Hang out with our family a little bit, and as part of our travel regime, you will see we really like visiting theme and amusement parks. Our three boys really love riding the various kid attractions, and occasionally, my wife and I may even jump in and try out some of the bigger roller coasters.

Now that our boys are getting a little older (ages 5, 3, and 1), we evaluate the cost versus benefit of getting season passes to our hometown park, Cedar Point.

Around this time last year, our family considered purchasing 2014 Cedar Point season passes. However, we came to the conclusion that we found it hard in 2013 to even use all the free tickets we acquired through the My Coke Rewards program in between all of our other travel plans. We figured it took visiting the park at least once a month to really break even and make it worth our while, and we did not, at the time, see that fitting into our 2014 busy schedule.

Well in late 2013, things changed. While visiting Cedar Point one last time, we came to the realization that there was really lacking any information on the food options at Cedar Point, and thus the CPFoodBlog was born.

During the park off-season, we worked to build a site that would benefit people outside of the normal roller coaster fan sites. However, there was one thing lacking…the parks were closed for the season and we could not get in until May to really start gathering information to build the website.

All winter we knew Cedar Point opened May 10 to the public, which was torture having to wait to build quality content. At some point over the winter, it was announced that coaster club members would be given access to Media Day on May 8, 2014, so I began putting in some research into what that meant.

It turns out, there are currently 15 recognized coaster clubs that Cedar Point, and most of the other amusement parks acknowledge for special events.

• ACE (American Coaster Enthusiasts) www.aceonline.org
• CoasterBuzz www.coasterbuzz.com
• CoasterCommunity www.coastercommunity.com
• Coaster Crew www.coastercrew.net
• Coaster Fusion Club www.coasterfusionclub.com
• Coaster Zombies www.coasterzombies.com
• DAFE (Darkride and Funhouse Enthusiasts) www.dafe.org
• European Coaster Club www.coasterclub.org
• FLCC (Florida Coaster Club) www.floridacoasterclub.com
• GOCC (Great Ohio Coaster Club) www.greatohiocc.org
• MACC (Mid-Atlantic Coaster Club) www.coasterdan.com/macc/
• NAPHA (National Amusement Park Historical Association) www.napha.org
• RCCGB (Roller Coaster Club of Great Britain) www.rccgb.co.uk
• Club TPR www.themeparkreview.com
• WNYCC (Western New York Coaster Club) www.wnycc.org

So lets take a look at the numbers for a typical family of four (we have five members of our family, but our youngest is still free) for a 1 year membership.

ACE (American Coaster Enthusiasts) – $95
CoasterBuzz – $40
CoasterCommunity – Does not appear active
Coaster Crew – $30
Coaster Fusion Club – $35
Coaster Zombies – Suspending Operation
DAFE (Darkride and Funhouse Enthusiasts) – $30
European Coaster Club – £35.50 = $57.70
FLCC (Florida Coaster Club) – $40
GOCC (Great Ohio Coaster Club) – $25
MACC (Mid-Atlantic Coaster Club) – $32.50, but debating whether to remain in operation for 2015
NAPHA (National Amusement Park Historical Association) – $40
RCCGB (Roller Coaster Club of Great Britain) – £41.00 + £10 conversion fee = $82.97
Club TPR – $53
WNYCC (Western New York Coaster Club) – $25

Look for several of these clubs to drop off in 2015. As you can see, the prices run the spectrum for a family to join; however, that should not be the only factor that weighs into your decision. These coaster clubs offer varying benefits and events at amusement parks all across the country.

For example, the Great Ohio Coaster Club held a Fall Freakout event at Cedar Point in early September 2014. While the event was held by GOCC, any of the recognized coaster club members could attend.

There is sometimes a fee to attend an event, depending on whether you are an annual passholder of the respective park or member of the club(s), but included with the cost is typically admission, exclusive ride times, food and tours. Plus you are getting to meet and interact with other people and families that have the same passion for seeing the parks.

In addition to scheduled events by the clubs, parks themselves may invite coaster club members out to special events. Cedar Point is particularly AMAZING in how they treat the coaster club community.

To give an example, on opening night of Halloweekends (September 12, 2014), Cedar Point invited Coaster Club members to register for VIP treatment that night. Here is the kicker. It was all FREE! They gave members free admission to the park before the gates opened for the general public, exclusive ride times, fed the guests with a buffet meal, handed out Halloweekends sweatshirts to each member, and allowed access to the new haunted house before the general public. Did I mention this was also all FREE for being a coaster club member?

Another event our family won was a lottery to attend was Coaster Campout earlier this summer. Again, an amazing event, and all included for being a coaster cub member.

Our Family’s Coaster Club Selection

So the question now may be, which coaster club did our family choose to join? After quickly looking at each of the coaster clubs, from our family’s perspective, we chose to go with Coaster Crew, and the reason may be surprising. While the $30 cost for our whole family to join was ultimately a fantastic value and deciding factor, I also liked that their website was one of the most modern looking, and they were very active in social media and scheduling events around the country. Many of the other clubs offer very dated looking websites, and as a web designer, it swayed my decision. Everything combined showed me that Coaster Crew was a dedicated team of enthusiasts not only providing value for families, but also their members.

Once our family signed up for our Coaster Crew membership, we then knew we had access to Cedar Point for Media Day, as well as being able to enter the lottery for Coaster Campout. Media Day alone was SOOOOOOO worth the coaster club membership, and really it has been a great partnership ever since.

In addition to joining Coaster Crew and attending some of the events, the people who run the organization, as well as the local representative that runs their sister sites CPFansite and KIFansite, are all fantastic people with a passion for amusement parks and bringing people together to share in those experiences.

I also have to be honest that my wife and I are far from roller coaster enthusiasts. We did not join because we are dying to get access to coasters around the country. We joined, because as a family, there was a huge value in what the clubs provided with getting us access to the park. With a single day admission to Cedar Point costing $60 per person, paying $30 to get access to the park a couple times a year provided for an excellent opportunity for our family.

Now there is no guarantee that Cedar Point is going to be as giving in 2015. Will they invite coaster club members out for a free event in the future? Very likely, but there is no guarantee. However, looking at the events that were offered in both 2013 and 2014, it is very likely Cedar Point (and other parks) see the value in getting coaster club members into the park.

Coaster Crew Exclusive Offer

Update: Please note that since publishing this article, Coaster Crew will not be an accepted coaster club at Cedar Point for the 2015 season, as will a lot of the clubs that were accepted in 2014. However, a Coaster Crew (and other club) membership can still be a tremendous value for other amusement park events and discounts.

Both InACents and the CPFoodBlog have partnered with Coaster Crew to offer families an exclusive deal for you to sign up.

Link: Coaster Crew Signup

Purchase a new Coaster Crew membership using the above link, and get access to these exclusive offers:

• 2 Year Single Membership for $45
• Add additional family members in the same household for only $7 each

2015 Coaster Club benefits include the following:

• Membership Badge
• Various Official Coaster Crew Merchandise sent with welcome packet
• All Offered Discounts associated with Membership, Including park tickets and more!
• Access to all Coaster Crew Events
• Access to Park Held events such as, Holiwood Nights at Holiday World & Kings Island’s CoasterStock.

We do not earn any commission on the sale of Coaster Crew memberships. This is a great organization that has allowed our family to visit the parks more often than we ever have in the past, and we are proud of that relationship. You will not find these exclusive offers anywhere else.

We look forward to seeing you in the park at the next coaster club events. We will be the ones in the kiddie rides section and chowing down on an elephant ear! See you in the parks!

Save Money, Travel More!

Source: InACents