After some speculation in another thread about this, I asked about this on their Facebook page today:
Quote from: Silver Dollar CityThank you for asking David! The 2012 Season Passes should be available for online purchase by Saturday, November 5th. And yes, the new "Guest Program" that is in your November Times is replacing the past "Bring-A-Friend" program. We look forward to seeing you in 2012!
This is how they are described on the back page of the Times:
Quote from: SDC November TimesSeason Pass holder must accompany guest & present pass, photo ID and matching voucher valid during the correct date at any ticket booth to receive your FREE guest ticket
So I'm guessing they are actually going to start keeping track of who is using the free tickets. Sounds like the passholder will actually receive vouchers that have to be exchanged for actual tickets at the park. I really wonder how much thought they've given to this considering what it's going to do to the ticket booth lines. For example, we buy 6 season passes and frequently take 5 or 6 people with us to use the BAF's. Now, according to their instructions, all 6 of are going to have to go to the ticket booth, show our ID and season pass, give them the voucher and get the actual ticket one at a time. Take that x the number of pass holders each year who use baf's x the 5 different date ranges they are available and it sounds like an absolute disaster waiting to happen at the ticket booths.
Interesting. I assume they've got the the details figured out though, I'm sure they think these things through more than we might think. ;)
It's good that they're overhauling a system that's been abused so much though. It's gotten crazy how many people try to sell their BAF passes these days, and how many people are out there are constantly begging for them just to get cheap tickets.
This way, they keep the functionality without getting rid of the perk entirely. It was nice being able to treat some people with them through the forums though.
I am also glad they are redoing the system.. WAY too many people abusing it! ..
Check eBay...hundreds of dollars are spent each day by people buying the BAF coupons. Though this does bring revenue to the park, it is not the right way of doing things. I have never sold, nor have I exchanged them for anything...I figure it is not something for me to profit from since it was free to me in the first place.
I'm not saying I don't understand the reason-I do. The execution of the new plan is what I have my doubts about. They could have very easily fixed the BAF abuse by having the pass holder go thru the turnstile right before or after the BAF and scanning the tickets. That seems a lot easier and a lot less delay causing than going and exchanging each voucher for a ticket, but I guess they would rather hold up the ticket booth line than the turnstiles. I'll see how it works but if I'm going to have to stand in line for 30 or 45 minutes each time I want to take someone to the park with me then I probably won't be doing that very often anymore. No one that I've ever taken has left the park spending zero money. If they stay at home because I don't feel like the hassle of the ticket exchange then the park makes nothing on them.
BAF's are a big part of why I buy everyone in our family a season pass. If this turns out to be a tremendous hassle for us, then SDC may see a lot less of my money in 2013. I could buy 3 passes and use the "guest passes" for the other 3 members of my family.
I hate to sound like Chicken Little here but I really don't see this as a step forward or good at all for guest relations with pass holders. Perhaps I'm wrong and each time we'll only be delayed at the ticket booth for a minute or so. But somehow I doubt it.
QuoteBAF's are a big part of why I buy everyone in our family a season pass. If this turns out to be a tremendous hassle for us, then SDC may see a lot less of my money in 2013. I could buy 3 passes and use the "guest passes" for the other 3 members of my family.
You hit that on the head. If they make this difficult I will only buy 1 pass and 2 of us will go on prescribed guest dates. They are trying to fix the loss of ticket sales but these BAF tickets are being used as a " break " in these tough times, and I mean a financial break.
I HAVE given my BAFS away and not shown up with my " guests" at the gate. The last batch I gave to a young guy at work for him his new wife and child. This made me feel good to help someone on a budget get to enjoy a day at the park. They would not have gone had it not been for the BAFS, this guy also spent $60 at the candy store.
I enjoy helping others get in free but I don't necessarily want to go with them and play entertainer. It makes it easy that I can just give them away. If this is taken away then the seasons pass will begin to look less attractive. It would be my bet that a lot of people use them like this and many may be put off by this change. If they screw with this much there may be a backlash. One they might not see coming in 2013.
Over the laast few years I have not seen the season pass holder ever open. This would save a lot of time in the ticket booth lines to separt passholders from the daily ticket buyers.
Quote from: oldsdcer on November 04, 2011, 12:29:12 AM
Over the laast few years I have not seen the season pass holder ever open. This would save a lot of time in the ticket booth lines to separt passholders from the daily ticket buyers.
I agree it would save time and be a plus for guests visiting the park. But with attendance being down SDC probably doesn't want to add more people when they are getting the job done with less.
I hope this new guest pass program works for them. Just curious...how often does everyone have to show their picture ID when entering with their season pass? It seems like almost all of the time I pick the line where you have to show ID while the line next to me is not required to show anything. Maybe I look as though I should be on a "no fly" list. I still wish SDC would switch to a season pass similar to Dollywood with the picture already on it. It's great, you don't have to get a new one every year, they simply reactivate when you renew and they are much more durable.
I have always been asked for ID. Anymore I just have it out and ready. My kids are asked for the birth date most of the time as well.
i give them my ID every time... they always look and check and I'm on my way!
We always give our ID's with the passes and get a howdy welcoming us back .
We have ALWAYS been asked for i.d.
Season passes should be made like a drivers liscence. Agreed?
agreed.
Somebody else had mentioned that the DW passes have pictures on them.
But they need to be made of the same plastic so that there is no more trips to GR to get replacement passes. Oooo and swipe them like a credit card to purchase items.
I remember when the season passes could be laminated. If I am not mistaken, we got them lamenated where you can rent wheelchairs and the like now.......now if they could make the passes durable like that,,,,,without the drivers license esq picture....I dont photo well! :D
The current Season Passes are quite durable! If you ever try to take an old one, and tear it in half by hand, it cannot be done! Trust me. :D
I really don't understand why they must overhaul the Bring-A-Friend program? It would work perfectly fine so long as they enforced their own rule about having the Season Pass holder present. If the Season Pass Holder isn't there, then the Bring-A-Friend ticket holder is refused entry. Problem solved.
Quote from: Ozark BBQ on November 06, 2011, 11:35:26 AM
The current Season Passes are quite durable! If you ever try to take an old one, and tear it in half by hand, it cannot be done! Trust me. :D
I really don't understand why they must overhaul the Bring-A-Friend program? It would work perfectly fine so long as they enforced their own rule about having the Season Pass holder present. If the Season Pass Holder isn't there, then the Bring-A-Friend ticket holder is refused entry. Problem solved.
They are very durable as far as trying to rip them apart. The ink however wears off in short order if I keep it in my wallet. Last year I went through 3 passes. This year I take it out and leave it at home until we're going to the park.
Quote from: cocodane3I remember when the season passes could be laminated. If I am not mistaken, we got them lamenated where you can rent wheelchairs and the like now.......now if they could make the passes durable like that,,,,,without the drivers license esq picture....I dont photo well!
Now you're not supposed to laminate them. Don't understand why.
if you laminate them something in the lamination takes out the computer insides and makes it void
I had mentioned it in another post when I got my new pass on Sat. talking with the lady she was saying that this year is a whole new system that they are using to track people's passes and that the BAF program changed because of people selling them. They did not mind that much with people giving them away but the selling of them does not go over well with the powers that be.
yes thats right, the new free passes have the same 'I.D." number as the season pass....
if it does not match,,,,,, no admittance..
I counted 15- $29 BAF coupons from the pathfinder that were added to the eBay SDC page just in the past 2 days...Pretty sad if you ask me. Even if it does bring revenue to the park...I don't like it.
It is frustrating to hear when people try to make money off of, and take advantage of something that was given to them for free. However, if Silver Dollar City would simply enforce their existing Bring-A-Friend policy, and not allow admittance without the Season Pass holder present, then people would stop buying them from eBay, and the listings would disappear.
I suppose they have to create this new system so that they don't have to put the responsibility of enforcing the rule onto the turnstile operators (like they should), but rather childproof everything for the customer.
Will the new guest passes have blackout dates like the BAF?
Yes. They're pretty much the same dates as the BAFs. See the post "new times in the mail today" I posted the dates there. Sorry I can't link when posting from my phone.
Ok so here is my question. My son who is four now has a season pass and baf tickets do you think it is necessary that he actually be there in person to use the voucher?
jmc, IF you mean he now has a pass for 2012, yes he will have to be present to use BAF's....
Passholder will have to be present with BAF to match the ID numbers between the two.
If you use heat to laminate the pass it will turn black, but if you laminate them with room temperature (cool) lamination it's fine. Buy a sheet of lamination and photo copy your ID and combine the two when laminating them.
JMC75- did you buy all of your passes at the same time? If you did, check the number on the pass they should all be the same which means as long as a pass holder with that number is present you can turn the guest voucher into a ticket.
ok. work with me here:
I put my pass in one of those plastic slips that come in a wallet, you know like you keep the drivers licenses and credit cards in...... and when i go to the city, i keep my DL on one side and the pass on the other.. that way it can be scanned and ID checked at the gate.
I carry it in my front pocket with my cash,,, NO wallet to carry and lose... works great!
Quote from: Copper on November 14, 2011, 10:16:53 PM
JMC75- did you buy all of your passes at the same time? If you did, check the number on the pass they should all be the same which means as long as a pass holder with that number is present you can turn the guest voucher into a ticket.
Are you sure about this? If that is the case that would make this new system a little easier to swallow. I, too, have a 5 year old with a pass and I was envisioning dragging him to the ticket booth with our 3 teenagers each time so we could trade in our vouchers. If I can just go and get 5 or 6 exchanged with my pass that would be much simpler.
Please don't take offense to my questioning you, I know you've got an inside track there, but that is not how I understood it when I read about the new system. I certainly hope you're right.
I just checked my passes and BAF>s\
I purchsed 2 adult and 1 senior pass, all 3 passes have the same I.D. number on them...
I then checked ALL of the BAF's, same thing, all have the same I>D number.............
SO, with 1 pass I should be able to go to booth and use all 3 BAF/s.......
These are your 2012 passes?
yes. 2012 passes.
You can question me- you wouldn't be the first.
As long as you order passes at the same time (same transaction) your passes and guest vouchers will have the same id number on them. You only need one season pass in the ticket line with your guest vouchers to turn them into tickets.
Example: Dad, Mom and Child 1, Child 2 bought passes at the same time. They all receive 5 guest vouchers each. Now the family is at SDC on the appropriate voucher date to turn them into tickets. Dad stays with kids while Mom takes her season pass, ID and vouchers to a ticket booth to turn them into tickets.
Remember the numbers MUST match and always bring an ID.
copper, thats the way i understood it also~!
Quote from: Copper on November 17, 2011, 11:05:08 PM
You can question me- you wouldn't be the first.
As long as you order passes at the same time (same transaction) your passes and guest vouchers will have the same id number on them. You only need one season pass in the ticket line with your guest vouchers to turn them into tickets.
Example: Dad, Mom and Child 1, Child 2 bought passes at the same time. They all receive 5 guest vouchers each. Now the family is at SDC on the appropriate voucher date to turn them into tickets. Dad stays with kids while Mom takes her season pass, ID and vouchers to a ticket booth to turn them into tickets.
Remember the numbers MUST match and always bring an ID.
Thanks again. That's just what I was wanting to know. The matching number isn't an issue, I think I've only traded BAF's once, and have never sold them. The idea of dragging all six of us to the ticket booth for the exchange is what I was dreading. Sounds like that's not going to be an issue.