Preferred Parking????

[PollyPoPo]

On the TRF Facebook Page, the following postings appeared this morning:

Question: Is parking still free? Or is it $10 to park?

Comment: From what I saw of the signs while driving onto the TRF property on Saturday morning, the first few rows past the Handicap Access Rows have been set aside as "$10 King's Preferred Parking", but the rest of the parking rows are still free.

Comment:  Free

Management Answer:  The Texas Renaissance Festival Yes, parking is still free. This weekend we tried out the King's Preferred Parking and it was a success.
~The King

Add this unannounced new fee to the in-your-face advertising and car giveaway fronting for a time-share pitch, result is TRF obviously views all people entering as customers of a theme park, not an immersion into another world. 

It is still a bargain at full price compared to Fiesta Texas or Seaworld.  For now.

Pity; they were making headway in getting the campgrounds to be more pleasant.

[dbaldock]

On the TRF Facebook Page, the following postings appeared this morning:

Question: Is parking still free? Or is it $10 to park?

Comment: From what I saw of the signs while driving onto the TRF property on Saturday morning, the first few rows past the Handicap Access Rows have been set aside as "$10 King's Preferred Parking", but the rest of the parking rows are still free.

Comment:  Free

Management Answer:  The Texas Renaissance Festival Yes, parking is still free. This weekend we tried out the King's Preferred Parking and it was a success.
~The King

Add this unannounced new fee to the in-your-face advertising and car giveaway fronting for a time-share pitch, result is TRF obviously views all people entering as customers of a theme park, not an immersion into another world. 

It is still a bargain at full price compared to Fiesta Texas or Seaworld.  For now.

Pity; they were making headway in getting the campgrounds to be more pleasant.

The comment that is highlighted in red is one that I made.

I arrived at 10:28AM, and parked more than half way down Row 11.  It was ~11:00 when I walked down to the Entrance Gate, and Rows 4 & 5 were empty.  Like Fenster, I walked out to my car in mid-afternoon (~2:30PM) to put some things away, and Rows 4 & 5 were still empty.  Row 3 was the only one of the $10 Parking Rows that had any cars in it.

[Hospitaller]

Yep. We arrived around 9:45 and had to park at the end of row 8. Saw the signs for the preferred paid parking and the that was the 1st either of us had heard about it. Saw a LOT of open spaces in those close rows when we left around 4'ish.

Tend to agree with others here - If management wants to have a section paid, that's fine. Just please let folks know ahead of time. With discount tickets running twice what I paid two years ago, it's expensive enough and I won't be paying for parking. Looked like few others took the bait. Don't know if we'll be back this year and the wife is alreay talking aobut skipping next year altogether....and I like the faire!

[PollyPoPo]

Yes, dbaldlock, I purposely left the names off, didn't know if your FB name was "out there" for all to see, and so if anybody was curious enough they would have to go the TRF FB page and check it out.

The FB page is starting to get some more negative comments from customers, some about the "feel" of the fair changing.  

While the "preferred parking" is something that was sprung on customers after the start of faire, it seems to be a money-maker as far as The King (aka management?) is concerned.  There are people who will pay to park closer this year.  If those first few rows start filling up more as the season progresses, what happens to the next closest rows?

If TRF finds that enough people will pay $10 for preferred parking, do they decide that everybody will pay $5 to park?

Just wondering.

[nolekhan]

If no one can recall a strong presence in "Preferred Parking," does that mean that even ONE person paying is considered a success? Or is management claiming a success so they can continue charging and hope that more people weaken?

[valt]

Oh yes, I heard from several very upset individuals about the "preferred parking".  It is one thing to announce such things prior to the season so people are expecting it, yet another to start another money grab in the middle of the season.  There are many who get up quite early, depending on their travel time, who get their early to have those close up spots.  Then to arrive and find those spots sudden become paid spots in the middle of the season...  And most of those peoples response is that that is less money they will be spending inside of faire.

"This weekend we tried out the King's Preferred Parking and it was a success."  ...I highly doubt that with the number of regulars that you pissed off with this being sprung on them in the middle of the season.

[BryanPopp]

I just about flipped my lid when I saw the preferred parking. Due to the parking lot design. You could be on row 3 but but if you are past the halfway mark then you still have a long walk. yeah that is worth $10. Hell we had a VIP parking pass this weekend due to my step-son's wedding. I had to tell the crew where VIP parking was. They had no clue.
All they are doing is punishing most of their good (Rennie) customers. You already know you are going to pay high food and beverage prices once you get in the gate (Hello it is a faire), now they want to tag you before you even get out of the car.
The only success they are having with this, is pissing people off. The people who show up for rain days, for 100+ degree temps, and the freezing cold (both days) are the ones who would normally park in those areas.

[PollyPoPo]

New Post on TRF FB Page.

Post:   Just noticed the Kings perferred parking this weekend. Unfortunatly we didn't have $10 cash but you can bet we will next weekend. Thanks for making that available. Nothing worse than the long trudge back to the car after you're already tired from a day full of fun. Yeah preferred parking!!!!!!!!!!

TRF Response:   The Texas Renaissance Festival Excellent! Yes, we had a lot of success with the preferred parking. It gives people a chance to park closer if they want too and all other parking is still free.
~The King

[PollyPoPo]

I just about flipped my lid ...All they are doing is punishing most of their good (Rennie) customers...

Glad and sad at the same time to see someone else starting to use the word "customer" instead of patron or playtron. 

[Fenster]

New Post on TRF FB Page.

Post:   Just noticed the Kings perferred parking this weekend. Unfortunatly we didn't have $10 cash but you can bet we will next weekend. Thanks for making that available. Nothing worse than the long trudge back to the car after you're already tired from a day full of fun. Yeah preferred parking!!!!!!!!!!

TRF Response:   The Texas Renaissance Festival Excellent! Yes, we had a lot of success with the preferred parking. It gives people a chance to park closer if they want too and all other parking is still free.
~The King

If a long walk at the end of the day is so bad why not pay for a rickshaw ride?  At least some of that money goes to a hard working driver.

[Breandan]

Terre! Seriously! I KNOW you read this, what the hell were you thinking?

1: you didn't announce this before implementing it
2: when concerns are raised about it, you state "we tried it out this weekend"... seriously? No forewarning? No advertising? People find out ON SITE? Business 101- DON'T PISS OFF YOUR CUSTOMERS BY SPRINGING UNPLEASANT CRAP ON THEM!
3: I'm not sure what your measure of success is, but empty rows at midday that are normally full before cannon is not what I would call success by any measure. You screwed up, calling a broken vase "modern art" doesn't make it true. This standard MO of doubling-down on mistakes, ignoring and deleting critical comments, wallowing in the sycophantic praises of a handful of people, and when the bad PR gets too severe sweeping the whole thing under the rug and walking away whistling innocently, hoping everyone will just forget and that it will go away is NOT the practice of a business with a hope in hell of surviving. I expect another scorched-earth front office purge in the next 36 months, because its easier to fire people than fix problems. TRF is starting to develop the turnover rate of McDonalds in the front office. Accept responsibility for the screw-ups, apologize, fix them, and next time, for the love of all that is holy, THINK before acting! Focus groups exist for a reason. This site is a good place to do free polling before implementing an idea. Look at your competitors and see how they have done it and how well it worked.

I am also hearing some VERY unpleasant rumours coming from within faire regarding the demonstrators that- if true- will be the nail in the coffin of TRF as anything other than a soulless money-syphoning corporate theme park. Immersion, the Dream, etc. will be thrown under the bus in the vain hope of grabbing a buck or two more, all in an effort to most likely pump up numbers to make the faire appear more profitable than it is to any potential investors or buyers. Even if this isn't some sloppy push to make the faire appear worth the insane sum George has asked for it from buyers in the past, it still appears to be desperate, disorganized flailing to make money any way possible without any forethought or consideration of long-term consequences. Every time I think the faire is turning around, I run face-first into more self-destructive short-sighted behaviour. It's insane.

[BryanPopp]

New Post on TRF FB Page.

Post:   Just noticed the Kings perferred parking this weekend. Unfortunatly we didn't have $10 cash but you can bet we will next weekend. Thanks for making that available. Nothing worse than the long trudge back to the car after you're already tired from a day full of fun. Yeah preferred parking!!!!!!!!!!

To me this looks almost like a canned response.
I think it is crap. You get up early get your but moving to get there before the gate show. Then you park 5 to 6 rows back so people who arrive later can pay for a better spot.
Yeah I am a big fan.

[Terre Albert]

We tested preferred parking for the first time this week.  It was not advertised because we are working out the signage and bugs.  TRF will always have free parking and no this doesn't open the door for paided parking, we can't do that.  In no way does this require anyone to pay to park.  We added 180' to peoples walk as our rows are 60 feet a part.  When you come you will see that very little has changed in the parking lot except we have worked the traffic so that people get out faster.  We have had VIP parking for years for weddings, media and others, now everyone can get a close spot later in the day. 

[nolekhan]

If a long walk at the end of the day is so bad why not pay for a rickshaw ride?  At least some of that money goes to a hard working driver.

I was thinking of asking this as well. I've never used the rickshaw though (so I can spend more on food) so how much is a ride?

[King Cinaeth I]

As for the Kingdom of Onondaga, we have to agree with the comments below....this was both absurd and annoying to say the least.  If people wish to park closer to the gates, they should get up earlier and drive in like the rest the faithful to this faire.  If not, then by default they "Prefer" to park in whatever spot is available upon their arrival.  We voiced our opinion to everyone wearing the "Official Logo of the Realm" this weekend and multiple times to some.  Who knows if our voices will be heard or just passed over for the thought of making a dollar.  Discount ticket + $10 doesn't sound like much of a deal to me not to mention that comp. tickets appear to be only good on Sunday's this year?