General Carowinds discussion
By chargercrazy
#18677
I only paid $50 for my pass last year. And that included free parking a platinum benefits. I guess a $5 increase isn't so bad. Now if they would only keep the platinum benefits . . .

If I was sure I would visit another park in the chain, I'd definitely spring for the Maxx Pass. I've got some thinking to do before I purchase my pass for next season . . .
By KenB
#18679
Yeah, the Maxx pass is a good deal, although with a Carowinds-only pass being THAT cheap some will debate whether the price is worthwhile. If you're not sure you're going somewhere you could save $35.

What gets me is the Plus pass - it's an extra 60 freakin dollars! That just adds the seperately-gated waterparks, which (so far) are just at some of the old CF parks, and several out in Cali. That would be totally NOT worth it unless you REALLY love waterparks and were headed out West for awhile. Dorney and GL are like the Paramount parks with included waterparks, right?

So far I'm not terribly impressed with CF. Info was released to the press, put on the PKI website, taken down, a deadline to sell the passes was missed, and then finally a week later SP info starts to trickle out of several different parks. It seems everyone has a slightly different price on some part of the package. It's not like they had a plan in place. Of course some of their parks apparently didn't sell passes over the 'net, and I'm not sure they sold them at the end of the season either, so maybe this is new ground for CF.

Oh, and someone who got their PKI passes on the 'buzz said that they didn't get a laminated card, but a temporary pass. The "real" ones would come at the end of October - or next year. Wonder if they're still trying to figure out whether to put Paramount on 'em or not :P

KenB
By coasterholic14
#18680
I like that there is only a $5 increase, though that does point to us getting another year of minimal addition to the park (but if that means more money saved for something bigger in 2008, i can wait). The $30 increase for the CF pass isn't that bad as long as i KNOW whether or not i'm going to another park, though if we hit PKD while visiting BGE, that means it's gonna cost us more than years past b/c the passes were good at all parks. But it's still a big savings and not a bad deal. I can't believe though that to add a few waterparks is an additional $75 from the CF pass, much less $95 more than just a regular pass...they better not expect to really sell ANY of those.
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By bgwfreak
#18681
I think $89.95 is a really good deal if you think about it.

You get free parking next year ($10 per visit otherwise).

It comes out to about $35 extra on top of the regular SP price.

If you visit one other park in the chain you've made up the difference.

I'm probably going to get one, but right now I'm still waiting and seeing what they get next year.

With Busch Gardens new coaster and Dollywood's I'll be spending money on those trips for sure and could use the extra $90. :)
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By coasterdave
#18682
89.95 will get me into 12 parks next year so that is one h*ll of deal. That is if you plan on hitting the other Cedar Fair parks. Would even give me an excuse to head back up to boring Cedar Point to check out the new coaster and whatever ValleyFair is getting.
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By coasterbruh
#18683
I wonder if the free parking will transfer to all the other parks also. If I can say it is one thing I hate about paramount parks is that the parking didnt transfer :angry: !
By Edwardo
#18685
Even if Carowind's Maxx Pass was $125, thats a steal. Just to get a Season Pass at parks like Holiday World, you pay that much. And that only includes one park and one waterpark.

I'll likely for the very first time, get a season pass next year. I'll get the Maxx Pass so I can do PCar maybe 2 times, and then the 3 Ohio Parks, Knott's for Solace if I go, and PKD and Dorney.

I like the way they're doing this, and can't believe that no other chain has ever done this before. They know most people aren't going to use the Maxx Pass outside of Ohio. Before, they offered the other parks for free because they knew people mostly didn't visit any of the other parks in either chain. But there are those Niche groups and select few who do. Maybe the Smiths live in NC and go to Carowinds, but have grand parents in Richmond and Cincinnatti (I know I butchered the spelling, sue me). So, for those people, the $89 is what they would normally pay for a season pass for the same benifits, and for all the other people who just go to Carowinds, they can buy the cheaper Carowinds only pass.

Good deal.
By KenB
#18690
Yeah it is a good system which benefits us AND the folks that know they'll never go anywhere else. It's not totally new, though, as it's similar to what Busch has done. Speaking of which, looking at those prices will make Cedar Fair's seem downright cheap!

I have a feeling that having THAT many parks available to choose from will actually push me towards a trip that I might not otherwise take. Like coasterdave I'm not terribly fond of CP and find it quite overrated, but if I get in "free" I'm more likely to go. I'm not wild about PKI either, but again, "free" is an enticing deal - and I haven't been to GL so that would be something to try out. Ok, so it's not free, but since I am planning on going to PKD since I'm going to BGE next year I'll definitely have the Maxx pass. Most years I'd have one unless I just KNEW I wasn't travelling at all.

Oh, and for the parking - I saw it somewhere on one of the park sites selling parking passes that these were good at the home park ONLY. I'd assume that will be the policy, as that seemed to be the case with the CP / GL combo passes - parking was good at the one you bought it at, but not the other. I'm fine with this since they're telling you about it up front. With Paramount, you heard a different story each time you tried using a pass somewhere else. I'd rather have it work everywhere of course, but at least CF isn't charging $15 like SF is.

KenB