Fast Lane (Six Flags)
Fast Lane is an optional, pay-per-person line queue system offered on select rides at Cedar Fair amusement parks. The system provides shorter lines, and guests who want access must pay a fee in addition to general park admission. They are given a wristband for identification, and a limited number are sold each day to keep wait times under control. First piloted in 2011 at Kings Island, the system was rolled out to the rest of the Cedar Fair chain in 2012.
History
On July 18, 2011, Kings Island announced the introduction of Fast Lane, a separate line queue featuring shorter lines, that originally involved ten select rides and was only active from noon to 7:00 pm.[1] The upcharge for access was $50 per person, and the purchase did not include park admission.[2] Cedar Fair wanted to test the system before deploying to every location, and Kings Island was chosen to fill that purpose.[3] Fast Lane received positive feedback, and it generated nearly $1 million in half a season.[4] Cedar Fair deemed it a success and announced that Fast Lane would be rolled out the rest of their parks in 2012.[4]
There is also Fright Lane, which is the Halloween version of Fast Lane during the fall season at Cedar Fair parks.[5] In 2013, Canada's Wonderland, Carowinds, Cedar Point, Kings Dominion, and Kings Island introduced Fast Lane Plus, which allows purchasers to bypass the lines of additional rides that standard Fast Lane holders would not have access to. Dorney Park did the same in 2014, introducing Fast Lane Plus for Wildwater Kingdom attractions and free rides on a pay-per-experience attraction. Also in 2014, Worlds of Fun introduced Fast Lane Plus allowing riders to bypass the lines of additional water slides at the Oceans of Fun water park.
Rules
Visitors can purchase Fast Lane access individually or as a group, with group pricing offering a lower price per group member. Visitors then receive a wrist band to would give them the ability to cut to the front of the line on the park's most popular attractions. Originally, it could be used only from noon to 7:00 PM, but it was later expanded to all-day availability. Fast Lane differs from a virtual queue in that there is nothing virtual, only two physical queues (lines): one for regular patrons and a separate one for Fast Lane purchasers. Fast Lane is not included with season pass purchases, and the amount sold per day is restricted.
Reception
The priority queuing system was originally controversial.[6] An earlier version implemented at Cedar Point in the early 2000s allowed guests to enter a virtual queue, similar to Disney's FastPass, where riders could return to a ride hours later and skip to the front of the line.[6] It was first called Ticket to Ride, and later it was renamed FreeWay.[6] The system was discontinued in 2004 due to negative reception; guests were uncomfortable with the park "sanctioning line-jumping".[6] Fast Lane received higher marks when assessed internally by Cedar Fair, and the system has been in place at all Cedar Fair parks since 2012.[3]
Attractions
This is a list of the Fast Lane attractions at each of the parks.
California's Great America
| Fast Lane | |
|---|---|
| Barney Oldfield Speedway | Gold Striker |
| Celebration Swings | Mass Effect: New Earth |
| Delirium | Patriot |
| Delta Flyer | Psycho Mouse |
| Demon | RailBlazer |
| Drop Tower | Rue Le Dodge |
| Eagle's Flight | Rip Roaring Rapids |
| Flight Deck | The Grizzly |
| Flying Eagles | Tiki Twirl |
Canada's Wonderland
| Fast Lane | Fast Lane Plus | |
|---|---|---|
| Backlot Stunt Coaster | Shockwave | Behemoth |
| Drop Tower | Skyhawk | Leviathan |
| Flight Deck | Sledge Hammer | Lumberjack |
| Klockwerks | Swing of the Century | |
| Krachenwagon | Timberwolf Falls | |
| Mighty Canadian Minebuster | Time Warp | |
| Night Mares | The Rage | |
| Orbiter | Vortex | |
| Psyclone | Wild Beast | |
| Riptide | WindSeeker | |
| Soaring Timbers | ||
Carowinds
| Fast Lane | Fast Lane Plus | |
|---|---|---|
| Afterburn | Hurler | Electro-Spin |
| Blackbeard's Revenge | Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare: 3Z Arena | Fury 325 |
| Boo Blasters on Boo Hill | Rock'N'Roller | Intimidator |
| Carolina Cyclone | Scrambler | Nighthawk |
| Carolina Goldrusher | Surfer's Swell | Rip Roaring Rapids |
| Carolina Skytower | The Flying Cobras | |
| Dorsal Fin Drop | Vortex | |
| Do-Si-Do | WindSeeker | |
| Drop Tower | Zephyr | |
| Flying Ace Balloon Race | ||
Cedar Point
As of June 2, 2018[update]:[10]
| Fast Lane | Fast Lane Plus | |
|---|---|---|
| Antique Cars | Pipe Scream | GateKeeper |
| Blue Streak | Power Tower | Maverick |
| Cadillac Cars | Raptor | Steel Vengeance |
| Corkscrew | Rougarou | Top Thrill Dragster |
| Dodgem | Scrambler | Valravn |
| Gemini | Skyhawk | |
| Giant Wheel | Snake River Falls | |
| Lake Erie Eagles | Troika | |
| Magnum XL-200 | Wave Swinger | |
| maXair | Wicked Twister | |
| Millennium Force | Windseeker | |
| Monster | ||
Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom
As of May 8, 2018[update]:[11]
| Fast Lane | Fast Lane Plus | |
|---|---|---|
| Cedar Creek Cannonball | Scrambler | Aquablast |
| Cedar Creek Flyers | Steel Force | Aqua Racer |
| Dodgem | Talon | Runaway River |
| Dominator | Thunder Canyon | Snake Pit |
| Hydra the Revenge | Thunderhawk | Wildwater River |
| Meteor | Tilt-A-Whirl | |
| Musik Express | Wave Swinger | |
| Possessed | Whip | |
| Revolution | White Water Landing | |
| Road Rally | Wild Mouse | |
Kings Dominion
As of May 8, 2018[update]:[12]
| Fast Lane | Fast Lane Plus |
|---|---|
| Avalanche | Dominator |
| Backlot Stunt Coaster | Intimidator 305 |
| Bad Apple | Twisted Timbers |
| Blue Ridge Tollway | Volcano: The Blast Coaster |
| Delirium | |
| Dodgem | |
| Drop Tower | |
| Flight of Fear | |
| Flying Eagles | |
| Shenandoah Lumber Company | |
| Wave Swinger | |
| WindSeeker |
Kings Island
As of July 28, 2018[update]:[13]
| Fast Lane | Fast Lane Plus | |
|---|---|---|
| Adventure Express | Invertigo | The Beast |
| Backlot Stunt Coaster | Monster | Firehawk |
| Banshee | Race For Your Life Charlie Brown | Flight of Fear |
| Boo Blasters on Boo Hill | The Racer | Mystic Timbers |
| Congo Falls | Scrambler | Rendezvous Run |
| Delirium | Shake, Rattle & Roll | Thunder Falls |
| Diamondback | Surf Dog | Tropical Plunge |
| Dodgem | Vortex | Zoom Flume |
| Drop Tower | WindSeeker | |
| Eiffel Tower | Woodstock Gliders | |
| Flying Ace Aerial Chase | Zephyr | |
Knott's Berry Farm
As of May 8, 2018[update]:[14]
| Fast Lane | |
|---|---|
| Bigfoot Rapids | Pony Express |
| Calico Mine Ride | Sierra Sidewinder |
| Coast Rider | Silver Bullet |
| HangTime | Supreme Scream |
| GhostRider | Timber Mountain Log Ride |
| Jaguar! | Voyage to the Iron Reef |
| Montezooma's Revenge | Xcelerator |
Michigan's Adventure
As of May 8, 2018[update]:[15]
| Fast Lane | |
|---|---|
| Adventure Falls | Mad Mouse |
| Be-Bop Blvd | Scrambler |
| Dodgem | Shivering Timbers |
| Flying Trapeze | Thunderhawk |
| Giant Gondola Wheel | Tilt-A-Whirl |
| Grand Rapids | Wolverine Wildcat |
| Lakeside Gliders | Zach's Zoomer |
| Logger's Run | |
Valleyfair
As of May 8, 2018[update]:[16]
| Fast Lane | |
|---|---|
| Breakers Plunge & Pipeline | Northern Lights |
| Corkscrew | Power Tower |
| Delirious | Renegade |
| Flying Eagles | Steel Venom |
| High Roller | Thunder Canyon |
| Looping Starship | Wild Thing |
| Mad Mouse | The Wave |
| Monster | Xtreme Swing |
| North Star | |
Worlds of Fun
The Fast Lane Plus option at Worlds of Fun is a combination of the Fast Lane passes for Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun.
As of May 8, 2018[update]:[17]
| Worlds of Fun | Oceans of Fun | |
|---|---|---|
| Boomerang | Patriot | Constrictor |
| Detonator | Prowler | Diamond Head |
| Falcon's Flight | Spinning Dragons | Monsoon |
| Fury of the Nile | SteelHawk | Predator's Plunge |
| Le Taxi Tour | Timberwolf | Shark's Revenge |
| Mamba | Viking Voyager | Typhoon |
| Mustang Runner | ||
See also
- Disney's Fastpass, the virtual queue system for the Disney Parks
- Universal Express Pass, a virtual queue system for the Universal parks
References
- ^ "NewsPlusNotes: Kings Island Announces Fast Lane". Newsplusnotes.blogspot.com. July 18, 2011. Retrieved March 11, 2012.
- ^ "Kings Island – Fast Lane". Archived from the original on July 22, 2011. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
- ^ a b Glaser, Susan (April 28, 2012). "Pay to get in the Fast Lane and you'll wait less at Cedar Point: close to home". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
- ^ a b "Cedar Fair Is Looking Fun Forward". NewsPlusNotes. January 21, 2012. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
- ^ "Cedar Point 2012". PointBuzz. Retrieved March 11, 2012.
- ^ a b c d Glaser, Susan (July 30, 2011). "Amusement parks offer different ways of letting people skip long lines". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
- ^ "Fast Lane". California's Great America. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
- ^ "Fast Lane". Canada's Wonderland. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
- ^ "Fast Lane". Carowinds. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
- ^ "Fast Lane". Cedar Point. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
- ^ "Fast Lane". Dorney Park. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
- ^ "Fast Lane". Kings Dominion. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|dead-url=(help) - ^ "Fast Lane". Kings Island. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
- ^ "Fast Lane". Knott's Berry Farm. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
- ^ "Fast Lane". Michigan's Adventure. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
- ^ "Fast Lane". Valleyfair. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
- ^ "Fast Lane". Worlds of Fun. Retrieved May 22, 2017.