Platinum Pass to be Replaced by Passport

[disco2000]

26 minutes ago, DispatchMaster said:

Yes, per the now-public details.

The only caveat is that Prestige (which includes "preferred parking, a single-use Fast Lane with each visit, access to the VIP lounge, and so much more") is only available at CP, KI, and CW.

If any of this is confusing to anyone they shouldn't be left alone with sharp objects. Or even dull ones.

And yet the amount of questions here and on Facebook make you question the education some have got lol.  I agree it seems simple but comprehension seems to be a lost art lol.  Spend 30 minutes looking at questions and comments and there is a concern for our society lol.  But even then there are still concerns about the terms and conditions changing.

[BeeastFarmer]

1 hour ago, DispatchMaster said:

Yes, per the now-public details.

The only caveat is that Prestige (which includes "preferred parking, a single-use Fast Lane with each visit, access to the VIP lounge, and so much more") is only available at CP, KI, and CW.

If any of this is confusing to anyone they shouldn't be left alone with sharp objects. Or even dull ones.

So, can we assume that my KI gold pass, with passport, will get me into Cedar Point Shores, Knott's Soak City, Knott's Scary Farm, SCarowinds, etc?  The things that passholders are excluded from currently?  They added a specific Scary Farm season pass recently.  And at some parks, parking is not included with a pass IIRC.

[jsus]

11 minutes ago, BeeastFarmer said:

So, can we assume that my KI gold pass, with passport, will get me into Cedar Point Shores, Knott's Soak City, Knott's Scary Farm, SCarowinds, etc?  The things that passholders are excluded from currently?  They added a specific Scary Farm season pass recently.  And at some parks, parking is not included with a pass IIRC.

Cedar Point Shores and Knott's Soak City are included with a 2023 Platinum Pass.  "Passport" is said to be effectively the same thing as the all outdoor ride/waterparks feature of Platinum.  If it indeed is the replacement Tony's blog makes it out to be, then anywhere you can use a Platinum Pass this year, you can use your Passport add-on next year.

SCarowinds is not a separately ticketed attraction; it's included in 2023 Gold/Platinum/Prestige at Carowinds.  It's not any different than Halloweekends at CP or Haunt at KI.

Knott's Scary Farm is a separately ticketed attraction, not included in any KBF pass except the standalone KSF one.  No reason to expect it to be included in "Passport".

Another question with this whole confusing mess is how non-Prestige parks will handle their 2024 pass lineup.  Are they going to have to make this change when there isn't even a "Prestige" pass to justify it?  Or will Platinum continue to exist at all but 3 parks?

[disco2000]

2 hours ago, DispatchMaster said:

Yes, per the now-public details.

The only caveat is that Prestige (which includes "preferred parking, a single-use Fast Lane with each visit, access to the VIP lounge, and so much more") is only available at CP, KI, and CW.

If any of this is confusing to anyone they shouldn't be left alone with sharp objects. Or even dull ones.

And there are over 85 comments on the FB page now, most of them questions....

[jsus]

2 hours ago, jsus said:

Another question with this whole confusing mess is how non-Prestige parks will handle their 2024 pass lineup.  Are they going to have to make this change when there isn't even a "Prestige" pass to justify it?  Or will Platinum continue to exist at all but 3 parks?

To answer my own question, looks like all parks are going to this new scheme.

https://www.cagreatamerica.com/blog/2023/introducing-the-all-park-passport

https://www.canadaswonderland.com/blog/2023/july/introducing-the-all-park-passport

https://www.carowinds.com/blog/2023/introducing-the-all-park-passport

https://www.cedarpoint.com/blog/2023/introducing-the-all-park-passport

https://www.kingsdominion.com/blog/2023/introducing-the-all-park-passport

https://www.miadventure.com/blog/2023/introducing-the-all-park-passport

https://www.worldsoffun.com/blog/2023/introducing-the-all-park-passport

Dorney, Knott's, KI, and Valleyfair! don't have the blog post live at this time.

And despite not being mentioned on the blog post, Canada's Wonderland has Prestige loaded into Accesso...  Not officially available, though. 

[BoddaH1994]

…and just wait until someone comes out of hiding and tries to answer these questions. 
 

LOL JK. They won’t be available for comment. 

[super7]

Cedar Fair is the king of bait and switch. They did it with the prestige pass this year, they do it with their operating hours when they close early and blame the weather even though it’s low attendance, they do it when they advertise a discounted ticket price and then tack on a processing fee, and now there’s this.

they even have this sleazy disclaimer on their season pass page

“Season Pass benefits subject to change without notice.
Platinum and Prestige+ Passholder benefits may vary by park. Contact the park you are planning to visit for any questions regarding applicable benefits.”

 

While they are advertising that the gold plus new upgrade is costing less than a current platinum pass, I don’t trust them with their bait and switch way of doing business. There’s going to be a catch.  They are going to take something away and we will end up paying more. Maybe it’s the all park dining and drink plans for example…..

 

 

[BoddaH1994]

3 hours ago, super7 said:

Cedar Fair is the king of bait and switch. They did it with the prestige pass this year, they do it with their operating hours when they close early and blame the weather even though it’s low attendance, they do it when they advertise a discounted ticket price and then tack on a processing fee, and now there’s this.

they even have this sleazy disclaimer on their season pass page

“Season Pass benefits subject to change without notice.
Platinum and Prestige+ Passholder benefits may vary by park. Contact the park you are planning to visit for any questions regarding applicable benefits.”

 

While they are advertising that the gold plus new upgrade is costing less than a current platinum pass, I don’t trust them with their bait and switch way of doing business. There’s going to be a catch.  They are going to take something away and we will end up paying more. Maybe it’s the all park dining and drink plans for example…..

 

 

I shouldn’t have to contact a park about benefits. I should have it at the time of purchase… in writing. 
 

By the way, if the terms are subject to change then why are we not allowed to downgrade from Prestige after purchase? So they can bait and switch but we can’t change our terms of payment without notice?

[DispatchMaster]

13 hours ago, disco2000 said:

And there are over 85 comments on the FB page now, most of them questions....

Do you honestly think FB comments are some indicator of... well, anything? FB is a cesspool of stupid people, often asking questions that can be answered via LMGTFY-level sleuthing. All this to say, FB comments are worse than meaningless. FB is not real life.

14 hours ago, jsus said:

Cedar Point Shores and Knott's Soak City are included with a 2023 Platinum Pass.  "Passport" is said to be effectively the same thing as the all outdoor ride/waterparks feature of Platinum.  If it indeed is the replacement Tony's blog makes it out to be, then anywhere you can use a Platinum Pass this year, you can use your Passport add-on next year.

SCarowinds is not a separately ticketed attraction; it's included in 2023 Gold/Platinum/Prestige at Carowinds.  It's not any different than Halloweekends at CP or Haunt at KI.

Knott's Scary Farm is a separately ticketed attraction, not included in any KBF pass except the standalone KSF one.  No reason to expect it to be included in "Passport".

Another question with this whole confusing mess is how non-Prestige parks will handle their 2024 pass lineup.  Are they going to have to make this change when there isn't even a "Prestige" pass to justify it?  Or will Platinum continue to exist at all but 3 parks?

See? You've easily found the answer to all of the questions with this post and the one that followed. There was nothing confusing about any of this considering you found answers within an hour or so of the change going live.

[DJSkyFoxx]

This is also an optics thing too. You have a company offer a long standing product then you throw in two new products that have by all intents and purposes been around for a season that didn't deliver and then you've got a whole new way of getting long standing benefits ( in this case if you were a Platinum pass holder) with different verbiage. It's not even that it's confusing, it just feels unstable. 

As someone who enjoys video games, this harkens back to a company that no longer makes consoles. They were notorious for introducing a product and abandoning it for the next generation. IE: Sega CD/32X to Saturn. 

Now granted that example may not be entirely fitting seeing as the ability to have an all access season pass isn't being abandoned, however it just goes back to my main point of optics. It just looks bad.

[DispatchMaster]

Agreed that it's chaotic and unstable. But confusing? Certainly not.

[BoddaH1994]

Maybe it’s trust issues. Terms have been changed on us so much that maybe people are thinking that the park will use this as an opportunity to make it so parking is an up-charge and no longer included with Gold, that you don’t get a renewal price for Gold because you technically downgraded from Platinum and so on. None of this would be out of line with what happened to the Prestige people last year. 

[disco2000]

6 minutes ago, BoddaH1994 said:

Maybe it’s trust issues. Terms have been changed on us so much that maybe people are thinking that the park will use this as an opportunity to make it so parking is an up-charge and no longer included with Gold, that you don’t get a renewal price for Gold because you technically downgraded from Platinum and so on. None of this would be out of line with what happened to the Prestige people last year. 

Exactly.  And the same chatter is going on in other park forums.  Parking is ripe to make it an add on additional fee. 

Do three year olds need free parking lol.  Or anyone under 16?   Maybe they do not sell parking pass to those under 16?  This would force parents to buy a pass for themselves and maybe actually spend time with their brats lol.

[Tr0y]

11 minutes ago, BoddaH1994 said:

Maybe it’s trust issues. Terms have been changed on us so much that maybe people are thinking that the park will use this as an opportunity to make it so parking is an up-charge and no longer included with Gold, that you don’t get a renewal price for Gold because you technically downgraded from Platinum and so on. None of this would be out of line with what happened to the Prestige people last year. 

Don’t post this kinda stuff. It gives them ideas. 

[disco2000]

4 minutes ago, Tr0y said:

Don’t post this kinda stuff. It gives them ideas. 

Nah they have been doing this a long time lol.  Who remembers the time duration of meal plans changing during the off-season lol.  Who remembers food options changing for the worse mid season until uproar lol.

[super7]

 

Canadas Wonderland already does not include parking with a gold pass.  

They currently advertise a platinum pass for C$290.  It includes parking

Gold there is C$135 plus C$75 for parking and then the C$100 all park upgrade  

That’s C$310    

Then Canadas Wonderland has this bold lie in print on the Passport page   there’s no savings of $65. It’s at least $20 more!

Why does a Cedar Fair choose to do business in a shady way and use bait and switch?

“With the introduction of the All Park Passport, the Platinum Pass will no longer be offered in 2024. But don’t worry—you can still get the same benefits with the purchase of a 2024 Gold pass with the All Park Passport. Plus, the combined price of a 2024 Gold Pass and All Park Passport is less than the price of a 2023 Platinum Pass, meaning you save up to $65†! ”

 

 

 

 

 

[disco2000]

Here is another example from FB of the inconsistent messaging from parks as it relates to passes and add-ons.  It is this kind of frustation that lead to the trust issues people here and on social media are expressing regarding changing a pass program that has been around for many years:

 

At Cedar Point today and I had read that our All Season drink passes would work at all Cedar Fair parks. There was no mention of being a platinum pass holder. Guest services says no, but both park websites say differently. Has anyone been able to use their Kings Island all season drink pass at Cedar Point?

[Taylor.B03]

2 hours ago, disco2000 said:

Here is another example from FB of the inconsistent messaging from parks as it relates to passes and add-ons.  It is this kind of frustation that lead to the trust issues people here and on social media are expressing regarding changing a pass program that has been around for many years:

 

At Cedar Point today and I had read that our All Season drink passes would work at all Cedar Fair parks. There was no mention of being a platinum pass holder. Guest services says no, but both park websites say differently. Has anyone been able to use their Kings Island all season drink pass at Cedar Point?

90% of the workers didn't care and gave me a cup. Only 1 of them said to go to guest services because it had a *Not Valid* label on it. The pass still showed up but had the label. That same person did say it was grey area and still gave me a cup. Honestly, the workers don't care at all. They are still able to redeem it even if it says not valid. The not valid label pops up because you did not technically enter the park with it but you can't since it's a gold pass so it's strange that it would do it.

TL;DR most workers will still give you a cup, even if one says no then go to another one.

[DispatchMaster]

13 hours ago, super7 said:

 

Canadas Wonderland already does not include parking with a gold pass.  

They currently advertise a platinum pass for C$290.  It includes parking

Gold there is C$135 plus C$75 for parking and then the C$100 all park upgrade  

That’s C$310    

Then Canadas Wonderland has this bold lie in print on the Passport page   there’s no savings of $65. It’s at least $20 more!

Why does a Cedar Fair choose to do business in a shady way and use bait and switch?

“With the introduction of the All Park Passport, the Platinum Pass will no longer be offered in 2024. But don’t worry—you can still get the same benefits with the purchase of a 2024 Gold pass with the All Park Passport. Plus, the combined price of a 2024 Gold Pass and All Park Passport is less than the price of a 2023 Platinum Pass, meaning you save up to $65†! ”

You're using CW's 2023 Gold Pass pricing and benefits to make an assumption about their 2024 Gold Pass pricing and benefits in order to show the company is lying? 

[super7]

5 hours ago, DispatchMaster said:

You're using CW's 2023 Gold Pass pricing and benefits to make an assumption about their 2024 Gold Pass pricing and benefits in order to show the company is lying? 

Do you think they’re going to reduce the price of their gold pass in 2024? If not the combination cost more than the current platinum pass!  They would have to reduce the current prices by $85 to meet their $65 advertise discount!

[jsus]

15 minutes ago, super7 said:

Do you think they’re going to reduce the price of their gold pass in 2024? If not the combination cost more than the current platinum pass!  They would have to reduce the current prices by $85 to meet their $65 advertise discount!

2024 Canada's Wonderland Platinum equivalent, fall pricing -- $99 gold + $85 parking + $100 passport == $284 CAD total ($280 as a renewal)

$6 less than the current $290 CAD platinum, but more than last year's fall platinum pricing.

[DispatchMaster]

1 hour ago, super7 said:

Do you think they’re going to reduce the price of their gold pass in 2024?

Maybe they'll include parking at the existing GP price point, in which case you would save $55, which fits the description of "up to $65". Or maybe they'll have a sale this fall with the GP available for $125, in which cased you'd save $65, which fits the description of "up to $65".

I don't know and I don't care. My point was only that you're calling them liars based on incomplete information.

[Coastercrush]

32 minutes ago, DispatchMaster said:

Maybe they'll include parking at the existing GP price point, in which case you would save $55, which fits the description of "up to $65". Or maybe they'll have a sale this fall with the GP available for $125, in which cased you'd save $65, which fits the description of "up to $65".

I don't know and I don't care. My point was only that you're calling them liars based on incomplete information.

Is dispatch master actually gforce?????

[malem]

The legal terms & conditions for 2024 passes have been posted to the park websites: https://www.visitkingsisland.com/legal/season-pass-terms

Interesting terms:

• Parking at all parks is included with gold passes upgraded with all park passport, even at Canada's Wonderland and Knott's
• Prestige also exists at Canada's Wonderland, Kings Dominion and Knott's
• An arbitration clause applies to any disputes or claims
• An explicit assumption of liability for death/injury for risks inherent to attractions at the parks and for negligence on the part of Cedar Fair staff

 

[jsus]

44 minutes ago, malem said:

The legal terms & conditions for 2024 passes have been posted to the park websites: https://www.visitkingsisland.com/legal/season-pass-terms

Interesting terms:

• Parking at all parks is included with gold passes upgraded with all park passport, even at Canada's Wonderland and Knott's
• Prestige also exists at Canada's Wonderland, Kings Dominion and Knott's
• An arbitration clause applies to any disputes or claims
• An explicit assumption of liability for death/injury for risks inherent to attractions at the parks and for negligence on the part of Cedar Fair staff

 

Last 2 were not present as of August 1, 2022.  One wonders what caused them to add those...  Death is now mentioned 12 times vs. 0.

https://web.archive.org/web/20220805164428/visitkingsisland.com/legal/season-pass-terms

[malem]

Liability for inherent risks (whiplash from bumper cars, injury from another guest's behavior, slipping on a pool deck, medical issue aggravated by the normal forces of a ride) is generally on the participant, but the terms now make that abundantly clear. If another guest's phone hits you in the face, the park is clarifying that they're not the liable party.

Excluding liability for negligence is more interesting; terms like this are often seen with adventure/sporting activities such as white water rafting or ziplining.

[jsus]

Of note, here's what SIX has to say.  In short, their terms also disclaim responsibility for their negligence, but in both cases, it seems "gross negligence or willful misconduct" claims are still valid.  That, of course, would be for a court to determine - negligence vs. gross negligence.  It is unclear how a court would find in regards to the TTD incident under CFEC's revised terms above.

Quote

Assumption of General Risk/Limitation of Liability:  You acknowledge and agree to assume the inherent risks associated with attendance at the park and the use of all rides and attractions, and agree to read and obey all safety signage, instructions and rules.  Such risks include bodily or physical injury or harm or death that may be caused by or arise or result from or be attributable to the use of or participation in or on any attraction, particularly for those for whom normal operation of any attraction may be hazardous, including those who are pregnant, have a heart condition, have neck or back problems, are subject to motion sickness, or have other health problems that may make them more vulnerable to injury.  Other risks of attending large outdoor venues include, injuries from exposure to the elements, such as rain, cold, excessive heat or the weather in general, and injuries or illness sustained due to your own personal negligence and/or the negligence of others, including running, jumping, engaging in altercations with other patrons or otherwise behaving recklessly in the park, and illness resulting from your failure or the failure of other patrons to abide by our health declaration policies.  You are responsible to know your own health and physical condition and limitations and the health and physical condition and limitations of any minor under your care or supervision. If you ride or use, or you permit any minors under your care or supervision to ride or use, any attraction, you or they do so at your or their own risk.  Six Flags assumes no responsibility for accident or loss to any person in connection with the condition or use of the park, rides and amusements or their entrance into or departure from the park.  You hereby irrevocably release Six Flags and its affiliates and their respective employees, agents, representatives, contractors, subcontractors, successors, heirs, and assigns from, and hold them harmless for, all losses, damages, costs, expenses, claims, demands or causes of action whether known or unknown, suspected or unsuspected, arising out of your attendance at, and use of, the Park[, except to the extent caused by Six Flag’s gross negligence or willful misconduct]. 

https://www.sixflags.com/six-flags-season-pass-terms-conditions

[BoddaH1994]

6 hours ago, jsus said:

Of note, here's what SIX has to say.  In short, their terms also disclaim responsibility for their negligence, but in both cases, it seems "gross negligence or willful misconduct" claims are still valid.  That, of course, would be for a court to determine - negligence vs. gross negligence.  It is unclear how a court would find in regards to the TTD incident under CFEC's revised terms above.

https://www.sixflags.com/six-flags-season-pass-terms-conditions

Would never hold up in court. If someone gets seriously hurt at a park, how do you think, “they shoulda read the back of their ticket!” would go over?

[jsus]

43 minutes ago, BoddaH1994 said:

Would never hold up in court. If someone gets seriously hurt at a park, how do you think, “they shoulda read the back of their ticket!” would go over?

And that's the real question.  Legalese terms and conditions that you're expected to click through before completing your transaction may or may not be enforceable; that would be determined by the relevant courts.  Of course, we'd all rather not have to find that one out.  What about in person ticket sales, will they hand you the printed terms and conditions and make you sign that you accept them before finalizing the transaction?  It's not like they're directly presenting you with a liability waiver, giving you a chance to consider it, and specifically making you sign that document itself.  How much does that matter?

Disclaimers like this serve to discourage people from even pursuing their rights, that's some easy cost savings right there.  But it does present at least a small hurdle for those who have been injured in pursuing claims against the parks.  Though, sympathetic victims do sway juries.

The one thing I do definitively gather from brief internet research is what I noted above - both FUN and SIX disclaim "negligence", but you cannot disclaim "gross negligence or willful misconduct" - which SIX specifically notes.  What that does seem to mean is that there's a higher standard required beyond essentially claiming ignorance.

As always, I am not your lawyer as I am not a lawyer.  I did not even stay at a Holiday Inn Express® last night - it's been several years.

[jimlaheyscar]

Schlitterbahn now selling 2024 platinum passes as of today. 

https://www.schlitterbahn.com/new-braunfels/season-passes