Hot Chocolate Issues

[BB1]

Rarely if ever I come to the forums to just post an honest tilt thread but low and behold after last night I feel as if this needs to be addressed. If you get the upgraded drink plan with the hot chocolate/icee addition, you would assume that you would get free hot chocolate at every location where they serve it. Boy was I wrong, For context I tried to get hot chocolate 6 times last night, 4 times at the I street icee stand, french corner, the last visit being a success, 1 with Auntie Ann's and one at Sweet Spot. I went to Auntie Anns, saw the hot chocolate machine and thought hey maybe this is it. Nope, I waited probably 10 minutes to be denied, then proceeded to be told that I don't even have the hot chocolate add on. That prompted me to go to guest services; you know when the last time I went to guest services? I honestly don't know because I never have issues at the park. I was then told that Auntie Ann's was not on the list, which makes absolutely zero sense to me, and then was given a list of places where I could get hot chocolate. So It listed coney's drink station, the i street locations mentioned, the funnel cake stand and  Graeters. It also listed "sweet treats" which I assumed was sweet spot as I've never heard of that name being used before. Went there, saw the glorious hot chocolate machine infront of me, only to be denied by the worker after literally holding it because they are merchandise not food and bev. That absolutely just made things worse, I finally wound up back at the french corner, got my hot chocolate but this experience left one of the worst experiences I have ever had in my life.

Now look, I know this isn't a direct line to the park, but I know park officials watch this. Mike Koontz literally talks about being more family friendly with Orion, then puts out a million and one bars which were open. YET when I try to get hot chocolate when it actually gets colder out I get the run around from broken down machines, denial of service and yet I could get an alcoholic beverage just fine. They even made merch for the new bar when we don't have any decent merch for a few of our coasters. Like if you really want to be family friendly then give us access to the hot chocolate as we requested. Kings Island needs to be better than this, I had to try 6 times to get a hot chocolate last night and the fact that I've spent the money and was denied the service at several locations is absolutely ludicrous. It's one park, every location should satisfy this request if they can satisfy my icee and my regular drinks. Which I don't even think it's a tech issue, I honestly believe at this point the park is just that backwards right now because on one hand they're pumping out alcohol stands that never have a line while the main draws aren't getting the attention they deserve. I'm already communicating this to other friends of mine for the inevitable winterfest rush as believe me this will only become more of a problem. 

So for those who want hot chocolate on your visit, I implore you to go to guest services get a certified note on where you can use your pass perks and bring that with you; as at this point I just don't trust this system anymore which is really upsetting. Yes, I'm making a formal complaint today at the park as I'm honestly baffled as to why this is even an issue to begin with.

[johnjniehaus]

I agree that is ridiculous and I can answer the question for you right now on why does the park invest in bars and not invest in hot chocolate while saying they want to be more family friendly - Answer: alcohol can be marked up a ridiculous amount at theme parks and sports stadiums for the sake of just making more money. As for the hot chocolate, why would they care about that because they already have your money. Same issue as them never having ice in the drink machines. Why have ice and invest in a good product when you already have everyone's money? With alcohol, they have to make a good product because they have to actually sell it and make the money that day and people aren't going to pay a ridiculous upcharge on alcohol if the product sucks. As for being family friendly, what is more family friendly than Mom and Dad having a few drinks while their hooligans are off unsupervised line jumping and fighting with other teens? I personally don't drink alcohol, I have nothing against anyone who does and I have some good friends who usually go buy an alcoholic beverage at Kings Island when they visit however I agree that it's hypocritical to say we want to be more family friendly but then have a garbage product on things like hot chocolate and soft drinks that families want during their visit. If not every location is going to honor a season pass hot chocolate drink plan, you shouldn't have to go to guest services to figure it out. There should be a sign outside the dining location advertising the hot chocolate drink plan or at the very least put out a sign that says it can't be used at that location. 

[BeeastFarmer]

@BB1 and @johnjniehaus...tell us how you really feel!

These posts do bring up great points. Do better KI.  Do better Mike.  Do better supervisors of drink and and F/B.  It's not that hard to communicate which locations have hot chocolate and coffee and which don't.  

When we come to accept mediocrity like this, the park will accept that as a norm.  Instead of being the best One Team they can be, they become Multiple Scattered Teams who don't communicate with each other. After all, people buy and show up in droves and KI makes money, so why would they care about slipping Cornerstone values. 

If pass and per cap numbers decline, maybe they would care 

 

NOTE: this post is in no way directed at the parks communication team, unless they are boots on the ground with drink plan communication and implementation.  Constant bashing of that team, warranted or unwarranted is tiresome and akin to the current political climate. I was outspoken in my criticism earlier, but I can't change anything so there's no use in joining in on that battle.

[chad_1138]

I’ve been 3 for 3 the past couple of weeks.  ICEE stand in I-Street, French Corner, and the bar in the Festhaus on the Larosa’s side.  Hot chocolate was also available at the Coke Marketplace in Adventure Port, but I didn’t get one that time.  When I scanned my pass, the associate actually asked, “Soda or hot chocolate?”

Hoping everything will be resolved soon with issues, sounds like a lot of the ICEE growing pains from the first few weeks of the season.

[PKIDelirium]

What about Starbucks? I've always found them to have the best hot choc in the park.

[disco2000]

23 minutes ago, PKIDelirium said:

What about Starbucks? I've always found them to have the best hot choc in the park.

But they aren't on the drink plan....

[BoddaH1994]

Coney Freestyle is where I’ve always seen them. I’m not big on sugary drinks, so I haven’t tried it. I’m a big fan of the coffee. I’ve had success at French Corner and Graeters. I was on the fence because I bought it more out of curiosity than anything, but now that it’s coffee season I think I’m happy enough buy it again next year. 

I think the Hot Chocolate thing will “fix itself” during Winterfest because of the prominence of that option during that event. I do agree, the poor communication, which has been indicative of the park the past several years, is frustrating. I remember when the park opened and they were telling people that it only worked at the place by the Dodgem and Planet Snoopy, and that the “Mix Up” places didn’t count. A day later, it was, “LOL jk you can use it there. We just didn’t have the cups yet.” I understand that the “first day stuff” is going to happen, but being so grossly unprepared gets harder and harder to excuse every year. 
 

…but as… wise man… man once said (repeatedly, about you - the most loyal park guests) “Your complains are as adorable as they are predictable.”

 

 

[BB1]

51 minutes ago, BoddaH1994 said:

Coney Freestyle is where I’ve always seen them. I’m not big on sugary drinks, so I haven’t tried it. I’m a big fan of the coffee. I’ve had success at French Corner and Graeters. I was on the fence because I bought it more out of curiosity than anything, but now that it’s coffee season I think I’m happy enough buy it again next year. 

I think the Hot Chocolate thing will “fix itself” during Winterfest because of the prominence of that option during that event. I do agree, the poor communication, which has been indicative of the park the past several years, is frustrating. I remember when the park opened and they were telling people that it only worked at the place by the Dodgem and Planet Snoopy, and that the “Mix Up” places didn’t count. A day later, it was, “LOL jk you can use it there. We just didn’t have the cups yet.” I understand that the “first day stuff” is going to happen, but being so grossly unprepared gets harder and harder to excuse every year. 
 

…but as… wise man… man once said (repeatedly, about you - the most loyal park guests) “Your complains are as adorable as they are predictable.”

 

 

I mean listen at the end of the day I’m taking Kings Island literally by the horns in how much I get out of my pass. I’m effectively making money at this point based on my tables I’ve been using. *However* the park just keeps letting itself down. I hate saying this, honestly as someone who worked at the park I do, I wish that the park does see a dip in revenue from the constant upkeep of the new bars as I think they’re a honest waste of space. I’m sure they’re going to become tax write offs but I have yet to frequent a single bar at the park because I honestly don’t have the need for it. 

I just feel like there’s a difference between straight up lackadaisical and living up to this so called world class experience I keep hearing about.

As the great Don himself (paraphrasing) said in a recent Tower Topics episode it just takes a few people to really spearhead for something to make serious changes in the park; which I feel is lacking anymore with what I’ve seen over the past few years.

[rexpostal]

I've never seen grown men upset about hot chocolate before.  That's a new one to me!

[beastfan11]

1 hour ago, rexpostal said:

I've never seen grown men upset about hot chocolate before.  That's a new one to me!

Chad, is that you? 

[DJSkyFoxx]

It's the fatigue of always having to fight for stuff we've already paid for. Granted I didn't purchase the premium drink plan. I can see how and why this would be frustrating to encounter so many snafus over such a simple transaction. Yes, they already have your money, but whatever happened to the integrity of business' taking care of their customers? This seems to be rampant everywhere, hence the fatigue with having to deal with so much headache over the simplest things. 

[rexpostal]

1 hour ago, beastfan11 said:

Chad, is that you? 

No clue who Chad is.   I just find grown men upset about hot chocolate very funny. 

[Browntggrr]

2 hours ago, rexpostal said:

I've never seen grown men upset about hot chocolate before.  That's a new one to me!

[WoodVengeance]

It's not related to the hot chocolate, but I did encounter an issue last week when I used a single meal plan and was told I couldn't get a drink because it's not on my plan (which if you go on Kings Island's website or on the app, it says clearly that it does in-fact come with a drink). Again, it was just a drink so it's not the biggest issue in the world and I also acknowledge that it was likely the employee was just mistaken. To reference what @DJSkyFoxx said, I really do not like the precedent that the park can tell you no for something you paid for, especially at a park like Kings Island where you'd expect the service to be exceptionally great given the park's reputation.

[rexpostal]

25 minutes ago, Browntggrr said:

Of course.  I would be surprised if anyone on earth hadn't. 

[BB1]

7 hours ago, rexpostal said:

I've never seen grown men upset about hot chocolate before.  That's a new one to me!

I'm not even mad, honestly, I'm disappointed in just how childish/backwards this whole situation is. 

[IBEW_Sparky]

9 hours ago, DJSkyFoxx said:

It's the fatigue of always having to fight for stuff we've already paid for. Granted I didn't purchase the premium drink plan. I can see how and why this would be frustrating to encounter so many snafus over such a simple transaction. Yes, they already have your money, but whatever happened to the integrity of business' taking care of their customers? This seems to be rampant everywhere, hence the fatigue with having to deal with so much headache over the simplest things. 

And this is exactly why I am going to return to my previous days of "Goal 0 per-cap dollars spent while in the park" when I am there this weekend.   Im going to be happy if/when my pass scans at parking tolls and turnstiles, I can get my FL wristband smoothly, and my drink plan scans smoothly, hell I am not even taking a chance of getting an ICEE or hot chocolate with mine even though I do have the upgrade.  It is genuinely sad when those thoughts of "Is this interaction going to end well or not?" have to even be in one's head every single time you pull your pass out to use it when attempting to spend time at a place designed to be relaxing and fun.

[DJSkyFoxx]

15 hours ago, BB1 said:

I'm not even mad, honestly, I'm disappointed in just how childish/backwards this whole situation is. 

Heck even if you were angry, you'd be within your right since again...you PAID for said upgrade to be able to receive said item. We as humans deal with enough of this garbage from so many other companies/services, you'd think something like this would be an absolute non-issue. Its like some insurance BS "well you paid for this but we're not gonna provide this service to you because we don't feel like covering for the service you paid for". It might be funny to laugh as people getting upset over something so small-but re-read that. It is a small thing and that's exactly why it shouldn't be a cumbersome experience to obtain. Having to go around to 6 different places to be told anything but "yep!" is simply bonkers. 

Sorry, but not sorry. If I paid for something with my hard earned dollars, I expect to receive said item. No matter how small. Period. 

[Maddog]

As someone who thoroughly enjoys his hot chocolate, I'd be ****ed too.  I would think that if I bought a hot chocolate add-on, that I could realistically get it at any Kings Island stand where it was sold (Starbucks being an obvious exception).  Considering the cost of actually making said drink is minor, they shouldn't quibble over specific locations.  That just frustrates the consumer.  

I went and looked at the option on the website:
SEASON PASS DRINK PLAN PLUS ADD-ON

Includes ICEEs and hot beverages

Enjoy Coca-Cola Fountain Beverages, ICEE, hot chocolate (available seasonally) and coffee (available seasonally) and get FREE refills during the 2025 season, plus get the rest of 2024 for free. Only a 15 minute interval between refills.

*Drink Plan will be added to a 2025 Season Pass. Not valid for specialty hot chocolate or coffee. Not valid at Starbucks, Caribou Coffee, or Tim Hortons. Frozen cocktails are not included. Present pass at designated beverage locations in park for a disposable cup. Must be used only by the passholder this is assigned to. Not valid for an All Season Bottle.

 

Unless Aunti Ann's is selling "specialty hot chocolate" with some premium marshmallows I don't see why they should be excluded.  The Sweet Spot categorization is just plain dumb, I don't care what department line your building is under if you are selling me a beverage.  

I'd be willing to bet all the hot chocolate in the entire park comes from the same basic powdered mix 

 

[Browntggrr]

Let's face it, this is issue is not just about hot chocolate.

The meal/ drink plans across all the CF parks have zero consistency.  Guests paid for something they are not getting in return and the reasoning given muddies the water even more.

This has been an issue for a number of years and should have been addressed by now.  Due to inadequate training by the park, I do feel for the employee that has to tell a guest "no" and then gets the brunt of the frustration.

[SmartCat7162]

1 hour ago, Browntggrr said:

Let's face it, this is issue is not just about hot chocolate.

The meal/ drink plans across all the CF parks have zero consistency.  Guests paid for something they are not getting in return and the reasoning given muddies the water even more.

This has been an issue for a number of years and should have been addressed by now.  Due to inadequate training by the park, I do feel for the employee that has to tell a guest "no" and then gets the brunt of the frustration.

As a former sweet spot employee I totally understand how it is frustrating that you can’t get hot chocolate there with your drink plan. I have been through many difficult talks with customers that they cannot get their hot chocolate cups refilled there and it is never fun for me or the customer. The merchandise department claims there hot chocolate is “gourmet hot chocolate” and they do not do the refill cups. You have to buy the special mug they have there which is different then the red top thermos like mug. It is super stupid and I understand the guest frustration because of this. But please do not take it out on the employees they do try there best I know most of them at least try to recommend somewhere else you can get your cup either refilled or get the drink plan hot chocolate. It is not up to the employees it is all upper management from what I remember. It’s been like that since 2021 when I was an employee there. This is also a reason why Sweet Spot is not on the premium meal and snack plan. From what I remember at least. French corner is always a good alternative, but I understand the frustration.

[BeeastFarmer]

I thought they moved The Sweet Spot from merch to food when they redid it a couple years ago?

[SmartCat7162]

2 hours ago, BeeastFarmer said:

I thought they moved The Sweet Spot from merch to food when they redid it a couple years ago?

The pastry team produce the stuff for Sweet Spot and they are the ones in the kitchen. But the people in the front are still merchandise it is a joint store. But the register is still run by merchandise so merchandise is the one that does the hot chocolate not the food people in the back. At least that is what I’ve heard and what it seems like based on when I was there.

[CedarPointer]

Love that they gave out Pass "Perks" for free hot chocolate when they can't even manage to provide it for their guests who prepaid for it for the season. Don't worry, plenty of booze and zero lines at the bars, though.

[Stoan]

I said it once and I'll say it before, Holiday World absolutely ruined my opinion of service compared to Kings Island. 

 

I never once had the thought the CP wants the customer there, only their money. Holiday World legit had me raving about it the whole time to the point I was actually getting angry about it.

[BeeastFarmer]

I used my premium drink plan this weekend with no complaints. Hot chocolate was tasty, available and service was quick.  I also got an icee and had no issues. For as crowded as Saturday was, food service was remarkable.

Besides the park being unethical and tacky with the drained fountain and closed Eiffel Tower, I have no complaints!

[CedarPointer]

4 hours ago, Stoan said:

I said it once and I'll say it before, Holiday World absolutely ruined my opinion of service compared to Kings Island. 

 

I never once had the thought the CP wants the customer there, only their money. Holiday World legit had me raving about it the whole time to the point I was actually getting angry about it.

I think that's what changed the last couple years. The "we already have your money" attitude from the park used to not be quite so overt. Kind of gives away the game when the Pass "Perks" programs incentives only going 1 or 2 times per month and not 3 or more times. So does not adding a single new Icee location to honor all the prepaid entitlements they sold, but spending tons on the new booze money grabs.

[marineman]

Here's my take. KI has the same mindset as Phil Castellini with this very clear comment a while back when fans were making comments about expecting more for their money:
"Well, where are you going to go?”

Exactly what motivation does Cedar Fair have to do better? Who is going to stop going because of issues with hot chocolate?

Let's keep going. What about people holding phones on rides, which literally puts us in danger, yet if you get smacked by one the park isn't liable in any way? What about people fist-fighting? Food portion complaints? Dissatisfaction with park upgrades? I saw a kid slam a soda off the side of a trashcan in line for Banshee yesterday all because they told him to make sure to finish it before trying to board the ride. It splashed at least 4-5 people, and an employee watched it happen and did exactly nothing.

Whatever the issue may be. It is a business, and business is good.

[SmartCat7162]

1 hour ago, marineman said:

Let's keep going. What about people holding phones on rides, which literally puts us in danger, yet if you get smacked by one the park isn't liable in any way? What about people fist-fighting? Food portion complaints? Dissatisfaction with park upgrades? I saw a kid slam a soda off the side of a trashcan in line for Banshee yesterday all because they told him to make sure to finish it before trying to board the ride. It splashed at least 4-5 people, and an employee watched it happen and did exactly nothing.

I will preface this with as a former employee I do have quite the bias for not only the park but other employees. Plenty of people including me that have worked and currently work there care so much about the park and only want the best for it. There are a few people that do have the mindset as mentioned above but that is the minority. I have been on plenty rides that have stopped due to people having there phones out and employees try their best to get people to put their phones away. Also the splashing the soda thing I feel does not warrant a formal report from the employee, but more of a talking too and depending on this kids age where were his parents and why didn't they say anything. It sucks as an employee it can feel really difficult to get anything done by security or to get a guest reprimanded. Most of the time in my experience when security gets their the guest is gone. Also what would you have wanted the employee to do? If you were an employee what would you have done in that situation? Putting yourself in the employees shoes and seeing everything that they see in a day can really change how they view things. At the end of the day people are people we are not all perfect should they have said something probably, but you never know what is going on in that persons life at the moment. Somedays I remember going in to work and you are just trying to keep it together cause of something that is happening at home. You have to think this is also their job and you may or may not have a job, but I bet you that you have seen something wrong at work and you didn't say anything cause you were tired or you didn't feel like it that day. Did you feel bad about it yes, but you are just trying to keep your life together. Pointing out every little thing that goes wrong at the park can be so discouraging and honestly destroy peoples passion for what they do. So really we should not keep this going it is so toxic. I do not speak for the park.

[Browntggrr]

Guest behavior & accountability anywhere is at an all-time low.  Too many have the "you can't tell me what to do" attitude.  The other issue is when a guest is told "no" they have a literal temper tantrum.

I cannot hold an employee/ non-security staff member responsible for the reaction a guest has when telling said guest that a drink needs to be finished before riding.  The employee did their job.

Guests that cannot behave properly, follow safety rules etc. should be removed & possibly banned from the park.  All parks/ places in customer service industry need to start a zero-tolerance policy.  The majority of the guests witnessing the outbursts will applaud and respect the decision.