Waldameer Discussion Thread

I know this does not really have anything to do with the current conversation is but... I went to this park back in May and I absolutely loved it. It actually was a last minute choice. I went to Kennywood the weekend before Memorial Day weekend 2011 and we did not realize that Lakemont was not open so we searched and found Waldameer. We did not know much about the park but figured it was a park so we would give it a shot. It is a awesome small park with great coasters! I love how it is so close to the water.

^Same here. I went to Waldameer as a last minute stop this past summer while my parents decided to go to some winery. It is such a great park, and it's sad there aren't more parks like it across the country. Considering it's just a local park in a small market, many places across the country could probably support a park like it. Other than Ravine Flyer II, there wasn't anything that was amazing by itself, but together with the location and service, made it a great park.

Great news to hear about the improvements. I'm not sure where they'll put the swing ride, but I'm sure the owners will find a way. Also great news to hear about Comet. The ride op worked fast, but even though the ride is small, a small train will still cause a small line to have a long wait time.

Great news to hear about a great park getting even better.

The official website has just posted about the Happy Swing, stating it will be 'near the Ravine Flyer 3' when it is installed.

This picture (courtesy of kennywood007) appears to show where the ride will be. See that square of grass in the top center-left? Looking at Bing maps, that space more or less matches the dimensions of this ride as listed on Zamperla's site. Typical Waldameer installation, once again using every square inch!

Nothing huge, but it's good to see that they are improving the capacity on their rides.

I was hoping for the new food court they where talking about a few years back. I know many people complain about the food there. However, I do not think the quality is bad for the price. Just the amount of options needs increased in my opinion.

Everything else looks good though. Maybe they will do a water slide repaint in the coming years.

^ Agreed, I would love to see them put in a sit down resturant or atleast try to find some more options for food. I always find myself leaving the park to get something to eat.

I find it hard to use the word "quality" when referring to the food at Waldameer. Although the fresh chocolate chip cookies were awesome.

It's great to see a smaller park like Waldameer investing in higher capacity and better operations! Hopefully this means the park is growing!

^^Yes, quality may be the wrong word. However, I had a new appreciation for their food after visiting Six Flags St Louis a few years back. I had the worst wings in my life there and paid around ten bucks for them. They where small and dry, it was like they where fried for a half hour two days before. Also, Cedar Fair's food vs price helps here a little on my opinion. I never have felt like Waldameers food was exactly not edible by Amusement Park standards. They are far from Kennywood or Knoebals quality for the price though.

With Sarah's just down the road it's almost impossible for Waldameer to compete... food wise anyway.

Sarah's... I love this place.

I'm going to jump in on the love for Waldameer. Great little park to visit in the summer. Last year, I spent a full day there and had a blast. This year, I made an impromptu visit on my way home from Kennywood. Grabbed a bunch of rides on Ravine Flyer II, grabbed lunch and back on the road. Best lunch break ever.

Looks like a few small updates to the water park are happening this year. Maybe some sort of tunnel for the lazy river. I am not sure what else that could be.

http://waldameer.blogspot.com/

The park's Facebook page has also posted a photos of new Wally Card booths, as well as the spot near Ravine Flyer 3 where the new Happy Swing flat will go:

^^Looks like it could be a tunnel or a platform for those coin-op water guns?

The most drastic change that is happening for 2012 is the park is going cashless! That's right, cashless. But what does that really mean? How will our Guests pay for things?

 

Since 2010, Waldameer has been using its new bar-code system to operate the park. With this system, Waldameer was able to introduce its own type of money called Wally Points. These points can be put on a Wally Card and spent anywhere in the park. You can recharge your Wally Card, put any amount on it and use it for the rest of your life! Wally Cards have worked so well that for the 2012 season, Waldameer will only accept Wally Cards, Credit/Debit cards and Gift Cards to purchase items inside the park. The only place cash will still be accepted will be the Merry-Go-Round Ticket Booths, the Arcade and Wally Card Kiosks.

 

To make it easier to get a Wally Card, eight new self-serve Wally Card Kiosks are being installed throughout the park. These big, yellow stands allow Guests to purchase, reload and check balances on any Wally Card. With eight new kiosks, it will be eight times easier to get your very own Wally Card!

Not sure if I'm a fan of this for just about EVERYTHING in the park with cash not being accepted...what about the casual tourist from out of town? Will they be able to get reimbursed for what they don't use at the end of the day? That could be difficult to estimate how much to add on a card for a family of four...you add too much and then your SOL or if you don't add enough, you have to go to a kiosk & wait in line (if it's crowded) to add more cash?

Looks like a few small updates to the water park are happening this year. Maybe some sort of tunnel for the lazy river. I am not sure what else that could be.

 

http://waldameer.blogspot.com/

My money is on a ramp.. getting across that tiny bridge is a pain when its busy and those with strollers have a challenge to get across and folks in wheelchairs cannot get across.

^ I never thought of that, but it would make much sense. That small bridge is a pain when it is busy.

Waldameer mentioned in one of their picture comments on facebook that it is indeed a ramp. Even though we all love signature attraction additions each off-season, Waldameer is taking the ever so crucial infrastructure route for improvements this year. Ease of access=higher guest satisfaction. More efficient ride operating procedures=more guest satisfaction. If any park wants to keep growing at a healthy rate, they cannot forget infrastructure. Waldameer, I'm sure, will keep up their growth as they perfect and maintain their existing operations.

As for the new cashless system. Waldameer has put a lot of careful planning and research into full implementation. Several new kiosks are being added in which high-traffic areas will have double kiosks. Remember, in addition to Wally Cards, credit/debit cards are still accepted at all food, games, and merchandise locations. The constantly growing trend is to use more plastic, so the majority guests should be able to adjust to these changes. There might be some confusion initially, but with Waldameer getting the word out early on the new procedures and making the necessary preparations, smooth sailing should follow.

(I can't wait to see Comet running two trains!)

^ I do like how they make small, but noticeable improvements each year. The new train will defiantly be a bonus.

Any word on the new food pavilion they where planning on creating from the old Merry Go Round building? They had this on their blog a few years back and have not seen an update in awhile on it.

I do not think I agree with the cashless system. I do not live anywhere near the park and If I had money left over could I exchange it for cash? That would be my first question. I will be going there on the Leviathan trip this summer and I guess I will have to get a card just to buy a soda! That is silly in my opinion.

They did say they would accept credit/debit cards still, just not cash.

^ Yea, you are right. But to buy a simple soda with a credit card - that is a little silly in my opinion. I carry cash for things like that.

^ I've really got to go with you on this one.

I love Waldameer and get up there at least once every year. While I can understand the advantage to them to go with a cashless system (I mean, their game operators aren't allowed to touch the money anyway!), the fact is that no matter what denominations you add money to the card by, there is no way that you're not going to have money left over at the end of the day.

As long as they make it possible to get a refund on the balance, I'm cool with it. Otherwise? I'm not going to really appreciate having to figure out how to spend whatever's left when I may not want anything else. Or, worse yet, end up leaving it on the card for them to keep as some sort of tip.

The whole point of a cashless system is to bring in additional revenues. They will not offer refunds on remaining balances, I can assure you.

Oh, I understand the point.

I also understand that the system will likely cost them more than they'll make off of it.

First will be the expense of initiating it. The cost of the kiosks. The cost of installing card readers at all of the games.

Then, there is the recurring cost of the cards. No refund... no incentive to turn it back in at the end of the day.

Second, consider where a park with free admission and free parking makes most of it's money. Food and games.

While it may seem like a nice convenience for both to simply swipe a card, if they are going to accept debit/credit cards for food they already have that convenience without the card. And, if they use the credit card instead of the wally card, it costs them money on every transaction.

Cashless system at games? Not a good idea for a revenue stream.

Most of the revenue gained from games isn't in the decision of a customer to play a game. It's in the impulse of the customer to KEEP playing the game when they lose.

Load the card up with $10-$20 and, at $2 a game you're going to burn through that quick.

When you have a wad of cash in your pocket, it's a heck of a lot easier to reach in on impulse and grab some than it is to go and re-fill the card.

The LAST thing you want is the customer walking away from something to refill that card. Once they walk away, the impulse walks away with it.

Yes, it's nice for water park customers to not have to worry about their money getting wet. Of course, not worrying about money getting wet also reduces the need to rent a l0

But, beyond the local kids who might use the cards, there is no real advantage to using it for the typical customer.

This doesn't even touch on the money they will lose when the card reader goes down at the most popular games, as they no doubt will, simply from over-use.

^ I sure hope the park reads your post and changes their mind. You are obviously an expert in this area and they have only been running a park and consulting with people who install cashless systems.