Knott's Berry Farm told its annual passholders today that it will extend their passes by a year, making all 2020 annual passes to the park good for 2021 as well.
Like all major parks in the United States, Knott's has been closed since the middle of last month. And along with all other Cedar Fair parks, Knott's has said that it looking at a mid-May opening, at the earliest. That means that its annual pass members will have missed out on at least two months of operation when the park reopens. (Unlike other Cedar Fair parks, Knott's Berry Farm is open year-round.)
To make it up to pass members, Knott's now is extending the valid period for its passes through 2021. We don't yet know how much of an extension that will work out to be, since we do not know yet when in 2020 Knott's will reopen. All 2020 Season Pass Add-On Products, with the exception of Knott's Scary Farm, also will be valid through December 31, 2021.
In addition, for passholders using the Easy Pay Program, Knott's is suspending collection of payments while the park is closed. Payments will resume when the park is reopen.
"Our Season Passholders represent some of our most loyal guests, and we want to ensure that you receive a full season of fun as promised when you purchased your 2020 Season Pass. This is a very unusual time for all of us, and we again thank you for your understanding and loyalty to Knott’s Berry Farm," Knott's Vice President and General Manager Jon Storbeck said in the letter to passholders.
Meanwhile, SeaWorld/Busch Gardens continue to charge their annual passholders with monthly payment plans in what is obviously a blatant cash grab
It is the right decision for customers, but it does suggest even if they get through the current disaster that revenues will be weaker next year than 2019
This is a pretty generous offer, but given how Cedar Fair passes work it does make sense for them to do it this way. Since Knott's is the only year-round park in the chain, all Cedar Fair passes are good for a calendar year rather than 12 months from purchase, so it is easiest to just extend them to the end of 2021 than figure out a precise date for them to end. If other parks in the chain have their opening dates delayed until June or later, I think this has a good chance of becoming a chain-wide offer.
I am, however, a little worried that by extending all the way to the end of 2021 the parks may stay closed far longer than most expect as there will be less incentive to reopen, and even less to reopen fully. I do think at least in So Cal, once one reopens the others will soon follow, but I could certainly see Knott's cutting costs by only reopening portions of the park to save on maintenance and labor. This is definitely going to be an interesting year for the industry.
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I am a little surprised by all the kudos the park and Cedar Fair are getting over this announcement. While the move appears generous (and people who have financial difficulties certainly appreciate not having monthly payments charged while the park is closed), I could see theme parks not re-open until the summer or the fall, depending on how the current medical and political situation plays out.
It seems like Cedar Fair is buying some goodwill from its regular customers in advance of a possible long-term closure.