We went to renew our season passes at Six Flags Fiesta Texas, and were told that we had to affix the parking pass to one of the season passes, so that that person has to be there for you to use the parking pass you paid $32 for. Has anyone else noticed unfair practices at their local theme parks?

So, you think the $32 should buy how many parking passes for how many people?

Seriously...wouldn't lending someone your parking pass be a little bit like lending someone your season pass -- ie, verboten?

An amusement park here did that same thing and I just always took that card with me and showed the parking guy and had no problems, even if my husband wasn't with me that day.

Follow, I have children that drive and my husband, myself, or another driving sib may not always be with the one going so I understand your dilemma. I didn't think you were loaning the parking pass to friends, but thought immediately of more than one family member being able to drive to and visit the park. So yes, I think this is a bit outrageous, too. I would try MonicaRichards' suggestion. Good luck!

Exactly Bayougal. When we first bought the pass, it was a rearview window hanger so you could transfer it to whichever car you wanted to take. Then they made it a decal you affixed to your vehicle. Now it's affixed to the pass, but sometimes my husband takes the kids and sometimes I do.

beachbum, I just expect my Family Season Parking pass to let my family park for the season.

I just get aggravated because the fees and charges just go up and up. This is our last year buying the passes so I'll just deal with it.

I'm going to post some tips for Fiesta Tx we've learned over the years on another post!

Could you put the pass on one of the kids' cards? That way no matter who drives the pass will be valid.

heres the answer many of you are looking for. why has the price of parking permits skyrocketed in recent years?, and why are the rules that govern them so stringent?

good questions. heres the logical answer. Its basically to offset other operating costs associated with operating the theme park. In days of yore, theme parks raked in revenue from the sale of food concessions and the various games offering chances of winning giant stuffed animals.

When parkgoers saw that it was better to take a cooler stuffed with food, and leave it inside their car, and "take a break", and leave the park,.get your handstamped for re-entry, go out to the cooler and munch down (in essence, not buy the expensive park food). The theme parks got smart, and decided to make back that lost money by raising the cost of the parking pass.

Once people decided to share their parking passes, the theme parks saw they was losing money on that too, and enforced measures to reduce that as well. Theme park visitors today arent as easily satisified with ride offerings like yesterday's park goers were. The classic ferris wheel, and merry go round doesnt thrill anyone except for small children and those seeking nostalgia. People want speed, gravity and sheer raw excitement. The want taller coasters, faster coasters..these all come with an expensive price tag, and the costs of such are passed on via other methods that the theme parks know they can get it from..and parking passes are a sure fire bet.

Hi Monica, yes, that's what we did, but we have 2 teenagers and they don't always want to go. When I asked if we could bring the other son's pass to park if we came without him, we were told "the passholder has to be present to use the park pass".

Mireaux, I'm sure your points are valid. I think it's funny that they make money on the backs of the people who follow the rules, though. And putting the pass on a season pass holder's pass makes it easier for others to avoid paying for parking; that is, just by taking my son, a whole vanload of people can park for free, whereas before, it was just on my vehicle. I don't see how you can abuse a parking pass by putting it on the car.

I have to think it's a small minority of folks who bring coolers stuffed with food and eat in the parking lot. Not terribly convenient and usually not worth the hassle of convincing the kids to pass on the park food so they can eat bologna sandwiches out of the trunk of the car.

I'm amazed that it's not possible to bring the parking pass, attached to one person's season pass (whether the person is there or not). There is nothing unethical or underhanded about that.

What bothers me is that some parks used to have a low admission fee for those who don't intend to ride. Some folks just want to accompany the extended family and grandkids and walk around, people watch, and actually BUY the overprices food and souveniers for the kids. Our local park discontinued this low admission fee practice a few years ago --- and now wants $31 just for the privilege of walking around and buying spending money, without taking advantage of the rides. And this is NOT a park with Shows - it's completely rides, food, and games of chance. THAT will be the day ----

youd be surprised at the number swaymock. some choose to bring the cooler inside the park and eat at a designated picnic area. other do exactly as i previously described and eat from their cars. if you want to witness it firsthand, simply hang out by the exit gates around dinner time, youll see quite a number "leaving".,.many of them getting their hand stamped. lets just put it this way, you have you average theme park, that on any given day has about 100,000 visitors in it, given that average number (which can be more on certain days), the lines at food concessions are still relatively short,.so where are all these people eating at?

That might also say something about the quality of the crap they try to pass off as edible food.

Have you written a letter to both park management and Six Flags corporate? They at least need to know of your dissatisfaction even if they don't do anything about it. I remember buying a Six Flags parking pass circa 1999 and it was about $15 for the year. How times have changed! And the pass was a sticker on our car windshield.

Raising parking fees is one way parks are raising revenue while claiming "low" prices at the gate. $10-$15 per day per passenger car is not uncommon. I think it's robbery, but parkgoers are usually limited in parking options so you have to pay it.

We now have Dollywood season passes. The "Gold" pass gets free parking, while a regular pass does not. We have two gold pass holders in our family, and that family member must be in the car to get free parking. But the Dollywood gold pass is just not a parking pass. There are other discounts with it as well. So we feel it's a good value.

We have gotten Six Flags season passes & parking pass from Great America for about the past 6, 7 yrs. & for us it has always been a sticker afixed to one of the passes. A couple years I put it on my pass & then after that, I put it on the youngest one's pass because he is the coaster nut & then he could use the parking pass no matter who he went with. Brcause when ever I would go, he would be along, & then if he went with friends, he could still use the parking permit. The thing that gets me is that the season pass can be used for entrance at any Six Flags park & we have used it a number of times for that. But the parking pass can only be used at the park you purchase it at, so if you go to any other Six Flags you still have to pay their parking fee.

Let me start off by saying that my comments are about 6 Flags in Arlington Texas.
I have been going to 6 Flags since it opened in the 60's.
It was so much fun, for so many years. We never went to the State Fair because it was so Ghetto... roving gangs of teenagers being load, rude and causing trouble.
In the early 90's things started to change dramatically at the Arlington park. It became seriously overcrowded and full of punks. We have tried to return but it is always a bummer.
LONG waits for rides and full of loud, rude teens that have been dumped for the day by their parents. Add to that the new line jumping program and you have a formula for disaster.
The era for 6 Flags Arlington has passed and you will see that there will continue to be press that it is not doing good financially.
I wish they would stop season tickets and stop discounts.
They would see a decrease in attendance but an increase in revenue.
I would go back at double the price if they would cut back on the crowds, stop the line jumping and discourage the punks.

Are you talking about the Flash Pass, TxTravelPro? And does it really impact waits much? I'm now wondering if we should plan a day at Six Flags Magic Mtn when we're in the area later this summer. Let me think..... five of us each buying a one day pass; and now it sounds like another $20/person for the Flash Pass. Plus the $10(?) to park, and who knows how much for all the lousy food..... Hmmm.... Any advice anyone?

Yes. I know all the parks do it, but when you have waited 2 hours in line with a bunch of foul mouthed wanna-be gang members you just want to kill all those people going to the front of the line.
Gosh, I sound angry.

honestly, txtravelpro..i noticed youre post seemed a bit nostalgic with key references to when the park first opened, etc.

you have to take into consideration at how much the population of the metroplex has exploded in the last 30 or so years,.that alone will make it a different park.

what surprises me is that its the only major theme park in the dallas/fort worth area. one would think that other competition would have sprung up their own theme park in the greater dallas/fort worth area,.one would be sorely mistaken.

considering that the dallas/fort worth area is the 2nd largest populated DMA west of the mississippi (L.A. is the largest), and it makes no sense why other theme parks have not been built here to accomodate the massive populous and annual visitors.