I don't think we are asking the right questions, and here is why:
Yes, this deal isn't fair to us pass holders that pay more, and makes me want to write a few dozen angry emails to the park and Orlando. But the real question I have is: Why? Why would the park's management risk angering it's most loyal customers, it's pass holders, just to possibly gain an attendance boost at WCUSA? Why would the park leave money on the table? What could possibly come of this?
While we don't know what attendance numbers were for both parks these past two years, we do know that they weren't even close to where they should have been. Verbolten flopped, and things have been looking down ever since. Why it flopped is a whole nother debate, but I'm sure SWP isn't too happy about it. Now this year we have a major attraction opening at WCUSA for the first time in ages, and I'm sure park management is trying to get its numbers up to satisfy SWP. So what can they do?
Kings Dominion has long prided itself as Virginia's Only 2 in 1 Theme Park/Water Park. They are also doing extensive work this year to celebrate its 40th anniversary, and people are already excited to see what that entails. This is the sort of attention that WCUSA should be trying to get, but isn't even making an attempt at. It shouldn't be that hard to garner even half the attention that KD is getting. Honestly, park management seems scared to me, scared that this may be the final year that they are left running things.
Think about it. Over fifty million dollars were spent on a coaster that didn't even attract the same number of people as something that cost just half of that. Millions more were spent on "revitalizing" a portion of the park that most likely would have been just fine the way it was, if not better. Rumors were going around of the bright future the park had, until Verbolten opened and dried all of them up. Park management has built themselves a coffin, and now they are staring right into it. I think Colossal Curl maybe the only chance they have at saving their jobs.
Consider; BGW and WCUSA probably aren’t performing [attendance wise] as well as SWP would like, especially after dumping all that money into them. KD is becoming a major contender, and may very well end up eating BGW’s lunch. So what is a sure fire way to bolster attendance numbers? You give passes away.
Now why passes and not tickets? Well, tickets don’t give people a reason to come back, but a pass would. Of course SWP would not be happy if they just started handing out passes to every man, woman, and child at no charge. So you bundle it with something that people already buy a lot, or at least more of. Now the park has a foot in the door to get more people to go to WCUSA. Sure there’s Colossal Curl now, but with the park’s horrid marketing team, who’s to say that’s enough? If your job is on the line would you take that risk, or would you do everything you could think of to make sure you aren’t shown the door.
To me this isn’t about money, pass members’ best interest, offering an amazing deal, or even trying to impress corporate. This is an act of desperation, the last thing the park would do to make sure everything turns out in management’s favor.
That’s what I think.
