Our family has been Platinum season passholders since the 2015 season, after the growth of this website necessitated the need to be in the parks more often. To us, the biggest benefit of the Platinum pass has always been the reciprocal access to all the other Cedar Fair parks, which includes parking and admission. Of course our Platinum dining and drink plans then mean we also eat and drink at the other parks.
While there are some other minor benefits that separate the regular/silver/gold passes from the platinum, those benefits have been declining over the years and greatly vary per park. We will get more into that discussion below.
The cheapest time to purchase season passes is always in August when they first go on sale. Of course, the last time this happened was August 2019 for the 2020 season passes, just prior to the pandemic. Since season passes from 2020 were extended into 2021, there never really was a “new” pass to buy in August 2020, especially when many of the parks were not sure when they would open.
So the question we have been wondering is if the Cedar Fair Platinum Pass lost its advantage over the cheaper pass options?
While there is definitely those that feel the Platinum pass still provides great value, there is also a portion of the population that is very happy to have the cheaper options to get access to the parks. So we understand the wide net in pricing to attract a wide audience. However, is the price structure beneficial enough to guests to attract the higher price point?
Has Cedar Fair Platinum Pass Lost Its Edge?
Before we get into the value in upgrading to Platinum, lets take a moment to also point out how odd it is that the season pass prices go up throughout the season despite those that purchase them getting less days to use them. We can understand prices going up until the parks open. However, once they open, logic would say prices should go down, or at least stay the same considering the later in the season guests purchase them, the less days that season they have to utilize them.
We also understand and have to disclose that we get Cedar Fair is currently coming out of a bad year due to the pandemic and still trying to navigate the labor force and other issues. So some passholder benefits might currently be suspended.
The park where the biggest Platinum benefits exist has always been Cedar Point. Platinum season passholders get in 1 hour ahead of regular guests (though they recently minimized that benefit by including gold passholders too). Platinum passholders get exclusive access to the BOGO fry deal and Toft’s Sunday Sundaes (Discontinued). Then probably one of the most utilized benefits by Platinum passholders is the free upgrade to Fast Lane Plus when purchasing Fast Lane.
Beyond Cedar Point, the minimal benefits we occasionally utilize are the 10% discount (20% Platinum discount at Knott’s and California’s Great America) on most items, but besides the Knott’s or CGA increased discount, almost all season passholders get the same standard 10% regardless if a basic season pass or platinum. So really that benefit is not a benefit to upgrade.
The only other parks offering 30 minutes early entry are Kings Island, Valleyfair (Soak City only, currently suspended) and Worlds of Fun (currently suspended), and Canada’s Wonderland on Sundays only (currently suspended).
Season passes also get often preview days to the park and special events, which is a wonderful benefit. However, there is no difference between the basic season passes and platinum to access the events typically.
Ok, ok, we looked at the various benefits and sorted through the pros and cons. What really got us thinking about all this was the price point and how it impacts basic passholders.
Lets take a look at season pass prices frozen in time right now as of time of publishing (July 2021).
California’s Great America– $66.99 (Silver); $86.99 (Gold); $225 (Platinum)
Canada’s Wonderland– $79.99 (Regular); $99.99 (Gold); $225 (Platinum)
Carowinds– $75 (Silver); $109 (Gold); $225 (Platinum)
Cedar Point– $150 (Gold); $225 (Platinum)
Dorney Park– $99 (Regular); $225 (Platinum)
Kings Dominion– $75 (Silver); $99 (Gold): $225 (Platinum)
Kings Island– $130 (Gold); $225 (Platinum)
Knott’s Berry Farm– $105 (Regular); $139 (Gold); $225 (Platinum)
Michigan’s Adventure– $95 (Regular); $225 (Platinum)
Valleyfair– $84 (Gold); $225 (Platinum)
Worlds of Fun– $75 (Silver); $99 (Gold); $225 (Platinum)
For purpose of discussion, we are leaving out Gilroy Gardens and Schlitterbahn parks.
We know there are people’s job it is to evaluate the statistics and evaluate pricing theory to establish the price points for their respective markets. However, just some surface evaluation of human purchasing has us scratching our heads.
Lets take the cheapest season pass in the chain, California’s Great America at $67. That pass does not include parking, so it would make sense for guests to buy the Gold pass at $87 since parking is $25 each visit.
The question is how do you encourage a California’s Great America passholder to upgrade to Platinum at the $225 price point? The only differences in passes is the jump from a 10% to 20% discount on purchases and access to other Cedar Fair parks. For the average guest at California’s Great America, we have to imagine they have a hard time justifying paying over double for the Platinum upgrade to make it worth while.
Lets look at the most expensive basic season pass, Cedar Point, at $150. With that pass, they get access to all the same benefits at Cedar Point as a Platinum season passholder, with the exception of the Fast Lane Plus upgrade and admission to all Cedar Fair parks. Again, does the average guest see the benefit of paying $75 more just for those benefits?
With those two examples, you could see where the other parks fall in line with trying to validate the worth of upgrading to Platinum with so little benefit provided.
So outside those of us who like to visit other Cedar Fair parks, has the Platinum pass lost its edge? Discuss in the comments below.
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From a Kings Island perspective (my home park), there’s zero benefit to platinum over gold unless you are going to other Cedar Fair parks. Kings Island gold and Cedar Fair platinum get exactly identical perks at Kings Island. The vast majority of Kings Island passholders have gold or platinum; few buy regular passes (which aren’t even offered during the initial fall sale) as they don’t include parking.
It all depends on the situation of the pass holder. For me, CW is my home park. I visit CP and KI generally once in spring and once in fall, as well as multiple trips to Dorney a year. So platinum is the only option. But for many, it’s not a good choice. Would the average pass holder for CW or Dorney get platinum, or even get use out of it, probably not. But for those in Ohio, or those who travel, it’s the best value out there. Even the $1000CAD for all season all park FL+ is worth its weight in gold.
Only reason to get it is because you’re going to another park in the chain.
For my home park, Kings Dominion, I see absolutely no marketing whatsoever for the platinum passes. Everything both inside and outside the park goes along the lines of “Buy your gold pass because xyz.” My takeaway is that Cedar Fair doesn’t believe that there is very much interest in platinum passes so they don’t even attempt to market them to the masses.
I realized that Platinum was NOT worth it once they made the early entry changes after a few weeks of being open. If the keep the 2021 Early Entry times with Gold and Platinum being the same in 2022 I plan on downgrading to Gold in 2022.
Like others said, it looks like it makes a lot of sense for people who visit other parks numerous times, and no sense for one park. The other benefit, and extra 10% off some places, if you buy $2000 in food and merch you’d save $200, but come on.
Too bad they stopped their partnership with Costco to sell the gold pass.
The purpose of Platinum is for people that go to other parks, if you don’t want that there’s no real purpose for it. Even Knotts people with $130+ Gold pass & need to buy parking separately don’t really buy Platinums. Last time I went the one worker said we don’t see many of these here.
Cedar Fair has Platinum b/c they don’t giveaway the gate to all parks, like Six Flags that gives access to all parks with the parking for a Gold Pass that could be as low as $50 at some parks & is only $60 at every park except Magic Mountain. Sea World Ent offers a platinum with the same logic as Cedar Fair, you pay a premium to gave access to all parks.
This is exactly why I have a Platinum Pass, and I don’t even live near a Cedar Fair park. Each summer I usually I visit a Cedar Fair park at least 6-10 days, for various reasons, so the pass covers that, plus free parking at those parks really helps vs. buying a day ticket each time.
I do a lot of summer traveling so the Platinum Pass works out for me personally. Plus Valleyfair and Worlds of Fun are day trips for me, so sometimes over the a weekend I’ll visit one of the two parks, along with the flying.
My use case though is a bit unique compared to your typical park guest that won’t really stray from their state. I could see a lot of value though for it in Ohio since both Cedar Point and Kings Island would be day trips for those who live at least in one of the major cities in Ohio.
If it weren’t for the fact that I live close enough to Cedar Point and Kings Island to visit both I wouldn’t bother with a platinum pass. I’m still salty that the benefits I used to enjoy are now given to the thousands of gold pass members now at Cedar Point. Early entry is no longer a perk because the park gets so crowded with everyone having them. Can’t we get at least in a half hour before them?
I live closer to Michigan Adventures and we are a family of 8. I bought season passes during the pandemic because it covered 21/22 season. I would like to upgrade to CP platinum so we can enjoy the other parks a couple times this season. The platinum has been downgraded to gold for sure.
For 2023 Knott’s and Soak city discount has dropped to 10% also. The Platinum pass is the Same as Gold with parking (gold includes soak city also). Food pass cost 10 more with Platinum.
Good catch on the discounts. Didn’t realize CGA dropped from 20% in 10% in 2021 and now Knott’s has dropped down to a 10% discount for 2023.