Cedar Point To Raise Adult Admission Ticket by $1

[GADVwow]

Its parent company saw attendance and in-park spending drop this year, and it has a new $10.5 million ride that debuts next spring that has yet to be paid for in full.

Nonetheless, Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky has decided that in 2010 its standard adult admission price will be $46 - an increase of $1 over this past season....

Dennis Speigel, president of International Theme Park Services Inc., a consulting firm in Cincinnati, said, "Normally, they could probably count on a $2-plus increase [in admission prices] for a new ride. There's history that shows that's feasible.

"But I suspect they're trying to manage their expenses and trying to manage the costs to their consumers. Two dollars is normal, $3 is pushing it a little bit. But this - $1 - is very fair. I think it's probably also the prudent thing to do right now."...

http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091208/BUSINESS03/912080379/-1/BUSINESS06

[dkny6363]

The cost of single day tickets means little. If you live close to CP you would have a seasons pass. I you come from hours away a couple bucks isn't keeping you away. Not to mention the many ways to get ticket discounts.

[GADVwow]

Wrong.  Very wrong.  Cedar Point is not like Great Adventure.  It is a resort/destination park.  Very few of its visitors have season passes.  And people from very close by who do are a very, very small part of its market.

And Cedar Point, unlike Six Flags parks, does not offer many or extensive gate discounts.  It is a very different marketing model.

[B-mac]

GA is "kind of" a tourist park. new yorkers, canadians and other out-of-staters come, but that's very rare.

Cedar Fair is more comparable to Disney, because you have people coming from around the country visiting, and there are very few locals constantly visiting.

[dkny6363]

Wrong.  Very wrong.  Cedar Point is not like Great Adventure.  It is a resort/destination park.  Very few of its visitors have season passes.  And people from very close by who do are a very, very small part of its market.

And Cedar Point, unlike Six Flags parks, does not offer many or extensive gate discounts.  It is a very different marketing model.

Actually in this case you are the one who is very wrong. You can for example call 1-800-bestfun and get a booklet full of money saving coupons sent to your door. Including coupons that more than counteract a measly 1 dollar admission ticket. You can go to your local AAA or CAA and get discount tickets. At least you used to be able to at AAA. CAA you still can. You can stay at one of cedar points fine resorts and get tickets included in your package or but them additionally for about 30/ticket. A savings of about 14/ticket. All these discounts and I haven't even looked into discounts, these are just off the top of my head.

The point is everybody who travels distances to visit park knows you don't pay gate price. I can't think of a single park I've ever bought a ticket at a gate for unless it was a starlight ticket.

In addition my original point was $1 is not going to keep anyone away. You actually think a family who was going to visit cedar point this summer and spend for example $786, is now not going to go because it will now cost them $794?? Three years of gate price increases could be counteracted by it being a hot day and  you have to buy your family each a water at 3.50 a piece.

In conclusion $1/ticket = mildly increased revenue for cedar fare. $1/ticket = absolute zero to ppl going to cedar point.

[GADVwow]

First of all, it's Cedar Fair.  Second, the 1 800 BEST FUN was offered to residents who lived at least 150 miles away from the park, ONLY, in the years before Cedar Fair went deep in debt (to acquire Paramount Parks, how's that working out for them?)

Lastly, Cedar Point has among the lowest percentage of season pass holders in the entire industry.  The gate price is paid by a huge number of visitors to that park, which is one of many reasons you will still find many, many ticket sellers outside the entry gate there, which you will not at most other parks...

[nitrorox1414]

GA is "kind of" a tourist park. new yorkers, canadians and other out-of-staters come, but that's very rare.

Cedar Fair is more comparable to Disney, because you have people coming from around the country visiting, and there are very few locals constantly visiting.

Thats not that true. There is a ride that is the tallest and the second fastest in the world KINGDA KA. people from all over the globe come to GA

[Steve]

There are times where I swear I have seen 50% of the parking lot with NY plates. On an average day I would say about 35% - 50% of the parking lot is out of state. Of course it varies by weather reports.

I have also ran into a Guest that came all the way from Switzerland just to ride Kingda Ka.

[Mike13]

There are times where I swear I have seen 50% of the parking lot with NY plates. On an average day I would say about 35% - 50% of the parking lot is out of state. Of course it varies by weather reports.

I have also ran into a Guest that came all the way from Switzerland just to ride Kingda Ka.

Since I was at Cables alot this year,I did Courtesy for high winds often and during the summer when Ka was closed for it's little problem,I had people from Montana, Germany, Switzerland,Ireland,France,Brittain,Japan,and Australia.Let's just say they wern't happy campers.

[B-mac]

I have also ran into a Guest that came all the way from Switzerland just to ride Kingda Ka.

i've bumped into people who came from japan just to ride nitro.

[WadeJ]

It's about time we had a good debate. It's been a while . Anyway, I don't think anybody is saying that 1 buck will cause a problem. As for GA... It is NOT a destination park. Cedar Point is. Breakers and the Sand Castle suites alone are enough to justify this. Now if the on-site hotel got built, I may chane my opinion. Having 3,000 guests arrive from far away over the course of an entire season does not make it qualify either. Hopefully some day it becomes an actual tourist destination instead of just being a hangout.

[dkny6363]

In related news I just got an e-mail from cedar point advertising their 4 tickets for $140 pack. Sounds like a discount to me.

I'm not arguing ppl buy tickets at the gate. I'm just saying $1 is nothing. It's not even inflation (in a normal year).

I think Cedar Point is a destianation park for GP. SFGA isn't a destination park exactly but it is a destianation park for enthusiests. I think the reason they don't really go for it with hotels and resorts is because they don't really need to. It's so close to new york city (NA largest market). Maybe I'm wrong about this but isn't SFGA mega busy all summer long as is? I went on a wed. and it was stupid packed.

[rjholla2003]

Destination for enthusiast =/= destination park.  As you said yourself, Cedar Point is a destination for the GENERAL PUBLIC, which means that it has way more exposure.  It's resort styling is a major thing that's going for it, which Great Adventure doesn't have.  The lack of hotels near the property is definitely a hindrance, as there have been many times that a guest has asked me where one near the park was and got disappointed. Same thing when people are planning trips and are looking for a nearby hotel.  People don't want to have to drive 20 minutes minimum to make it to the park on vacation.

[dkny6363]

I was surprised when planning my trip to GA How far the nearest hotels were.

Would it be fair to say GA is a not so local home park for NYC residence? It's the closest commercial park to NYC. Canadas Wonderland is like this. It's 45 min from Toronto (A huge Market). There are some hotels, none connected to the park. But yet its packed all summer long.

Would it be fair to say CP tries to be like a disney park, but for ppl with older, or no kids?

[jimmybjammin]

I thought CP was like disney, considering that the one day I saw hard-core workers prying weeds out of the walkways at 9am when the park 'just' opened to the resort/season pass only guests, who of course run as fast as possible to Maverick.

When I was on vacations, I looked for closest hotel possible. So that was Hotel Breakers for CP, and for KD the Kings Quarters, which is essentially of the opposite side of the parking lot of KD's enterance. Dorney has a bunch of hotels literally across the street. GA's closest hotels are equivalent to leaving from my house, ~25 miles if I'm correct. If someone from NYC or PA is going to spend an hour driving, why spend half an hour driving to a distant hotel. Hence why the park is always packed on saturdays, biggest length of time to spend considering the driving or bus distance.

[GADVwow]

Every seasonal park is packed on Saturdays, though, from Carowinds to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom.  And, especially, Cedar Point.

An aside, Cedar Fair owns Kings Quarters at Kings Dominion.  To be gentle, I do not recommend it.

[jimmybjammin]

Kings Quarters at Kings Dominion was no Hotel Breakers in terms of clientèle saying there. Those staying at Kings Quarters seemed to live there, and very few actually were going to the park from what I observed.
I didn't know Cedar Fair owns Kings Quarters, never would have guessed it. Where do you recommend staying by KD?

[GADVwow]

In Ashland, Virgina or Carmel Church.  There are numerous choices there, and virtually any would be superior to Kings Quarters.

[Robert T Ackerman]

I've stayed at quite a few hotels in Ashland, and none of them made me want to go back for 2nds. I stayed at the "Best Western" as it was called a few years back for a weekend when KD was open the first weekend in November. We paid about $59 a night then, which is fairly cheap compared to the regular season. I had no complaints, but it was nicer than all the hotels I slept in Ashland.

[GADVwow]

A few years back was before Cedar Fair.

GADVwow, who notes that there is a reason that place is no longer a Best Western...quite a few of them actually...

[dkny6363]

I've only ever stayed at breakers express. It's WAY cheaper and very decent. Nothng speacial, but when CP closes at midnight in the fall how nice of a hotel room do you really need?

[jimmybjammin]

I guess hotel experiences vary per person. I thought Kings Quarters was ok/survivable.

My Saturday June 27th Breakers Express experience was exactly how many reviews were. "trains go by all night long which you can hear" I slept through it ok, but noticed it depends what room and side of the building you are on.

[Robert T Ackerman]

A few years back was before Cedar Fair.

GADVwow, who notes that there is a reason that place is no longer a Best Western...quite a few of them actually...

I think this was the first year of CF, because I used a CF pass to get in the park.


As far as CP Hotels... I'm either at the Super 8 next to the Harley Place, or I'm staying at Lighthouse Point with a couple of lake view cabins and some of the best friends possible, oh and a keg.

[PcMan]

A Keg     nice

I stayed at the Kings Quarters on the Kings Dominion site
it wasn't bad
but it was great that I can wake up and just walk to the park (across the parking lot)
and  I'm in the park most of the time and really just use a motel/hotel to sleep
especially if it's a multi-park road trip.
Also they have a Dennys in the place if you need some grub.

Great Adventure build that hotel

[jimmybjammin]

Denny's at Kings Quarters also serves alcohol. Never had that at a Denny's before staying there. I love Virginia, such forward thinking, like beer in wawa.