park is obviously still holding hope for a 2020 season. 

Joe Blow will get the email and not understand why they are closed.

[iheartbeast79]

Based on Mike Koontz's email, what do you think this means in terms of payments when the park opens, if it opens during the 2020 season?  In other scenarios, when you defer a payment, you often have to play catch-up at the end in a lump sum.  Will payments continue at their normal rate, just extending for more months?  What would that mean if the park opens in July or Aug but then Nov. renewal time rolls around?  Double payments for 20/21 passes?  This is why allowing 20 passes to be used through 21 would be ideal IMHO. We're KI Platinum passholders, so that part concerns/confuses me, too, in light of the Knott's announcement.

[coaster sally]

I am sure it would continue at the monthly agreed upon rate.

[disco2000]

5 minutes ago, iheartbeast79 said:

Based on Mike Koontz's email, what do you think this means in terms of payments when the park opens, if it opens during the 2020 season?  In other scenarios, when you defer a payment, you often have to play catch-up at the end in a lump sum.  Will payments continue at their normal rate, just extending for more months?  What would that mean if the park opens in July or Aug but then Nov. renewal time rolls around?  Double payments for 20/21 passes?  This is why allowing 20 passes to be used through 21 would be ideal IMHO. We're KI Platinum passholders, so that part concerns/confuses me, too, in light of the Knott's announcement.

See the other thread "Coronavirus impacting theme parks" for discussions about how this impacts platinum passes potentially starting on page 47...

Should this thread be combined with the other one?

[iheartbeast79]

3 minutes ago, coaster sally said:

I am sure it would continue at the monthly agreed upon rate.

That's what I'm assuming/hoping. 

[iheartbeast79]

4 minutes ago, disco2000 said:

See the other thread "Coronavirus impacting theme parks" for discussions about how this impacts platinum passes potentially starting on page 47...

Should this thread be combined with the other one?

I think that would be helpful in terms of the Platinum Pass issue.

[LuckyluvsKI]

2 hours ago, King Ding Dong said:

There is.  Sign into the portal and make a payment manually if you wish.

Thanks i didnt know that was an option cool

[SnakePlissken]

1 hour ago, disco2000 said:

See the other thread "Coronavirus impacting theme parks" for discussions about how this impacts platinum passes potentially starting on page 47...

Should this thread be combined with the other one?

No because I'm not going into the Corona Virus thread for pass information. I'm avoiding that thread because the state of things right now is really depressing. Any passholder info over there maybe should be moved over here or a new thread all together.

 

Knott's announced all pass's are now good for the 2021 season and I expect Cedar Fair to announce that chain wide. Why they have not yet I do not know. Anything less for platinum holders is unexceptable now. The argument that King's Island hasn't lost any days yet is only good for gold pass holders right now and as of this weekend that will not be either. Normally I could have used a platinum at Knott's, King's Dominion and Carowinds by now.

[Hawaiian Coasters 325]

Just now, SnakePlissken said:

No because I'm not going into the Corona Virus thread for pass information. I'm avoiding that thread because the state of things right now is really depressing. Any passholder info over there maybe should be moved over here or a new thread all together.

 

Knott's announced all pass's are now good for the 2021 season and I expect Cedar Fair to announce that chain wide. Why they have not yet I do not know. Anything less for platinum holders is unexceptable now. The argument that King's Island hasn't lost any days yet is only good for gold pass holders right now and as of this weekend that will not be either. Normally I could have used a platinum at Knott's, King's Dominion and Carowinds by now.

They haven't announced it chain wide yet because Knott's is a year round park. I think they'll do that if they get to a point where they open mid summer or don't open at all. 

[coaster sally]

5 minutes ago, Hawaiian Coasters 325 said:

They haven't announced it chain wide yet because Knott's is a year round park. I think they'll do that if they get to a point where they open mid summer or don't open at all. 

Platinum passes are valid year round.

[harveyhaddixfan]

Platinum passes are valid year round.

This is my thought. I don’t see how CF could allow platinum passes from Knotts be good next year and not apply that to platinum passes based out of other parks.

[King Ding Dong]

Also if anyone is so inclined
 

 

If I purchase on the payment plan after 4/8/20, will my payments be suspended during the park closure?

Yes – you will pay the initial payment plus applicable taxes and fees at checkout and your future monthly payments will be suspended until the park reopens.

[disco2000]

1 minute ago, King Ding Dong said:

Also if anyone is so inclined
 

 

If I purchase on the payment plan after 4/8/20, will my payments be suspended during the park closure?

Yes – you will pay the initial payment plus applicable taxes and fees at checkout and your future monthly payments will be suspended until the park reopens.

I posted this in the other thread too since we have two going...

[jimlaheyscar]

I'm not in the payment plan but can they do this? Are they allowed to make changes to agreement? I'm assuming yes since they have. 

[disco2000]

6 minutes ago, jimlaheyscar said:

I'm not in the payment plan but can they do this? Are they allowed to make changes to agreement? I'm assuming yes since they have. 

I am sure their is so much legalize they can do as the please...

and based on all current announcements as of today, according to this a platinum pass is not a platinum pass and is based on where you purchased, so a Knott's platinum is extended through 2021 but based on today's announcement the other parks platinum is not...

[coaster sally]

Again, they dropped the ball IMO.  Everyday they are not opened the pass holder will feel they are getting hosed.

[gforce1994]

1 minute ago, disco2000 said:

I am sure their is so much legalize they can do as the please...

and based on all current announcements as of today, according to this a platinum pass is not a platinum pass and based on where you purchased, so a Knott's platinum is extended through 2021 but based on today's announcement the other parks platinum is not...

So what happens if a Knotts passholder took a trip to Carowinds or CP in August and renewed their platinum pass there to get a free FLP. That could open a whole can of worms.

[coaster sally]

I feel they have data showing its better to grant Knotts passes vs the rest in the chain from a financial standpoint.

[jimlaheyscar]

3 minutes ago, gforce1994 said:

So what happens if a Knotts passholder took a trip to Carowinds or CP in August and renewed their platinum pass there to get a free FLP. That could open a whole can of worms.

Exactly.  I just don't foresee them breaking up Platinum passes that way.  They may do away with them in 2022, but I just don't see them splitting them up now.  They just aren't announcing it for some reason.

[disco2000]

2 minutes ago, jimlaheyscar said:

Exactly.  I just don't foresee them breaking up Platinum passes that way.  They may do away with them in 2022, but I just don't see them splitting them up now.  They just aren't announcing it for some reason.

We have to remember that Cedar Fair is a publicly traded company and that affects the type and timing of their communication...so they have their reasons...even if it is an inconsistent message to those that follow the chain closely...

[gforce1994]

4 minutes ago, coaster sally said:

I feel they have data showing its better to grant Knotts passes vs the rest in the chain from a financial standpoint.

Here’s the catch-22: all passes are sold as the same product with same terms and conditions in two different countries. I’m curious if they are different products.

[iheartbeast79]

2 hours ago, disco2000 said:

I posted this in the other thread too since we have two going...

Yes, this was my point of confusion.  Yikes!

[radishman]

Jokes on me I paid (like an idiot) the lump sum the day I bought everything. It's an expensive lesson, no future year renewels until the season starts. You don't save that much just by doing it early anyway.

[coaster sally]

3 minutes ago, radishman said:

Jokes on me I paid (like an idiot) the lump sum the day I bought everything. It's an expensive lesson, no future year renewels until the season starts. You don't save that much just by doing it early anyway.

$10 bucks or so

[Kenban]

1 hour ago, gforce1994 said:

So what happens if a Knotts passholder took a trip to Carowinds or CP in August and renewed their platinum pass there to get a free FLP. That could open a whole can of worms.

I took advantage of the free FLP deal, and the exchange rate and renewed my platinum pass through Canada's Wonderland last year.  Your pass becomes a pass of whatever park you renew through.  I stopped getting the King's Island pass holder emails and now receive the pass holder emails for Canada's Wonderland.  The different park apps show it as a Canada's Wonderland pass now, even through the actual card still says Kings Island.

Here's the crazy part of this whole thing.  If you go on Knott's website the passes they are selling right now including the platinum pass are being advertised as 2020-2021 passes which expire Dec 31, 2021.  This includes the platinum pass, which Cedar Fair lets you buy the platinum pass through any of their websites and process it at any of their parks.  So if you buy a Knott's pass what happens if you process it at Kings Island?