King's Island Halloween Haunt??

[DarkTikiEntertainment]

Why didn't you just get a Fright Lane Pass? It's only ten more dollars and you don't have to wait in line for any of the haunts. If you have 3-4 people it's only $35. The more people you have, the cheaper it is. They even ask you if you want to go through by yourself. I bet you didn't even check their website before you went. Hell, you could have got their buffet and admission to the park for less than $30. I got their Fright Lane pass and was able to get through all of the attractions and had almost 3 hours before the park closed. I guess I'm crazy though.

It's cool if they do that at King's Island.

At Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios (Orlando) we did pay for the Fast Pass, and it make the wait times significantly shorter, but did not help at all with being pushed through the haunts in one continuous "conga line". That was what really detracted from the experience.

[Mike Goff]

It's cool if they do that at King's Island.

At Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios (Orlando) we did pay for the Fast Pass, and it make the wait times significantly shorter, but did not help at all with being pushed through the haunts in one continuous "conga line". That was what really detracted from the experience.

There will always be this trade off in the Haunt bizz. When you do the kind of ticket sales that Universal and Kings Island does, you lose the intimacy that you get from a small show. You can't really fault someone for selling alot of tickets, but there is much to be said for the personal experience of a home town haunt. This is a good thing for the industry, it is for this very reason that small haunts will always exist... that is, until the largest amongst us lobby for regulation that kills the little guy. It happens in every other industry, so it will probably happen here. Enjoy these small shows while you can.

As for Kings Island, yes it is worth the drive, and the ticket price. I have driven further for less. It is a different kind of show, than some of the haunts mentioned, but still a good time. If you get the chance, go to all of them, they are all great. I go to all of the above just about every year, October wouldn't be the same if I didn't.

Sometimes I go to the Hooch twice, all work and no play takes the fun out of the haunted house business.

[RobfromErie]

I think you can fault them. By having a maximum number allowed in at once (the entire park).

Open a week earlier, stay open a week later, figure it out. Having a continuous conga line anywhere is unacceptable. 8 should be the maximum.

[Mike Goff]

The last time that the wife and I went to Halloween Haunts, it was rainy and there were almost no lines. I remember riding The Beast a dozen times or more without ever stepping off of the train. It was like we had the whole park to ourselves. I bet they lost a ton of money that night. Bottom line is, you have to make hay when the sun is shining. You have to make the big money on the nights that you can, so as to cover the nights that you don't.

There are things that we as haunters can do to encourage ticket sales on typically slow nights and things that we can do to penalize people for coming on the biggest Saturdays, but I have never met anyone who could control when people come and when they don't. If someone on this forum has this kind of technology, please share.

The larger a haunt is, the more difficult it becomes to manage these types of things. I'm not qualified to give Kings Island advise on what they should or should not be doing, and I doubt that many on this forum are. If they cut off how many tickets they sold, they would probably have to raise the price, and people would bitch about that too.

[RobfromErie]

Disney and the parks turn people away during peak season if the park is 'at capacity'.

They can do it on halloween time just the same. People come for the haunts, and if you have a continuous conga line, then you are beyond capacity.

[Mike Goff]

You're right, they could cut off admission, once they reach a certain number. The last time I went to Disney, I believe a one day pass was $79. If Kings Island were to raise thier tickets from $24.99 on Friday and $29.99 on Saturday to the level that Disney charges, what do you think the cut off should be? 5000 people in the park? 10,000 people in the park? If they charged $79 a person, maybe they wouldn't have to cut off the number of tickets they sell. Maybe their customers would be so mad that it could be a private party for those willing to fork out the money.
We all have our strategies for putting on a good show and making money in the process. I don't like to wait in line, but I applaud Kings Island for making their show affordable. For $24.99 you can go there on a Friday night and see a dozen haunts and ride some pretty good coasters. Is it my favorite haunted place? Not even close, but it is worth the money and worth going to.
I'm done with this ridiculous thread.

[DarkTikiEntertainment]

You're right, they could cut off admission, once they reach a certain number. The last time I went to Disney, I believe a one day pass was $79. If Kings Island were to raise thier tickets from $24.99 on Friday and $29.99 on Saturday to the level that Disney charges, what do you think the cut off should be? 5000 people in the park? 10,000 people in the park? If they charged $79 a person, maybe they wouldn't have to cut off the number of tickets they sell. Maybe their customers would be so mad that it could be a private party for those willing to fork out the money.
We all have our strategies for putting on a good show and making money in the process. I don't like to wait in line, but I applaud Kings Island for making their show affordable. For $24.99 you can go there on a Friday night and see a dozen haunts and ride some pretty good coasters. Is it my favorite haunted place? Not even close, but it is worth the money and worth going to.
I'm done with this ridiculous thread.

You have a good point, Mike. It does appear you get a lot for the money at King's Island. We paid MUCH more for Halloween Horror Nights.