Posted on 10/15/2005 2:50:50 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
I can pay for the privilege of driving on certain roads. When can I buy my way to the front of the line for renewing my auto registration?
My in-laws live in Southern California, but no Disneyland for us or the kids anymore. Several no-name parks offer similar wait times as Idlewild with prices slightly more than half the price of the Disneyland brand.
When we lived in Japan, Puroland, an amusement park run by Sanrio of Hello Kitty fame, also offered minimal wait time because tickets were sold by reservation only. They knew the park's capacity and walk-in tickets were sold only to the extent that reservations were not filled.
Brand names amusement parks simply do not care how long guests wait in line because they collect the same admission fee whether the park is at 90% or 190% capacity. The last straw for us on Disneyland was years ago when we waited in line 30 minutes to buy an overpriced ice cream cone. We resolved never to go back and have kept that promise.
But we go in off season and plan so that there are never any major lines. When we hit Fantasy land for the kids, we can usually walk on to the first 5 or 6 rides. After that we plan on a combo of fast-pass and side attractions people aren't so familiar with.
It actually is a wonderful experience for us, and being local in SoFlo, relaxing because we are not compelled to rush.
But Yeah, I'm with you. I won't wait in a line longer than 15-20 minutes and I'm only willing to wait once or twice.
LOL
Bump!
I hear ya.
Been to Kennywood Park, but not Idlewild. :-)
Here:
Agreed. Also in the Pittsburgh area is Kennywood - great rollercoasters, including the famous Thunderbolt.
This summer we went to our local amusement park, Geauga Lake here in OH, on Tuesday, July 5th - the place was practically deserted. And when you have 3 kids 8 and under, standing in long lines is hardly a good time. And their admission price, which includes an outstanding water park and the best kids' amusement area I've ever seen, is drastically lower than most - $25 for adults and $15 for kids, under 3 free. The longest line we stood in all day was for lunch.
Then there's the all time family favorite - Knoebels Grove in Elysburg PA - grew up close to it and it's always been affordable. Free admission, buy tickets as you go, or get your hand stamped for 17-30 bucks, or go after 5 pm for about half that.
I can't imagine spending outrageous money at Disney, or even the Six Flags parks - we used to live in NJ and admission for Six Flags there is a whopping 48.99 for adults and 29.99 for kids. Stand in hour-long lines, hit a dozen rides in a day if we're lucky at that price? No thanks.
Chuckleheads? The last time I saw that word was in a historical document from the 1890s.
I think "chucklehead" is a great word. Hope it comes back into use.
Here's a few more 19th century words I keep in my pocket:
squirt - fire engine
skirmishers - Men looking for cheap bargains from traders on newly arriving steamboats
lip tickle - a kiss
coughing hoss - what Indians named the locomotive
chunk - slang for dinner
Trust me, chucklehead is a live and well. And, sadly, used more every day.
My cousin and I took our kids to Six Flags on Spring Break this year. We gave the kids the option of getting a Six Flags treat/souvenir or renting Qbots, which are basically small devices guests use to make reservations for certain rides and attractions so they don't have to wait in long lines. They chose the Qbots. The rides which are part of the Qbot/Fast Lane system have a separate entrance for people who have reservations, so it's not like you enter the same line and work your way past everyone who's waiting. Several people asked us what the Qbots were and many who weren't aware that a reservation system was even available said they were going to rent one ASAP after talking to us.
I'm surprised to see the negative comments about companies offering "special" treatment to people who are willing to pay extra for it. I wonder how many of you who are whining about this would get bent out of shape if your grocery store didn't offer finer cuts of meat because not everyone can afford to buy them. Or if auto companies stopped offering CD players because not everyone can afford to purchase the CDs to play in them.
Hey, maybe they should just shut down the parks entirely since not everyone in the country is able to afford a vacation.
People are sensitive where their kids are concerned. They don't like the idea of their kids feeling short-changed at an amusement park.
Since waiting in line constitutes most of the activities at these places, the few minutes' desultory pleasure you derive from the ride can't offset the utter boredom. The solution is to stop going, for cripes' sake! There has to be something better to do with your time and money than give it to some faceless corporation for the dubious joy of life's most stultifying activity.
You're completely missing the point.
The people choosing a finer cut of meat or the CD player do not affect me one iota. A person paying extra to a third-party to cut in front of me does.
It told you where to enter, which rides to do first and when, when to leave then come back, what to avoid, etc.
I don't think we spent more than 30 minutes waiting for any ride, and this was peak season.
You don't have to be rich, just smart.
When someone pays more to buy the 2" thick rib-eye, it doesn't lesson the quality of the cheaper selection I am buying.
When some pays more to go to the front of the line, it makes my wait longer.
There is nothing wrong with offering premium services, but it shouldn't be done at a cost to others.
Ok, I can see your point. Have to say that having reservations for the rides was nice though.
If he had paid the money to persons at the head of the line, to exchange places, that would be fine. The preferential treatment sucks.
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